CITY GUIDE: TOP 5 THINgS TO DO IN PETROZAVODSK

Petrozavodsk is the capital city of Karelia (called Petroskoi in Karelian) and sits on the western edge of the beautiful Lake Onega. If you find yourself in this Russian town on business or as part of a holiday to the area, then read on and add our top five things to do in Petrozavodsk to your itinerary.
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1 - THE WISHINg TREE Take a few minutes to visit the famous wishing tree sculpture in the park beside Lake Onega. This unique sculpture portrays a life-size tree that you can ask to make your wish come true. Just to make sure your wishes are heard, the tree has a large ear carved into the trunk with a whisper your wish sign above it in Russian.

3 - REcREATION PARK (PETROV PARK) Formerly called Petrov Park, this is the oldest park in Russia and was founded in 1703. The park was created as the garden around Peter the Greats Imperial Palace, and was designed to reflect the aesthetic principles of French Baroque gardens of the time.

Peter the Great monument. The sculptures were created for the citys 300th birthday and were gifted from all over the world. The Embankment is just a 30-minute walk from the Park Inn by Radisson, Petrozavodsk, which provides convenient central accommodation for visitors who want to explore the city.

There used to be little bells on the branches of this tree that have now been lost. The sculpture was a gift from the people of Sweden in 1996. If the weather is fine then this park is a great place to spend some time enjoying the sculptures and 4 - PETER THE GREAT MONUMENT great views of the lake. This monument dedicated to the founder of 2 - THE BlAcK TUlIP MEMORIAl the city, Peter the Great, is considered one of the best statues commemorating the Tsar in Another interesting sculpture to visit during your the region. Its construction started on 30th May, stay in Petrozavodsk is the Black Tulip memorial. 1872, to celebrate 200 years since Peter the Greats birth. This war memorial opened in 1992 in memory of those who lost their lives in Afghanistan, and The statue stands two meters high on a granite is situated in the historical part of the city, called pedestal. Peter the Great founded the town Senatorka. Its a granite monument surrounded around an iron foundry to supply his Baltic Fleet by an alley with the names of 56 soldiers, images at the time of the Great Northern War with from the Afghan war, and the following lines Sweden (1700-1721). from a poem shown on it: 5 - THE ONEgA EMbANKMENT I will remain young forever The Onega Embankment is like an art gallery And will live in the short word Memory under the sky. This area of open ground near The sculpture has a contemporary, abstract feel Lake Onega is home to many of the citys and looks like a tulip with its petals opening up. sculptures , including The Wishing Tree and the

The park has a lot of interesting historical Take a walk along the lakeside and enjoy the monuments and a grand pond that was built to uniqueness of this special place. adorn Peters courtyard. Families can enjoy a day at the park with merry-go-rounds and other fairground rides in a relaxing, festive atmosphere.