The Solovetsky Islands, located in the middle of the White Sea, are beautiful—a few weeks each year. The rest of the year, they are either foggy beyond belief or freezing cold. So if you decide to visit these historic islands, be sure to come in the summer.The Solovetsky Islands are a group of islands in the White Sea in Arkhangelsk. It is a true pearl of Russian north. Several sites on the islands are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.The Solovetsky Monastery, also Solovki Monastery, is one of the most significant monastic institutions in Russia. The monastery is located on the large island of Solovetsky. The monastery became one of the richest and best known monasteries in Russia. In view of its remoteness, the monastery also became a place of exile for people both within the Church and the secular tsarist government. This prison-like function of the monastery continued until the later part of the nineteenth century. Under the Bolshevik government the monastery became one of the main prison labor camps and the model for labor camps of the Soviet Gulag Archipelago.
