Museum of Volunteers of Karelia

In 2021, wildfires raged in Karelia forests. More than 20,000 hectares of forest were destroyed. Old residents say that there have not been such fires in the Republic for more than 100 years. Ordinary people – citizens and villagers of Karelia – stood up to protect their forests. The Autonomous Nonprofit Organization “Kaleva Heritage” organized the work of more than 500 people in several districts of our region. People were working day and night and in all directions at once. Volunteers were running an informational and a distribution centers in Petrozavodsk, volunteer camps in the Kondopozhsky and Pryazhinsky districts. Humanitarian aid was being sent to Suoyarvsky and Medvezhyegorsky districts. In other areas, residents worked with our equipment. The work lasted almost a month. As a result, 119 people were awarded letters of thanks from the heads of districts. 70 people received Certificates of Honor from the Ministry of Emergencies and Disaster Relief of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Karelia. 58 people received letters of thanks from the Head of the Republic and 1 person became the Laureate of the Year 2021. Later, the People’s Volunteer Brigade was organized — the Karelian Fire Brigade (KFB).

We decided to open a museum to honor the Feat of ordinary residents, who were ready to defend their homes in their time of need.

The museum is located at the headquarters of the People’s Volunteer Brigade KFB in the industrial zone of Petrozavodsk. The museum has two exhibition halls: the Hall of Nature and the Hall of Fire. In January 2022, the photo exhibition “Warriors of Light – Warriors of Good” opened in the museum, presenting original photos from the sites of fire. The Hall of Fire features a recreated volunteer camp and fire equipment that people worked with. The camp looks the same as at the sites of fire.

The museum collection is constantly growing. Here you can see Soviet and Russian fire helmets, learn about the collection of fire trucks, touch the tsar’s bricks of the 19th century, and appreciate the beauty of collectible match kits.

Visitors are allowed to touch and try on almost everything in the museum.