Shcheleyki offers a clearly dated cultural landmark and natural attractions nearby. The Church of Dmitry of Thessaloniki (the Myrrh-Streaming) was built in the village in 1783. The Shcheleyki natural monument lies between the villages of Shcheleyki and Gimreka on the southwestern shore of Lake Onega; the 10.5-kilometre “Obitel' batyushki Onegi” nature trail is also nearby. You can focus on the church in the village or on nature in the surrounding area.
Church and Local History
The building is a clearly defined historical landmark: its construction date of 1783 places it in the late 18th century, and it is dedicated to Dmitry of Thessaloniki, the Myrrh-Streaming. If you are interested in culture and local history, you can use this precisely dated church as a starting point for the Shcheleyki part of your trip. Nearby, the nature trail complements the cultural and historical focus with a landscape perspective.
Nature Nearby
The Shcheleyki natural monument lies between the villages of Shcheleyki and Gimreka on the southwestern shore of Lake Onega. Its location describes a lakeside landscape that differs from the historical landmark in the village. The “Obitel' batyushki Onegi” nature trail offers a separate route nearby.
The nature trail is 10.5 kilometres long; half runs along forest paths and the other half along the shore of Lake Onega. This breakdown gives a concrete sense of the route: forest sections and a lakeside path are part of the same trail, rather than the entire route following just one of these landscape types. The warm season is a good time to visit the trail. There are no sections that significantly hinder travel along the route. Its length, course and season give you concrete points to consider when deciding whether the route suits your interest in nature.
More Landscapes in Leningrad Oblast
The Veps Forest Nature Park lies in the far east of Leningrad Oblast. It includes seven nature reserves with particularly strict protection rules. The park has numerous lakes; the largest is Lake Lerinskoye, in the reserve of the same name. Among its special features are well-preserved old spruce and pine forests in the “Vepsskiy les” and “Ashchozyorsky” reserves. These forests are important for numerous organisms that can survive only in forests undisturbed by economic activity.
Wildlife is also part of the region: brown bears are relatively numerous in the nature park, and the wolverine, which is extremely rare in the region, has also been recorded. Wildlife sightings are not guaranteed. The Veps, a small people of Russia with their own culture and traditions, have traditionally lived in the nature park. This gives Veps Forest a cultural dimension alongside its lakes, forests and nature reserves. Beyond Shcheleyki, Leningrad Oblast thus offers other nature and cultural themes, each with its own regional setting.
Discover more destinations: Markovo, Motornoe, Kingisepp, Somino, Sviritsa, Kobona, KoskĐľlovo, Vyborg.
Go to the main travel overview: Leningrad Oblast.
