Kalevala's breath

Kalevala's breath

Our signature program

 “MASTERED by desire impulsive,

By a mighty inward urging,

I am ready now for singing,

Ready to begin the chanting

Of our nation's ancient folk-song

Handed down from by-gone ages.

In my mouth the words are melting,

From my lips the tones are gliding...”

Karelian-Finnish epic Kalevala, rune 1.

Season: all year round

Duration: 3 days/2 nights

Region: Chalna village, Petrozavodsk, Republic of Karelia

For corporate groups, students, schoolchildren, seniors;

Landmarks:

Kivach Waterfall is a famous and popular tourist destination located in the same-name reserve with observation decks, a museum of nature, Karelian birch arboretum.

Mount Sampo is a natural landmark, a rocky mountain on the shore of Lake Konchezero. It gained fame and name in the last century, after a movie was filmed in 1959 based on the Karelian-Finnish Kalevala epic. This is a fairy tale movie. Kalevala people dream of the magic Sampo mill, which gives flour, honey, salt, and even gold without any grain. But the great master, the infinite blacksmith Illmarinen, cannot make Sampo without the heavenly fire stolen by Louhi, the mistress of the sorcerer land. The insidious Louhi dreams of a magic mill too. To force Illmarinen to make it for herself, she kidnaps the master's sister...

Urozero (Light Lake) is a lake in the Garrison rural settlement of Prionezhye district of the Republic of Karelia, a hydro natural landmark and part of Urozero reserve. Its surface area is 13.4 km². The lake is 44.0m ASL. Fact sheet: triangular shape, sprawled from northwest to southeast. No islands, no tributaries. The coastline is almost smooth. The shores are rocky and stony, covered with mixed woods, mostly with pines. The lake has perch, roach, pike, burbot and ruff. By the Decree of the Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Karelia No. 858 of December 29, 1997, the lake was classified as a hydrological natural landmark and part of Urozero reserve.

Accommodation:

The learning center and health-resort of Karelian Regional Institute of Life-Long Education of Petrozavodsk State University Urozero is located 25 km from the capital of Karelia, Petrozavodsk, hugged by the pinewoods and fondled by the picturesque Lake Urozero. Lake Urozero is the first water body in Karelia, which was awarded the status of a state natural landmark of regional significance. Guests are offered various accommodation options for study and business, as well as for family, friendly and corporate leisure in Karelia. The center features a conference room with presentation equipment, a banquet hall, outdoor activity gear, a wide range of entertainment programs, etc.
Its cozy cottages can simultaneously accommodate up to 58 guests. Each cottage has heating, hot and cold water, a bathroom+WC, a shower, a kitchen with a fridge, an electric stove and an electric kettle.
In the 40-seat cafe, the chef cooks Russian and Karelian recipes for guests, taking into account personal preferences. The tourist lodge offers a wide range of extras: Russian steam bath, covered gazebos, barbecues, boats, bicycles, table tennis, billiards, snowmobiles, skis, inflatable sleds, skates, volleyball, basketball and football grounds, board games for kids and adults. For group accommodation, we offer double and triple rooms with amenities in cottages for 10 and 12 guests. One-tier beds. All rooms have bedside tables and wardrobes. Each cottage has a fridge, TV, and a lounge area.

Sight to see:

Elias Lönnrot Secondary General Finno-Ugric School is a secondary school in Petrozavodsk. Est. in 1994, this national school is a basic platform for learning institutions of the Republic of Karelia with an ethnic & cultural focus. 900+ students study here, the school has 71 teachers and focuses on: the Vepsian language, the Karelian language (Karelian and Livvik dialects), the Finnish language; The school has language labs, IT classes, sports halls, carpentry and locksmith workshops, a service room with cooking and sewing facilities, a gym, a library with a reading hall, an assembly hall, a doctor's office and counseling services (speech therapist, psychologist, social teacher). The history class here is a school museum of history and culture of Karelians and Vepsians. The school is a platform for contests in the Karelian, Vepsian and Finnish languages, ethnic & cultural festivals. The school takes an annual part in events dedicated to the Finnish language and literature. In 2020, it took part in such events as the 100th anniversary of the Karjalan Sanomat newspaper, Week of Karelia-Finnish Twin Cities, Republican campaign Finnish Language Week, flash mob "100 cute words in the Finnish language"; creating videos in Finnish about the hometown “Hei, Karjala!”.

