Kizhi State Open-Air Museum of History, Architecture and Ethnography
Posted by: 
NevaP
N 62° 04.438 E 035° 13.393
36V E 616147 N 6884411
This outdoor museum, on Kizhi Island in Lake Onegra, displays 83 pieces of wooden architecture, including the famous Kizhi Pogost.
Waymark Code: WM3BNA
Location: Russia
Date Posted: 03/10/2008
Views: 61
Kizhi, a small island, about 6km by 1km, on the east side of a large peninsula dipping into Lake Onega at about its midpoint, is the site of the Kizhi Pogost, a walled enclosure containing two large churches and a bell tower. This remarkable group of wooden churches was included in The Kizhi Open-Air Museum, established in 1933 to preserve historic and cultural landscapes and buildings situated on Kizhi Island, near-by Lake Onega islands and part of the mainland coastline.
The museum was designated the Kizhi State Open-Air Museum of History, Architecture and Ethnography in 1966. A number of historic wooden structures have been moved onto the Island near the Kizhi Pogost.
The Pogost, with its magnificent 22 domed Church of the Transfiguration and smaller 10 domed Church of the Intercession is the center piece of the museum.
Buildings constructed in the typical architecture of this northern region ,moved to the island and located near the Pogost, form a complex known as the Zaonezhye Village. Link Included are two large houses, two small churches, a windmill, a bathhouse and a number of farm sheds and barns.
All of these buildings show a remarkable level of carpentry craftsmanship. They were originally constructed without nails, with walls of interlocked pine logs set on stone foundations.
The Ochevnev house, constructed in 1876 was the home of a wealthy peasant family who farmed ,fished and traded in the area. It has elaborate decorative details, two levels of balconies and an attached barn at the rear. Brought to the island in 1951 it was the first relocated building and the beginning of the main display area near the Pogost. 
The interior of this house contains many furnishings and household items typical of the period it was occupied. Costumed museum personnel demonstrate some of the crafts of the time.
Most of the buildings in the Zaonezhye complex were moved to the island in the early 1960's. They were restored from plans developed by historian architect A.V. Opolovnikov. Numerous other buildings included in the museum are located on Kizhi Island and nearby islands, some at their original sites and others moved from other locations. The Kizhi Pogost became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1990.
In summer, the museum is visited by most of the cruise ships traveling the St.Petersburg-Volga-Moscow route. It can also be reached by hydrofoils on excursions from the city of the city of Petrozavodsk and by helicopter. The museum has an excellent website (url below), with sections in English, giving detailed information on visiting the
site and many details about the buildings included in the museum. There is also a spectacular photo gallery. Link