The Volga occupies the first position among the longest Russian rivers and the 16th position among the longest rivers of our planet. The big river takes its headwaters on the Valdai Elevation and flows into the Caspian Sea. It feeds on snow, ground directions and storm flows. In modern times, more than 40% of industrial production and more than 50% of agricultural production of the Russian Federation are concentrated in it. The Volga is characterized by a calm current. The banks of the river serve as a wonderful place for recreation, and more than 70 species of fish live in the water. Many of these fish widows are commercial.

Length of the Volga River

The length of the largest river is more than 3500 km, and before the construction of reservoirs on it, it was more than 3600 km. The water artery of Russia passes through many regions of the country. Tver, Moscow, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Saratov, Volgograd, Astrakhan regions, as well as the republics of Chuvashia, Mari El, Tatarstan, are located on the banks of the water element. The upper course flows from the western part to the east, and the lower course from the northern part to the south. Ends in the Caspian Sea.

Source of the Volga River

(The source of the Volga on the Volgoverkhovye)

The powerful water element takes its origins from a small stream of groundwater, namely in the village of Volgoverkhovye. The village is located at the height of a mountain hill, more than 200 meters above sea level. Many tourists are attracted by a small chapel, which is built on the site where the river originates. Travelers love to share their impressions and tell that they stepped over such a mighty river.

(Here is such a small but fast stream becomes a wide river with a great history)

Gradually, a small stream gains its strength due to more than 100,000 tributaries, consisting of large and small rivers. Overcoming kilometers, the Volga transforms into a huge river.

Mouth of the Volga River

(The mouth of the Volga in the Astrakhan region is divided by many branches)

In the city of Astrakhan, the mouth of the Volga is formed, which is divided by many branches, among which the largest are Bakhtemir, Bolda, Buzan. Southern city on 11 islands of the upper river bank. A unique reserve was built at the confluence of the Volga. Rare species of flora and fauna are under state protection. The Astrakhan Nature Reserve attracts many travelers and impresses its guests with picturesque places.

Tributaries of the Volga River

(The magnificent confluence of the Oka with the Volga)

The Volga can be conditionally divided into three sections. The upper section originates at the source of the Volga and stretches to the end of the Oka. The middle part starts from the mouth of the Oka and ends at the mouth of the Kama. The lower section starts from the mouth of the Kama and ends at the mouth of the Volga. The upper course has large streams, such as Darkness, Unzha and Mologa. The middle course includes Sura, Vetluga and Sviyaga. The lower course consists of Samara, Yeruslan and Sok. The total number of tributaries is more than 500, as well as multiple channels and small rivers.

(The confluence of the Kama River into the Volga forms the magnificent Kama mouth, Mount Lobach)

There is an opinion among some scientists that the Kama River was the main river, and the Volga served as its tributary. Many studies show that the life of the Kama exceeds the Volga by several million years. In 1983, the Cheboksary reservoir was launched, and the Volga turned into many flowing lakes. And the Kama continues to feed on the tributaries of small rivers.

Cities of Russia on the Volga River

(Volga along the city of Yaroslavl)

On the banks of the Volga there are some powerful cities of Russia: Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara and Volgograd. Administrative centers are economic, cultural, sports, industrial centers for the Russian Federation. Also important are the large cities on the river: Astrakhan, Saratov, Kharabali, Kineshma and many others. There are many settlements along the way of the river. Railway and automobile routes have been created, so not a single tourist has problems with the question of how to get to the mighty Volga. More than 1,400 marinas and industrial ports are located on its banks.

Citizens and rural population use the Volga for a variety of purposes. The main function of the river is its economic role. The river transports industrial materials, foodstuffs and other necessary goods that improve people's livelihoods. The Volga is also the main source of water supply for the urban and rural population. It also serves as a favorite place for outdoor activities, tourism and fishing due to fairly clear water and colorful nature that surrounds its shores.

