In Zapolyarny District, landscapes and archaeological heritage come together in the Pustozersk Museum Reserve. The reserve covers more than 620 hectares on the site of the former settlement of Pustozersk. The area includes Lake Gorodetskoye and neighbouring lakes, rivers and waterways; forest-tundra and tundra vegetation define the landscape. This gives you two distinct focuses for planning your trip: the Bolshaya Pustozerskaya Trail museum excursion and the reserve’s natural and cultural heritage sites.
Landscapes of the Museum Reserve
Habitats include spruce and birch forests, floodplain and dry meadows, windblown sands and wetlands. There are also willow and dwarf birch thickets, as well as rivers and lakes. A relict island spruce forest can also be found in the Maly Bor tract. These individual landscape features give the area a varied character: forests, open meadows, wetlands and bodies of water all form part of the reserve’s landscape.
Twelve plant and animal species listed in the Red Data Books of Russia and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug have been recorded in the protected natural area of the museum reserve. This number may change as surveys are updated. For nature enthusiasts, this is another aspect of the area, alongside its diverse forest and tundra habitats.
The Bolshaya Pustozerskaya Trail Museum Excursion
The approximately 10-kilometre Bolshaya Pustozerskaya Trail starts near the Pustozerskoye Gorodishche archaeological site and returns there. Its route runs from Pustozersk via Maly Bor, Malaya Gryaz and Bolshoy Bor, then follows the Gnilka and Nikolskaya rivers back to Pustozersk. Along the way, visitors learn about the flora and fauna of the northern territories and see sculptures by contemporary artists in the land art style. The approximate length and circular route make it easy to plan this excursion as a separate activity.
The Bolshaya Pustozerskaya Trail museum excursion is offered from mid-June to September. Excursions, as well as educational and cultural events in and around the Pustozerskoye Gorodishche archaeological monument, are led by staff of the Pustozersk Museum Reserve. Check current dates and arrangements with the museum before your trip.
Archaeological Heritage and a Historic Route
The Pustozerskoye Gorodishche is an archaeological cultural heritage site of federal significance within the museum reserve. The Gnilka River is also home to a settlement site dating from the 6th to 10th centuries and a sanctuary dating from the 6th to 13th centuries. These different periods belong to separate archaeological sites; together, they give a visit to the area a cultural and historical dimension beyond its landscapes.
The historic route of the old unpaved road from Pustozersk to Pylemets is separate from the museum excursion. It was more than 21 kilometres long and ran from Pustozersk via Maly Bor and Bolshoy Bor to the Staraya Pechora, then onwards to Pylemets. The two distances therefore refer to different routes: the approximately 10-kilometre museum excursion and a considerably longer historic road route. If you are looking for a holiday rental in Zapolyarny District, you can take these differences into account when planning what to focus on.
Discover more destinations: Severodvinsk, Kargopol District, Primorsky District, Mezen District, Novodvinsk, Velsky District, Plesetsky District, Mezen District.
For the main travel overview: Arkhangelsk Oblast.
