Map of concentration camps of the Solovetsky ITL OGPU-NKVD

What is Solovki

The Solovetsky archipelago is a complex of islands located in the Onega Bay of the White Sea. It occupied 347 sq. km. territory, and there are no other archipelagos in the White Sea that can compete with Solovki in size.

Solovki on the map:

Solovki consists of:

• Small and Bolshoi Zayatsky Islands;
• Anzer Island, which is also called Anzer;
• Big Solovetsky Island;
• Big and Small Muksalm;
• about hundreds of small islands.

The five-meter water area surrounding the archipelago, and it itself, belong to the “Solovetsky State Historical, Architectural and Natural Museum-Reserve” and are protected by law.

By plane

Perhaps this is the most convenient way to get to the islands with a minimum of transfers. Solovki has its own small airport that receives small aircraft.

In winter, there is no way to get to the islands except by plane.

There are no direct flights yet; you will have to make a transfer in Arkhangelsk.

Planes depart from the following capital airports:

Flights are operated by various airlines. This is very convenient: you can choose the most suitable flight conditions for yourself.

Travel time will take about 2 hours.

A flight to Solovki departs from Arkhangelsk three times a week.

Departure time: 12.40. Travel time is 50 minutes.

Flights are operated by Nordavia airline.

A little history

According to various sources, the first people came to Solovki in the 6th-2nd millennium BC. They were pagans and in the 2nd-1st centuries BC they founded a megalithic structure on Bolshoy Zayachiy Island, which has survived to this day.

Before the arrival of the monks Savva and Herman, who gave a new round to the history of the archipelago, Solovki was part of the industrial lands that belonged to Khovra Toivutova. Monks appeared here in the 15th century, or rather in 1429. A little later, a monastery appeared on Solovki, where the first exiles began to arrive in 1554. 26 years later the first fort was founded here.

For a long time, Solovki was inhabited by monks and people exiled here for political reasons. The walls of the monastery served as a defensive center, and its inhabitants knew how not only to pray, but also to fight. The stone walls were repeatedly besieged and emerged from troubles with dignity.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the monastery was abolished. It was replaced by the Solovetsky special purpose camp, within the walls of which not a single prisoner died from torture. The exact number of those killed is unknown, but the fact that there were many of them is confirmed by Sekirnaya Mountain, the slopes of which are strewn with human remains.

The camp was closed in 1939, and the staff officers of the Northern Fleet Training Detachment settled within the walls of the empty monastery. During wartime, cabin boys were trained here.

In the sixties of the last century, a museum was organized on Solovki, and in the nineties, work began on restoring the monastery. Perhaps over time it will become the property of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Solovetsky Islands

Video: Solovetsky Islands

Basic moments

Map of the Solovetsky Islands with attractions
The Solovetsky Islands and the adjacent water area have the status of a specially protected area and a museum-reserve, the spiritual center of the islands - the Solovetsky Stavropegic Monastery - is included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. Every year, tens of thousands of tourists and pilgrims come to these holy places to get acquainted with their dramatic history, see the stronghold of Orthodoxy in the Far North of Russia, and enjoy the untouched nature, harsh and peaceful at the same time.

The most significant historical, architectural and spiritual monuments of Solovki are located on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island. The main religious buildings, deserts and hermitages are concentrated here. Some other monastic shrines are located on neighboring islands.

Everything on Solovki amazes with its solidity and inviolability: the grandiose stone walls of the Kremlin, roads and a dam on a boulder foundation, which have not seen repairs for hundreds of years, but still serve the people. The dozens of kilometers of man-made canals connecting hundreds of divinely beautiful lakes and endless meadows created by hard-working monks are amazing. Everything here breathes harmony, combining the beauty of nature and the fruits of human labor.

For its guests, the Solovetsky Museum-Reserve has developed more than 20 excursion routes: bus, boat, walking, and each of them will bring you an unforgettable experience!

Solovetsky Monastery

History of the Solovetsky Islands

Human development of the Solovetsky Islands began in Neolithic times, when the aboriginal inhabitants of Pomerania appeared here - the proto-Sami, who hunted sea animals and fished. It is known that in the II-I centuries BC. e. The proto-Sami buried their dead on the islands, erecting mounds over their graves - mounds of boulder stone, which over time formed entire labyrinths. Both names of the archipelago - Solovetsky Islands and Solovki - have Sami roots: in Sami “suollek” means “islands”. Probably, in these places the Sami performed pagan rituals until the Middle Ages.

Bombing of the Solovetsky Monastery by two British steamships in 1854. In the background you can see the outlines of the Solovetsky Monastery and Blagopoluchiya Bay.

Since the 11th century, sailing and rowing ships of the Novgorod ushkuiniks - paramilitary squads who were also engaged in commercial fishing - began to appear more and more often in the waters of the White Sea. Following them, monks began to develop these regions, settling in hermitages in complete renunciation from the world. In 1429, the monks Savvaty and German arrived on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island. Here, 13 km from the place where the monastery was later built, they erected a cross and equipped a cell. Soon they were joined by Zosima, a native of Pomerania, who distributed his property to the poor and decided to renounce worldly vanities. The foundation of the Solovetsky Monastery in 1436, which over time became one of the most revered in Russia, is associated with the names of Savvaty, German, Zosima.