The Volga River in folk culture

The favorite symbol of Russia is the mighty mother - the Volga River. She inspired and inspires hundreds of poets, singers and artists to create real masterpieces. It was about this river that songs and poems were composed for centuries, which completely glorified and continue to glorify it. The Volga is also vividly depicted in the paintings of world artists. The Volozhskaya theme is regularly interpreted in a rich creative range and genre diversity. Hundreds of works by many nameless creators have survived to this day, depicting a variety of fragments of the great Volga River.

May 10, day 2. The answer to the question "Where does the Volga originate?", for sure, is of interest to many Russians and guests of the country. I, too, have long wanted to know the exact location of the source of the great river and visit it personally. It turned out that this is not so easy to do.

Rather, finding the coordinates was not a problem, but getting to the point was already more difficult. It's no joke to overcome dashing sections of the road to the Volgoverkhovye by car. But the trip promised to be very exciting and memorable.

The world-famous Russian river originates on the Valdai Upland, or rather, in the village of Volgoverkhovye, Ostashkovsky District, Tver Region. The Volga begins its journey from a height of 228 meters above sea level.

It seems that the goal is clear, and the place is found on the map. But as it turned out, in order to get to it, you need to have a really great desire to touch the origins of Russia. Already closer to the destination, it turned out that tens of kilometers of off-road separate us from the final goal.

To be more precise, the path from Ostashkov to the village of Volgoverkhovye was an unforgettable 67 kilometers.

The path to the source

In the morning we left the hotel in the town of Kuvshinovo. Having passed Ostashkov and Lake Seliger, we set off towards the Volgoverkhovye. The first ten kilometers on the dirt road were overcome with difficulty. Fortunately, along the way we came across a unique one, where we had a wonderful time for an hour, resting and “charging” with cosmic energy for the further journey. 😎

11.20. We continue our way along the "killed" road. More than an hour of constant shaking and dust. Indeed, the surroundings are wonderful. Russian spring nature pleases the eye! Silence, blue sky, blossoming trees, tender greenery in the meadows. Especially, beauty is felt on those small sections of the road, when this particular road becomes a little smoother.


12.10. Marvelous! On a seemingly completely abandoned road there is a sign to Svapuscha, to which you have to drive another 13 kilometers. We turn left. Asphalt ends. At all. Next is the dirt road. The speed of movement is reduced to 20 km / h.

But the good news is that small streams are starting to appear here, only a few meters wide, which are already proudly called the Volga! We counted about a dozen such signs along the way!


So, among the dense forests of the Tver region, the great Russian river is gaining its strength and power. The Volga is calm and unhurried here.


Yellow water lilies grow along the shore.


There is silence around, which is occasionally broken by the timid voice of the cuckoo. Yes, even rare passing cars.

On the way to our destination, we cross the Volga several times. It's very interesting to realize this. Especially when you remember the great river closer to its mouth, where it becomes a few hundred meters wide, and on which huge ships roam freely.

Or, for example, in the area of ​​the Ivankovsky reservoir, which is also located in the Tver region. That's where the breadth and space! There we had a wonderful week in the city.

12.50. We are entering the village of Voronovo. Here we go under the barrier. And now, we are almost there! There is a parking lot in the village where several tourist buses are found. I wonder how they got into such a wilderness, but along such a road?

But we decide to go a little further. And we are doing it right, because on the outskirts of the village there is another small (free) parking lot, already for cars. Here is a view of it from the bell tower of the temple of the Olginsky monastery, where we later climbed.


The red car is ours. Nearby is a small market selling souvenirs, honey and pastries. Of the amenities there is a toilet type "toilet". It is located behind the village house, which is visible behind our car. Well, we are heading to the Source.

The fact that it is here that the source of the Volga is located is suggested by the inscription on the wooden gate leading to the chapel above the well and a small lake.


memorial place

The text at the source of the Volga, carved on a granite slab, confirms that this is where the great reservoir begins.

Its first stream is considered to be the Persianka stream. Further, the river flows 91 km along the lakes Small and Big Verkhit, Sterzh, Vselug, Peno, Volgo. It is here that she gains her strength and power, which she carries for 3900 km.

