Do you want to visit the untouched taiga forest, wander along the coastal sand dunes, watch white whales, hunt (through the camera lens, of course) eiders, mallards and ptarmigans? All this can be done within one natural park - Onega Pomorye. We invite you to take a short virtual trip to this amazing corner of the Russian North!
Park overview
The National Park "Onega Pomorye" was founded relatively recently - in February 2013. It is located in the northern part of the Onega Peninsula (see map) and is surrounded on three sides by the waters of the White Sea bay of the same name. The total area of the park is 201.7 thousand hectares.
The extremely low percentage of land development and the lack of roads in the park contributed to the preservation of untouched, pristine natural landscapes here. Of particular value in Onega Pomorie arethe following objects:
- Seaside lowlands with patches of sand dunes.
- Massifs of indigenous taiga forests.
- Water areas of the bays of the White Sea.
- Habitats for seals, harp seals and beluga whales.
- Ancient villages that have preserved the traditional way of life of the White Sea.
There are ten villages within the national park (Krasnaya Gora, Luda, Una, Yarenga, Lopshenga, Summer Navolok, Summer Zolotitsa, Pushlakhta, Lyamtsa and Purnema), as well as the village of Pertominsk. The nearest cities are Onega and Severodvinsk. The latter is the central office of the park, where you can get permission to visit it. The exact address of the institution: Arkhangelsk region, Severodvinsk, st. Pervomayskaya, 20, building No. 5.
Today, the park has all the conditions for a full-fledged ecological recreation and tourism. If you want to come here for a few days, then you can stay at the eco-hotel "Letnyaya Zolotitsa" on the shores of the White Sea. By the way, not far from the hotel is the famous harp seal rookery.
Relief, climate and landscapes
In general, the Onega Pomorie is characterized by a flat relief. Nevertheless, in the depths of the peninsula, differences in absolute heights can reach 150-200 meters. This is the so-called Onega moraine ridge - a wavy-hilly plain of glacial origin. In some parts of the park (for example, near the village of Lyamtsa) there are outcrops of ancient Proterozoic rocks up to 25 meters high.
The national park is located in the northern part of the temperate climate zone. This area is characterizedis a short cool summer and a long winter with a thick and stable snow cover. In winter, the White Sea freezes off the coast. But in summer the water in it warms up to +15 degrees, so you can even swim here.
About half of the park is covered with swamps and lakes. They give rise to almost a hundred small rivers flowing into the White Sea. The clear waters of local rivers and lakes provide ideal spawning conditions for many freshwater fish species.
The park impresses with its landscape diversity. On an insignificant piece of land, dozens of different natural complexes have formed - forest, lake-valley, swamp, coastal, eolian. Sand dunes coexist here with moraine ridges, and taiga forests coexist with patches of bare and swampy tundra.
Plant and animal life
Several types of vegetation grow in Onega Pomorie. But the greatest value is the indigenous massif of the taiga forest, the only one in Europe that goes to the sea shores. It is based on such tree species as birch, spruce and pine. In the lower tier of the forest, lingonberries, blueberries, wild rosemary, wild roses grow.
The fauna of the park is no less diverse. It is represented by 46 species of mammals, 180 species of birds and 57 species of fish. The coastal zone of the park is an ideal place for observing certain species of marine mammals. Beluga whales come to the shores of the peninsula to feed. And in March, flocks of harp seal pups pass here. The forests are finefeel predators - wolves, bears, foxes, wolverines.
Main attractions of the park
Onega Pomorye is rich in all kinds of sights. And not only natural, but also historical and cultural. Below is a list of the most interesting and significant objects:
- Unskaya Bay is an ornithological monument of international importance.
- Rock outcrops near the village of Lyamtsa with prints of Vendian fauna.
- "Hyperborean Road" - three ridges of colorful moraine boulders.
- Morzhovsky and Orlovsky lighthouses (second half of the 19th century).
- St. Nicholas Church in the village of Purnema.
- Remains of the Yarengsky Monastery (XVII century).
- The wooden church of Clement in the village of Luda.
Villages of Onega Pomorie
Ancient and authentic Pomeranian villages have been preserved within the boundaries of the park. Many of them are hundreds of years old. The park has protected the cultural landscapes of all ten villages. But the most interesting here are such settlements as Lyamtsa, Yarenga, Luda and Una.
In the villages of the Onega Pomorie, samples of Pomeranian wooden architecture are still preserved - these are churches, log houses, cellars, baths, fishing pits and other household buildings.
The inhabitants of the Onega Peninsula managed to preserve their identity and their uniqueness. “We breathe from the sea. The sea is ahead, the moss is behind, and we are on our own,” is how the local population likes to say. localfolk memory carefully preserves and passes on from generation to generation fables and stories about the goblin, forest spirits and the special exclusivity of this northern land.
