Museum "Petroglyphs of Kanozera"

Petroglyphs are images carved on stone. 

The Kanozera petroglyphs date back to the VI - II thousand BC. They are located on the inaccessible islands of Lake Kanozera.  Petroglyphs have been known to local residents for a long time, but world fame began to spread after scientists paid attention to them in 1997 (the year of the official appearance of petroglyphs to the world, the year of their discovery).

To protect them, study and interact with people who want to see petroglyphs with their own eyes and touch the primitive history of the Kola Peninsula, a museum was created in 2008, and in 2012 an exhibition hall of the museum "Petroglyphs of Kanozera" was opened in the village of Umba. The exposition of the hall tells about the discovery of rock carvings, about their study. There are a lot of high-quality photos taken directly on the complex of rock paintings. In the exhibition hall, you can book an excursion, watch a film shot on the Canozera Islands, and buy souvenirs.

The museum also organizes excursions to the complex itself on Kanozera. This trip is a whole adventure! Several types of equipment are involved (boats, all-terrain vehicles in summer; snowmobiles in winter).  There are already 1.5 thousand images on several islands of Canozera - they are located both separately from each other and in whole groups. What did ancient people depict thousands of years ago? What their daily life consisted of: hunting scenes, the main commercial animals (whales, deer), ritual scenes, relationships between people. The main group of petroglyphs carved on the rock of Kamenny Island is of the greatest interest to visitors. Time does not spare even a stone. To protect the petroglyphs from destruction, a protective dome was erected on Kamenny Island, which makes it possible to see the petroglyphs almost year-round.

The museum conducts an active and diverse work with visitors. Exhibitions are held, excursions, master classes and other events are held. Here you will be welcome and knowledgeably and with pleasure will be introduced to petroglyphs - the ancient message of the ancestors.