The Volga is 16th in the world and 5th in Russia in length.

Not far from the stream that starts the Volga, there is a huge memorial stone. It was laid back in 1989, on June 22, the 48th anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War. The monument also reminds us where we are, and indicates that "here are the origins of the soul of the people."

The stone looks majestic and impressive, as it should be next to such a mighty river.


The inscription on the memorial stone reads:

Traveler! Turn your gaze to the source of the Volga! The purity and grandeur of the Russian land is born here. Here are the origins of the soul of the people. Keep them.

Next to him immediately becomes good and peaceful. I want to lean against him and even lie down on top. 🙂


Where does the Volga begin

And now we are standing at the place where the Volga begins. You can’t say that a small shallow stream, which can be easily stepped over, further downstream turns into a mighty river.


Bubbling merrily, it flows from a swamp among trees and grasses. The water is cold and clear, slightly brownish.


You just need to try this one and then proudly tell that we drank from the source of the Volga itself.


The water tasted very good. And also a saint...

Holy water and chapel

When we were just preparing for the trip, we found out some interesting facts about the source of the Volga. Tver and its environs began to be considered the beginning of the river not so long ago. For a long time, the exact location of the source could not be determined.

When this issue was sorted out, the stream, which became the beginning of the river, was consecrated by the patriarch. A wooden chapel on stilts was installed over the stream. You can go to the house along a narrow bridge, and from it go down to the water along a platform with steps.


In the center of the chapel is a round window, which is located above the very source.


And all around such beauty! It seems that all nature rejoices in this wonderful place. And it is directly felt how the trees wake up after winter hibernation.


Delicate May greens surprisingly harmonize with the high blue sky. The temples are reflected in the blue water of the lake.


Every year on May 29, a water-blessed prayer service is performed here, during which the waters of the source of the Volga are consecrated.

How to get to the opposite bank of the Volga? On foot!

The width of the stream, from which the great reservoir originates, barely exceeds 40-50 centimeters. Therefore, you can safely put your feet on both banks of the river at the same time or jump from one bank to another. Where else is it possible to immediately visit both the right and left banks of the entire Volga?!


And again: I'm on the right bank, here on the left bank. Just miracles! And washing at the source of the great river is simply an incomparable pleasure, which surprisingly improves mood and strength of mind.


From the new strength we become huge, and now we rise above the great Russian river on a huge stone-boulder!

And here we are already crossing the Volga. You will think that its width is only 4 feet. But it sounds very solid. 😀


All these fun brought us just a bunch of children's joy!

And here is the very first bridge across the Volga! Its width is not more than 3 meters.


But it looks very solid. 🙂

paradise

The source of the Volga is located in a picturesque and kind of spiritual land. Here you immediately get kinder and tune in only for the good. I really liked that everything around was clean, well-groomed and everything was very thought out.

And, of course, pristine nature. Clean, awakening after hibernation. Delicate foliage of trees against the background of a transparent blue sky, the first flowers.


We were very pleased with the small number of people that we met in this wonderful place. It was very convenient because no one interfered with anyone. It was easy to have fun, walk, take pictures. Which we did with pleasure, because we didn’t want to leave here at all.

It is curious that several more well-known rivers originate in the same place - the Western Dvina, the Dnieper and the Lovat. This is almost a pristine corner of Russian nature, where you can walk, think and just relax.

The dream came true!

This is how I managed to fulfill my old dream: to be at the source of the great Volga and feel truly happy here. It's so great to visit this incredibly calm, majestic and picturesque land.

A trip to the Volga River in the Tver region, without any doubt, will be remembered for a lifetime! After all, this place left the most favorable impressions and positive emotions. And this will give new strength to visit other beautiful and amazing places, which are so many on our small planet.

I really don't want to leave here. But there is a wonderful reason to linger. Near the source of the Volga there are two temples that belong to the nearby Olgin Monastery. And according to the stories of experienced travelers, you can even climb the bell tower of one of the churches for a small fee and take pictures of the surroundings.

Well, let's check it out and take a closer look at the temples with pleasure.


