On the way from the seaport of Kem to the Solovetsky Islands, there is the Kuzov archipelago, which includes 16 uninhabited islands. The largest and highest of them are the islands of German Kuzov, Russian Kuzov and Oleshin. The unique natural landscapes of the archipelago always fascinate tourists. Most of the island territories are covered with spruce forests. The Karelians believe that the name of the archipelago comes from the Karelian "kuusi" (spruce).
What are the highlights of the Archipelago Islands
The main feature of the islands is the many cult complexes worshiped by the locals who lived here two thousand years ago. Their beliefs included the worship of sacred seids stones that looked like human figures.
They believed that seids bring good luck in hunting and fishing, and protect against diseases. Throughout the archipelago, scientists have counted over 800 iconic stone monuments.
Numerous tourists are amazed by the mysterious labyrinths of the archipelago. Scandinavian legends say that they were laid out by the ice giants - so they marked the way to the entrance to the underground palaces.
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Island Russian Body
Russian Kuzov is the largest island in the archipelago. Mountain "Lysaya" stands out on its territory. After climbing to the top of the mountain, travelers will see a large ancient sanctuary with a vertically placed granite stone in the center.
This stone was named "Stone Woman". According to scientists, he was a symbol of the supreme deity of the Sami, who lived here thousands of years ago.
Island Big German Body
Without exaggeration, this island can be called the ancient city of the Seids. Most of them are large angular boulders with legs of small stones. Several small stones are placed on the top of such a stone, and under them there are multi-colored small stones. Other idols found here are smaller in size and shape.
Interesting Pomor legends are fanned by idols, which were nicknamed "petrified Germans" because of the similarity with the sculptural bust of a man. You can also see seids here, the upper part of which resembles the head of a dog, deer and bird.
Climbing the 140-meter peak of Nemetsky Kuzov, the tourist finds himself in a unique pantheon of Sami deities, in which there are more than 150 idols and seids. All of them are cult monuments of all-Russian significance.
Oleshin Island
Perhaps the most mysterious island of the archipelago is Oleshin. On its small territory, in addition to the seids and ancient sanctuaries, there are two ancient labyrinths, Big and Small. They are located on a flat rocky plateau about 20 meters above sea level.
According to some scientists, these labyrinths were built as traps for fish at high tides. The small labyrinth is about 6 meters in diameter, it is barely visible in the thickets. Not far from it is the Great Labyrinth with a length of about 190 meters. It took about 1000 boulders to build. The labyrinth is perfectly preserved - it will be interesting for the traveler to walk along the ancient man-made structure. Researchers believe that both labyrinths in those distant times were considered sacred and were intended for shamans.
The best time to visit the archipelago is from late May to early October, when the weather is favorable for relaxation and the sea is calm.