Belozersk (literally "white lake") is located in the northwestern part of the Vologda region on the southern shore of White Lake. The administrative center of Belozersky municipal district, the port on the Volga-Baltic channel.
The city is strongly elongated along the shore of the White Lake and, accordingly, the Belozersky Canal, which goes around the lake, but is not very wide in width. The numbering of the houses of the transverse streets starts from the shore of the lake / canal, which is logical, but the longitudinal streets are numbered from east to west, so many streets in the eastern part of the city just end (and do not begin) in the historical center - near the Kremlin and Torgovaya Square, which is somewhat confusing when trying to find sights on the map.
Center for Crafts and Tourism, Sovetsky pr., 72. ✉ ☎ +7 (81756) 2-16-72. Mon–Thu 08:15–17:30, closes one hour earlier on Fri, closed on weekends. Guided tours of the workshops. Master classes in doll making, weaving, weaving, woodworking, painting, lace making, needlework, pottery. There is a souvenir shop where you can buy a Belozerskaya Madame linen doll, which has become a tourist brand of the city.
1 Belozersky Kremlin. A defensive structure of the
15th century in the center of Belozersk. The Kremlin was built under
the Grand Duke Ivan III. Wooden walls and towers were built on top
of the 30-meter shaft, which existed until the end of the 18th
century, when they were dismantled due to dilapidation. A rampart
and a moat have been preserved to this day. The territory of the
Kremlin is available for visiting at any time.
Fortress wall.
2 Savior Transfiguration Cathedral , st. Soviet Val (on the
territory of the Kremlin). Brick four-pillar three-apse temple,
completed with five onion domes on large drums. Built in the 1670s.
In the 1930s it was closed, but maintained in order. Now belongs to
the city museum. The magnificent multi-tiered carved iconostasis of
the late 18th - early 19th centuries has been preserved in the
cathedral.
3 Three-span arch bridge.
4 Assumption Cathedral, st. Karl Marx, 43. The first stone temple of
Belozersk. The brick five-domed church was built in 1563. The
interior is well preserved, including ancient paintings and a
four-tiered iconostasis of the 18th century, including icons of the
16th century. The cathedral is active.
5 Church of the Epiphany,
st. Karl Marx, 45. Makes up a temple complex with the Assumption
Cathedral.
6 Church of Elijah the Prophet, st. Shukshina, 27
(former Rabochaya st.). Wooden church of the late 17th century.
Since 2010, it has been under restoration in a partially
disassembled state.
7 Church of John the Baptist Wikidata
element, st. III International (at house 6).
8 Church of the
All-Merciful Savior, st. Dzerzhinsky, 8. The current church is the
most dominant temple object from the water. Built in 1723. Notable
for the bell-shaped roof crowning the apse. The bell tower offers a
beautiful view of the lake and the city
9 Peter and Paul Church,
st. Frunze, 22.
10 Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, st.
Frunze, 27. Rebuilt, used as a residential building.
11 Cyril
Novoezersky Chapel, 11 Torgovaya Square. A heptagonal brick
hipped-roof chapel built in 1877 in pseudo-Russian style. Valid.
In the central part of the city, the preserved wooden and stone buildings of the first half of the 19th century are interesting. These are mainly two-story merchant mansions, made in the classic style.
12 Monument to the poet Sergei Orlov, park on the corner of st.
Dzerzhinsky and Sergei Orlov (northeast of the Kremlin). Bust on a
high pedestal, erected in 1981. Every year on August 22, on the
birthday of the poet Sergei Orlov, a rally is held at the monument.
13 Monument to the Belozersky zander, emb. PC. Georgievsky, at the
intersection with the street. Uritsky. Sculpture of a fish on top of
a small column. The monument pays tribute to the fishing industry of
Belozersk.
14 Tank-monument T-34-85 (in the park north of the
Kremlin). Tank on a pedestal. The monument was unveiled on May 9,
1979.