The length of the Volga River is more than three and a half thousand kilometers, there are as many as four millionaire cities, several hydroelectric power stations on it, and how many paintings with the Volga have been created or poems have been written about it - you can’t count. However, this mighty river takes its beginning not at all so epic - in a small but clean swamp, far from the village, where no one has lived for a long time.






In ancient times, the Volga was known as Ra (“generous”) and Itil (“great river”), and received its modern name from the Proto-Slavic word for “moisture”. The Volga flows into the Caspian Sea, but its source at different times was in different places. There is even an opinion that the Volga used to start in the mountains as a stormy mountain river, but today its source is considered to be quite a calm swamp near the village of Volgoverkhovye, Ostashkovsky district, Tver region.




Now in this village there are no permanent residents, only a few buildings built as summer cottages. But the place is well equipped, so tourists come here regularly. In addition to the most famous swamp, there are also other important sights here - the Olginsky Convent (mainly, visitors are attracted by its main temple - the Transfiguration of the Savior) and the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, completely made of wood.




Also, the attention of tourists is attracted by the chapel of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which is located just above the source of the Volga. Inside this chapel there is a hole in the floor, so that those who wish can draw water from the source of the Volga.


Since the source of the river is in close proximity to the village (250 meters), the bridge across the river in the village is not just a bridge, but “the first bridge across the Volga”. This is an ordinary wooden bridge, only about two meters long. The current bridge with handrails is certainly modern, but it was in the same place that bridges used to be here, in particular, one of them can be seen in the photographs of S. M. Prokudin-Gorsky and M. P. Dmitriev (c. 1910) .






The first dam on the Volga is also located here. Like the local bridge, "first" here does not indicate age, but the location from the source. The dam was built at the beginning of the 20th century by the Olginsky Convent. This is a fairly simple wooden structure with a bridge on top of the dam itself.

There are many different beautiful rivers in Russia, but it is the Volga that is called majestic, the queen of all Russian rivers. The Volga River flows in the European part of Russia through the territory of 11 regions and 4 republics. Refers to the basin of the Caspian Sea.

The Volga River is the deepest and largest river in Europe. In ancient times, it was called Ra, then it was called Vlogi - Itil. In various sources, there are also the names "Atil", "Asil", "Isil", "Astil", "Edil", "Idel", "Atal". Some of them are still found in different languages ​​(Tatar, Bashkir, Chuvash, Kalmyk, Karachay-Balkan and Nogai).

The source of the Volga

A small stream flows from a spring near the village of Volgoverkhovye in the Tver region. Here it is - the source of the Volga. Within the Valdai Upland, i.e. in its upper reaches, the Volga River passes through small lakes - Small and Bolshoye Verkhity, then through a system of larger Upper Volga lakes: Sterzh, Vselug, Peno and Volgo, united in the Upper Volga reservoir.

The source of the Volga

The Volga has about 150,000 tributaries, thanks to which the river is gaining power and strength, turning into a mighty river that carries its waters to the Caspian Sea.

The Volga River is one of the largest rivers on Earth, and the largest in Europe. In world statistics, in terms of length, it is in 16th place and in 4th place among the rivers of Russia. Also, the Volga is the largest river in the world that flows not into the sea, but into an internal reservoir.

Geographic location of the Volga River

The source of the Volga is located on the Valdai Upland, at an altitude of 229 m above sea level. The source is the key near the village of Volgoverkhovye in the Tver region. The great river flows into.

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The mouth lies 28 m below sea level.

Volga river basin

The Volga is the largest river in the world among those that do not flow into the oceans (called internal flow).

In the upper reaches, i.e. on the territory of the Valdai Upland, the Volga passes through small lakes - Small and Bolshoe Verkhity, then through a system of large lakes known as the Upper Volga lakes: Sterzh, Vselug, Peno and Volgo, united in the so-called Upper Volga reservoir.

The length of the Volga is 3,530 kilometers. Area of ​​the catchment basin: 1,360 thousand sq. km. Channel width: up to 2500 m.

