Medvezhyegorsk is located in Olonets Karelia. The city is
conveniently located at the intersection of two main roads leading to
North Karelia and the Kola Peninsula, as well as the railway. The direct
tourist flow to the city is small, with the exception of those who want
to relax on Lake Onega. Most visitors make a transit stop on a road trip
on routes to White Sea Karelia and further north or on the way back.
Here, curious tourists can better learn the history of the place
related to the development of the Kola Peninsula, the construction and
restoration of the White Sea Canal, which begins a couple of tens of
kilometers from the city. In the surrounding area, it is also
interesting to see the defensive structures of the Maselsky Isthmus from
the Second World War, as well as visit the huge and notorious Sandarmokh
burial site near Povenets.
And movie lovers will be curious to
compare the views of Medvezhyegorsk and the surrounding area with the
surroundings of the famous films “Love and Doves”, “And Trees Grow on
Stones” and “The Hunt”.
The city is located at the end of the
Bolshaya Bay of the Povenets Bay of Lake Onega, 120 kilometers north of
Petrozavodsk. The administrative center of the Medvezhyegorsk region of
the republic.
1 Hotel building of the Administration of the White Sea-Baltic camp
of the NKVD.
2 The building of the Medvezhya Gora railway station.
Built in 1916, architect - Rufin Mikhailovich Gabe
3 Figure of a
bear.
4 Chapel of Elijah the Prophet (at the entrance to the city
from Petrozavodsk). Wooden chapel 2009.
5 Bear Mountain. Observation
deck and remains of Finnish fortifications.
1 Medvezhyegorsky District Museum, st. Dzerzhinsky, 22. Mon-Fri from
9.00 to 17.00, Sat - closed, Sun - from 11.00 to 15.00.
2 Museum of
the history of railway transport at Medvezhya Gora station. Tue-Fri from
9.00 to 17.00, lunch from 13.00 to 14.00.
By train
On trains traveling from Petrozavodsk to Murmansk to
Medvezhya Gora station.
Train Station.
By car
The city
can be reached along the federal highway P21 (E105) "Kola", which runs
from Medvezhyegorsk several kilometers to the west and is connected by
the regional road 86K142 "Medvezhyegorsk - Tolvuya - Velikaya Guba", or
from the eastern side of Lake Onega, in particular from Pudozh, along
the federal highway A119 “Vologda-Medvezhyegorsk”.
By bus
You
can get to Medvezhyegorsk by bus only from Petrozavodsk from the bus
station on the street. Chapaeva, 3. Buses depart six times a day from
9.30 to 20.30 every 2-3 hours. Travel time is 2.5 hours, fare is 260
rubles (2015).
Bus station, Artemyeva St., 20 (on the station
square). ☎ 8(814)34-5-84-88. 8.00-19.30.
Finding a decent, by the standards of a big city, catering
establishment in Medvezhyegorsk presents a certain problem. Civilized
food is provided only in guest houses and bases in the upper price
category. Most visitors either use the services of a few eateries, or
shop at nearby supermarkets and eat at their place of residence.
1 Cafe “Penguin”, st. Maxim Gorky, 23. One of the most decent, by local
standards, places in the city where you can have a snack, although
sophisticated gourmets will evaluate the establishment rather
negatively.
2 Cafe “Uyut”, st. Dzerzhinsky, 12. A simple cafe-eatery
with four tables. However, in the absence of alternatives, here you can
have a fairly tasty snack and drink draft beer.
3 Cafe “Flamingo”,
st. Dzerzhinsky, 19. 10:00–20:00. Roadside cafe with slightly inflated
prices. However, the food is normal, as evidenced by many positive
reviews.
4 Cafe “Sushi-City”, st. Dzerzhinsky, 10. Cafe of Japanese
fast food and pizza, focused on delivery. The cafe itself has several
tables where you can have a snack on the spot.
5 Cafe “Karelochka”.
Around the clock. Station diner. On the left side there is a shop with
pies and high tables, from the main entrance there is a normal cafe, but
it is not recommended to go here in the evenings.
6 Dining room
“Argo”, st. Dzerzhinsky, 21a. 10:00–18:00. Good feedback.
7 Dining
room “Zheleznodorozhnik”, st. Artemyeva, 25. 9:00–21:00, Fri and Sat:
until 23:00. Hot: about 150 rub. Classic Soviet canteen, but with brewed
coffee.
It is quite possible to book accommodation via the Internet - there
are plenty of offers. Prices are significantly higher than the Russian
average; for a room with its own amenities, you will most likely have to
pay at least 2,500 rubles.
1 Hotel “Onezhskaya”, Dzerzhinskogo
st., 2. 1840 rubles for a double room without amenities. The central
municipal hotel of the city with 65 rooms, which mainly specializes in
receiving transit motor travelers for one night. Travelers should be
patient during check-in. Unchanged for many years are the archaic Soviet
procedures for checking in only with a passport, waiting in line during
the evening rush hour for more than an hour, while the only elderly
administrator slowly enters data into the computer, writes out a receipt
and meticulously repeats to everyone the rules of staying at the hotel.
However, due to the low cost and convenient location on the highway and
in the city center, the hotel has no competitors. The main number of
rooms consists of rooms without amenities, however, the toilet and
shower (for a fee of 140 rubles) are located on the floor. The hotel and
rooms have been renovated and are quite neat and clean. There are a
small number of rooms with amenities, which are recommended to be booked
in advance. For those who wish, there is paid parking in the yard (120
rubles), but cars are parked there by those who did not have time to
take a parking space in front of the hotel, which is also safe. The
hotel has a restaurant and bar, but whether they are open is completely
unclear.
2 Country Club “Malaya Medvezhka”, st. Chkalova, 31.
3 Guest house “Medvezhonok”, st. Lenina, 37A.
4 Guest house “White
Nights”, st. Lenina, 10. edit
5 Tourist complex “Big Dipper”.