15 Monument to the Shamarin brothers, on the corner of st.
Svoboda and Belozer. Stele with four bas-reliefs at the bottom. It
was installed in the 1980s in memory of the Belozersk design
engineers, the Shamarin brothers, who did a lot to strengthen the
country's defense capability.
Belozersky Regional Museum of Local Lore, st. Frunze,
28. ✉ ☎ +7 (81756) 2-28-97. Mon–Sat 10:00–17:00 in winter Sunday is a
day off, from May to September without days off.
Museum "Russian
hut" , st. Soviet Val, 1 (on the territory of the Kremlin). Closed for
renovation
House-museum of the poet-front-line soldier S. Orlov, st.
Dzerzhinsky, 12. ☎ +7 (81756) 2-24-50. Closed indefinitely for
renovations in 2022
Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral, st. Soviet Val
(on the territory of the Kremlin). Mon–Sun 10:00–18:00, 13:00–14:00
lunch, closed in winter.
Museum "Traditional Boats of Belozersk
Territory" , Torgovaya Square, 20. ✉ ☎ +7 (921) 686-16-37 (Mikhail
Nikolaevich Stolyarov, owner). A private museum located in a large barn
rented from the city. Dedicated to the local fishing industry, methods
of making boats and fishing gear, as well as the life of fishermen and
peasants of the Belozersky district. Huge collection of various
utensils. How to use all this, the guide (who is also the owner of the
collection) will tell and show on the spot. The story is very
interesting and most likely. even a visitor who is far from the topic of
fishing will like it. It is better to visit the museum not alone, but at
least in a small group, since you will have to pay not only "from the
nose", but also for the tour as a whole. But, in principle, it's worth
it. You can also buy souvenirs here - wooden images of animals and
military equipment, all piece handmade, so not cheap.
Museum of the
White Lake , st. Sergey Vikulov, 5 (corner of Dzerzhinsky St.). ☎ +7
(81756) -13-45. Mon–Sat 10:00–17:30, break from 13:00 to 14:00, closed
on Sun. from 100 ₽. One of the two limnological museums in Russia (the
other is located in Listvyanka and is dedicated to Lake Baikal). At
first glance, it looks like an ordinary provincial museum of local lore
with stuffed animals and plant samples (and at the same time with a good
collection of minerals and a small interactive part). However, there is
a separate - and the most interesting - exposition dedicated to a
variety of fish that live in the White Lake, as well as countless ways
of obtaining and eating them by local residents. A special honor to the
smelt, which can be eaten, it seems, in any form. Ancient recipes,
lovingly written out on special tablets, archival photographs and other
details are, of course, worth an hour of free time.
Belozersk is one of the most ancient cities of Ancient Rus' and
Russia. Between lakes Ladoga and Beloye, the lands of the entire
tribe, which is known from documents probably dating back to the 6th
century, were located for a long time. However, the coast of the
White Lake was not inhabited, according to archaeological sources,
until the 9th century. In the next, X century, representatives of
the Slavic tribes joined the Vessky settlers. At the same time, most
likely, the settlers of two streams - Novgorod and Rostov-Suzdal,
settled on these lands almost simultaneously. The rather early and
active development of the region is associated with the fact that
the branches of the Great Volga Route passed through its territory,
which led to the main waterway of Europe - “from the Varangians to
the Greeks”. The population of Belozerye at the initial stage of
development of these lands was engaged in the extraction of furs
(hunting was carried out for beaver, marten, squirrel, otter),
fishing and trade.
In the 1070s, from the settlement founded
by the Novgorodians, located at the confluence of the Kema and
Kovzha rivers, a customs point was transferred to Beloozero, where
the export of furs was controlled. From the 14th century due to the
decrease in the number of fur-bearing animals, the population of the
region was mainly engaged in agriculture.
According to The Tale of Bygone Years, the
city of Beloozero (Veps. Valged jär'v') was the capital of the Chud
(Finnish) tribe Vepsä (self-named vepsä), the ancient Veps.