The fall of the river is 256 m. The average flow velocity is less than 1 m/s.

The average depth of the Volga is 8 - 11 meters, in some areas 15 - 18 meters.

Volga Delta

The Volga Delta is recognized as the most ecologically safe delta in Europe. The territory for economic use is in demand here, but the boundaries of nature reserves are regularly expanding, which allows maintaining a balance.

The first biosphere reserve in Russia was in the Volga delta back in 1919. Now there are four state nature reserves of regional significance in the region. A few years ago, a federal state natural reserve, Bogdinsko-Baskunchaksky, appeared in the Astrakhan region.

The largest river valley in Europe, the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain and the delta of the Volga River, as well as the desert surrounding them, have always attracted the attention of botanists. The first studies mainly concerned the species composition of the flora. At different times, the region was visited by: P. S. Pallas, K. K. Klaus, E. A. Eversmann, I. K. Pachosky, A. Ya Gordyagin, and many other prominent travelers and botanists.

Hydrological regime of the river

The Volga receives its main food from melted spring waters. Groundwater, which feeds the river in winter, and summer rains play a smaller role in its nutrition. Three periods are distinguished in the annual level of the river:

  • long and high spring flood,
  • steady summer low water,
  • low winter low water.

The flood period lasts an average of 72 days. The maximum rise in water usually occurs in the first half of May, about two weeks after the spring ice drift. From June to October-November, summer low water is established, during which navigation along the Volga is open. The Volga is one of the most important waterways in Russia.

The largest tributaries of the Volga River are the Kama and Oka rivers.
- the Kama River, the left tributary of the Volga, - the length is 1805 km, the basin area is 507,000 km².
- Oka River, right tributary - length 1498.6 km, basin area 245,000 km².

Three sections of the river are conventionally distinguished in the course:

Upper Volga - from the source to Nizhny Novgorod (the mouth of the Oka).

The Middle Volga - from the mouth of the Oka to the mouth of the Kama.

Lower Volga - from the mouth of the Kama to the Caspian Sea.

The Upper Volga flows mainly in the forest zone, bypassing large forests, while the route of the middle part of the river runs through the forest-steppe zone. The Lower Volga keeps its way in the steppe and semi-desert zones. The bottom of the Volga in different places can be sandy or silty, silty-sandy areas are often found. On the rifts, the ground is mostly pebbly or cartilaginous.

The maximum water temperature in the summer season reaches 20-25 degrees, in winter the river is covered with ice throughout its entire length: the upper and middle parts freeze until the end of November, the lower Volga - in early December. The appearance of reservoirs on the river led to a change in the thermal regime of the Volga. So, on the upper dams, the period of ice captivity increased, and on the lower dams, it decreased.

terrain

The Volga River is a typical flat river. The Volga basin occupies about 1/3 of the European part of Russia and extends along the Russian Plain from the Valdai and Central Russian Uplands in the west to the Urals in the east. Due to the very large length of the river, the composition of soils in the Volga basin is very diverse.

Big cities

There are four millionaire cities on the Volga River. I will list them in order from source to mouth:
- - the administrative center of the Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia and the largest city of the Volga Federal District. It is located in the middle of the East European Plain at the confluence of the Oka River into the Volga. Oka divides Nizhny Novgorod into two parts: the upper part on the Dyatlovy mountains; the lower part is on the left bank of the Oka.

- - the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, a major port on the left bank of the Volga River. It is one of the largest scientific, educational and cultural centers in Russia. Economically developed city. The Kazan Kremlin is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

– Samara- a city located in the middle Volga region of Russia. It is the administrative center of the Samara region. The sixth most populous city in Russia with a population of 1.17 million people as of 2012.

- - a city located in the southeast of the European part of Russia, is the administrative center of the Volgograd region. Located on the western bank of the river in its lower reaches. Together with the cities of Volzhsky and Krasnoslobodsk located on the eastern coast, it is part of the Volgograd agglomeration.

