Olonets

Olonets is one of the oldest towns in Karelia. It was first mentioned in the written documents in 1137. In the course of centuries of its existence Olonets was the capital of the province, a significant frontier point and a merchant centre.

Nowadays the life in Olonets passes by slowly and calmly. But nevertheless the town-dwellers are true inventors in amusing themselves and they even manage to combining the pleasant with the useful. The special Goose Festivals which have an ecological implication are arranged there in May. The purpose of their organization is to draw attention of ecologists and town-dwellers to the problem of preservation of an endangered wild geese population in Europe. At the end of each year the Fathers Frost’s games are held. Even severe frost doesn’t scare away the competitors and their fans, the festival gets more and more popular with the Karelian people.

Not far from Olonets there is the Alexander Svirsky monastery which is considered to be one of the oldest monasteries in the north of Russia.