Talvi Ukko's headquarters is located 25km from Petrozavodsk, 5 km from Urozero lodge. It consists of a reindeer farm, a sled dog farm, a track for dog and reindeer sledding, Talvi Ukko's (Karelian Santa) residence, Lumikko's (Snowflake) palace, Saami village, Arctic photoset zone, home courtyard, Magic Wood. The Magic Wood is a place of wooden Kalevala’s heroes and a themed tour The World of Kalevala. The estate also has a teahouse, Zakroma Talviukko restaurant, a souvenir shop. In winter, there is a nice slide for inflatable sledges. 

The National Museum of the Republic of Karelia is one of the oldest museums in Russia's North-West. Est. in 1871, the museum was located in the same building as now – on the Round Square, now the Lenin Square. The collection of the National Museum of the Republic of Karelia boasts over 225K items. A wide range of museum collections (nature, archeology, ethnography, culture, history of Karelia) demonstrates the unparalleled regional peculiarities in the context of Russian and world history. 

Runes & Epics permanent expo: explore Karelian folklore of the 19th and 20th centuries. Musical Instruments: Kalevala songs and Russian epics recorded by researchers of the 19th century in Karelia, rank as cultural values ​​of world importance. The center of the exposition is a collection of shepherd's trumpets, horns and unique kantele — traditional instruments, to the accompaniment of which the runes were performed. The folklore traditions of Karelia are revealed through the names of scholars included in the world literature heritage. The part of the expo is dedicated to Elias Lönnrot, the creator of the epic poem Kalevala based on the ancient songs of Karelians and Finns. The poem itself is represented in a collection of the first Kalevala versions, translations into other languages. The expo is supplemented by photos from the expeditions of the late 19th – first third of the 20th centuries. These are the works of prominent ethnographers David Zolotarev, the Sokolov brothers, Konrad Inkh. A part of the graphics collection is dedicated to Kalevala’s illustrations — these are the works of artists Valentin Kurdov, Osmo Borodkin, Myud Mechev, Tamara Yuf, and Nikolai Bryukhanov.

Tour program 3 days/2 nights;

Day 1:

08:00 am (09:00 am Program start in Petrozavodsk, meeting the tour guide at the railway station.

Breakfast in Piter Inn Hotel cafe;

9:00 am Getting inside the bus.

09:00 am - 11:00 am Sightseeing bus tour around the city with a visit to Elias Lönnrot Finno-Ugric School.

Bus tour Kalevala on Petrozavodsk Map. Tourists will learn how the history of Pushkinskaya Street is connected with the name of the scholar and philologist Elias Lönnrot, visit the street named after the best rune singer of his time Arhippa Perttunen. On the Onega embankment, tourists will see the sculptures based on the epic, as well as solve the riddle of the mural that transformed the appearance of the Kalevala cinema and learn the general facts about our city. Duration: 2 hrs.

11:00 am – 01:00 am Visiting Elias Lönnrot Finno-Ugric School. Duration: 2 hrs.

The program features: a master class in Finnish and Karelian languages led by schoolteachers, a visit to the school museum of history and culture of Karelians and Vepsians led by children and schoolteachers;  

12:30 pm Lunch at the school cafeteria.

01:00 pm Return to Urozero lodge.

02:00 pm Accommodation.

02:30 Tour around the lodge.

Outdoor animation:

Kyykkä – Karelian skittles game; Karelian skittles is a Karelian signature game.

Kyykkä is an old folk Karelian game originated in the White Sea Karelian coastline region. One must knock as many wedges out as possible, and arrange them in a line of 40 on each side. The player has two approaches to knock down the laid out turrets. This is an outdoor activity to foster strength, dexterity, focus, coordination and better mood. The game existed in Karelia centuries ago, and then, together with immigrants, migrated to Finland. Now Karelia is reviving this game and arranges annual competitions, including among schoolchildren.  

03:00 pm Fishing expert-led master class: making a fishing rod on our own.

Duration 40 minutes, venue – covered gazebo near Lake Urozero.

04:00 pm Outdoor activity.

Learning to dance Karelian folk dances with an animator — the simplest round dance is Kalevala Kruuga. We will master the national dance with an animator. Duration: 45 mins.

05:00 pm free time.

6:00 pm Dinner in the lodge’s cafe.

07:00 pm Board game Trip to Sampo; Learning the rules. Let's get to know the new heroes of the Kalevala epic. Let's play! Instructor's assistance.

