Malye Korely

Malye Korely is an outdoor museum of wooden architecture, located about 25 km from Arkhangelsk.  The museum collects unique examples of traditional wooden architecture from the Arkhangelsk region, moving the structures from their original location and re-assembling them on site.  The museum includes over a hundred of unique samples of ancient wooden architecture: houses, churches, bell towers, barns, wind and watermills.

We had a substantial layover in Arkhangelsk, so we took a side trip and explored Malye Korely for a couple hours.  The cool thing about the site is that what the Russians call "traditional wooden architecture" is essentially what we in America would call "log cabins."  Only in Russia, the rude log construction is elevated to a sophisticated artform.

This is particularly true of the churches.  Some of the oldest structures in Malye Korely are the Church of the Ascension (built in 1669):

 and the Church of St. George (built in 1672):

Note the shingled onion domes of the Church of the Ascension and the undercut foundation of the Church of St. George.

More interesting buildings include a belltower:

 Some log cabins:

 Another log house:

 And of course windmills!