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Here we have photography we made in
Petrozavodsk during our visit on the Vantage Volga cruise in July 2005.
This is the capital of the Karelian Republic with a population of 250,000. It
is on the shore of Lake Onega about 190 miles northeast of St. Petersburg.
Today is a featured stop for the cruise ships between that city and Moscow,
largely because it is a convenient place from which to go to Kizhi Island. The
region has 20 hours of sunshine during the summer solstice in late June and
early July, making it a nice center for Russian tourists as well.
The area from the 16th century has been known for iron deposits and resulting
metal industry. This is still the major industry, however, wood products such
as furniture are also prominent.
In the 17th century the village here was called Olonets. In 1703 with the
Russian capture of the Neva River delta Peter I ordered construction of a
cannon foundry here to supply his army during the Great Northern War. Hence
from this comes the name, Peetreozavodsk, meaning Peter's factory. He brought
skilled armorers from England as well as the arms factories in Moscow. After
the Russian victory in that war the factory closed. But it was reopened by
Catherine II in 1772 to supply the army during the Russo-Turkish wars. It was
then named Alexandrovsky Zavod in honor of her grandson, Alexander. The
factories here also produced decorative iron work for the streets and palaces
in St. Petersburg. Now the original factory produces tractors. Petrozavodsk
became a town in 1777 with a coat of arms showing 3 hammers. During the 19th
century the town became a place of exile.
During World War II the town and region was captured by the Finns and Germans -
little of the prewar buildings survived, but before that the Soviet government
had evacuated most of the factory machinery to Siberia. The city was rebuilt
after the war.
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The dock on the Lake Onega waterfront of
Petrozavodsk. Not much going on in this photo taken shortly after noon, but
soon there will be many hydrofoils returning from day trips to Kizhi Island.
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The Nikolai Chernisheevskii at the dock by
Petrozavodsk.
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By the waterfront next to the dock is this
memorial to the Russian troops who liberated the city during the last part of
World War II.
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The Cathedral of Alexander Nevski is now open
for worship.
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Icon of the Blessed Virgin in the Cathedral
of Alexander Nevski in Petrozavodsk.
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Cathedral of Alexander Nevski in
Petrozavodsk.
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Iconostasis in Cathedral of Alexander Nevski
in Petrozavodsk.
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Elizabeth standing next to the perpetual
flame memorial to the dead of World war II.
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Some of our tour group listening to the guide
discuss the World War II memorial in Petrozavodsk
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Statue of Lenin in the downtown square of
Petrozavodsk. The local population decided not to take down the Soviet era
memorials and statues.
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Close-up of Lenin in Petrozavodsk.
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State theater on the main square in
Petrozavodsk.
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The excellent Karelian national folk dance
and chorus performance at Petrozavodsk.
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The excellent Karelian national folk dance
and chorus performance at Petrozavodsk.
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The excellent Karelian national folk dance
and chorus performance at Petrozavodsk.
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The excellent Karelian national folk dance
and chorus performance at Petrozavodsk.
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The excellent Karelian national folk dance
and chorus performance at Petrozavodsk.
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The excellent Karelian national folk dance
and chorus performance at Petrozavodsk.
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The excellent Karelian national folk dance
and chorus performance at Petrozavodsk.
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The excellent Karelian national folk dance
and chorus performance at Petrozavodsk.
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The excellent Karelian national folk dance
and chorus performance at Petrozavodsk.
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The excellent Karelian national folk dance
and chorus performance at Petrozavodsk.
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The excellent Karelian national folk dance
and chorus performance at Petrozavodsk.
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The excellent Karelian national folk dance
and chorus performance at Petrozavodsk.
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The excellent Karelian national folk dance
and chorus performance at Petrozavodsk.
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The excellent Karelian national folk dance
and chorus performance at Petrozavodsk.
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