Kenozero National Park

Lore & Background

Kenozero has always been a remote area. In the 19th century, it was divided between Pudozhsky Uyezd and Kargopolsky Uyezd of the Olonets Governorate. During the Soviet period, after administrative changes, the area ended up in Arkhangelsk Oblast. Since the end of World War II, the Russian North has suffered severely from depopulation; for example, all villages between Lake Lyokshmozero and Lake Kenozero were deserted. In 1991, the decision was taken to create a national park, and all historical monuments were transferred to the park administration. The park was officially created on December 28, 1991, with a staff of seven persons, which grew to 35 in 1992 and 153 in 1993. In 2004, it became a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Reader's Guide

Kenozero National Park is significant for preserving a cultural landscape that escaped industrialization and modernization during the Soviet period, retaining much of its pre-Soviet aspect. Its cultural landscape, listed as a World Heritage Site in 2024, reflects the communal management of agriculture and nature through the fusion of Finno-Ugric forest culture and Slavic field culture. Wooden churches and religious buildings, originally decorated with painted ceilings called 'heavens,' are key landmarks. The park contains the Porzhensky Pogost, a late-18th-century ensemble with St. George church and bell-tower surrounded by a wooden wall, accessible only by pedestrian trail. The park is oriented toward ecotourism, with several trails and two roads providing access. The greatest threat to the landscape's integrity is steady depopulation, as villages are increasingly abandoned. The park also contains the divide between the basins of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

Did You Know?

• Since 2004, the park has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and its cultural landscape became a World Heritage Site in 2024.
• The park contains the Porzhensky Pogost, a late-18th-century wooden church complex accessible only by a pedestrian trail.
• The park lies entirely within the Atlantic Ocean basin.