Polyany brings together several distinct themes in its history: the former Uusikirkko, church buildings, the artists Elena Guro and Mikhail Matyushin, and a war grave. Nearby, you can also go on SUP outings on Lake Dlinnoye.

Church history and former names

Polyany was formerly known as Uusikirkko. The last stone Lutheran church of St. John in Uusikirkko was built in 1800; a freestanding bell tower was added in 1857—57 years after the church was built. In 1939, the Finnish army blew up the church buildings during its retreat; only the base level of the bell tower remained. A separate church history concerns the wooden Orthodox Church of the Transfiguration: it was built in 1912 and burned down in 1939. The two chronologies differ in material and year of construction; for both, 1939 was the year of destruction.

Artists and remembrance

The artists Elena Guro and Mikhail Matyushin had a dacha in Polyany. Guro, a writer and artist, was buried near the ruins of the chapel in Polyany. The village is also home to a mass grave for soldiers killed in the Soviet-Finnish War and the Great Patriotic War. Alongside the church buildings, the area thus offers a glimpse into art and literary history, as well as remembrance of two wars.

SUP on Lake Dlinnoye

The neighboring Lake Dlinnoye is near Polyany. SUP outings take place there. The lake is one kilometer long and has an island in the middle; this water activity offers a different focus from the village’s cultural and historical themes. If you’re planning an SUP outing, check its current availability in advance.

More places to explore in Leningrad Oblast

Leningrad Oblast’s Nature Park Vepssky Les, in the region’s far east, is worth exploring in its own right. The park comprises seven nature reserves with particularly strict protection rules. The park has numerous lakes, the largest of which is Lake Lerinskoye, in the reserve of the same name. Old spruce and pine forests have been preserved in the “Vepssky Les” and “Ashchozyorskiy” reserves. They are important to many organisms that can survive only in forests undisturbed by economic activity. The Veps, a small people of Russia with their own culture and traditions, have traditionally lived in the nature park. Brown bears are found there in considerable numbers; the wolverine, extremely rare in the region, has also been recorded.

Another distinct cultural destination in Leningrad Oblast is Koporye Fortress. It is a museum and a monument of ancient Russian stone architecture. It has been preserved in its present form since the 16th century; parts of the masonry date from the 13th century. Climbing the walls and towers is prohibited because of their critical structural condition. You can visit without a guide using the multimedia guide “Koporskaya krepost 2.0”; check its availability in advance. The nature park and Koporye offer different experiences: forest ecology and wildlife in one, historic stone architecture in the other.

Discover more destinations: Tikhvin, Melnitsa, Trubnikov Bor, Pobeda, Gavrilovo, Vistino, Somino, Pervomayskoye.

For the broader travel overview: Leningrad Oblast.