Malye Korely is a museum of wooden architecture and folk art,
offering a fascinating journey through time and space. This is a portal
that takes you to the atmosphere of the epic North, where a fairy tale
awaits at every step - tall log huts and solemnly graceful temples,
colorful northern views, famous staircases of passages, hot Ivan tea to
the melodious ringing of bells, a lyrical song over the Dvina expanse or
a colorful round dance wide holiday.
Malye Korely is located on
the high bank of the Northern Dvina just half an hour from Arkhangelsk.
This is one of the largest landscape expositions in Russia. Founded in
1964, the museum is a member of the Association of European Open Air
Museums and is included in the State Code of Especially Valuable
Cultural Heritage Objects of the Peoples of the Russian Federation.
The most striking examples of traditional northern architecture,
representing the “wooden civilization” of the entire vast Arkhangelsk
region, are collected in Malyye Korela. On the picturesque hills among
the spruce forest there are "villages" of the Kargopol-Onega, Dvina,
Pinega and Mezen sectors with huts, barns, wells and fences. Here you
can see the gigantic mechanism of a windmill-tent, huge house-yards of
wealthy Kargopol peasants or Pomors, the interior of the Dvina tavern,
the Kholmogory forge, the fisherman's house and the hut of a
hunter-hunter. The expositions in the interiors of the estates tell
about the skill of northern carpenters, about how they caught fish, grew
bread, how they ran the household, celebrated weddings, and even what
our ancestors rode.
Malye Korely is the most popular place for
festive festivities. Maslenitsa and Easter, New Year, Christmas, Bread
Festival, Horse Festival, Haymaking and Bell Ringing Day always attract
the widest audience. Adults and children participate in festive rituals,
sing to the accordion, swing on a swing and compete in folk amusements.
Here you can spin in a colorful round dance, walk on stilts, ride a
horse or “ice carousel” on a frozen pond.
Malye Korely is not
just an open-air museum. This is the wonderful world of the northern
village, in which you want to return many times. According to the
reviews of the guests of Malyye Korel, tourists who visited the museum
once, definitely want to come back again - to take a leisurely walk in
this territory at a completely different time of the year, each time
making new discoveries for themselves.
In addition to the
landscape exposition in the village of Malye Karely, the museum also
includes a unique temple ensemble in the village of Nenoksa, an ancient
tent temple on the Lyavlya River, the estate of M. T. Kunitsyna and the
commercial collection house (Marfin House) on the street-museum of
Chumbarov-Luchinsky in Arkhangelsk.
The architectural and
landscape exposition of Malye Korely works WITHOUT DAYS OFF. For a
detailed schedule of all museum houses, see the link.
The shop of
folk crafts is open in the house of A.F. Pukhov (Kargopol-Onega sector
of the museum) every day, except Monday and Tuesday, from 10:00 to
16:30.
The museum got its name from the name of the village of Small Karely, with the letter a in the word Karely replaced by about. This was done for historical correspondence with the Pomeranian dialects, which were formed on the basis of Old Novgorod, which were characterized by okanye, which is reflected in the Novgorod annals and birch bark, where the names with the root "korel" were written through "o": the city of Korela, Korelskaya land , corelin, etc.
The Museum of Wooden Architecture "Malye Korely" is an open-air
museum located in the village of Malye Korely, Primorsky District,
Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, on the right bank of the Northern Dvina
River near the mouth of the Korelka River, approximately 25 kilometers
southeast of Arkhangelsk. Spanning about 140 hectares of rolling
forested landscape, it is dedicated to preserving and showcasing
traditional wooden architecture from the Arkhangelsk region, including
churches, chapels, peasant houses, barns, windmills, and other
structures primarily from the 16th to early 20th centuries. The museum
serves as a vital repository for the heritage of the Russian North,
highlighting the intricate craftsmanship and utilitarian designs adapted
to the harsh northern climate.
The museum was officially established
on July 17, 1964, with the primary aim of safeguarding outstanding
wooden monuments scattered across Arkhangelsk Oblast that were at risk
of decay or destruction due to modernization and depopulation in remote
villages. Initial efforts focused on relocating these structures to a
centralized site on high bluffs overlooking the Northern Dvina, where
the natural terrain—bounded by the Korelka River to the south—provided
an ideal setting. The first building transferred was a windmill from
1744, originally from the village of Bor in Kholmogorsky District, which
arrived in 1968. In 1972, the museum acquired its inaugural exhibit
item, an icon of St. James, marking the beginning of its interior
collections. To organize the growing displays, the site was divided into
thematic sectors representing different historical and geographic areas
of the province. The first sector, dedicated to Kargopol and the Onega
River regions, was completed in 1973, allowing the museum to open to the
public on June 1 of that year. This opening positioned Malye Korely as
one of the largest outdoor museums of wooden architecture in the Russian
North, attracting visitors including those from cruise ships docking in
Arkhangelsk during the summer months.
