Arkhangelsk itself, and by that, I mean the city, is a little Soviet gem tucked deep inside Russia’s vast northern territories. Unfortunately, that in itself is hardly an alluring enough reason for many to see the city. What if you want something more “natural” out of your trip, that you want to become one with the nature of far north? Well, look no further than Malye Korely, an excellent “museum” park in which you can see a lot of recreations of old wooden structures that were common in this part of the Russian Tsardom and later on during the Soviet Union. It is an excellent showcase of heritage, one that meshes together it’s more educational aims with its mission to provide a getaway to city’s denizens into the bosoms of mother earth. Let us now dive deeper into it!
When I said wooden, I meant it. The highlight (well, for some) of this museum is its many wooden churches and houses, as well as a few huts and barns that were recreated faithfully by Soviet curators who studied the local style in depth. Some of them have little to no metals used in them, which is what makes them quite special, and also a fire hazard… They do look fascinating and smell even better inside and out! It really is something to see people who can work so intricately with wood, which certainly is not the most flexible of building materials.
My personal highlight in Malye Korely however was not the wooden buildings but the nature that surrounded the path that I took in and around the park. Though the whole area is very well kept and organized, and though you never feel like you are in some sort of wilderness, that wilderness always surrounds you, and it is impossible not to hear birds (that I never heard before in my life), which just turns any “usual” walk in a park to something quite special if not magical. You can also hear some howls, some squeaks, and also the occasional ice breaking up on the lake, or perhaps the river. It is difficult to say when everything is covered in ice and snow…
Though I visited this place with almost ninety others, what truly blew me away was how massive it could be if you know how to play your cards rights. Despite the overabundance of visitors, I could more or less avoid seeing anyone for more than an hour by just walking a bit faster and getting to the “good” places before anyone else. Then, it feels like you are in a magical journey of your own. It does help that the guide does not mute birds’ lovely singing. Yet another boon of this strategy is the ability to take as many photos as you want without anyone else coming in to destroy your perfect shot!
There is too much to write about Malye Korely, but none of it can do much justice to it. It is one of those more visual and almost spiritual journeys that one can make. You should just spend the time and energy to go there and enjoy it yourself. My humble phone and even humbler use of the English language will not be enough to capture the clarity of the air there, the remoteness that you feel walking around it, and the loveliness of the architecture you will enjoy along the route. Though it is not Moscow, and hence not truly “on the way” to anything, try to plot your course around Russia with Arkhangelsk tucked somewhere along the way, and you will not regret doing it for Malye Korely alone!