thumb|275px|En av Kargopols kirker fra 1600-tallet.

'''Kargopol''' (Onega rundt fem kilometer nord for innsjøen Latsja.

Innbyggertall: 11&nbsp;192 (folketelling 2002), 12&nbsp;495 (folketelling 1989).

==Historie==
Det er uklart når Kargopol ble grunnlagt, men den er først nevnt i kildene i 1146. Den var en handelsstasjon for republikken Novgorod og en av de nordligste permanente slaviske bosetningene. Selv om dokumentasjonen av byens tidligste historie er sparsom, så antas det at Kargopol var det viktigste handelssenteret i Bjarmeland gjennom hele 1200- og 1300-tallet. I 1447 var byen stedet hvor Dmitrij Sjemjaka fant ly for Vasilij II av Moskva's vrede.

Byen ligger på den gamle ruten mellom Moskva og Arkhangelsk (på den tid den eneste russiske havnebyen), og Kargopol ble en av Russlands rikeste byer, spesielt etter at det engelske Muscovy Company startet sin virksomhet midt på 1500-tallet. Under de urolige tider i Russland motstod byen en beleiring av polske og litauiske brigander. Opprøreren Ivan Bolotnikov ble henrettet i Kargopol i 1608.

thumb|275px|The 17th-century churches of Kargopol are decorated with unique stone carving.

'''Kargopol''' () is a town in and the administrative center of Onega River several miles north of Lake Lacha.  Population: 

==History==
It is not clear when Kargopol was founded, but, when first chronicled in 1146, it was a trade station of the Republic of Novgorod and one of the most northerly permanent Slavic settlements. Although documentation for its early history is scarce, it is believed that Kargopol was the most significant trade centre of Bjarmaland throughout the 13th and 14th centuries. In 1447, it was the place where Dmitry Shemyaka found refuge from Vasily II's ire.

Situated on the ancient route between Moscow and Arkhangelsk (then the only Russian seaport), Kargopol became one of the most prosperous cities of Russia, especially after the Muscovy Company started to operate in the mid-16th century. During the Time of Troubles it withstood a siege by Polish and Lithuanian brigands. The peasant rebel Ivan Bolotnikov was executed in Kargopol in 1608.

After Russia regained access to the St.&nbsp;Petersburg was founded, Kargopol gradually faded to obscurity. The people of Kargopol were still active in the exploration of Asian Russia, however. Alexandr Baranov, the first governor of Russian America (Alaska), was born in this town.

==Landmarks==
Today, Kargopol is a sleepy historical town adjoining the Kenoozero National Park. It is best known in Russia for Kargopol toys (''Kargopolskiye igrushki''), which are small, simple clay figures painted in traditional style.

During its golden age in the 17th century, Kargopol became home to a highly localised brand of medieval Russian architecture. Quite a few wooden and white stone churches survive in the town and its vicinity. The earliest of these buildings is the black-domed Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, built of dolomite by Novgorodians and consecrated in 1562. The interior features a curious iron hand sticking from the drum. A hallmark of Kargopol churches is delicate stone carving.