Russian North

A landscape with 18th century churches in ruralKargopolsky District

Kizhi Pogost

Solovetsky Monastery

TheRussian North(Russian:Русский Север) is an ethnocultural region situated in thenorthwestern partofRussia.It spans the regions ofArkhangelsk Oblast(includingNenets Autonomous Okrug),Murmansk Oblast,theRepublic of Karelia,Komi RepublicandVologda Oblast.It is known for its traditions of folk art - in particular, wooden architecture, wood and bone carving and painting.Due to its remoteness, the rural parts of Russian North preserve much of the archaic aspects of Russian culture during the 19th and 20th centuries, making it of particular interest to historians, culturologists and ethnographers.

History

The initial Russian colonization of the Russian North started independently fromNovgorodandRostov.Genetic studies show that the populations of Russian North have a significant Finnic admixture, which is not typical for more southern Russian populations.The pre-Russian (most likelyFinno-Ugric) populations of Russian North were recorded as "ZavoloshkaChudes"in chronicles. Russian North is rich intoponymsandhydronymsof possibly Finno-Ugricsubstrateorigin, which were extensively studied by many linguists, most notablyA. K. Matveyev.

The Russian North was gradually colonized bySlavssince at least the XI-XII centuries. Initially the area was incorporated into theNovgorod Republicwhich, in its turn, in the XV century was incorporated intoGrand Duchy of Moscow.The climate of the Russian North is harsh, with minimum possibilities for agriculture, therefore fishing, hunting for marine mammals, as well as the salt-cooking industry, became alternatives for the people living in the area. By the late XVI century theWhite Seaport ofArchangelskbecame the major gateway for the Russian commerce with Europe. Since the Russian North seemed the perfect place for a religious escape from the world, orthodox monasteries, with their ambitions and possibilities (through religion and economic power), were critical for the Russian North economy.Northern Thebaidis the poetic name of the northern Russian lands surroundingVologdaandBelozersk,appeared as a comparison with theEgyptianareaThebaid- well-known settling place ofearly Christianmonks and hermits.

Most of the Russian North territories never hadserfdom,at least the way it existed in central Russian agricultural regions.

Demographics

TheWhite Seacoastal part of the Russian North is home toPomors,a unique subethnic group of Russians with a maritime culture not typical of other Russian subethnic groups. Moreover, the Russian North is home to numerousOld Believercommunities.

Tourism

Russian North is a major tourist destination due to the large amount of both natural and cultural places of interest (Kizhi Pogost,Valaam,Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery,etc.)

Gallery

• 
  A church in Matigory (built 1686-1694)
• 
  Church of the Annunciation (Solvychegodsk)
• 
  A fresco on a church in Dymkovo (Veliky Ustyug)
• 
  An open-air wooden architecture museum inMalye Korely
• 
  Young peasant women in Vologda Governorate, early 20th century
• 
  Nature in the national park near the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery
• 
  A taiga forest near Pinega
• 
  Spinning wheel board from Arkhangelsk Oblast (19th century)

See also

• Novgorod Republic
• Northern Russian dialects
• Northern Thebaid
• Russky Sever National Park
• Northern economic region (Russia)
• Far North (Russia)
• Atlantis of the Russian North- a 2015 documentary movie about the region

External links

• Atlantis of the Russian North(full documentary w/ English subtitles)