Kargopol
From Free net encyclopedia
Kargopol (Template:Lang-ru) is a town in and the administrative center of Kargopolsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated on both sides of the Onega River not far from Lake Lacha. Population: 11,192 (2002 Census).
It was founded in 1146 by people who moved there from Novgorod.
For several centuries Kargopol was an important trade center. When the cities of Arkhangelsk and St. Petersburg were built, Kargopol became less important.
Alexandr Baranov, the first governor of Russian America (Alaska), was born in Kargopol.
Kargopol is famous for its examples of medieval Russian architecture, mainly wooden and stone churches. The earliest of these buildings is the stone Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, completed in 1562.
It is also famous for Kargopol toys (Kargopolskiye igrushki), which are small, simple clay figures painted in traditional style.
Legends of Kargopol District
On a less serious note, Kargopol is also famous throughout the Russian northwest for its numerous sasquatch or bigfoot sightings. The most famous legend is reported to have happened in the early 1990s, and was documented by authors Maya Bykova and Vadim Makarov (in his book Atlas of the Snowman). According to the legend, about six kilometres from the town of Kargopol, two hairy creatures, one a large "mother", the other its "child", made their way towards a military barracks. A young soldier on guard duty noticed the creatures and hurried back to the barracks for help. The sasquatch, carrying its young, entered behind the soldier. Although making non-threatening gestures and sounds, the creature was attacked by a soldier (who promptly passed out due to the overwhelming stench coming from the creature). Frightened, the creature ran away into the forest. As many as a dozen soldiers are reported to have witnessed these strange creatures on this night.
Template:Northwest-Russia-geo-stubeo:Kargopol
ko:카르고폴
ru:Каргополь
fi:Kargopol