From the middle of the 15th century, its first permanent residents began to settle on the archipelago - monks and novices of the monastery. Gradually they organized a strong religious and economic community here. In 1548, the monastery monk Philip became the abbot of the monastery. This abbot, a descendant of the boyar family of the Kolychevs, proved himself to be an extraordinary leader. Under him, instead of wooden religious buildings, they began to build stone ones on Solovki, erected outbuildings, laid roads, connected lakes with canals, created their own fleet, and trade also developed. Near the monastery itself, ponds and cages were built where fish were bred, and on the island of Bolshaya Muksalma, spacious pastures were laid out and a cattle yard was located.

In the second half of the 16th century, during the Livonian War, the Swedes, concerned about the activity of Solovetsky merchant shipping, more than once sent their warships to the island waters. In response, by decree of Ivan the Terrible, to protect the White Sea region, a fortress was erected on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island, where a garrison headed by a governor was stationed.

In the 17th century, tragic events took place on Solovki. The monastic brethren, who rejected the church reforms of Moscow Patriarch Nikon, rebelled and resisted the tsarist army. The uprising was brutally suppressed by the governor Ivan Meshcherinov.

Bombing of the Solovetsky Monastery by two British steamships in 1854. In the background you can see the outlines of the Solovetsky Monastery and Blagopoluchiya Bay.

In 1854, during the Crimean War, the Solovetsky Monastery was subjected to prolonged bombardment from the cannons of English frigates. However, the attack resulted in only light damage to individual structures; there were no casualties. Such a miracle confirmed the authority of the monastery among believers.

In the middle of the 19th century, Russian hydrologists and biologists seriously began research in the White Sea region. The first scientific expedition to the Solovetsky Islands was sent in 1876, and in 1881 a biological station, the first on the White Sea, was established on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island. In 1912, a hydroelectric power station was built on a gravity canal near the Holy Lake, one of the first in Russia.

The measured and creative life of the pious islanders was destroyed by the 1917 revolution. The new government liked the strong monastery walls, behind which in the 1920s they built a prison at no extra cost. Even before the advent of the Bolsheviks, criminals and heretics were kept in the monastery premises. But, if over the previous four centuries a little more than three hundred prisoners were imprisoned here, then in just a couple of decades, about a hundred thousand people stayed in the dungeons of the SLON (Solovetsky Special Purpose Camp), and later a correctional institution subordinate to the Gulag. In 1941, the penitentiary structure on the Solovetsky Islands was disbanded.

In the 50s of the last century, Solovki became accessible to visitors, and information about the plight of ancient buildings received a public outcry. In the next decade, restoration work began here, and in 1967 the Solovetsky Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve began its activities. In 1989, a religious community was registered on Solovki, and a year later – for the first time after the “camp” era on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island – priests celebrated the Divine Liturgy. The day of the revival of the Solovetsky Monastery is considered to be October 25, 1990.

Lighthouse on Top Island

Nature

The landscape of the Solovetsky Islands was determined by an ancient glacier that “ironed” their surface about 13 thousand years ago. After the thick ice cover melted, its traces remained on the islands - huge boulders of crystalline rocks, brought from afar by moving ice retreating to the north. Boulders line up in ridges, they are called moraines. The sandy cover of the Solovetsky Islands is also of glacial origin. These are crystalline rocks worn down by the mighty force of the glacier. On Solovki there are many deposits of semi-precious and ornamental minerals brought here - translucent muscovite quartz, red garnets, pyroxene, green jadeite, reminiscent of precious jade.

Zayatsky Island, Solovki

The relief outlines of the Solovetsky Islands are changeable and abound in gentle descents and ascents; there are no impressive elevations here. The highest point of the archipelago is Mount Golgotha, located on the island of Anzer. Its height is 200 meters.

The line of the gentle shores of the Solovetsky Islands, in places covered with sparse grass, completely dotted with bizarrely shaped boulders, is clearly outlined by forest, in some places approaching almost the water itself, and in others retreating from it a couple of hundred meters. The ebb and flow of the tides change the landscape. Twice a day, sea waters rapidly approach the island shores and freeze only at the edge of the forest, bringing with them algae, which then outline the coastline in a continuous strip. Low tides, in turn, expose a sandy shore with rocks and orange-red boulders scattered across it.

Most of the Solovetsky Islands are occupied by forests, pine and deciduous, birch groves. In the thicket there is a lot of windfall, tree trunks that have lain on the ground for many years are almost completely covered with thickets of blueberries, lingonberries, blueberries, and crowberries. By the end of summer, the bushes are colored with ripe berries, the forest clearings flash with the crimson colors of fireweed inflorescences and are filled with the delicate aroma of lungwort. Another decoration of the Solovetsky forests is heather. When it blooms, it covers the ground with a continuous carpet of tiny purple flowers, creating a delightful harmony with the rich green colors of the forest. In autumn, the Solovetsky forests turn into a mushroom kingdom.