Other well-known and fairly large cities also stand on the Volga: Rzhev, Tver, Dubna, Kimry, Kalyazin, Uglich, Myshkin, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Kineshma, Yuryevets, Kozmodemyansk, Cheboksary, Zvenigovo, Volzhsk, Tetyushi, Ulyanovsk, Novoulyanovsk, Sengiley , Tolyatti, Zhigulevsk, Syzran, Khvalynsk, Balakovo, Volsk, Marx, Saratov, Engels, Kamyshin, Nikolaevsk, Akhtubinsk, Kharabali, Narimanov, Astrakhan, Kamyzyak.

Historical references to the Volga

Some researchers tend to believe that the first mention of the Volga is found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus (V century BC). This is a story about the campaign of the Persian king Darius against the Scythians. Herodotus reports that the Persians, pursuing the Scythians, crossed the Tanais (Don) River, and stopped at the Oar River. They try to identify the Oar River with the Volga, although Herodotus also reported that the Oar flows into the Meotida (Sea of ​​Azov).

In the ancient Roman sources of the 2nd-4th centuries, the Volga is named as the river Ra - generous, in the Arabic sources of the 9th century it is called Atelya - the river of rivers, the great river. In the earliest ancient Russian chronicle, The Tale of Bygone Years, it is said: “From that Volokovsky forest, the Volga will flow to the east and flow ... into the Khvalisskoye Sea.” Volokovsky forest - the old name of the Valdai Upland. The Caspian Sea was called Khvalisskiy.

Volga - trade route

The geographical position of the Volga and the presence of large tributaries determined its importance as a trade route by the 8th century. It was along the Volga route that the flow of Arab silver poured into the Scandinavian countries. Metals and fabrics were exported from the Arab caliphate, furs, wax, and honey were exported from the Slavic lands.

In the 9th-10th centuries, such centers as the Khazar Itil at the mouth, the Bulgar Bulgar on the Middle Volga, the Russian Rostov, Suzdal, and Murom in the Upper Volga region played a significant role in trade. Since the 11th century, trade has been weakening, and in the 13th century, the Mongol-Tatar invasion disrupted economic ties, except for the upper Volga basin, where Novgorod, Tver and the cities of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus played an active role.

Since the 15th century, the importance of the trade route has been restored, and the role of such centers as Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Astrakhan has been growing. The conquest of the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates by Ivan the Terrible in the middle of the 16th century led to the unification of the entire Volga river system under the single control of Muscovy, which contributed to the flourishing of the Volga trade in the 17th century.

There are new large cities - Samara, Saratov, Tsaritsyn; Yaroslavl, Kostroma, and Nizhny Novgorod play an important role. Large caravans of ships (up to 500) go along the Volga. In the 18th century, the main trade routes moved to the West, and the economic development of the lower Volga was hampered by sparse settlement and nomad raids. The Volga basin in the 17th-18th centuries was the main area of ​​action for the rebellious peasants and Cossacks during the peasant wars led by S.T. Razin and E.I. Pugachev.

The Volga trade route was actively developing in the 19th century; the Mariinsky river system of the Volga and Neva basins was connected (1808); a large river fleet arises (in 1820 - the first steamboat), everyone has heard of the Volga barge haulers (up to 300 thousand people). The river is used for large shipments of grain, salt, fish, and later oil and cotton.

During the years of the Civil War of 1917-1922, transportation naturally decreased, but not for long. The control of the Volga by the Bolsheviks is considered an important turning point in the Civil War, since control of the Volga provided access to grain resources and Baku oil. An important role in the Civil War was played by the defense of Tsaritsyn, in which I. V. Stalin played an active role, which was the reason for renaming Tsaritsyn to Stalingrad.

During the years of Stalin's industrialization of the entire country, the importance of the Volga route increased. Since the end of the 30s of the XX century, the Volga has also been used as a source of hydropower. During the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, the largest Battle of Stalingrad took place on the Volga, which preserved the name of the Volga in the history of the liberation of the region. In the post-war period, the economic role of the Volga increased even more, especially after the creation of a number of large reservoirs and hydroelectric power stations.

