!!!Vodlozero National Park, Republic of Karelia, Russia

11 November 2020

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

Karelia is known as the land of a thousand lakes. But that's a severe
understatement: there are at least 60,000 of them in this region. The
largest lakes of this area are Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega; along with
them, there is a smaller and less famous but equally beautiful Lake
Vodlozero. It is located in the southeastern part of the Republic of
Karelia and covers 358 km².

[{Image src='01_Vodlozero.jpg' caption='Vodlozero National Park, Republic of Karelia, Russia\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false'}]

The lake stretches from the south to the north and has glacial origin:
it is the reason for this coastline to have a winding shape. While
looking at the shore, we can imagine the movement of glaciers that had
changed the landscape. Maximum depth of the lake is 18 meters, the
average one is 4.2 meters.

[{Image src='02_Vodlozero.jpg' caption='Vodlozero National Park, Republic of Karelia, Russia\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false'}]

The name of the lake refers to the Vodla River belonging to its basin.
The surface of the lake features 196 islands. Far back in the past,
there were around 40 settlements located on islands and the coastline of
the lake. The folk living here were known as "vodlozers": this ethnic
group is believed to consist of people who had come from Novgorod and
Moscow in the 14th-15th centuries.

[{Image src='03_Vodlozero.jpg' caption='Vodlozero National Park, Republic of Karelia, Russia\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false'}]

Nowadays, there is only one major settlement in this area: Kuganavolok
village. In 1935, the lake was turned into a seasonal reservoir for
logging. Then, in the 1990ies, these activities ceased and one year
later, Vodlozersky National Park was established here, consequently
becoming a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

[{Image src='04_Vodlozero.jpg' caption='Vodlozero National Park, Republic of Karelia, Russia\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false'}]

Europe's most extensive areas of indigenous forests have been preserved
on the territory of the park and along the coastline of the lake: dark
needle spruces, light coniferous forests and giant Siberian larches grow
here. These trees enclose the lake creating a peculiar picturesque
evergreen fence. And here is a typical Karelian landscape: the purest
water surface and rows of silent woods. By the way, the average age of
these trees is 240 years and some of the plants live even longer —
around five hundred years.

[{Image src='05_Vodlozero.jpg' caption='Vodlozero National Park, Republic of Karelia, Russia\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false'}]

Different species of birds and animals, such as bears, wolverines and
deers, live on the territory of the park. Lake Vodlozero is home to more
than 20 species of fish: the salmon, vendace, coregonus, burbot,
carassius and many others, including the endangered species of the
European bullhead (Cottus gobio).

[{Image src='06_Vodlozero.jpg' caption='Vodlozero National Park, Republic of Karelia, Russia\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false'}]

One can reach Lake Vodlozero only through Kuganavolok village, the
journey also depends on the seasonal condition of the road and weather.
Besides, tourists must have a permit to visit the park. But with the
help of the AirPano panoramas, one can take a journey to these
picturesque natural locations without any problems!

[{Image src='07_Vodlozero.jpg' caption='Vodlozero National Park, Republic of Karelia, Russia\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false'}]

AirPano team would like to express our gratitude to the administration
and staff of the Vodlozersky National Park, personally director Alla
Yurevna Gudym, deputy director Tatiana Ilmast and Father Oleg for the
assistance in the shooting process.

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[17 panoramas of Vodlozero National Park|Geography/Asia/Russia/Pictures/Vodlozero]

[{SET customtitle='Vodlozero National Park (AP)'}]












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