To guarantee our clients the origin and quality of shungite in our offer, I regularly go to Karelia. At least once a year, I visit the face, and every time this is an interesting journey with new impressions and experiences, which I want to tell on these pages. Based on my knowledge of the Russian language, I have the opportunity to learn many things that a foreigner simply does not recognize.

The Karelia region is divided into two states: it is located one small part on Finnish land, and mostly in the territory of the Russian Federation. Based on my knowledge of the language and my interest in shungite, shungite is extracted only in the Russian part of Karelia, which I will discuss in this chapter.

A special stone in a special place

Karelia is an attractive place for visitors with various interests from convenient trips by rail or cruise liners, to extreme sports. Even when you come to Karelia, you can see a lot: a trip on an airplane or your car, or on a bicycle tour, or on foot - there are many opportunities to experience the amazing northern nature.

I often come to Karelia to get better acquainted with the mineral shungite and the country of its origin.

In this chapter, I would like to tell you in detail about the journey from the airport to the face and give references to the features of such a journey.

To get to the place where shungite is mined, in any case, it is best to go first to the capital of Karelia, the city of Petrozavodsk. From there, you can relatively easily and economically get to the city of Medvezhyegorsk on Lake Onega and from there further to the village of Shunga. Currently, there is no regular airport in Petrozavodsk for civil traffic. Therefore, I strongly recommend first to fly to nearby big cities like Helsinki or St. Petersburg.

Fig.: from airport to Karelia

• For the majority of those traveling to the Russian Federation, a visa will be required. Think about it when planning a trip and get it in time.
• Karelia is located in the North. Take with you a couple of warm things. Better more, than nothing.
• There are many annoying insects in Karelia. Take the necessary countermeasures.
• The advantage is of course, if you study the Cyrillic font before departure. If you do not immediately learn Russian, then, in any case, it will be useful to be able to read road signs and signs of settlements.
• If you want to visit the place of extraction of shungite, then you must first inform the local government about this. Below is the address of the slaughter control:

185031, Karelia

Petrozavodsk

Murmanskaya Str. 22, P.O. Box 75

All prices, in EURO or RUB that you will find in this description, serve only the comparative tasks of determining between affordable and expensive. Prices vary considerably due to various factors. Therefore, do not count, in any case, on the prices indicated below, when you will plan your travel budget.

From Helsinki to Petrozavodsk

Petrozavodsk is located in approx. 700 km from Helsinki. If you landed in Helsinki, the best option would be a trip by car to get to Petrozavodsk. In this regard, there are a lot of proposals to pick up tourists and businessmen from Helsinki Airport and bring them to Petrozavodsk or back. Although the roads are pretty good, but the path itself is rather tedious and lasts approx. 8-9 hours. Also, note that entry to Russia from Finland will also take a certain time. However, this option is faster and more economical the trip costs approximately EUR 50 for one person. It is recommended to book a trip in advance, if you look for "transfer Helsinki-Petrozavodsk" on the Internet, you will be offered many options.

From St. Petersburg to Petrozavodsk

A little more expensive and longer in time can be a trip from St. Petersburg to Petrozavodsk. However, at the same time, you have an opportunity to get acquainted with the most beautiful city in the world - St. Petersburg. Even with transit, I recommend doing it anyway.

Fig.: St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg offers a lot of interesting opportunities, even a short time to go through a lot.

My plane landed early in the morning in St. Petersburg, and the train to Petrozavodsk was leaving late in the evening. During this time you can see many sights in the city, also recommend comfortable walking tours or city tours.

From St. Petersburg to Petrozavodsk, I recommend using a train ride. Several trains run from the Ladoga station daily to Petrozavodsk.

At the Ladoga Railway Station in St. Petersburg you can easily get from Pulkovo Airport by bus and metro. I would not recommend a trip by taxi, it will be much more expensive and, sometimes, longer in time. You can only take a taxi if you have a lot of luggage with you.

From Pulkovo Airport to the Ladoga Station by bus and metro.

At the exit from the airport there is a stop of the bus route 39 or 39a ("a" as "direct connection"). Buses run very often during the day and after approx. 20 minutes you will get to the metro station Moskovskaya.

If you look at the metro map and pass along the blue line six stops to the station Sennaya Square, then make a transfer and pass on to the station of Spasskaya on the orange line five stops and you will get to the station Ladozhskaya. The station is located directly at the exit from the station.

By train to Petrozavodsk.

From St. Petersburg there are many opportunities, to get immediately to Medvezhyegorsk, which is very close to the face of shungite. However, I would advise, first to go to Petrozavodsk, because the capital of Karelia offers travelers many opportunities for further trips or to view the most important sights of the region, e.g. the world cultural heritage of Kizhi Island, the monastic island of Valaam and much more.

