Kalevala

Kalevala (Russian: Калевала) is a picturesque historical village on the northern shore of Lake Sredneye Kuyto, at the mouth of the Ukhta River, in Karelia in northwestern Russia. in 2023, it was home to 3,400 people.

The city is the administrative centre of Kalevala region, with a population of 5,900 in 2023.

Understand


The town and region used to be named Uchta (Karelian: Uhtuo, Russian: Ухта). The region changed its name to Kalevala in 1935, for the centenary of the Kalevala epic.

In the area of the current village, the famous Finnish folklorist Elias Lönnrot in the 19th century recorded many runes that were included in the world famous Karelian-Finnish epic “Kalevala”.

Get in
The Kalevala bus station is connected by a bus route from Petrozavodsk, Kemya, and Borovoy. As of 2020, the bus runs once a day, three times a week; the journey takes ½ hours, and arrives in Kalevala late in the evening.

By car, take the road P21 (E105) "Kola" St. Petersburg–Murmansk. Then there will be a turn onto the A135 highway to Kalevala. The turn is indicated by a pointer.

See

 * Kalevala National Local Lore Municipal Museum was opened in 1999 as part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the first complete edition of the Karelian-Finnish epic "Kalevala".

Buy
Among the souvenirs, it is worth paying attention to products made from birch bark: bread bins, salt shakers, bags, kessels and baskets. You can buy kitchen utensils, plates and mugs, pillows, linen tablecloths and towels. There are special bags that are decorated with Karelian embroidery, as well as keychains, photo frames and dolls, which are often bought as amulets.