Use of the Volga in our time, tourism and recreation

People use the Volga for a variety of purposes. First of all, it is an important economic and transport highway.

  • Bread, salt, fish, vegetables, oil, oil products, cement, gravel, coal, metal, etc. are supplied up the Volga.
  • Downstream, lumber, timber, mineral building materials and industrial materials are floated.

Passenger transportation and excursions on motor ships are also carried out on the river.
The river is a source of water supply for agricultural facilities, as well as factories, factories and other industrial enterprises. A number of dams and hydroelectric power plants have been built to generate electricity for human needs.

After the passage of the Volga through the system of the Upper Volga lakes, a dam (Upper Volga Beishlot) was built back in 1843 to regulate the flow of water and maintain depths suitable for navigation in low water. Between the cities of Tver and Rybinsk on the Volga, the so-called Moscow Sea (actually the Ivankovskoye reservoir) was created with a dam and a hydroelectric power station near the city of Dubna, the Uglich reservoir (hydroelectric power station near Uglich), the Rybinsk reservoir (hydroelectric power station near Rybinsk). Near Gorodets (above Nizhny Novgorod), the Volga, blocked by the dam of the Gorkovskaya hydroelectric power station, forms the Gorky reservoir.

Gateway of the Nizhny Novgorod hydroelectric power station

Many residents of our country travel along the Volga, go here for outdoor activities or fishing.

The Volga is one of the richest rivers in Russia, where there are about 80 species of fish, including sturgeon, pike, burbot, beluga, catfish, carp, ruff, bream, whitefish and many others. Commercial fishing of many species is widely developed. Since ancient times, the Volga River has been considered one of the best places for fishing.

Ecological situation

Since the 1930s, the Volga has been used as a source of hydropower. Nowadays, about 45% of industrial and about 50% of agricultural production of the Russian Federation is concentrated in the river basin. The Volga provides more than 20% of the country's total fishery. 9 reservoirs and hydroelectric power stations have been built here.

Naturally, the problem of environmental pollution is quite acute. According to experts, the load on the river's water resources is eight times higher than the national average, and 65 of the 100 most polluted cities in Russia are located in the Volga basin.

Environmentalists are sounding the alarm: the waters of the Volga are seriously polluted. Monitoring data confirm that the quality of water in the Volga and its tributaries and reservoirs does not meet the Russian quality standard in a number of ways. The most serious environmental problems of water pollution arise due to: the presence of a large number of dams; the work of large industrial enterprises and complexes; an abundance of polluted effluents from large cities; intensive navigation.

The answer to the question was vague: either by Lake Seliger, or it flowed from this lake. Boyish curiosity drew us to the cards, and we looked for a thin blue vein with the name Volga near Lake Seliger. But, surprisingly, we found it at a fair distance from the lake, in the green overflow of forests.

The vein at the beginning of the river was very short and immediately disappeared, pouring into the lakes: Small and Big Verkhity, then Sterzh, Vselug, Peno and Volgo. And only at the exit from the last lake did she take the lake water of Seliger - the water was brought by the Selizharovka River.

How much time has passed, but the childhood dream to visit the source of the river, on which most of life is lived, haunted. But at the same time I wanted to comprehend the main mystery of the Volga - where does it originate from?

The path to the source of the Volga today is not difficult. From Tver, the highway will drive to Ostashkov, a town standing on the banks of the Seliger, and there everyone will show how to get to the source of the river, which in our places was already called "God's free path." You can’t just go into the light room built above the source - the door is locked with a lock. If you want to open the canopy of the cradle and look into the baby face of the Volga - look for the key ...

From Ptolemy

It is somehow unusual to call the majestic word "Volgari" people living here, at the source of the Volga - in fact, at the brook. But they are Volgars - one river twinned us. We were sent for the key to the village of Voronovo. It was kept by a true Volgar, a man with a strange surname in these places - Marsov. The house of Anatoly Grigorievich stands far from the source. We came to him at the very edge of the day.

Not too lazy? You are the first today. And who leaves without looking at the underground spring, which begins the Volga.