Trains in St. Petersburg.

Many different trains are offered in different price categories and different services. My favorite, in any case, the night train that departs from St. Petersburg in the evening and the next morning arrives in Petrozavodsk. It is not the fastest, but because of an overnight trip you save money for a night in a hotel. In addition, the Russian railroad offers the possibility to travel really into a luxury compartment (the ticket costs around EUR 120).

Fig.: compartment

In the same train, however, there are cheaper alternatives that can be half or even more favorable at the price.

• Tickets for the train can be bought in Russia both through the Internet and at the box office. Please note that tickets are tied to identity documents and even a small mistake in the surname will not allow you to get on the train.
• If you are going to Russia, I also recommend that you exchange a small amount for rubles in advance. It will always be practical, and you will not need to waste time at the airport when exchanging currency, and immediately be able to pay in cash the necessary services

Near the Ladoga railway station there is a shopping center Zanevsky cascade. There is a good opportunity to buy all sorts of trivia for the trip and use the free access to Wi-Fi.

From Petrozavodsk to Shunga

On the western coast of the Onega Lake is Shunga village. This place is a mineral shungite owes its name. On the edge of the village is the only known grotto where the real shungite is mined. A couple of kilometers further down the slope Zazhoginsky. From there it is already close to the well-known source Tsarevin Kluch. This is a strong and energetic place that gives many people strength and energy.

Shunga is located in approx. 230 km north of Petrozavodsk. From Petrozavodsk it is best to get to Medvezhyegorsk by bus, the trip is not expensive and lasts approx. 2-3 hours. To get from Medvezhyegorsk to Shunga, I would recommend taking a taxi. In this area, everything is very affordable, and there are hardly any alternatives.

To better know this rural region, you can also spend the night in Medvezhyegorsk. Here you will find cheap hotels and shopping opportunities. Also I recommend visiting the local museum with its interesting exhibitions. Many expositions are dedicated to the village of Shunga, which is already mentioned in the fifteenth century in all writings as a major shopping center in the North. The most common means of transport in the region was then the speed skates, with which you could get to Shunga through a frozen lake in winter. The location of the peninsula and long winter has defined the village of Shunga as a shopping center in the middle of the lake. At that time, the annual fairs in Shunga were well-known far beyond Karelia. Do you think you can imagine that in this area at that time you could buy coffee and coffee grinders.

Fig.: coffee grinder from Shunga

As on the Silk Road traders brought to Shunga not only goods but there was also a lively cultural exchange. Hand embroidery of the Zaonezhye region came from Shunga to the corners of the whole world. Even in fashion boutiques in Paris, they sold handmade textiles from Karelia.

Fig.: a towel with hand embroidery, the museum of Medvezhyegorsk

Since then, a lot of time has passed; the annual fairs in Shunga have lost their meaning and are held only once every two years. Today they have a different purpose it is rather a regional holiday, which serves the spread of Karelian culture and the exchange of regional products.

A couple of historical facts about Shunga and the region

Shungite has always been in this region, which the locals nicknamed as "stone of the aspid". With the development of trade, the stone and its glory went far beyond the boundaries of Karelia, and as a result, the interest of scientists to such a unique stone grew. Officially, the stone was studied and described in 1880 by Alexander Aleksandrovich Foreigners. The foreigner was a famous Russian geologist and paleontologist, since 1901 he was also a corresponding member of the Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

Later attempts were made to use shungite as a combustible material because of the high content of carbon in it. For this reason, a thorough geological study of the area around Shunga was carried out to accurately establish the carbon content of the mineral. Therefore, numerous samples were taken throughout the terrain, the extensive results of which contributed to the determination of the quality of shungite. Both previous and current studies have shown that shungite covers the huge surface of the region; however, the quality varies very much.

Studies of the soil showed the presence of two areas for extraction. Both the places of Maksovskiy and Zazhoginsky are located not far from the village of Tolvuya near Shunga. If you, for example, look at the map of the Earth through Google, you will see two noticeable dark surfaces: these are the places of extraction of shungite.

If you want to spend the night in the area near the village of Shunga, then you will have only a few possibilities. For sure, there are travelers who willingly spend the night in a tent. As an alternative, you can find a distance of approx. 7 km from Shunga and 40 km from the face of shungite small hotel Zaonego. Otherwise, I recommend spending the night in the neighboring town of Medvezhyegorsk.

I wish you an interesting, eventful journey.

Probably, see you soon in Shunga.