Forests of the Solovetsky Islands

There are no rivers on Solovki, but the local lakes, glorified in folk legends and described more than once in Russian literature, are simply stunning with their beauty. It seems that the mirror ponds are spread out chaotically on the islands - sometimes in compact groups, sometimes stretched out in a chain, and sometimes scattered. However, in this picturesque chaos there is a certain system built by nature itself. The shape of reservoirs is also varied. Some lakes are perfectly round, others are elliptical, and others are curved in the shape of a horseshoe. Many of them are unnamed, while the names of others have changed repeatedly over the centuries.

Solovki

It is not known exactly how many lakes there are on the Solovetsky Islands. According to some sources, there are 492 reservoirs, while other sources speak of 562 lakes. Perhaps the reason for this is the blooming of some reservoirs, at a later stage of which they turn into swamps. The swamps themselves occupy a considerable part of Solovki (the exception is the Zayatsky Islands, where they do not exist).

A significant part of the territory of the Solovetsky Islands is meadows, mostly man-made. The quality of the herbs here is first-class, in some places they reach the height of a man.

The fauna of Solovki is not very diverse, but this is compensated by the large number of animals. In the forests you can find reindeer, foxes, squirrels, and hares. There are no large predators here, but local mosquitoes are rightfully nicknamed bloodthirsty ghouls by the islanders. The coastal sea waters are inhabited by seals, beluga whales, bearded seals, harp seals, and herring; the lakes are inhabited by perches, pikes, burbots, and roaches. The world of birds is rich, since the migration route of migratory birds runs through Onega Bay and the Solovetsky Islands.

Climate

The proximity of the Arctic Circle and the breath of the Arctic, of course, leaves an imprint on the local climate. However, the climatic conditions of the Solovetsky Islands are different from the mainland coast of the White Sea and are distinguished by unexpected softness.

The microclimate on Solovki is characterized by some delay in the change of seasons. July-August are the summer months. The period from September 1 to September 20 is considered late summer. Then autumn begins, which lasts until the end of October, when frosts arrive. Winter reigns here for four months. The coldest month is February, but there are years when March temperatures are lower than February.

Winter on the Solovetsky Islands

Quite mild winters on the Solovetsky Islands are due to the fact that the sea, gradually cooling, gives off heat to the land. Until the end of January, the average air temperature rarely drops below 10 °C below zero. In February, when the warming influence of the sea is leveled out, it becomes colder. The average temperature this month is about –12 °C. There are also 30-degree frosts on Solovki, but this does not happen often.

In winter, the Solovetsky Islands are surrounded for several kilometers by a continuous strip of motionless ice. It completely melts only at the end of March, so spring here is always colder than autumn. In April-May, the icy sea intensively transfers cold to the land; daytime temperatures rarely exceed +12 °C.

Summer on Solovki cannot be called hot. The thermometer here fluctuates around +20...+23 °C during the day and never rises above +27 °C; at night it is always cool. During the summer months, precipitation is rare. The weather is clear, only sometimes in the evening there may be pinkish clouds, which, however, do not stay in the sky for long. In the summer months, sea water off the Solovetsky coast warms up, and in July-August its temperature can reach +18...+20 °C.

In June, the sun almost never sets over Solovki. The longest day here lasts 21 hours 56 minutes - exactly the same as the longest night, six months later, in December.

Big Solovetsky Island

Kislaya Bay, Big Solovetsky Island
Big Solovetsky Island, reminiscent of a triangle in its outline, is the largest island of the White Sea. Its capriciously rugged coastline creates picturesque capes, bays, and peninsulas. The distance between the extreme northern and southern points of the island is 24.7 km, the west-east line is 15.8 km. The central part of the island is replete with hills and heights, which are called mountains here, although their height does not exceed 60 m. This ridge is interspersed with a dense network of lakes. The highest point of the Big Solovetsky Island is Mount Sekirnaya (73.5 m). At its top is the Ascension monastery of the Solovetsky Monastery, founded almost two centuries ago. The southern region is a depression, most of which is occupied by peat bogs and semi-overgrown lakes. Encircling the island, a forest stretches along the entire perimeter of the coast. The northern and eastern shores are a kingdom of luxurious pine forests, protecting the central regions of the island from the winds with a powerful wall. Deciduous forest grows on the southern coast.

On a narrow strip of land between the Holy Lake and Blagopoluchiya Bay, open to the sea and cutting almost 2 km deep into the island, is the Solovetsky Kremlin - the core of the Solovetsky Monastery. Thousands of pilgrims and tourists begin their acquaintance with Solovki with its visit. Not far from the architectural and historical complex is the administrative center of the archipelago - the village of Solovetsky. Here ordinary worldly life flows. The village has shops, a post office, a bank, a small airport, and a plant for the production of canned seaweed.

Solovetsky Kremlin

Cannon in the Spinning Tower of the Solovetsky Monastery
The slender silhouettes of ancient buildings, gradually emerging as you approach the island, amaze with their grandeur. From the east, the Holy Lake is closely adjacent to the ancient walls, which is an integral part of the magnificent architectural composition. It’s hard to believe that the fortification walls, made of huge stone blocks, are the result of human labor, and the Holy Lake is a pit formed during work to connect the Solovetsky lakes into a single hydraulic system.

