Discover Kargopol

• The bell tower has a square footprint and three tiers; a tall spire and a gilded cross crown it.
• The Church of the Annunciation was built from 1692 to 1729. It stands on the Old Market Square in the southern part of the historic city.
• The “Bereginya” Center makes clay toys and birch-bark products; visitors can learn about traditional crafts in its workshops.
• Bus route 520 runs from Arkhangelsk Bus Station to Kargopol. Check the timetable with the operator before travelling.

The bell tower of Kargopol Cathedral stands in the city center. Its square footprint and three tiers give it a clear form; above them rise a tall spire and a gilded cross. The tower serves as a bell tower and is also an important architectural feature of the city’s linear layout. Here, its form and function can be considered together.

The Church of the Annunciation offers a different point of reference for the city’s architectural history: it dates from 1692 to 1729 and is located on the Old Market Square in the southern part of the historic city. The comparison focuses on the bell tower’s form and role in the city layout, and on the church’s construction period and location. This allows you to view the two details as different perspectives on Kargopol’s architecture.

The “Bereginya” Folk Crafts Center makes clay toys and birch-bark products. One of its founding aims was to support and develop Kargopol’s craft traditions. In the workshops, visitors can discover traditional northern crafts, including birch-bark weaving, wood-shaving birds, patchwork, traditional fabric dolls, weaving and clay toys.

The examples range from basketry and weaving to textile techniques and clay toys. You can explore these different craft fields according to your own cultural interests. As visitor activities may change, check the current workshop program before your visit.

First, consider which of these areas you would like to focus on during your trip.

A regional perspective on the wider destination of Arkhangelsk Oblast includes other distinct cultural topics. Polkan is a popular character in painted Kargopol clay toys: a hybrid of horse and human with a bushy beard, medals and epaulettes. For anyone interested in the characters featured in these clay toys, Polkan is a specific example of this tradition.

The Malye Korely Museum’s architectural and landscape exhibition includes more than 100 monuments of wooden architecture from Arkhangelsk Oblast. The museum is also included in the state register of particularly valuable cultural heritage sites of the peoples of the Russian Federation.

The cultural and historical ensemble of the Solovetsky Islands includes medieval road and irrigation systems harmoniously integrated into the surrounding natural and cultural landscape. The ensemble also includes a monastery fortress dating from the 15th to the early 20th century, as well as sacred sites and dozens of settlements dating from the 6th to the 1st millennium BC. These regional topics differ in scale and focus from the buildings and workshops in Kargopol.

Bus route 520 runs from Arkhangelsk Bus Station to Kargopol. As route information may change, check the current timetable with the operator before travelling.

Explore more destinations: Konda, Severodvinsk, Tsimola, Bobrovo, Arkhangelsk, Plesetsk, Blagoveshchenskoye, Isakogorka.

What distinguishes Kargopol’s bell tower?

It has a square footprint, three tiers, a tall spire and a gilded cross. It serves as a bell tower and is also an important feature of the city’s linear layout.

Which crafts can visitors discover at the “Bereginya” Center?

The range includes birch-bark weaving, wood-shaving birds, patchwork, fabric dolls, weaving and clay toys, among other crafts. Check the current workshop program before your visit.

Which bus service goes to Kargopol?

Bus route 520 runs from Arkhangelsk Bus Station to Kargopol. Check the current timetable with the operator before travelling.

View the wider travel guide: Arkhangelsk Oblast.