Culture and recreation

Today, Kargopol is a sleepy historical town adjoining the Kenozyorsky National Park

Kenozyorsky National Park

Kenozyorsky National Park is the national park in the north of Russia, located in Kargopolsky and Plesetsky Districts of Arkhangelsk Oblast. It was established December 28, 1991. Since 2004, the National Park has the status of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.- History :Kenozero was always a...

. It is best known in Russia for Kargopol toys

Kargopol toys

Kargopol toys are moulded painted clay figures of people and animals. It is one of the old Russian folk art handicrafts, which is produced in and around the town of Kargopol, Arkhangelsk Oblast, in the north of Russia. It started in 19th century in the areas west of Kargopol. The potters were not...

 (Kargopolskiye igrushki), which are small, simple clay figures painted in traditional style.

During its golden age in the 17th century, Kargopol became home to a highly localised brand of medieval Russian architecture

Russian architecture

Russian architecture follows a tradition whose roots were established in the Eastern Slavic state of Kievan Rus'. After the fall of Kiev, Russian architectural history continued in the principalities of Vladimir-Suzdal, Novgorod, the succeeding states of the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire,...

. Quite a few wooden and white stone churches survive in the town and its vicinity. The earliest of these buildings is the black-domed Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, built of dolomite

Dolomite

Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....

 by Novgorodians and consecrated in 1562. The interior features a curious iron hand sticking from the drum. A hallmark of Kargopol churches is delicate stone carving.

The Kargopol stone churches are classified as historical and architectural heritage and are as follows,

• The Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ (1552-1562) with the bell-tower (1766-1767);
• The Resurrection Church (end of 17th century);
• The Church of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (1740-1751);
• The Holy Trinity Church (1790-1802);
• The Presentation Church (1803);
• The ensemble of three churches: the Annunciation Church (1692), the Saint Nicholas Church (1741), and the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos (1678-1680).

The town of Kargopol is classified as a historical town by the Ministry of Culture of Russian Federation, which implies certain restrictions on construction in the historical center.

The only state museum in the town is Kargopol State Museum of History, Art, and Architecture, founded in 1919. This is cloak organization, which not only holds ethnographic, art and historic exhibits, but also protects some of the architectural monuments in Kargopol and surroundings. 15 buildings including a number of churches belong to the museum. There are also two private museums in Kargopol.

Kargopol "Bigfoot"

Kargopol is also known throughout the Russian northwest for its numerous sasquatch or bigfoot

Bigfoot

Bigfoot, also known as sasquatch, is an ape-like cryptid that purportedly inhabits forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid...

sightings. The best known legend is reported to have happened in the early 1990s, and was documented by authors Maya Bykova and Vadim Makarov (in his book Atlas of the Snowman). According to the legend, about six kilometres from the town of Kargopol, two hairy creatures, one a large "mother", the other its "child", made their way towards a military barracks. A young soldier on guard duty noticed the creatures and hurried back to the barracks for help. The sasquatch, carrying its young, entered behind the soldier. Although making non-threatening gestures and sounds, the creature was attacked by a soldier (who promptly passed out due to the overwhelming stench coming from the creature). Frightened, the creature ran away into the forest. As many as a dozen soldiers are reported to have witnessed these strange creatures on this night.

Sources

• Brumfield, William Kargopol: Architectural Heritage in Photographs (Moscow: Tri Kvadrata, 2007) ISBN 9785946070836 (in English and Russian)

External links

• Architectural heritage of Kargopol http://www.pomorsu.ru/Brumfield/Gallery4/kargopol_e.html (in English and Russian)
• Kargopol: Star of the Russian North