Volochaevka’s local history takes in early family names, former villages and historic waterway names. It spans a presumed village foundation in the 17th century, earlier administrative affiliations and a landscape shaped by a lake, slope and river valley.
The Local History and Landscape of Volochaevka
Farmers with the surname Karhu were already living in Karhula in the 16th century. The village of Karhula is presumed to have been founded in the 17th century, during a relative period of calm following a long succession of wars and the 1617 Treaty of Stolbovo. The information relates to different aspects: the surname is recorded earlier than the presumed founding of the village.
Another historic place name is Soittola. Until 1939, the village belonged to the municipality of Muolaa in Finland’s Viipuri Province. The local history therefore includes not only the former villages but also a clearly dated administrative affiliation.
The former villages of Karhula and Hanttula lay at the eastern end of Lake Vuotjärvi. Their fields were on a slope that descended south towards the lake, as well as to the east in the valley of the Vuotjoki River. The river is also called Härkäjoki and is now known as the Volochaevka River. These historical location details distinguish two landscape features: the slope descending towards the lake and the river valley to the east.
Nature and Culture in Leningrad Oblast
The Vepsian Forest Nature Park lies in the far east of the wider travel destination of Leningrad Oblast. It includes seven nature reserves with particularly strict protection regulations. The park has numerous lakes; the largest is Lake Lerinskoje, in the reserve of the same name. The park’s special features include well-preserved old spruce and pine forests. They are important for numerous organisms that can survive only in forests undisturbed by commercial activity.
Brown bears are found in significant numbers in Vepsian Forest Nature Park; the wolverine, which is extremely rare in the region, has also been recorded there. The Vepsians, a small people of Russia with their own culture and traditions, have traditionally lived here. The park thus brings together a protected-area and forest setting with regional cultural history.
Cultural Destinations and Regional Trails
Another regional cultural destination is Koporye Fortress. It is a museum and a monument to Old Russian stone architecture. It has been preserved in its present form since the 16th century, while parts of the masonry date from the 13th century. Climbing the walls and towers is prohibited because they are in a state of disrepair. It is possible to visit without a guide by using a multimedia guide; check whether this option is available when planning your trip.
Regional trails also differ in the landscapes they explore. The Ladva Trail passes through glacial terrain and middle-taiga vegetation and through the Vepsian village of Ladva. It also leads to Lake Ladva in Podporozhye District. A description dated December 24, 2019, mentions an eco-trail near the settlement of Kurba in Podporozhye District, running alongside lakes in Vepsian Forest Nature Park. Check the current conditions on this route before travelling.
If you are looking for a holiday rental, first plan your trip around your main interest: Volochaevka’s local history or the natural and cultural destinations in the wider travel destination of Leningrad Oblast.
Discover More Destinations
Discover more destinations: Shlisselburg, Nikiforovskoye, Strugi, Podporozhye, Borodinskoye, Karvala, Voznesenye, Glubokoye
Go to the overview of the wider travel destination: Leningrad Oblast.
