Геннадий Александров, Людмила Александрова, Александра Горяшко "Путешествие в Колвицу". Под ред. Александры Горяшко – СПб., 2014.
About The Trip to Kolvitsa
At the core of this book is a series of interviews with Kolvitsa old-timers, the oldest of whom were born in the late 1920s or early 1930s. Many of those interviewed are direct descendants of a small group of Karelian migrants who moved here across the Kandalaksha Bay and founded the village in early 90s of the 19th century. These interviews were mostly taken and processed in the Fall of 2014 and, together with historic background, provided a comprehensive view onto the origin and history of the village.
The book starts with a historic overview of lands around Kolvitsa, first mentioned in the middle of the 16th century as property of the Monastery of Holy Virgin in Kandalaksha.
Then, centuries later, starting the end of the 1800s, live human voices get added to mere documents, with grandchildren and great-grandchildren of first Kolvitsa settlers sharing personal and family memories. These include reminiscences of the dramatic post-revolution 1918-1919 period, and of WW2.
These voices are mostly about the period from late 40s to 70s, when Kolvitsa was at its height during the Soviet days, before the collective farm was dissolved and the village turned into a dacha settlement.
The Trip to Kolvitsa described in detail the main occupations of the village residents: reindeer herding, fishing and logging.
The story also covers outposts of the Solovki prison camp in the vicinity of Kolvitsa, and repressions of ethnic Finns in 1940 after the war with Finland in the winter of 1939.
A large number of archive documents have been reviewed during the work on the book. Most materials, including family photos, are being published for the first time.
The book includes appendices on Kolvitsa in art and literature.
The Trip to Kolvitsa will be of interest to anyone wishing to understand the history of the village or the area in general.
The writing and printing of The Trip to Kolvitsa was made possible by the Timchenko Fund. The project was performed by youth movement “EcoDozor” (EcoWatch) of the Kola Ecological Center jointly with youth center “Harmonia” of the City of Kandalaksha. Immediately involved in gathering materials and developing the text were Ludmila and Gennady Alexandrov, and Alexandra Goryashko. Artist Valentin Myzdrikov designed the book’s cover.
The above summary was prepared by Paul Voytinsky (kandalaksha.su).