The appearance of the Solovetsky Kremlin combines the architectural traditions of Russian military defense architecture and the architectural features inherent in Scandinavian fortifications. The unique appearance of the Kremlin is given by its towers protruding beyond the line of the walls, each of which has its own name and special history. Construction of the fortification lasted 11 years and was mostly completed by 1594.

The main entrance to the monastery property is called the Holy Gate. They are located in the western part of the fortress wall and represent a wide arched span. The territory of the architectural complex is conventionally divided into zones. In the center there is a cathedral complex surrounded by residential and utility buildings, in the south there is a courtyard with a mill, in the north there are former prison buildings.

Solovetsky Kremlin

The heart of the Kremlin is the cathedral complex, which, together with the fortress towers, determines its unique silhouette. It was created over almost three centuries, but the main buildings date back to the 16th-17th centuries. The dominant building is the three-tier Transfiguration Cathedral, which is a symbol of the greatness of the Solovetsky Monastery. This five-domed temple was built in the 16th century and its stern appearance resembles a fortress. The thickness of its walls in some places is about five meters, and the corner aisles are similar to fortress towers. On the first tier of the cathedral there are vaulted rooms, used mainly for household needs, on the second - the premises of the temple itself, on the third - four chapels.

An outstanding attraction is the Assumption Refectory Complex, with the construction of which stone construction began on the Solovetsky Islands. It includes the Assumption Church, the Refectory and Cellar Chambers. On holidays, tables are set for guests and brethren in the Refectory today, and delicious monastery bread is still baked in the monastery bakery.

The complex of ancient buildings also includes the Annunciation Church, built in the best traditions of Russian temple architecture. Also on the territory of the monastery you can see a stone water mill built in the 17th century, the oldest in Russia.

During the excursion you will also see religious buildings built in a later period - the Holy Trinity Zosimo-Savatievsky Cathedral, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Cathedral of Metropolitan Philip, the bell tower. A sightseeing walking tour of the Solovetsky Kremlin lasts about three hours. Cost – 400 rubles (in Russian), 650 rubles (in another language).

Hermitages and deserts

Not far from the monastery walls, on the picturesque shore of Lake Igumen, is the Filippova, or Jesus, Hermitage. Back in the 16th century, Abbot Philip retired here, spending time in silent prayers. According to the chronicle, one day Jesus Christ appeared to him, after which the abbot built a wooden chapel by the lake with his own hands. In the middle of the 19th century, the chapel was rebuilt into a church named after the Icon of the Mother of God, and later a stone cell building was erected. In 1935, Pavel Florensky, a famous religious figure, philosopher and scientist, worked here in captivity.

Igumenskoye Lake

Filippova Hermitage

Approximately 4 km from the Solovetsky Kremlin, on the shore of Lake Lower Perth, there is the Makarievskaya Hermitage. This corner of the Solovetsky Islands, surrounded by hills, is often called the dacha of Archimandrite Macarius, the Gorka farm, and the Botanical Garden. The local unique microclimate has long been loved by the monastery abbots. At the beginning of the 19th century, one of them, Archimandrite Macarius, built a wooden chapel and two cells here: for his own solitude and for the residence of monks. Then a modest two-story house was built here, and the surrounding land began to be cultivated. Vegetable gardens appeared here, the monks built terraces on the hillsides, where they laid out flower beds, planted berry bushes, cedar trees, apple trees, and in heated greenhouses they grew melons and watermelons.

Today, the Botanical Garden of the Solovetsky Islands is located here, where, just 160 km from the Arctic Circle, gardens with bird cherry, lilac, apple trees bloom, and roses are fragrant. The Botanical Garden presents more than 700 species of plants planted in different historical periods.

Makarievskaya HermitageBotanical Garden of the Solovetsky Islands

Walking and bus excursions are offered to the Makarievskaya Hermitage. A walking tour with an overview of the picturesque surroundings takes about three and a half hours, and a bus ride takes about an hour and a half. Cost – 400 rubles per person.

11 km from the monastery, on Sekirnaya Mountain, is the Holy Ascension Monastery, founded in the 19th century. A three-tier stone church was built here, on the dome of which there is a lighthouse. Since ancient times, at sunset, monks lit a lantern to show the way to sailors and fishermen. They say its light was visible 100 km away. The lighthouse still operates today.

13 km north-west of the Solovetsky Kremlin is the Savvatievsky monastery. Until the 18th century, hermit monks retired to these places, after which monastic fishermen and haymakers lived here in the summer. In the middle of the 19th century, a stone church and cell building were erected here. In the post-revolutionary years, the monastery served as a place of imprisonment for Socialist-Revolutionaries and Mensheviks, and in the 40s of the last century, a school for young naval officers was located here. Today, services are held in the restored church on holidays.

One of the most ancient deserts on the Solovetsky Islands is Isaac’s. It is located in a beautiful area, surrounded by lakes rich in fish. It is known that already in the 17th century there was a wooden chapel dedicated to Isaac of Dalmatia, and later a cell building was built. In the 18th century the desert became a fishing center. During the “camp” era, logging was carried out here. Today, the meadows surrounding the monastery are the most significant monastic hayfields on the Solovetsky Islands.

