Karelian Cultural Enterprise (Interreg)

The project endeavoured to create conditions for survival for the culturally significant Russian Karelian countryside and the Finnish villages of White Sea Karelia through business activities and cultural tourism, as based on their cultural heritage. The aim was to create a model for the revival work of the villages, which could also work more extensively in the wooden architectural area of Northwest Russia. During the project, a company employing local residents in Paanajärvi and Haikola was to be founded. Because of the increasing tourism in Karelia, the implementation of the principles of sustainable development was also one of the goals. Material about the villages of Paanajärvi and Haikola was to be transferred from Finnish to local archives. In Finland, the purpose was to conclude the restoration work of the Hietajärvi Heritage House so that it could function as a cultural centre for tourists, to arouse the interest of travel companies to use cultural heritage in their operations and also to create a network between the parties who create programme content based on the cultural heritage of White Sea Karelia and organise trips to cultural destinations. The cultural tourism of the villages in White Sea Karelia was also to be advanced with international publications of high artistic and scientific quality (multimedia programmes and a documentary).

The completed traditional house of Hietajärvi in the style of White Sea Karelia raises a lot of admiration and interest. The interesting archive material found in the Finnish archives about the villages of Haikola and Paanajärvi was handed over to the use of the museums of Haikola and Paanajärvi. The Haikola Museum is already operational. The building dedicated as the Paanajärvi Museum was supposed to be restored in this project, but for legal reasons, the traditional house of Paanajärvi was chosen and completed instead. The museum building is still waiting to be restored but the Cultural Ministry of Karelia has promised financial aid for the restoration in 2009. The project included the construction of one ecological toilet in Paanajärvi; similar ones have subsequently been constructed on the request of the residents. Two boats were designed and constructed as samples for starting export, textile works were made for sale and also the coffin is coming to production. A company was founded as planned, employing several people. A lorry for transporting the products was acquired with a grant from the Finnish Cultural Foundation. In the target area of the project in the Republic of Karelia, a signifi cant change in attitudes towards business enterprises has taken place. The multimedia programmes were completed and are raising interest as well as providing information and guidance to those travelling to the project area. The completion of the film about Vuokkiniemi was postponed to 2008, but it is fair to say that, once completed, it will raise admiration and interest to arrange a trip to the land of poems. Also, the English publication of the multidisciplinary book Paanajärvi raised public interest. The project succeeded in increasing interest towards White Sea Karelia, and the cultural tour operators obtained many long-lasting means to boost their operations.