Have You Heard of Arkhangelsk?

Have you ever heard of Arkhangelsk? Do you think you’d be able to locate it on a map? Are you aware that the city was once more important than Saint Petersburg? (Actually, when Arkhangelsk was one of the most prosperous cities in Russia, Saint Petersburg didn’t even exist, but that’s another story entirely.) 

So, why are we talking about this northern Russian city anyway? Well, during the first term, students from Year 6 to Year 9 go on a historical/geographical field trip and this year the idea of going to Arkhangelsk seemed to be best as:

a) it’s not far away from Saint Petersburg.

b) it’s a city with a great history.

c) it’s not on everyone’s list of ideal destinations (except for myself, as I had studied there for several years.) 

All in all, it sounded like a splendid idea to visit this historical city. I lived in Arkhangelsk for 5 years as a student, then I moved to Saint Petersburg. It had been four long years since I’d been to the city and I found myself reading about all the new and renovated places to visit. 

I created a list of sightseeing spots of geographical and historical importance, but it turned out to be a relatively long list for three and a half days, so some had to be crossed off, such as Novodvinskaya fortress, a building that protected Russia from Swedish invasion during the Northern war. Eventually I managed to whittle it down to the following:

◦ Museum of Arctic art

◦ Marine Museum

◦ Peysakhov Museum

◦ Gostiny Dvor

◦ Malye Karely

◦ Birthplace of Mikhail Lomonosov

Plus, I added some fun activities connected with local lore:

◦ Birch bark toy workshop

◦ Making Teterkas

◦ Bone carving

For those of you unaware of what some of these places are, let me fill you in on what we witnessed and engaged in during our trip.

Peysakhov is one of the most well known fairytale storytellers in Arkhangelsk, he even published books with high north tales about the Pomors. In the museum dedicated to him we discovered that he was not only an author, but also a brilliant artist as well.

Gostiny Dvor is a museum where we felt the breath of history dating back to the 16th century. We learnt about trading in Arkhangelsk and how Arkhangelsk was used as a trading post with England, Scandinavia and the Netherlands as well. There were exhibitions about how Arkhangelsk met the Northern convoy with food, medicines and armaments; about how people lived and survived. 

Malye Karely is an open air museum spread over hundreds of hectares. You can see the original houses that were built a hundred and more years ago, the Pomors households and what was included in their everyday routines. There are also barns, churches, windmills - everything that a time traveller could see if they encountered one of these villages alongside the Northern Dvina and the White Sea 150 years ago. 

There we were given the chance to make teterkas. These are amulets made of rye dough that symbolise the sun appearing in the High North after those long polar nights in winter when you barely see the sun as it appears for only a couple if hours. 

Mikhail Lomonosov's birthplace is Lomonosov village near Kholmogory village. It is not an easy journey to arrive at Mikhail Lomonosov’s birthplace as it’s a) 150 km away from Arkhangelsk b) on an island that requires a ferry. So we woke up early not to miss this important place that also included bone carving.

This field trip allowed all our students to explore history and geography first hand. They were given an opportunity to get in touch with the history of the Pomors (You might have been asking “who are the Pomors exactly”? The Pomors are the indigenous population that have lived on the shores of the White Sea and the Northern Dvina) and their households, architecture and customs. Moreover, the trip was excellent for helping to build relationships among the classes, as well as developing their social skills. Children lived together, helped each other and spent time together playing different board games and completing special projects in the evening. 

I think such trips are vital for students as they have time for independent learning, socialising and exploring places they might never consider visiting. Who knows, maybe Arkhangelsk made such a great impression on our students that they will visit again in the summer to enjoy the White nights? 

Miss Daria, EYFS Teacher