The board game Trip to Sampo was made as part of the Story in Games backed up by the Presidential Grant Fund in 2018. The task of the game is to draw attention to the text of Kalevala epic. Yet, knowledge of the text is not required to participate in the game. So how is learning organized? The fact is that, entering the game, a person already plunges into Kalevala, since almost all actions in the game are coordinated with the content of the epic poem. The number of epic poems in Kalevala is 50! Good luck!

09:00 pm – free time.

10:00 pm – sleep.

Day 2:

08:00 am Wake up, outdoor exercise with an instructor.

9:00 am Breakfast in the cafe;

10:00 am Transfer to Talviukko's residence.

The World of Kalevala tour, duration 90 mins;

Explore Talviukko's estate: the amazing world of Kalevala, which tells about the exploits of ancient wooden heroes created by Karelian artisans. All figures are life-sized: the rune-singer Väinämöinen, the young Joukahainen, the beautiful Aino, the blacksmith Illmarinen, the mistress Pohjola. Learn about amazing feats and extraordinary events. Plunge into the story how the world was created, pass through the gates of pagan gods, drop in the labyrinth between the worlds of the alive and the dead, meet the old woman Louhi, the guardian of Pohjola. The magic mill Sampo, Seppo Illmarinen's creation, will determine what matters to you, and you will be able to exchange Kalevala coins for what you really need — salt, flour or gold that personify wealth, wisdom and prosperity. At the end of the program, you will taste a traditional treat — herbal tea with national pastry kalitkas. The program features: tour The World of Kalevala, dance interactive activity, interactive Sampo Mill, Karelian tea party with pies. Duration: 90 mins.

Dog farm; Sled dogs are friendly, always ready to lick your cheek, yet completely safe! The musher reflects upon the responsibilities and characteristics of sled dogs. Introduces the most famous ones, gives time to stroke and take photos. Duration: 30 mins.

Arctic photoset zone, home courtyard: goats, chickens, pigs, rabbits. Free time to buy souvenirs.

Return to Urozero lodge.

02:00 pm Dinner in the cafe

03:00-04:00 pm leisure time.

04:00 pm afternoon snack

04:30 pm Outdoor program:

Kyykkä — the Karelian skittles game; Duration 45 mins.

Sampo master class — making a souvenir from Karelia from natural materials under the guidance of an experienced teacher. Takes place in a warm gazebo or in a conference room. Duration: 45 mins.

7:00 pm Dinner in the cafe.

08:00 pm Scandinavian City Dance.

The master class takes place in a conference room with a coach: sitting on a chair and moving to a Scandinavian melody, no one pushes, falls, does as much as one can. Duration: 40 mins.

9:00 pm Board games: Trip to Sampo + checkers, chess, billiards, table tennis.

10:00 pm sleep!

Day 3:

08:00 am Wake up, outdoor exercise with an instructor;

09:00 am Breakfast in the cafe. Getting packed lunch. The lunch includes juice and cookies.

10:00 am Check-out;

Sightseeing bus trip to Kivach Waterfall + Mount Sampo

02:00 pm Lunch at Rybka cafe in Sopokha village.

4:00 pm Arrival in Petrozavodsk.

04:15-06:00 pm Visiting the National Museum of the Republic of Karelia.

Permanent expo Runes & Epics – The World of Kalevala (10+). The excursion will take place at the permanent exposition of the museum in the Runes & Epics hall dedicated to the Karelian folklore. You will learn the history of epic Kalevala and its heroes, the traditional musical instrument kantele. Explore who peddlers and rune singers are and how they collected folklore in Karelia. Duration: 40 mins.

Interactive lesson Customs & Traditions — a plunge into the 19th century, the world of the family, rituals and customs of the human life cycle. One of the expositions is a hut, where visitors explore the Karelian traditions in different periods of life. Guests will learn about the rights and responsibilities of family members, personal and home amulets, folk medicine, toys of village children, Karelian cuisine. Here you can iron linen with a smoother, guess ancient riddles, and make an amulet. Duration: 40 mins.

6:00 pm Dinner in a cafe. Free time to buy souvenirs.

07:30 pm transfer to the railway station.

Price per group 15+1; 30+2; 40+4: $290 Extra charge for single accommodation $30

Inclusive:

• transfers,
• Urozero Lodge accommodation, double rooms with amenities;
• tour program;
• entrance tickets;
• meals – FB;
• tour guide services;
• place for a caregiver, group leader.