According to The Tale of the Calling of the Varangians, when the
Slavic (Slovene Novgorod and Krivichi) and Chud tribes (Chud, All
and Merya) jointly called Rurik to reign in Novgorod, one of his
brothers, Prince Sineus, sat on the throne in Beloozero.
In
862 Beloozero was mentioned for the first time in the chronicle.
However, the results of many years of excavations show that,
contrary to the information of the initial part of the Tale of
Bygone Years, Beloozero did not appear in the 9th century, but in
the 10th century, and the territory around the White Lake itself was
a periphery of the Vesi tribal territory.
The emergence of a city in the middle of the 10th century on the
right bank of the Sheksna River, where the small river Vasilievka
flowed into it (later the village of Krokhino was located at this
place) is currently considered to be archaeologically confirmed. Not
later than the end of the 10th century, the elevated areas of the
right bank to the east of Vasilievka were settled. In the first half
of the 11th century, the territory of the city extended to the left
bank of the Sheksna.
The right-bank part of the city
eventually stretched along the river bank for almost 2 km, while its
area reached 41 hectares. Building on the left bank of the Sheksna
began no later than the first half of the 11th century. During its
heyday (the second half of the 12th - the beginning of the 13th
century), the left-bank part of the city occupied at least 13
hectares. The total area of the city on both sides of the Sheksna
was at least 54 hectares, which puts Beloozero among the largest
urban centers of North-Eastern Rus'.
Since 1238, Beloozero
has been the center of the independent Belozersky Principality
(before that, it was part of the Rostov-Suzdal Principality, which
existed for almost 150 years), as well as a trade and craft center.
According to the number of commercial lead seals found (19),
Beloozero ranks sixth after Drogichin, Veliky Novgorod, the
Ratminsky settlement in Dubna, Borkovsky Island in Ryazan and Pskov.
At the beginning of the 14th century Beloozero faded away, and
by the middle of the century the area of its territory was reduced
to 7 hectares.
In 1352, an epidemic of "plague" (plague)
broke out in Beloozero, which destroyed almost all the inhabitants.
Since the city had an important position on the waterway, through
which the northern lands communicated with the Volga region, as well
as with cities on the Sukhona and the Northern Dvina, the city was
revived for the third time.
In 1363-1364, Belozersk was
re-founded in a new place - 17 kilometers to the west - and took its
current place. From this moment begins the heyday of the city.
According to other sources, at the end of the XIV century there were
two cities of the same name - new and old; chronicle references of
the 15th century already refer to the new city. He quickly grew rich
and gained fame throughout Rus', already as part of the Muscovite
state.
The heyday of the city fell on the XV and XVI
centuries. The city of Beloozero was located in the center of the
trade routes connecting the south with the north, therefore it
conducted an active trade of its own and acted as an intermediary in
many trade transactions. During this period, the city was gradually
rebuilt and decorated with stone temples. In 1539 the city received
a lip charter granting it the right to local self-government.
In 1612, the Polish-Lithuanian troops occupied and ravaged the
city, which was facilitated by the moral obsolescence of the
fortifications. The earthen rampart and wooden walls could no longer
resist the artillery and firearms of the enemy, while the
neighboring city of Kirillov, surrounded by a new stone wall,
managed to defend its independence. Since then, Belozersk has been a
quiet provincial town with a leisurely way of life.
By the
beginning of the 17th century, in connection with the movement of
the trade route to Arkhangelsk through the Sukhona and Northern
Dvina rivers, the previously flourishing Beloozero gradually fell
into decay. The city turned out to be aloof from the main directions
of the trade and economic life of the country. The Polish-Lithuanian
intervention at the beginning of the 17th century accelerated this
process.
