Volochaevka: Karhula, Hanttula and a Historic Landscape

• Farmers with the surname Karhu were already living in Karhula in the 16th century.
• The village of Karhula was probably established in the 17th century, during a relatively peaceful period following a long succession of wars and the 1617 Treaty of Stolbovo.
• Until 1939, Soittola belonged to the municipality of Muolaa in the Province of Viipuri, Finland.
• The former villages of Karhula and Hanttula were located at the eastern end of Lake Vuotjärvi.

Two different dates are recorded for Karhula: farmers living there already bore the surname Karhu in the 16th century, while the village itself is believed to have been established in the 17th century. This date is explicitly an estimate. The historical context given is a relatively peaceful period following a long succession of wars and the 1617 Treaty of Stolbovo.

Soittola belongs to a different historical context. Until 1939, the village was part of the municipality of Muolaa in the Finnish Province of Viipuri. This time limit is important: the information describes a former administrative affiliation, not a present-day municipal one.

Karhula and Hanttula were located at the eastern end of Lake Vuotjärvi. Some of their fields lay on a slope descending south toward the lake, while others were east of it in the valley of the Vuotjoki River. The river was also called Härkäjoki and is now called the Volochayevka River.

The historic landscape therefore comprised several distinct features: the lake as a landmark, the south-facing slope, and the river valley to the east. These locations refer to the former villages and describe where they were situated in the past.

The Vepsian Forest Nature Park lies in the far east of the broader destination of Leningrad Oblast. It includes seven nature reserves with particularly strict protection regulations and numerous lakes. The largest is Lake Lerinskoye, in the reserve of the same name. Among the park’s special assets are preserved old spruce and pine forests in the “Vepsskiy les” and “Ashchozyorskiy” reserves. These forests are important to numerous organisms that can survive only in forests undisturbed by economic activity.

Brown bears are found in considerable numbers in the park; the wolverine, which is extremely rare in the region, has also been recorded. The Vepsians have traditionally lived in the nature park as well. They are a small people of Russia with their own culture and traditions. These features offer a sense of Leningrad Oblast’s natural and cultural diversity without equating it with Volochaevka’s local history.

In Leningrad Oblast, ecological routes run through seven regionally significant protected areas. They are intended for independent visits and are equipped with informational materials and various visitor facilities. A regional description dated December 24, 2019, said that the routes were operating at that time; check current conditions before setting out.

The trails described vary in landscape and type. The Toksovskiye Vysoty Natural Monument has a circular ecological trail that passes over sandy hills and hollows and through old spruce and pine forests. In the Gryada Varyamyanselkya protected area in Priozersk District, an ecological cycling route passes through lakes, wetlands, and dry old-growth pine forest. Descriptions of both trails date to 2019; check their current condition before setting out.

The Ladva Trail passes through glacially shaped terrain and middle-taiga vegetation and leads to the Vepsian village of Ladva. It also goes to Lake Ladva in Podporozhye District. Another ecological trail runs near the settlement of Kurba in the same district, along lakes in the Vepsian Forest Nature Park. The description of the trail near Kurba comes from a regional website dated December 24, 2019; check current trail conditions before setting out. These regional options can be distinguished by their described landscapes without treating them as trails in Volochaevka itself.

Discover more destinations: Runovo, Karvala, Glinki, Turovo, Ivangorod, Shapki, Pikalyovo, Luga.

Why is Karhula’s establishment dated only to the 17th century as an estimate?

The date is explicitly an estimate. The context given is a relatively peaceful period following a long succession of wars and the 1617 Treaty of Stolbovo.

What was Soittola’s former administrative affiliation?

Until 1939, Soittola belonged to the municipality of Muolaa in the Province of Viipuri, Finland.

Are the described trails currently open?

Some trail descriptions date to 2019. Check current conditions before setting out, especially for the trail near Kurba and the routes described in 2019.

For the broader travel overview: Leningrad Oblast.