07.07.2023 // Varzuga settlement, the oldest existing settlement in the Murmansk Region, is located in the Tersky district, 135 km east of Umba. The settlement was first mentioned in chronicles in 1419. It is also the only settlement in the region located not on the sea coast but in the distance—on both banks of the Varzuga River, which flows into the White Sea. The residents, who were 369 according to the 2010 census, have to reach the opposite bank by boat.
The main source of income for local residents has always been the sale of salmon, which inhabits the Varzuga River. The economic life of the settlement is still connected with the fishing collective farm named 'Vskhody Kommunizma' (Sprouts of Communism), established in 1930 and engaged in the production, processing and marketing of fish products. Since the 1990s, the collective farm started development in a new direction—fishing tourism. There are 14 tourist bases on the Varzuga, Umba and Kitsa rivers, attracting up to 4,000 Russian and foreign tourists annually for fishing. The collective farm also leases several lakes throughout the Tersky coast.
Varzuga is famous not only for fishing tourism and the beauty of the surrounding nature but also for its wooden churches—monuments of Russian wooden architecture. The Assumption and Afanasiev churches are located on the right bank, while the churches of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and St. Peter and St. Paul are on the left bank. The Holy Spring of Prince Vladimir the Equal-to-the-Apostles is located 2 km from the settlement.
The Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is believed to be the first Orthodox church on the Kola Peninsula. It was consecrated in March 1491. The modern building of the church was built presumably in the 18th century. During Soviet times, the church was closed, all seven cupolas were demolished, and since the 1930s, it has been used as a collective farm.
The Assumption Church of 1674 is a wooden tent church 21 m high, built without a single nail. In 1677, the iconostasis of the church was consecrated, the peculiarity of which is wooden carving with figures of flying angels. The painted ceiling, the sky, the only one preserved in the Murmansk Region, is of particular interest. In 1973, the upper part of the church was restored, and in 1996, the church was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church.
The church's offices are still being held today. In 2009, on the Nikolskaya Mountain from the Varzuga side, a golden 8-metre-high cross on a wooden platform was erected. It appeared on the place of an ancient settlement defeated by enemies, as it follows from the chronicles of 1419. The memorial plaque bears the following inscription: 'In memory of the pioneers of the Kola North, monks and laymen of the Varzuzhskoye ancient settlement, who gave their lives for the Orthodox faith and the Russian Empire in 1419 AD.'
Among the sights in Varzuga, there is also the Museum of Pomor History and Culture. It is located in the house of merchant Kagachev, which is included in the Unified State Register of Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of the Russian Federation. It is a vivid example of the wooden architecture of the Russian North of the early 20th century, combining elements of urban and rural planning. The exposition presents household items of Pomors from centuries ago and older, traditional costumes, tools, etc. A separate part of the exhibition is devoted to fishing, reflected in a variety of types and kinds of seines, rods, spears and other fishing gear.
To get to Varzuga, it is possible only in several consecutive stages.
First, one needs to get to Murmansk, and from there to Kandalaksha by bus or train. Next, there is a bus to Varzuga itself, but it only goes three times a week. Being late is not an option, as there are no other ways to get to the final destination of the trip. Varzuga itself is the final stop, with no roads extending beyond it. Local residents travel by boat in the summer and prefer snowmobiles in the winter. The latter type of vehicle can be found in the garage of almost every family, sometimes more than one. They are used to go to school, to the shop for groceries or to the post office. Tourists are gladly given a lift by local taxi drivers, who also masterfully operate water and snow transport. But local cows do not use transport services—one can often see the herd swimming from one bank to another.
It is necessary to tell separately about the car journey. No special preparation of the car for travelling to Varzuga is required: there is a road to the settlement, not always asphalted but smooth; the traffic is active. However, it is necessary to remember that after the Umba settlement, there are no petrol stations and there will be none, so fuel should be taken with reserve. Finding fuel in Varzuga will be a problem. Communication can also cause certain inconveniences—in the settlements themselves it is available but not always on the road. Therefore, in case of an emergency, one should rely only on one's own strength and the participation of random people, because in the North, it is customary to help each other.
Varzuga itself has several hotels and restaurants. These are small, family-run places accommodating a small number of guests. Usually, people stay there for several nights before leaving for the tourist camp. It is also possible to rent accommodation from locals, just as it was a few years ago. This can be arranged through dedicated websites on the Internet, or locally, the old-fashioned way.
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