The Doll House opened in 1999 by local artist Tatiana Kalinina is the only private gallery in Petrozavodsk with its special home atmosphere of kindness, love and happiness. Tale, reality and mysticism are closely intertwined here. Visiting the gallery you will get acquainted with the mysterious world of dolls. Here you have an opportunity to purchase very good souvenir from Karelia: domovoi and divik (protective house spirits of the Slavic folklore), angels and other funny author’s dolls created by talented local designers.
One of the main materials for souvenirs made by Karelian craftsmen is wood. Nice and solid wood of the Karelian birch, local variety of silver or warty birch is very popular as well as birch bark. At souvenir shops, kiosks and also at local markets you can find a lot of excellent articles (both handmade and factory-made): funny figurines of men, animals and fair characters (different varieties of materialized forest, water and home spirits from Finno-Ugric and Slavic folklore).
Mineral of shungite is named after the village of Shunga in Karelia. It is a shiny black mineral consisting of amorphous carbon and highly dispersed graphite. The healing properties of the stone have been known since the XVIII c.. Shungite is a mineral which has no analogue for its healing qualities and other diversity of properties. There is the Shungite Room in Petrozavodsk specially designed for shungite relaxation. Articles made of original Karelian mineral (figurines, balls, pyramids, decoratively manufactured pieces of shungite) are very good authentic souvenirs from Karelia.
Located in Medvezhyegorsk town (186 km from Petrozavodsk) factory produces a variety of articles decorated with traditional Karelian embroidery. You can find the products of the factory (clothing, bedding, towels etc.) practically at any souvenir shop in Karelia. Characteristic peculiarity of the traditional Karelian embroidery is very laconic colours (combination of the white and the red only) and quite simple subjects (geometrical figures and natural motives). Art of the famous Russian avant-garde of the early XX c. was largely inspired by the motives and ideas of Russian traditional decorative art. We are sure that products of Medvezhyegorsk factory is very good authentic souvenir from Karelia and from Russia.
Berries growing in the northern forests and swamps of Karelia (cloudberry, stone bramble, wild straw-berry, bilberry, raspberry, red bilberry, cranberry, bog bilberry, crowberry) are small but very tasty and healthy. Original and ecologic drinks and beverages as well as jams made of local wild berries are very good authentic gastronomic souvenirs from Karelia. Well known in Russia are Karelian balms infused on wild Karelian berries and herbs.
Bone engraving is on of the most popular of traditional applied arts in regions of Russian North. Local craftsmen use for their fantastic handmade articles bones of sea animals, fishes, rein-deers. The Kholmogory bone carving is well-known brand of the Russian North. Visiting village Khlomogory (90 km from Arkhangelsk) you can learn a lot about bone engraving which has been here since XVII c.. You will have bright impressions after you visit local engraving school and bone engraving factory where you will have a chance to observe the process of carving and to buy unique and original souvenirs.
The lace is one of the oldest handicrafts of the Vologda Region, the main symbol of Volodga. Visiting the Snowflake Factory in Volodga you have a chance to visit a workshop of lace makers who spin their handmade laces with ancient lace bobbins following the technology invented many centuries ago. Unique works of the Vologda lace masters is presented at local museum. The Snowflake Factory is place where you can purchase original and authentic handmade souvenir.
Comfortable every day trains are operated to Petrozavodsk, Arkhangelsk, Murmansk and Vologda from Moscow and St. Petersburg. It is also possible to reach Petrozavodsk, Murmansk and Arkhangelsk by plane. You can reach Murmansk also by bus from Finland. Non-Russian citizens travelling to Dikson and Norilsk require a special entry permission issued by the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. The Russian Security Service is allowed to refuse you to enter this Polar Circle region. In a positive case tourists receive a permission letter by e-mail 3 days before boarding a flight to Norilsk. This permission must be kept by tourists during the whole stay in Russia.
Fantastic virgin nature is great tourist attraction of Russian North region. That’s why this region (and especially Karelia) is a very popular destination for different kinds of summer and winter activities: rafting, trekking, biking, jeeping, cross-country skiing, fishing, snowmobiling, ATV and hover crafts. We recommend you to join one of our active or excursion tours. We are ready to arrange for you individual tour accordingly to your request.
Please check attentively customer regulations and regulations of food products import to your country if you decide to purchase gastronomic or antiquarian souvenirs. Please try to buy antiques at specialized shops providing their customers with special certificates for presenting at the Custom-office. Smoked fish is to be vacuum-packed. Your local guide will recommend you places where you can purchase original authentic souvenirs and safe food products available for transport to your country.
Fish is one of the basic ingredients of local cuisine in the Russian North. These regions are situated directly at the sea shore so you can be sure that fish was not frozen and refrozen before to be served for you. At local restaurants and cafe you will taste a lot of excellent dishes made of fresh Baltic and Arctic fish.
Ukha (fresh fish soup) cooked of local sea and river fishes combination is kindly recommended.
One of very popular in Russia fish dishes is dressed herring (so-called Herring under Fur-coat) – salad made of salty minced herring with vegetables thickened with mayonnaise. Probably it is a variety of Jewish Vorschmack (cold snack made of minced herring with vegetables) borrowed from the East Prussian cuisine where Vorschmack was a hot snack made of fried herring. Together with the Russian (Olivier) salad and meat-jelly (studen or kholodets) this dish is traditional Russian New Year cold refreshment. In the Russian North you have a chance to taste a local version of this dish with local sea, lake and river fish instead of herring.
Smoked fresh fish is very popular local delicacy. We kindly pay your attention that if you want to export such gastronomic souvenir to you country you have to buy it vacuum packed and also we recommend you to check very attentively custom regulations.
Pelmeni (meat dumplings – traditional dish of Finno-Ugric peoples usually served with sour cream or with oil and vinegar) is very popular dish in Russia. In regions of the Russian North you have a chance to taste not only traditional pelmeni stuffed with meal but also original pelmeni with fish filling.
For enthusiasts of exotic meals local cuisine offers dished cooked of quite specific bear and elk meat.
An actual gastronomic symbol of Karelia is kalitka, small open patty with different filling known at the northern regions of Russia. Finnish version of kalitka (so-called Karelian pasty) brought to modern Finland by natives of territories lost by Finland as the result of Soviet-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940 became very popular dish of Finnish cuisine and its recipe is officially protected with the EU legislation.
Cafe and restaurants of Karelia offer their diners a lot of original and very tasty dishes cooked of fresh fish caught in numerous local rivers and lakes. Very popular dish of local cuisine is kalakeitto (fresh fish milk soup traditional for Finno-Ugric peoples) and its holiday version – lohikeitto (fresh salmon fish cream soup).Dishes made of mushrooms, pickled mushrooms for refreshment as well as various desserts made of local wild berries are also recommended.
