A cultural trip to Velsk offers three different starting points: walks along the riverside promenade in the historic centre, exhibitions at the local history museum and the programme at the art gallery. These themes offer different perspectives on the town. You can decide whether to focus your stay primarily on the historic townscape, regional history or art.
Walks and places of remembrance
The riverside promenade is in the centre of Velsk’s historic district and is ideal for leisurely walks. A monument to the young Lomonosov stands along it. The walk can thus include a clearly identified place of remembrance.
A bust of G. D. Karpechenko was unveiled in the courtyard of the Karpechenko House on 19 June 2009. It was created by sculptor P. I. Gil of Saint Petersburg. The second floor of the house is home to the Dom Karpechenko Centre for Science and Educational Culture.
Local history museum and art gallery
The Velsk Local History Museum was founded in May 1919, based on a collection of old objects belonging to local farmer Vasily Feoktistovich Kulakov. Its four exhibitions cover different themes and periods:
- “Nature and Natural Resources of Velsky District” (1989; redesigned in 2014).
- “The History of Povazhye from Early Times to the Beginning of the 20th Century” (1992; redesigned from 2013 to 2016).
- The “Museum of House Paintings of Povazhye” exhibition and museum complex (2018).
- “Velsky District/Urban District 1917–1964: History and Fates” (2019).
A new exhibition hall also opened in 2019. The current arrangement of the exhibitions may change, so check the latest information on what is on display when planning your visit.
The Velsk Art Gallery has a different focus: its team opens new exhibitions every month with artists. The gallery’s offerings include paintings by Vladimir Grigoryev. The distinction can help you choose a theme: the local history museum presents several dated regional themes, while the gallery holds monthly exhibition openings.
Further cultural context: Arkhangelsk Oblast
The wider destination of Arkhangelsk Oblast offers other cultural themes, distinct from Velsk’s own character. The cultural and historical ensemble of the Solovetsky Archipelago includes a monastery fortress dating from the 15th to the early 20th century, as well as sacred sites and dozens of settlements dating from the 6th to the 1st millennium BC. The medieval road and irrigation systems of the Solovetsky Islands are harmoniously integrated into the surrounding natural and cultural landscape.
At the Malye Korely Museum, the architectural and landscape exhibition comprises more than 100 monuments of wooden architecture from Arkhangelsk Oblast. The museum is included in the state register of especially valuable cultural heritage sites of the peoples of the Russian Federation. These regional examples broaden the cultural picture of Arkhangelsk Oblast without replacing Velsk’s own distinctive themes.
Discover more destinations: Plesetsk, Una, Arkhangelsk, Kharitonovo, Koryazhma, Kapustniki, Blagoveshchenskoye, Tsimola
For the wider travel overview: Arkhangelsk Oblast.