Holy Ascension Monastery

Savvatievsky monastery

Journey through the lakes

Anyone who goes on a journey through the Solovetsky lakes and the canals connecting them will never forget these silent shores overgrown with forest, golden sandbanks, water lilies forming a continuous carpet in the backwaters, crystal clear water where flocks of fish frolic, and funny ducklings, chasing the boat and begging for food. The lakes are especially beautiful in the morning, when their mirror-like surface is mysteriously covered with fog. The water in the canals is running, clean, you can drink it without fear, just like hundreds of years ago.

On Bolshoy Solovetsky Island you will have the opportunity to travel through lakes and man-made canals on a small rowing boat, which you will control yourself. Excursions take place along two routes: the Small Circle (5-6 lakes) and the Large Circle (11-12 lakes). Each traveler is given an inflatable vest, and the boat has a life preserver. The boat station is located on the island of Middle Perth, but tickets must be purchased at the tour desk of the museum-reserve (the distance between the points is about 3 km, you will have to walk). Traveling around the lakes takes from 3 hours, the cost is from 550 rubles per person.

Cape Beluzhy

At the western tip of the island there is one of the rare places on our planet where, right from the shore, you can watch beluga whales - northern whales, whose color, depending on age, smoothly changes from dark blue to white. It is better to watch them in June-July, when they swim very close to the shore.

Isakovskaya Hermitage

Cape Beluzhy

Anzersky Island

Traveling around the lakes of the Solovetsky Islands on rowing boats
Anzersky Island, or Anzer, is the second largest island of the Solovetsky archipelago, its territory is 24 km². Anzerskaya Salma Strait separates Anzer from other compactly located islands. The coast of the island is completely dotted with coves, the western coast is especially picturesque, dotted with boulders covered with soft moss, among which lingonberry bushes and wild rose hips hide. The central part of Anzer is similar in its landscape to the Big Solovetsky Island. Here, luxurious forests give way to spacious meadows with tall fragrant grass, they are bordered by lakes with the mirror-like surface of still water, along the roads there are flower carpets woven from fireweed, lungwort, bells, buttercups, violets, forget-me-nots, and dandelions.

Among the other Solovetsky Islands, Anzer is perhaps the most conducive to hermitage. It is 22 km away from the mainland coast, and at times, in unfavorable weather, communication is interrupted for a long time. Excursions depart here from Bolshoi Solovetsky Island by boat, which departs from the pier in Dolgaya Guba Bay. The journey lasts about 12 hours, the cost is from 1600 rubles per person. Excursions around the island are on foot, there is no service here, so take care of food in advance.

During the trip, you will be able to enjoy the view of the magnificent landscapes of the island and visit its two main shrines - strict prayer monasteries: Holy Trinity (XVII century) and Golgotha-Crucifixion (XVIII century). Today both monasteries are active. Formally, they are part of the Solovetsky Monastery, but housekeeping and internal way of life are the prerogative of the monastery residents. They are mostly recluses and devote most of their lives to solitary prayers.

Bolshaya Muksalma Island

Very close to the main island of the archipelago is the island of Bolshaya Muksalma, they are separated by two straits: the Southern Iron Gate and the Northern Iron Gate. The islands are connected by a kilometer-long causeway, built by monks from stone boulders. You can get to Bolshaya Muksalma by boat or go on an exciting, but quite extreme journey along the dam. If you decide to go on foot, wear rubber shoes and warm clothes, and if you prefer to go on a bicycle, keep in mind that you will have to carry it part of the way, as many parts of the dam are swampy. The width of the dam allows a truck to drive across it, but vehicles are not a good option, as it is very easy to get stuck.

In the morning hours, the dam, shrouded in a whitish haze, looks completely mystical; no less charming landscapes will open up to you here in the pre-sunset hours. At the end of the dam, where Bolshaya Muksalma begins, local fishermen sell delicious smoked fish.

The territory of the island itself is slightly more than 17 km², it is the third largest among the Solovetsky Islands. Here you will not see any forests or lakes; most of the island territory is covered with small forests, among which picturesque groves with low, bizarrely shaped Karelian birch trees stand out.

At the dawn of the Solovetsky Monastery’s existence, these lands were used for grazing the monastery’s cows and horses. Later, a cattle yard was established here, and then hayfields appeared. In 1876, a stone temple was built on the island in the name of Sergius of Rodonezh, and 20 years later - a monastery with the same name. In the 20th century, all the buildings fell into disrepair, but today restoration work is underway here.

Malaya Muksalma

The rocky islet of Malaya Muksalma, the smallest of the Solovetsky Islands, occupies an area of ​​only 0.57 km². It adjoins the island of Bolshaya Muksalma on its south-eastern side and is separated from the latter by a narrow strait, which can be forded at low tide.

Apart from the wooden barn, which is a typical outbuilding of the 19th century, there is only one interesting attraction here - the Chapel of the Nativity. Some historians consider it the oldest building on the Solovetsky Islands.

Zayatsky Islands

Directly opposite the southwestern coast of Bolshoi Solovetsky Island are the Zayatsky Islands - Bolshoy and Maly. Both of them are small. The first occupies an area of ​​1.25 km², and the second – 1.02 km², and is separated by a narrow strait. You can get here from the main island by boat in 45 minutes. The excursion will cost you from 750 rubles per person. The pedestrian route runs along a specially equipped ecological trail, from which it is forbidden to leave.

Church of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called. Bolshoi Zayatsky Island

Despite its proximity to the Bolshoy Solovetsky Island, covered with lush vegetation, the “Hares” or “Bunnies”, as the islanders affectionately call them, show a completely different landscape. The local nature reminds us of the proximity of the Arctic Circle. The area here is deserted, reminiscent of the tundra: rocky ground, sparse bushes, trees in the forests are small and stunted, there are no lakes, swamps, or plowed meadows here. However, this corner of Solovki is filled with its own charm.

Bolshoi Zayatsky Island is famous for the fact that there are megalithic structures dating back to the 2nd-1st centuries BC. e. They are boulder mounds laid out in the shape of a labyrinth. The question of their purpose is still open, but most scientists believe that the stone labyrinths are associated with the pagan funeral cult of the Sami. The fact that similar structures can be found in Ireland, the Scandinavian countries, and northern France may indicate that once upon a time there lived a single civilization in the north of Europe.

On Bolshoi Zayatsky Island there is the first stone harbor in Russia, built back in the 16th century from local boulders. Another famous landmark of the island is the perfectly preserved St. Andrew’s Church, built at the behest of Peter I.

Solovetsky labyrinths

Where to stay

The Solovetsky Islands cannot boast of excellent tourist infrastructure, and in order to find themselves in the kingdom of pristine nature, tourists have to sacrifice a certain amount of comfort. Hotels and tourist complexes are concentrated on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island. They offer both rooms with all amenities and shared rooms where toilets and showers are located on the floor. A double room with amenities will cost you from 4,500 rubles per day. There are several guest houses on the territory of the reserve, where the price for a double room starts from 3,000 rubles.

In the village of Solovetsky, almost every family willingly rents out housing. You can rent a room for 1,500 rubles, an apartment - from 2,550 rubles per day.

Many nature lovers come to Solovki with their own tents. For such guests, on the outskirts of the village there is a site for a tent city. In order to get a place here, you will need permission from the local administration. Additionally, you will have to pay a fee of 250 rubles/day per person. Residents of the town have access to a field kitchen and a bathhouse.

Booking.com

Souvenirs

To remember the Solovetsky Islands, you can purchase illustrated books or photo albums with views of the museum-reserve, Pomeranian souvenirs - animal figurines made of wood. Local gingerbreads called “roe” are popular.

You can find interesting icons in the monastery shops.

Where to eat

Cafes and restaurants are mainly located on the territory of tourist centers and hotels, but from time to time they serve groups and are therefore closed to individual tourists. The menu in Solovetsky establishments is quite varied; dishes are mainly prepared from local products - fish, mushrooms, berries.

You can have a snack in the refectory. On average it will cost 400 rubles per person, in a cafe - a little more. A non-alcoholic hearty dinner in a restaurant - from 1,500 rubles per person.

Transport

Boats are a popular transport on the Solovetsky Islands.
Public transport on the Solovetsky Islands is represented by museum and hotel PAZ buses, designed for 25 people. Private transportation is also common here (mostly jeeps and minibuses). You need to negotiate prices with the driver. You can rent a car from a private person (usually about 5,000 rubles/day). Since there are no asphalt roads on Solovki, the speed of transport is no more than 25 km per hour.

Popular transport is boats and motor ships, on which you can travel around the islands and get to the mainland. The cost of the trip is from 600 rubles per person (depending on the distance).

Tourists often rent bicycles, preferring mountain models, since the terrain here is hilly. At rental points you can rent a bicycle for an hour (80-150 rubles) or for a longer period, which will be much cheaper.

Useful tips

• Regardless of what time of year you go to the Solovetsky Islands, take warm clothes, a windbreaker, a waterproof raincoat and shoes with you. Women must wear a long skirt and headscarf to visit places of worship.
• In monasteries and monasteries you need to behave modestly and quietly, you can only take photographs with the blessing of the abbot of the monastery. Mobile phones should be turned off.
• During excursions, you are not allowed to walk around the bus, drink alcohol, or throw garbage out the windows.
• There are no ATMs on Solovki, so you won’t be able to get by here without cash.
• To get a complete picture of the Solovetsky Islands, you will need at least 3 days, but when planning your trip, keep in mind that your stay here can be delayed at any time due to storms, fog, wind, when communication with the mainland is interrupted.

How to get there

There is a small airport on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island. You can fly here from Moscow and St. Petersburg with a transfer in Arkhangelsk. In total it will take about 5 hours. Cost – from 25,000 rubles round trip. The airport is often closed due to weather conditions.

During the shipping season, it is convenient to get to the Solovetsky Islands from the cities of Kemi and Belomorsk, located on the mainland. Those arriving in Kem need to take a minibus to the pier in the village of Rabocheostrovsk (about 20 minutes). Regular and private boats and motor ships depart from here in the summer twice a day. A two-hour trip will cost from 1,500 rubles for an adult, a ticket for a child from 3 to 10 years old - from 750 rubles. Young children can travel for free.

