According to picktrue, the city of Kondopoga is located 55 km north of Petrozavodsk on the shores of the Kondopoga Bay of the Onega Sea. Kondopoga is a young industrial city. The first mention of a settlement on the site of the modern city dates back to 1495. However, it became most famous in the 18th century, when deposits of marble were discovered near the nearby village of Tivdia in the town of Belaya Gora. Marble was sent for construction to St. Petersburg. Kondopoga received city status in 1938.
The main attraction of the city is the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. 1774, which stands on the outskirts of the city on a small rocky peninsula. It reaches a height of 42 m. This is a strict church without unnecessary decorations. The Assumption Church is often called the “swan song” of wooden architecture, because by the time it was built, stone construction had come to replace wooden architecture. It became a kind of completion of the era of Russian wooden architecture. Inside the church has an iconostasis, and its ceiling is decorated with paintings. Kondopoga is famous for its carillon bells cast in Holland. Carillons are modernized belfries, the bells of which, under computer control, can play various melodies. The most impressive carillon stands at the Ice Palace and is made in the form of an arch 14 m high with 23 bells with a total weight of 500 kg. This carillon fits perfectly into the architecture of the area near the Ice Palace, because the palace itself is also impressive in size and is one of the most outstanding, most modern and best equipped ice palaces in the country.
In 1984, the Kondopoga City Museum of Local Lore was opened in the city.. The museum’s collection includes about 2,000 exhibits and includes items from archaeological excavations, samples of Belogorod marble, items of Karelian life, photographs and documents on the history of the city and the region, items and documents from the period of the Great Patriotic War, and a collection of paintings and drawings by Karelian masters.
Not far from Kondopoga is the first Russian balneological and mud resort “Marcial Waters”. It was opened in 1719 by decree of Peter I on the basis of healing ferruginous sulfate-hydrocarbonate sources and sapropel silt sulfide mud from Lake Gabozero. The springs were discovered in 1714 and Peter I immediately sent people here to check the properties of the water, because at that time mineral springs had already been found in Europe, and the emperor did not want to lag behind the European countries. The open sources were named after Mars, the god of war and iron. Peter I himself repeatedly came here for treatment. After the death of Peter I, the resort fell into disrepair. It was revived only in 1964.
Today there are 4 springs of mineral water on the territory of the resort. Martial waters are characterized as ferruginous, nitric, hydrocarbonate-sulfate, slightly acidic, slightly mineralized. In addition to iron, the water of marcial springs contains sodium, magnesium, calcium and manganese. Their temperature is +5 degrees. The main medical profile of the resort sanatorium are diseases of the circulatory system, musculoskeletal system, digestive organs, nervous system, diseases of the blood, ear, throat and nose, genitourinary system and respiratory organs. The sanatorium has a clinical and biochemical laboratory, a functional diagnostics room, balneotherapy is carried out here using various types of baths and showers, hydrotherapy, mud therapy, various types of massage, physiotherapy, exercise therapy, various inhalations and climatotherapy.
Not far from the resort is the Museum “Marcial Waters”. On its territory you can see the pavilion over the former source of healing water (19th century), the pavilion over the ore mining site (19th century) and the Church of the Apostle Peter (18th century) with the iconostasis of Peter’s time. The Church of the Apostle Peter is the only surviving building of the first Russian resort. It was built by decree of Peter I in mixed Russian and Western European traditions. The interior of the church includes an iconostasis with paintings and wood carvings from the first quarter of the 18th century. The Kivach nature reserve is located 15 km northwest of Kondopoga., which was named after a waterfall on the Suna River. Kivach is one of the highest flat waterfalls in Europe, the height of the water fall is 10.7 m. On the territory of the reserve there is a large species diversity of flora and fauna, which you can get acquainted with while traveling along the hiking routes of the reserve. The local museum of nature presents rare specimens of the Karelian birch. It is worth noting that there are more than 50 rapids and waterfalls on the Suna River, so it is very popular among rafting enthusiasts. Another well-known Girvas waterfall is located 32 km from the Kivach waterfall.. Despite the fact that it has a technogenic origin, and most of the time its bed remains dry, the nature surrounding it makes Girvas one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Karelia. About 2 billion years ago, there was a volcano on the site of the waterfall. Its crater, which is now hidden under a layer of sediments, is the oldest volcanic crater in Karelia.
To the north of the “Kivach” nature reserve, the surroundings of the village of Belaya Gora are interesting, where Tivdiysky marble fragments have been preserved. Marble deposits in these places were discovered in the middle of the 18th century. Tivdia marble was exported for the construction of buildings in St. Petersburg. By the beginning of the 20th century, the industrial development of this deposit was stopped. Tivdia marble is very beautiful, it has more than thirty shades. In the village of Belaya Gora itself there is a stone church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God of the second half of the 19th century. Its architect was K.A. Tone (author of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow).
To the south of the Kivach nature reserve is the village of Konchezero where the remains of a copper smelter have been preserved. The plant was built by decree of Peter I in 1706-1707. It worked from the power of falling water, as it was located on a narrow isthmus between two lakes – Pertozero and Konchezero, the water drop between which reached 8 m. The plant was closed in 1905. The buildings of the factory made of natural stone (built in the late 18th century), the dam, water tunnels (lari), as well as the foundations and part of the mechanisms of the power plant with water wheels have survived to this day. Nearby were found mines and adits of Peter the Great times. During the construction of the plant in 1707, an artificial lake was created – Pertozero. 14 species of fish live here – whitefish, smelt, perch, roach, pike and such rare species as brook trout, char, rudd, three-spined stickleback, sculpin and loach. This is a great place for fishing.
To the north of Pertozero, near the village of Spasskaya Guba, the Lumi ski resort was opened. There are 5 tracks of various difficulty levels (two of them are “black”) with a length of up to 350 m each and with a height difference of 75 m. A tow rope lift delivers tourists to the top of the descent. It is not certified and is far from world standards.