Solovetsky, Arkhangelsk Oblast

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Solovetsky is a rural settlement on Bolshoy Solovetsky Island in the White Sea, in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It is the administrative center of Solovetsky District and the Solovetskoye Rural Settlement. The population was 840 in 2010 and about 808 in 2021.

The area is famous for the Solovetsky Monastery, founded in 1435. For centuries the monastery owned the island and ran the economy. In 1920 a prison camp, known as Solovki, was set up in the monastery buildings, and access to the island was restricted. The camp closed in 1939 as World War II approached. Afterward, the monastery buildings housed a navy cadet corps, and one notable cadet was Valentin Pikul. In 1965 the islands were opened to the public as a museum, and the Solovki Museum was established in 1967. In 1992 the monastery was reopened and some properties were returned to it, while others remained with the museum. That same year the site was listed as a World Heritage site.

Today Solovetsky is mainly a tourist destination, with the monastery as its main attraction. The settlement is served by Solovki Airport, with regular flights to Arkhangelsk, and in summer there are sea connections to Arkhangelsk, Kem, and Belomorsk.