Since 1777 Belozersk has become a city.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the development of the city was facilitated by the Mariinsky water system (Mariinsky water system is a water system in Russia that connects the Volga basin with the Baltic Sea. It consists of both natural and artificial waterways. In Soviet times, it was called the Volga-Baltic Waterway named after V. I. Lenin), which began operating in 1810, and the last of its structures, the Belozersky Bypass Canal, was opened in 1846. The logging industry has been developed. The products of the timber industry began to be transported by water to St. Petersburg. After the opening of the Volga-Baltic waterway, the connections of the ancient city with other economic regions of the country increased. Until the middle of the 20th century, Belozerye was a typical agricultural region, and the urban population accounted for only 16% of the total number of inhabitants.
On May 22, 1970, the executive committee of the city
council of workers' deputies by decision No. 8 approved a new version of
the coat of arms of Belozersk (author P. Goryachev).
On October
12, 2001, the emblem and flag of the Belozersk municipal district and
the city of Belozersk were approved. The coat of arms of Belozersk is:
“In a shield wavy-crossed with azure and silver, at the top there is a
broadened cross over a silver crescent, at the bottom there are two
silver sterlets with scarlet fins, thinly bordered with azure. In the
free part, the coat of arms of the Vologda Oblast. The author of the
reconstruction of the coat of arms: Oleg Sviridenko. The coat of arms is
entered in the State Heraldic Register of the Russian Federation under
No. 1222.
From August 12, 2019 to July 7, 2020, an emergency
situation was declared in the city due to self-flowing wells.
The city of Belozersk, as well as the entire Vologda Oblast, is located in the time zone designated by the international standard as Moscow Time Zone (MSK / MSD). The offset from UTC is +3: 00 (MSK).
Souvenir shop, Sovetsky pr., 71 (opposite the entrance to the Kremlin). Mon–Fri 09:30–18:30, Sat until 18:00. on Sun from 11:00 to 17:00.
The city is located far from major transport lines. The main mode of
transport is a bus that runs to the nearest transport centers -
Cherepovets and Vologda, where, in turn, the airports and railway
stations closest to Belozersk are located.
By bus
The bus from
Vologda to Belozersk makes from one to three trips a day according to a
special schedule, which depends on the season and the day of the week.
Distance 215 km, travel time less than 4.5 hours. The bus route can run
both through Sheksna and through Kirillov. The one-way fare for the fall
of 2020 was about 720 rubles.
The bus from Cherepovets to
Belozersk makes up to eight trips a day, small schedule changes depend
on the time of year and day of the week. Distance 115 km, travel time
less than 2.5 hours.
1 Bus station, Komsomolskaya st., 18.
By car
Asphalt road from Cherepovets (115 km). In the direction
of Kirillov and Lipin Bor, you will have to cross Sheksna, and the only
bridge across it is located so that the path to Kirillov will be 150 km
against 45 km in a straight line. Ferries operate during the navigation
period, from May to October. In winter (usually from mid-December to
early March), at least a pontoon bridge operates on the road to Liping
Bor.
The shortest road from Vologda is through Kirillov (170 km),
but you can also go through Cherepovets, which is somewhat longer (215
km), but comparable in time, you don’t have to contact the ferry, and
there will be asphalt all the way.
2 Kiryanovskaya (Vognemskaya)
ferry crossing, road to Kirillov. 8:00–20:00 (break: 13:00–14:00). The
road to the crossing is not of the best quality, but you can drive in
any weather. From Kirillov the ferry departs at half an hour, from
Belozersk at the beginning of every hour. The ferry is free, and there
are usually few people who want to. The crossing is served by a
Soviet-built ferry, the journey takes 10-15 minutes. The place of the
crossing is known for the fact that here in 1973 the final episode of
Vasily Shukshin's film "Kalina Krasnaya" was filmed, where a truck rams
the Volga with criminals. It does not function during the
internavigation period.
3 Krokhinskaya ferry crossing, road to
Lipin Bor. 8:00–20:00. for free. Departure at the beginning of every
hour from the right bank (from Belozersk). Vessels traveling along the
canal have an advantage over the ferry - during the "rush hour" on
Sheksna, significant delays to the ferry are possible. During the
inter-navigation period, a pontoon bridge is being built.
On the
ship
Cruise ships following the Volga-Baltic Canal, with a few
exceptions, do not call at Belozersk.
There is no intracity public transport. The main city attractions are located within walking distance from the Belozersky Kremlin. The bus station is located in the center southwest of the Kremlin.
Public catering, like museums, in Belozersk is not imprisoned for
“weekend tourists”: many establishments work on a reduced schedule on
Saturday, and are completely closed on Sunday. They can also be
unexpectedly closed on weekdays, and no one will answer the indicated
phones.
Cafe-bar at the Rechnoy Vokzal Hotel, emb. PC.
Georgievsky, 80. 11–23.
1 Cafe-pancake, 42 Sovetsky pr.
Cafe at
the hotel "Rus", st. Dzerzhinsky, 18a. 11–23.
2 "Kalina Krasnaya"
restaurant, st. Dzerzhinsky, 17. ☎ +7 (81756) 2-14-63, +7 (921)
733-21-77. Mon–Thurs 10:00–20:00, Fri–Sat 10:00–01:00, Sun until 17:00.
A fairly large selection in the main and in the bar menu, prices at the
level of the dining room, not the restaurant, the reviews are mostly
positive. There is a culinary on the ground floor, but it’s just rather
poor in terms of assortment, although it’s very cheap (packaged tea and
instant coffee in paper cups, non-heated pastries, etc.), so it’s better
to spend a little more time at the restaurant to eat -humanly.
3 Restaurant "Province" , st. Sergey Orlov, 12. ☎ +7 (900) 530-60-60.
Mon–Thurs 08:00–22:00, Fri until midnight, Sat from 12:00 to midnight,
Sun from 12:00 to 20:00. Rather a sushi bar than a restaurant, since the
choice of sushi and rolls (as well as pizza) is very large, but the
lunch menu has only 3-4 positions in appetizers, soups and hot dishes.
There are special fish dishes (pike perch in Belozersky, Finnish fish
soup lohikeitto). The prices are average, and even a bit high for the
province, but overall the place is pleasant.
4 Cafe "Ark" ,
street / III International, 83B. ☎ +7 (921) 745-53-81. Large menu and,
according to reviews, large portions. Prices are average, but by the
standards of Belozersk, they are closer to high. For some reason,
opening hours are not advertised.
5 Cafe "60 Parallel", st. Karl
Marx, 28. ☎ +7 (906) 294-51-51. Sun–Thursday 08:00–21:00, Fri–Sat
08:00–23:00. Cafe at the hotel "Legenda". The visitors love it. The
price tag is average.
Dance floor "Skovorodka" Soviet-era dance floor. Visited mainly by the older generation. Periodically, the local group "Stary Gorod" performs.
Hotel "Rus", st. Dzerzhinsky, 18a. ☎ +7 (81756) 2-17-31, +7 (81756)
2-11-86. Old soviet hotel. The deluxe rooms have a shower.
1 Sea Side
hotel and restaurant complex, emb. PC. Georgievsky, 5B. ☎ +7 (921)
250-87-03, +7 (921) 250-18-57. 1500 r. (cabin in a houseboat), 3300-3500
r. (2-4 bed room). Two-storey wooden building with 11 rooms. Each room
has a separate entrance, bathroom with shower, hot water, refrigerator,
TV, internet, air conditioning. Panoramic windows with views, exit to
the terrace. There are also houses on the water, rental of boats and
various equipment (in summer), a floating bar. Meals are not included in
the price, there is a restaurant with a fish menu. Reviews are mixed.
2 Guest complex "Priozerye" , emb. PC. Georgievsky, 16A. ☎ +7 (81756)
2-19-19, +7 (921) 128-44-79. 7 wooden two-storey cottages on the bank of
the Belozersky canal. The cottages have all the amenities: upholstered
furniture, two bathrooms, shower, refrigerator, TV, internet.
Turbaza
"River Station", emb. PC. Georgievsky, 80 (in the western part of the
city, drive from Svobody street). ☎ +7 (81756) 2-62-62, +7 (921)
732-21-00. Double room: 1500 rubles (2010). Behind the modest name
"camaz" is a modern hotel in the building of the former river station,
offering guests round-the-clock hot water and other benefits of
civilization. Rooms for 1-3 people with private facilities. Breakfast,
cafe. Free parking. Free WiFi. Good feedback.
✦ Veles guest house
and cafe , emb. PC. Georgievsky, 80 (at the tourist center "River
Station").
3 Apart-hotel «Legenda» , st. Karl Marx, 28. ✉ ☎ +7
(951) 684-34-27. 2,500 ₽ for a double standard, 3,000 ₽ for an apartment
with a kitchen and the option of extra beds (+500 ₽). A modern hotel
with all the benefits of civilization, including Wi-Fi and underfloor
heating in the bathroom. The apartments have a fully equipped kitchen.
The interiors are decorated with photographs of old Belozersk. There is
a cafe plus there is a shop across the road. Additional services -
bicycle rental (which is very useful in Belozersk), organization of
winter and summer fishing, water excursions. The guests like everything,
but there are complaints that the reception does not work around the
clock, so there may be problems with a late check-in.
4 Guest house
"Solnyshko", st. Lenina, 60a. ☎ +7 (81756) 2-19-15, +7 (921) 250-09-87.
1200–3000 ₽/night. Well-appointed rooms in a wooden house, 7 rooms.
There is Wi-FIi, satellite TV, parking, a kitchen with electric stoves
and utensils and a dining room. Good feedback.
The main sectors of the economy of the Belozersky district are
woodworking and food industries.
Belozersk is a member of the
modern Hanseatic League. The oldest city in Russia was officially
invited by the Hanseatic League in November 2000 due to the prominent
contribution of the medieval Belozersk to the development of trade with
the cities of Northern Europe. At that time, the Hansa, which united the
free trading cities, was known throughout the continent. Currently, the
Hanseatic Community unites more than 200 cities from fourteen countries.
Russia in this non-state union is represented by 13 cities.
Before the collapse of the USSR, fishing was developed in the city,
smelt was commercially harvested on the White Lake, but in recent years
smelt has descended from the White Lake into the Volga basin and is now
found in the Rybinsk, Gorky, Kuibyshev and Saratov reservoirs. Today the
fishing farms of Belozersk ceased to exist.
Newspaper "Belozerye". The first issue came out on February 2, 1918.
Bikbaev Azamat Izubaevich (born 1986) is a Russian wrestler of the
classical (Greco-Roman) style. Master of Sports of Russia of
international class (since April 20, 2012).
Bogomolova Galina
Evgenievna (born 1977) is a Russian track and field athlete specializing
in middle and long distance running.
Gainetdinova Gulshat
Irshatovna (born 1992) is a Russian track and field athlete specializing
in cross-country and long-distance running. Three-time Russian champion.
European Youth Champion (2013). Master of Sports of Russia of
international class.
Levushkina Valentina Vyacheslavovna (born
1982) is a Russian track and field athlete, specialist in long-distance
running, cross-country and marathon.
Marusin Oleg Aleksandrovich
(born 1981) is a Russian marathon runner.
Alena Aleksandrovna
Samokhvalova (born 1980) is a Russian track and field athlete,
specialist in long-distance running, cross-country and marathon.
Senchenko Tatyana Vasilievna (born 1952) is a Soviet and Russian
athletics coach. Honored Trainer of Russia (2001). Honorary citizen of
the Beloretsk district and the city of Beloretsk (2013).
Khazankin Roman Grigorievich (born 1947) - mathematics teacher, Soviet
and Russian educator, Honored School Teacher of the RSFSR, founder of
the Beloretsk Computer School.
Liliya Bulatovna Shobukhova (born
1977) is one of Russia’s strongest long-distance runners, specializing
in the marathon since 2009. Honored Master of Sports of Russia.
Participant in the Olympic Games and international marathons.