From Belomorsk (from the port of Rybny) it takes longer – about 4 hours. Ticket prices are similar to the previous route.

Calendar of low prices for air tickets

About the siege and uprising

The middle of the 17th century was marked by a reform carried out by Patriarch Nikon. It provoked a split in the church, which resulted in the appearance of the Old Believers. The monks of the Solovetsky Monastery were among them and defended their interests with the help of weapons.

In 1667, Joseph was appointed abbot and potential reformer of the monastery charter. The monks met him with hostility, and in the summer of 1668, in response to their actions, the archers visited the island. They spent several years here - they came in the summer, and with the onset of cold weather they returned to where they came from.

In 1673, the archers were given the order to take active action. During the first serious clashes, which began in 1675, the ranks of the archers thinned noticeably - the monks were not going to give up. Probably, the resistance would have lasted for several more years, but thanks to the monk Theoktistus, who showed the loopholes to the monastery, it was suppressed. It happened on January 22, 1676.

Natural and climatic features.

The northern nature of these places is truly unique. During one half of the year the island is covered with drifting ice, during the other half of the year you can admire the ebb and flow of the tides, white nights and sunsets. The forests are inhabited by hares, foxes, squirrels, and reindeer. The lakes are home to roach, perch, burbot, and pike. The White Sea beluga whale, which is found only in the Barents Sea, lives off the coast of the Solovetsky Islands. More than 190 different bird species nest on the islands. White Sea gulls are a sign of the approaching spring, as well as a famous symbol of the island. The first few birds arrive at the beginning of spring, fly around the monastery with a loud cry and fly back. And after a few days more and more of them arrive. And finally, in large numbers, in April they settle here for the whole summer, driving the crows into the forests.

The Solovetsky Islands are covered with coniferous forests. The climate is different from the climate of other areas of the White Sea. The island position, Atlantic cyclones, hilly terrain and forests have created a special microclimate on the Solovetsky Islands. Despite the proximity of the Arctic Circle, the average February temperature is only -10 degrees, and according to long-term data, the average annual air temperature fluctuates around +1.1 degrees.

The unusually warm weather for such northern latitudes is complicated only by the wind. From early spring to July, northeastern winds blowing from the White Sea dominate here. In other months, warm wind blows on the islands from the south, west and southwest. But the wind is felt only on the coast, since the middle of the island is reliably protected by forest.

The road to Solovki and conditions of stay

How to get to Solovki is a question that concerns everyone who is planning to visit the archipelago. The answer largely depends on the time of year. In winter, the weather on Solovki is very changeable, and travel during this period may take a couple of days longer than in summer. This is worth considering when planning your trip.

In winter, tourists can only get to Solovki by plane flying from Arkhangelsk. Departure may be prevented by gusts of strong wind or other unfavorable weather conditions, during which the islands become inaccessible for an indefinite period of time.

To get to the archipelago in summer, you need to get to Kem (Karelia), and then move to the picturesque village of Rabocheostrovsk.

From there, several small boats run to the Solovetsky Islands. When the sea waves rise above four points, water communication with the islands stops, and the route from Karelia to Solovki is closed.

In July and August, cruise ships depart from Moscow to Solovki twice a month, traveling through the White Sea Canal. The stay on the archipelago as part of this cruise is one day. You can also use the transfer service to transfer to the ship heading to Solovki.

If you get to the archipelago on your own, stay in the private sector for your holiday or choose rooms in one of the hotels. It is allowed to pitch a tent in the tent city, but this should be agreed upon in advance with the local administration. In summer, there are shops and a canteen in the village, and there is a cafe at the hotels. During the off-season and cold weather, the dining room is closed.

The Solovetsky Islands, one might say, breathe Orthodoxy. This must be taken into account by those who love to take pictures of sights with a camera. Landscape photography can be carried out without restrictions, and those who wish to photograph architectural complexes and the interior decoration of monasteries will have to obtain permission.

According to Orthodox canons, it is prohibited to photograph monks, except on days of public events. Filming will not raise any questions only if you have received a blessing in advance, which is given by the monastery abbot.

How to get there?

There are several ways to get to the Solovetsky Islands on your own.

Get there by sea

Marina in Rabocheostrovsk
It is convenient to get to Solovki by sea from Kem by boat or private boat.

You can get to Kem by car through the Republic of Karelia along the P-21 highway from Moscow or St. Petersburg, or you can choose any train that goes to Murmansk. The train will take you to the village of Rabocheostrovsk, from where you will need to take a taxi or bus No. 1 to the pier.

Near the pier in Rabocheostrovsk there is a paid guarded parking lot where you can leave your car.

The ship departs twice a day, at 8:00 and 12:30, the journey time is about two hours. They operate from June 1 to August 31. Private boats are booked in advance. You can find out the schedule, cost and order a ticket online here.

A boat also runs from Arkhangelsk from June to September, but only twice a month. He is on the road for more than a day, so this option is not the most convenient.

