Description of the attraction
The Botanical Garden on the Solovetsky Islands is one of the most unique attractions in this region, which is located a few kilometers from the village of Solovetsky. The garden can be reached by walking a short distance, or by using the sightseeing bus or bicycle.
The Solovetsky Botanical Garden is located in the Makariyevskaya Hermitage. The garden was founded in 1822, but, above all, this territory served as a place of solitude for Archimandrite Macarius. The area designated for the desert was specially chosen, because it is located in the area of a kind of hollow, which is surrounded on three sides by high hills, completely overgrown with dense forest. Until our time, the suburban area, which was composed of large larch trunks, has been perfectly preserved. At the archimandrite's dacha there was a chapel, consecrated in 1854 in the name of Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, and also on this territory there was a boulder cellar built in the 19th century and a large Poklonny Cross.
During the reign of Soviet power, the Makariyevskaya hermitage was renamed into a farm called Gorka, and the adjoining garden became a large subsidiary farm for the Solovetsky school.
The creation of the Botanical Garden was carried out thanks to the painstaking work of the monastic peasants and monks. Over the years of its existence, the monastery has actively made attempts to acclimatize various kinds of plants to the existing conditions of the Solovetsky Islands. It is known that supplying the temple with food has always been especially difficult, because on the way you had to overcome the White Sea. For 200 years, numerous gardeners have managed to acclimatize a huge number of plants. Today in the Botanical Garden there are about 500 species of woody plants, as well as medicinal, forage and food plants. But still, not all tasks were completed: the cereal plants were never adapted to the climatic conditions of the region. In practice, there have been situations when the grain simply did not have time to ripen properly.
The nearby wax factory has become a significant help to the Botanical Garden. The heat that remained from the production of wax was directed through pipes to the greenhouses of the Botanical Garden. It was this circumstance that made it possible, under the necessary conditions, to grow watermelons, cucumbers, peaches and melons, which became literally a phenomenal phenomenon. It is worth noting that greenhouses with flowers were also heated with heat, although this operation required a lot of effort and constant work. At present, the plantings of the garden, for the most part, are much more modest.
Unfortunately, the very first plantings in the area of the Botanical Garden have not survived. Today, there are plants on the territory of the garden that were once grown by monastic monks during the years 1870-1920. In addition, there are landings here, in the past intended for prisoners of a special Solovetsky camp, dating back to the period 1927-1936. There are plantings of thick-leaved badan growing along the main central road. The oldest today are Pallas apple trees and Siberian cedars, which are more than a hundred years old. It is also important that the trees still bear fruit. In addition, on the territory of the Solovetsky Botanical Garden, small-leaved linden, Pennsylvania bird cherry, Daurian tea, wrinkled rose, as well as many other plants that are not characteristic of the harsh northern latitudes grow.
Staying in the garden, you get the amazing impression that you are in one of the southern gardens, because the general layout of the garden, numerous flower beds and alleys of deciduous trees and Siberian cedar only enhances the impression. It is worth noting that from the Aleksandrovskaya Gorka you can enjoy a completely extraordinary view of the Botanical Garden, as well as the Solovetsky Monastery.
Today the Botanical Garden on the Solovetsky Islands is one of the favorite and frequently visited sightseeing places by visiting tourists.
