AmaWaterways excursion to the island of Kizhi on Lake Onega in northern Russia en route to Moscow from St. Petersburg on an AmaWaterways Russian River Cruise that was documented by travel filmmaker Clint Denn. Settlements and churches on the island were known from at least the 15th century. The population was rural, but was forced by the government to assist development of the ore mining and iron plants in the area that resulted in a major Kizhi Uprising in 1769–1771. Most villages had disappeared from the island by 1950s and now only a small rural settlement remains. In the 18th century, two major churches and a bell-tower were built on the island, which are now known as Kizhi Pogost. In 1950s, dozens of historical wooden buildings were moved to the island from various parts of Karelia for preservation purposes. Nowadays, the entire island and the nearby area form a national open-air museum with more than 80 historical wooden structures. The most famous is the Kizhi Pogost, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. AmaWaterways river cruises travel between St. Petersburg and Moscow on the Volga-Baltic Waterways or in reverse. Among the sites seen during the long journey is the St. Peter and Paul Fortress and Museum, Peterhof, Nevsky Prospect, Kazan Cathedral, Kizhi Island, the art colony in the preserved village of Mandrogi, the third larges city in Russia of Yaroslavl, Red Square, Cathedral Square in the Kremlin, the Hermitage Museum in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg …