Arkhangelsk: Culture, Chumbarovka and Kozuli

Arkhangelsk’s cultural attractions include historic merchant architecture, the pedestrian street Chumbarovka and the tradition of Arkhangelsk Kozuli. These themes offer different ways to discover the city: through museum spaces, a walk or a craft that can also be found as a souvenir.

Museum spaces in the Gostiny Dvor

The Arkhangelsk Regional Museum is housed in the architectural monument of Arkhangelsk Gostiny Dvor, dating from the 17th to 18th centuries. A museum visit is therefore set in a historic building whose own period of origin adds to its cultural interest.

At the Russian Gostiny Dvor, visitors can see restored 17th-century merchant chambers and 18th-century ceremonial halls; a large museum and cultural center is located there. The permanent exhibition “Istorija i kultura Pomorja XVI-XVII vv.” is housed in the restored single-domed chambers, which also host other exhibitions. The exhibition focuses on the history and culture of Pomorye in the 16th and 17th centuries—a distinct period alongside the centuries in which the chambers and ceremonial halls were built.

Explore Chumbarovka on foot

Prospekt Chumbarova-Luchinskogo, also known as Chumbarovka, is a pedestrian street in central Arkhangelsk. As you walk, you’ll encounter northern architecture and sculptures of well-known writers and their characters. Wooden houses line the street. The buildings are not all alike, however: some remain on their historic sites, while others have been relocated or newly created.

There are walking routes and tours for independent exploration. Tourist tours include routes through the city center, along Prospekt Chumbarova-Luchinskogo and through Solombala. Audio tours also go through the center and Solombala. This lets you choose between street scenes, sculptures and different tour themes for your city walk.

Kozuli: pastries, tradition and craft

The Arkhangelski Pryanik-Kozulya Museum offers tours and workshops on decorating Kozuli. Authentic Arkhangelsk Kozuli are also available there as souvenirs. These decorated gingerbread cookies have a special holiday tradition: they were baked and given as gifts for Christmas and New Year, and were also used as Christmas tree decorations. A museum visit therefore combines a hands-on activity with a traditional use of the pastries.

Cultural attractions in the wider destination of Primorsky District

Malye Korely, in the wider destination of Primorsky District, is another cultural and historical focal point. Village ensembles are set among spruce forests in the Kargopol-Onega, Dvina, Pinega and Mezen sectors. They include traditional houses, storage buildings, wells and fences. Visitors can also see the mechanism of a large tent-roofed windmill; residential and farm buildings belonging to wealthy peasants from Kargopol or Pomors; the interior of a Dvina inn; a forge from Kholmogory; a fisherman’s house; and the hut of a commercial hunter.

The interiors of the farmsteads showcase the skills of northern Russian carpenters and offer insights into fishing, grain cultivation, household management, wedding customs and historic forms of transport. Festivities are also among the themes at Malye Korely, including Maslenitsa, Easter, New Year, Christmas, the Bread Festival, the Horse Festival, the Hay Festival and Bell-Ringing Day. Adults and children take part in customs and folk entertainments, sing along to the accordion and swing. If you would like to plan your trip around a particular festival, check the specific dates in advance.

In Primorsky District, the Museum of Folk Arts and Crafts of Primorye in Uemsky permanently displays the exhibition “Gostinaja Seni Maliny.”

Choose a focus for your trip

When looking for a holiday apartment, it helps to decide on a clear focus: will your trip be mainly about museums, walking routes and the Kozuli tradition in Arkhangelsk, or would you also like to include destinations in the wider Primorsky District? First decide which places and cultural themes matter most to you.

Discover more destinations

Tsimola, Blagoveshchenskoye, Una, Plesetsk, Konda, Velsk, Solovetsky, Karpogory

Return to the overview of the wider destination: Arkhangelsk Oblast.