Want to visit the pristine taiga forest, wander along the coastal sand dunes, watch belugas, hunt (through the camera lens, of course) for eider, mallards and white partridges? All this can be done within one natural park - Onega Pomerania. We suggest you take a small virtual trip to this amazing corner of the Russian North!
Park Overview
National Park "Onega Pomerania" was founded relatively recently - in February 2013. It is located in the northern part of the Onega Peninsula (see map) and is surrounded on three sides by the waters of the White Sea Bay of the same name. The total area of the park is 201.7 thousand ha.
The extremely low percentage of land development and the lack of roads in the park have contributed to the preservation of unspoiled, pristine natural landscapes here. Of particular value in Onega Pomerania are the following objects:
- Seaside lowlands with sections of sand dunes.
- Arrays of indigenous taiga forests.
- The waters of the bays of the White Sea.
- The habitat of the seal, harp seal and beluga whale.
- Ancient villages that have preserved the traditional way of life of the White Sea.
Within the national park there are ten villages (Krasnaya Gora, Luda, Una, Yarenga, Lopshenga, Summer Navolok, Summer Zolotitsa, Pushlakhta, Lyamtsa and Purnema), as well as the village of Pertominsk. The nearest cities are Onega and Severodvinsk. The latter is the central office of the park, where you can obtain permission to visit it. The exact address of the institution: Arkhangelsk region., Severodvinsk, st. May Day, 20, building number 5.
Today, the park has created all the conditions for a full ecological rest and tourism. If you want to come here for a few days, you can stay at the eco-hotel Summer Zolotitsa on the White Sea. By the way, not far from the hotel is the famous rookery of harp seals.
Relief, climate and landscapes
In general, Onega Pomerania is characterized by a flat relief. Nevertheless, in the depths of the peninsula, differences in absolute heights can reach 150-200 meters. This is the so-called Onega moraine ridge - a wavy-hilly plain of glacial origin. In some places of the park (for example, near the village of Lyamtsa) there are outcrops of ancient Proterozoic rocks up to 25 meters high.
The national park is located in the northern part of the temperate climate zone. This territory is characterized by short cool summers and long winters with thick and stable snow cover. In winter, the White Sea freezes off the coast. But in summer, the water in it warms up to +15 degrees, so you can even swim here.
About half of the park is covered with swamps and lakes. They give rise to almost a hundred small rivers flowing into the White Sea. Ideal conditions for spawning of many freshwater fish species have formed in the clear water of local rivers and lakes.
The park is striking in its landscape diversity. Dozens of various natural complexes — forest, lake-valley, swamp, coastal, and aeolian — were formed on a small piece of land. Sand dunes are adjacent to moraine ridges, and taiga forests - to areas of bare and marshy tundra.
Flora and fauna
In Onega Pomerania several types of vegetation grow at once. But the most valuable is the indigenous mass of taiga forest, the only one in Europe overlooking the sea shores. It is based on tree species such as birch, spruce and pine. In the lower tier of the forest, lingonberries, blueberries, rosemary, and wild rose grow.
The fauna of the park is no less diverse. It is represented by 46 species of mammals, 180 species of birds and 57 species of fish. The coastal zone of the park is an ideal place for observing individual species of marine mammals. To the shores of the peninsula for feeding belugas. And in March there are flocks of puppies of harp seals. In the forests, predators feel great - wolves, bears, foxes, wolverines.
The main attractions of the park
Onega Pomerania is rich in all kinds of attractions. And not only natural, but also historical and cultural. Below is a list of the most interesting and significant objects:
- Unska Bay is an ornithological monument of international importance.
- Rock outcrops near the village of Lyamtsa with imprints of the Vendian fauna.
- "Hyperborean Road" - three ridges of multi-colored moraine boulders.
- Morzhovsky and Oryol lighthouses (second half of the 19th century).
- St. Nicholas Church in the village of Purnema.
- The remains of the Yarengsky monastery (XVII century).
- Clement's wooden church in the village of Luda.
