See also: Tourist sights. Nature objects
The Republic of Karelia has great opportunities for developing different types of tourism and satisfying needs of travellers: there are more than 4 thousand registered historical, cultural and nature objects.
Karelia is one of the most well-known russian territories in international tourism, for it has a lot of unique architectural, cultural and historical objects on Kizhi and Valaam and Solovetskie Islands, situated not far from the administrative borders of Karelia and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
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The Russian largest architectural ensemble of wooden architecture - a famous Kizhi pogost - is an outstanding work of Russian craftsmen. Nowadays Kizhi is not only an open-air museum of national architecture. All the traditions, national handicrafts, customs and games are regenerated here.
Valaam island is situated in south-east of Karelia in Ladoga Lake. Founded in the 14th century one of the largest orthodox cathedrals in Russia Valaam was reestablished at the end of 80-s. Cultural monuments of Valaam - immense architectural ensembles, hand-made gardens, engineering constructions and ancient buildings - adjoin even more majestic nature of the island.
Finally, the Solovetskie Islands are situated on the northern administrative borders of Karelia and on the territory of the Archangelsk region. An orthodox monastery, which later became one of the largest spiritual and cultural centers, was founded In the 15th century. Its ensemble includes unique archeological complexes of pre-Christian period - magnificent Kremlin, stone cathedrals, a network of hand-made channels between the lakes and an ancient botanical garden.
These 3 islands - Valaam, Kizhi and Solovki, are not only the main cultural sights of Karelia, but also phenomena of world significance. Historical and cultural peculiarity, which differs Karelia from the other Russian provinces, is defined by a cultural heritage of four indigenous peoples - Karelians, Vepps, Finns and Russians.
Karelia is the motherland of a famous Karelo-Finnish epos "Kalevala" - a literature monument of the world significance. Ancient Vepps, Karelian and Pomorian settlements built several centuries ago are well-preserved for tourists. Petroglyphs made 5 thousand years ago represent one of the first examples of ancient culture.
