A city is a place of power and struggle a village is a place of calm and joy. “My quiet Homeland, willows, rivers, nightingales…”, - wrote Nikolay Rubtsov who lived in a neighboring Vologodskaya province.
Wilderness….this magic word! Quiet evening by a lake, smell of fresh-cut hay, faraway neigh of a horse, splash of a scull, peaceful talk on a terrace, tea boiled in samovar, cry of cranes beyond a lake, a beaver swimming along the shore ….and calm! It is another world. It is a chance to stop, to catch one’s breath, to look around and think.
In the XIX century our location used to be called “near to the capital Siberia”. It was meant that despite it’s close location to Saint-Petersburg, the place itself was scantily explored and underpopulated - and so was Siberia in those days. The territories of present South-Eastern Karelia and north part of Leningrad region were considered as out-of-the way, wild and unreachable lands. It was a huge forest region with few villages scattered around. Rivers were the only reliable transport due to totally impassible roads in old times. In summer they used boats and in winter they travelled by sledges. Husbandry was poorly developed due to the huge amount of forests, too few fields and barely tilled ground. Since the olden days this land was a region of hunters and fishermen, gatherers of mushrooms, berries and everything a forest was rich with. It seems that time hasn’t affected the Oyat’ region as it still stays much like “near to the capital Siberia” – an unbeknownst land, «terra incognita.” Centuries pass by - but this land of mirror lakes and silent rivers surrounded by forests, still keeps its mysteries.
About Hunting and Fishing you can read on the other pages of our site.
For those who are enthusiastic about game viewing we offer a unique opportunity to photograph wood grouse or a bear in the wild (there are years when during two consecutive evenings from August to September the degree of probability of seeing a bear is 90%).
For those who appreciate antiquity and ethnography it would be interesting to visit the village museum “Veppskaya izba/hut”, where old household of locals - the Vepps – has been reconstructed.
Our private collection, including 3000 artifacts, is our contribution to the culture of the region. All artifacts are in a house, barns and a hunting cabin and all of them can be touched, - time has stood still as if owners left to go fishing or to pick berries and haven’t come back yet.
Our village is surrounded by three lakes and forest hills. The lake and isles are very pictorial; on the central Svyatoi Island (Saint Island) there is the beautiful Chapel of Elijah the Prophet. Its domes are covered with aspen shingles like in Kizhi. In autumn, the area becomes abundant of mushrooms and berries.
There is a wonderful new steam bath with a pier-terrace on the bank of the river. Swans flying past rest in front of the windows. Our stable provides an opportunity for riding throughout the beautiful neighborhood arriving to the impetuous streams of the Oyat River and lonely lakes (more than 150!) enclosed in unembraceable forests. You can combine the horse riding with interesting fishing of grayling, river trout, pike, bream, etc.
In winter you are invited to participate in sleighing or horse riding. There are a variety of routes with different degrees of complexity. We have skilled and perfectly prepared instructors to accompany you. We offer cycle rides in summer and autumn as well as ice hockey, snowmobiling, ice fishing and slide riding in winter.
Undisturbed forests, hikes and halts, food and a fire cooked tea – what can be better for the connoisseurs? And what is of utmost important – there is not a single person to disturb you … (we love people but sometimes one should retreat from almost everything). During navigation between the islands towards the Chapel or casting a fishing tackle or swimming in the lake after taking a steam bath or during the horse ride you are unlikely to meet anyone.
This all is located about three hundred kilometers from St. Petersburg. If you don’t want to lose time you can arrive by helicopter or plane; the coordinates for landing are specified on the home page. The journey from St. Petersburg will take about an hour due to our own 500m runway (for brave but rational guests: travel time is equal but taking airplane is three times cheaper. Do not be afraid of a word “plane”. Each person can afford himself to enjoy a bird- flight feeling at least once a year. We can recommend an air carrier).
Wilderness is wonderful, made on fire fish soup is good but home comfort is not less important. Bed linen smelling of herbs, heated floor in a shower, burning fireplace, and tasty domestic cuisine made of game and vegetables, caring stuff - all this can be found in our house. Be sure – we know everything about hospitality. We have no guests, who having once visited us, would not like to return!
Interesting historical information: Due to maps of Klavdiy Ptolemey , in II cent. B.C. the territory of present Podporozhskiy region and Vologodskaya province was considered as a center of Hyperborea, that spread from Ural mountains to North-West. Our village is located in Podporozhskiy region and Vologodskaya province is in our neighborhood.