Over the subsequent decades,
the museum underwent significant development and institutional growth.
In 1983, it joined the European Open-Air Museum Association, enhancing
its international profile and facilitating exchanges of preservation
techniques. By 1986, Malye Korely achieved independence from the
Arkhangelsk Fine Art Museum, becoming a standalone entity focused solely
on wooden heritage. Lidia Bostryom served as director from 1975 to 2005,
overseeing much of this expansion and the relocation of numerous
artifacts. In 1995, the museum was designated a cultural monument of
federal significance by the Russian government, underscoring its
national importance. Further recognition came in 2011 when Russia issued
a sheet of three postage stamps featuring wooden structures from the
museum, promoting its collections to a broader audience. Throughout its
history, Malye Korely has hosted festivals, folk craft demonstrations,
and educational programs to engage visitors with northern Russian
traditions.
The museum's main exhibition area is organized into four
sectors, each representing distinct historical regions of Arkhangelsk
Province, with plans for two additional sectors to further expand the
collection. The Kargopol-Onega sector, located near the entrance,
showcases architecture from the southwestern part of the oblast,
including areas around Kargopol and along the Onega River—a key trading
route to the White Sea. Highlights include a windmill from Kozhposyolok
village in Onega District; the Pukhov house from Bolshoi Khalui near
Kargopol, with its attached barn and seasonal living quarters; the
Kirillov house from Kiselyovo village, featuring a ramp to an upper barn
level and structural supports for stability; and a late 16th-century
bell tower from Kuliga-Drakovanovo village, rising 26 meters with an
octagonal shaft and tent roof. A standout feature is the Church of the
Ascension from Kushereka village, built in 1669, with five cupolas on a
flared shingled roof, dual altars (one heated for winter use), and a
separate log bell tower.
Accessible via wooded pathways, the Dvina
sector focuses on structures from villages along the Northern Dvina
River, emphasizing large log houses that blend craftsmanship with
practicality. Notable examples include the Tropin house from
Semushinskaya village, with its side entrance porch and upper barn ramp,
furnished to reflect prosperous peasant life; and the Church of St.
George from Vershina village near Upper Toima, dating to 1672, renowned
for its soaring tower roof and partially preserved Baroque icon screen.
Adjoining to the south on bluffs overlooking the Korelka River, the
Pinega and Mezen sectors represent the northeastern regions along those
rivers, incorporating buildings from Old Believer communities and
adapted for severe winters. The Pinega sector, though incomplete,
features the Chapel of the Holy Trinity from Valtyegorskaya village
(early 18th century), elevated for snow protection with a steeply
pitched roof and carved plank ends; and the Shchegolev house from Irta
village, with an elevated porch and decorative end boards. The Mezen
sector includes the Limonnikov house from Yolkino village, with a winter
"zimnik" dwelling for heat conservation; the Rusinov house from
Kondratyevskaya village, an Old Believer farmstead with horse-head ridge
poles and interior stove area; a log watermill from Shiryaikha village;
a threshing barn from Borosvid village; a grain barn from Ust-Nizemye
village; and the Popov house from Pogost village, with its attached barn
and hay storage ramp.
Beyond the main site, the museum oversees three
additional monuments: the Mariya Kunitsyna Estate in Arkhangelsk, a
early 20th-century fisherman's house; the St. Nicholas Church
(1581–1584) in Lyavlya village; and a triple church ensemble in Nyonoksa
village, comprising the Trinity Church (1727), St. Nicholas Church
(1762), and a 1834 bell tower. These extensions broaden the museum's
scope, ensuring the preservation of wooden architecture in situ where
relocation isn't feasible. Today, Malye Korely continues to evolve,
blending historical conservation with cultural events to sustain
interest in the Russian North's wooden legacy.
The museum's exposition includes about 100 civil, public and church
buildings, the earliest of which date back to the 16th century (the bell
tower from the village of Kuliga Drakovanov) and the 17th century (the
Church of the Ascension from the village of Kushereka and St. George's
Church from the village of Vershina). Among the exhibits are peasant and
merchant huts, barns, wells, hedges, windmills, a bathhouse, etc.
Buildings to be moved to the museum territory were rolled out on logs,
and then reassembled on the territory of Malye Korel.
The
exposition of the museum is divided into sectors: “Kargopol-Onega”,
“Dvinskoy”, “Mezensky” and “Pinezhsky”. Currently, the "Pomorsky" and
"Vazhsky" sectors are being created. However, some of the buildings are
very dilapidated and are awaiting restoration, and therefore are closed
to the public.
Since 2002, after the rite of consecration of the Makaryevskaya chapel, brought to the museum from the village of Fedorovskaya in the Plesetsk region in 1972, a tradition has been established annually on the day of St. Macarius (August 7) to hold a holiday of bell ringing. The Makaryevskaya chapel is interesting for the presence of a belfry, where the master of bell music Ivan Danilov (1952-1998) learned to ring.