Trip from Moscow to Rabocheostrovsk

The map shows the road route from Moscow to the pier in Rabocheostrovsk. The map can be viewed on the website or

Automobile route St. Petersburg-Rabocheostrovsk

The map shows the road route from St. Petersburg to the pier in Rabocheostrovsk. Can

By plane

From April to October, from two airports in Arkhangelsk, Talagi and Vaskovo, you can reach Solovki in less than an hour. The exact schedule must be clarified on the website of the airline, which organizes flights several times a week, or on the website of Arkhangelsk Airport.

You can find out the flight schedule here:

What to see

The main attractions of the Solovetsky Islands are represented by the monastery and monasteries. Tourists are interested in the snake-shaped man-made dam connecting Bolshaya Muksalma with Solovetsky Island and the stone labyrinths.

Construction of the dam continued from 1865 to 1871. Its width is 6-7 meters.

The history of the Solovetsky Islands is not only about Orthodoxy, but also about the Pomors, for whom the Solovetsky Islands were of great importance. Even a monastery was built where previously there was a place for pagan rituals.

Religious monuments were discovered on the territory of the archipelago, represented by burials, rock paintings, figures carved from bone and made of stones. On Bolshoi Zayatsky Island, 13 labyrinths and 410 pyramidal stone piles have been preserved.

Labyrinths most likely fell into two categories:

• Spiral-shaped, looking like coiled snakes. They have one entrance, and the end is in the center. There is a version according to which shamans were buried in such labyrinths so that their souls could not find their way back to people and, having reached the end of the spiral, descended into the lower world.
• Two intersecting spirals (snakes). A person who entered such a labyrinth, after completing the path, found himself at its beginning. Such formations had religious significance and were used for initiations.

Other attractions of Solovki are presented:

Chapels - Petrovskaya and Alexander Nevsky

Hermitages - Golgotha-Crucifixion, Holy Trinity, Holy Ascension

Negotiation stone

Filippovsky cages, the purpose of their construction still remains a mystery to scientists

On the territory of the museum there is a botanical garden founded by monks in 1822. Once upon a time, plants were grown in it that were unusual for northern latitudes. Among them were peach trees and watermelons.

Interesting Facts

The thickness of the local monastery walls reaches 5-6 meters . During the Crimean War, the English fleet fired at the walls of the Solovetsky Kremlin for 9 hours with 120 cannons, but caused only minor damage to it.

Under the Solovetsky Monastery there was a system of passages with a total length of 1.5 km . They were used to supply the monastery with water and as a back door.

At the end of the 19th century there was a boom in the exploration of the northern Russian expanses. In 1881, the first biological station on the White Sea was opened on Solovki with the support of the local rector, Archimandrite Meletius . It also became the northernmost biological station in Russia . The building existed for 17 years, and then was moved to the city of Polyarny, Murmansk region.

In 1912 one of the first hydroelectric power stations in the country was built on a canal near the Holy Lake on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island , which operated until the mid-20th century.

The roads on the island also remain historical - they were paved by monks back in the 16th century. The new asphalt road laid on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island lasted only a couple of years!

It was the Solovetsky Archipelago that gave the name to Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s most famous work, “The Gulag Archipelago.”

Solovki also left their mark in theatrical art. On the first curtain of the Moscow Art Theater, Solovetsky seagulls were embroidered - the main symbol of the archipelago.

And 30 species of mosquitoes live . Moreover, the local midge can easily be classified as predators! So be sure to bring long sleeves and repellent.

Real stone megalith labyrinths are located on the Zayatsky Islands. What you will see next to the Solovetsky Monastery is a remake for tourists.

What shoes and clothes to choose for traveling

Tourists who come to the archipelago have to walk along forest paths and rocky or marshy areas. Therefore, in summer, in addition to comfortable shoes with non-slip soles, you may need rubber boots.

The best month for excursions is August, rich in clear, warm days. There are significantly fewer insects at the end of summer, which is an additional bonus for tourists.

If you find the Solovetsky Islands on a map and track their distance from the Arctic Circle, it turns out that this distance is only 160 km. This proximity causes the weather at sea and the archipelago to change very quickly. In this regard, even in summer, tourists should have a set of light thermal underwear and a windbreaker or raincoat.

In the summer, you can move around the archipelago on foot or by bicycle, car, or bus. After snow falls, the only means of transport here is a snowmobile.

On a boat

In the summer, communication by water is established between Moscow and Solovki.

You can also get there by water from

getting there in any way convenient for you.

From Moscow

Motor ship "Rus the Great"

It goes directly to Solovki, stopping at various interesting places along the way.

From Arkhangelsk:

The motor ship "Belomorye" makes only a few trips during navigation. It calls at various Pomeranian towns and villages and moves rather slowly.

If you decide to travel on this ship, it is better to find out all the details at the Arkhangelsk port information office.

From Belomorsk (Fish Port):

• Departure time – 08.30
• Travel time – 3 hours
• Ticket price – 1200 rubles

From Kemi:

• motor ship "Vasily Kosyakov" Departure time - 08:00

Tickets are issued by the administrator at the port of Rabocheostrovsk.

The approximate cost of travel is 1200 rubles. For children under 12 years old there is a 50% discount on tickets

Boarding on local ships ends 30 minutes before departure. In case of unacceptable weather conditions (storm of 4 points) all flights are cancelled.