Anatoly Grigorievich handed us the key:

I won't go with you. I broke down on the mowing, my back is buzzing. I'll wait here.

Here it is, an exact geographical mark in the floor of the light room - a round window to the source of the Volga. We scoop up a full mug of primordial water and drink. And it is even blasphemous to think that this is ordinary swamp water and that it is exactly the same in the neighboring swamp! Here it is, the source ... It can be seen how a spring rushing out of the ground sorts through the bottom sand and fills the well with force, which pushes out excess water and gives them the first acceleration. A leaf flowing with the flow picks up speed. This is the beginning of the river.

The Volga first appeared on the maps of the Alexandrian astronomer and geographer Claudius Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD. It was noted that the Volga (then still Ra) began in the Alaunian mountains. But where exactly, was silent.

Whether there were such ancient geographers at the source is unknown. Maybe they marked it that way, on a whim, assuming that the rivers begin in the mountains and the Volga too.

Later, lakes were taken as the beginning of the Volga. In the middle of the 16th century, it was indicated quite accurately: "... the Volga flows out of the swamp, from under the birch in a key and went into Lake Volgo." Quite a lot of attempts were made to open the primary source, but Valdai tenaciously kept the secret, not giving out his bell key, he did not want everyone to admire his gift. From such hiding, the key was saturated with holiness.

It was difficult to get into these parts. This was once ... And now an asphalt road leads to these places.

But we were warned:

In the morning, a bear was seen in the raspberries, so be careful.

Rune Controversy

One of the first geographers who got here was Academician N. Ozeretskovsky. In 1814, he wrote: "... The water in the well was preserved clean and so transparent that a pin or a half dropped into it in a deliberate depth were visible ...". It seems that everything is clear, the source is found and described, but everything was just beginning with this discovery.

Venerable geographers did not accept this description as a basis and did not approve it. In the summer of 1880, a skeptic geographer came to the source. He didn't believe in any of the statements. His statements were always ironic: “Don’t you think, venerable gentlemen, that at first the monks built their monastery here, and only then, to attract believers, they called this Upper Volga stream the source of the Volga ?!”

A young ambitious geographer, having measured the Runa river flowing into Lake Sterzh, suggested taking it as a basis: “We come to the conclusion that the Runa is much more satisfying to our understanding of the words“ headwaters ”and“ source ”than the Volgoverhovny river, and therefore we take it as the beginning of the Volga Rune. Let us add that our great river not only does not lose anything from this, but also gains, increasing in length.

The disturber of geographical peace was called Viktor Ivanovich Ragozin. He is better known to Nizhny Novgorod people as the founder of a machine oil factory, which has already spoiled the lives of the townspeople with its disgusting smells in our time. With the disappearance of the plant, the name of Ragozin also went down in history, and the dispute about the Volga was also forgotten.

Not a step away from the cradle

And then the young scientists liked the person who went against the established statements, and they accepted Ragozin's hypothesis. The geographic dispute flared up. The professor of Moscow University, the famous geographer Dmitry Nikolaevich Anuchin, undertook to reconcile everyone. He was smart and wise, and at first he brought the thought of the ambitious Ragozin to the point of absurdity: “Why exactly Runa is the beginning of the Volga? Here, for example, the Oka, it is longer than the entire upper Volga. Why is she not the ancestor of the river?

With his expedition, he carefully explores the upper reaches of the Volga, bit by bit extracts local history material from old books. Legends and traditions are written down, old maps are carefully studied. Everywhere and everyone called the Volga this particular stream near the village of Volgoverkhovye. And the geographer puts the last point in the dispute. It is he who turns the hypothesis into an axiom: “For a long time, the people believed that the beginning of the Volga was in the Volgoverkhovye, that it was necessary to look for the beginning in the keys, springs ... and, then spreading along its course, naturally, all those flowing into it (Volga. - Auth.) The rivers are considered its tributaries.

Since then, we have not caught any timidity or doubt in any geographical publication. The people themselves chose a cradle for the Volga and, as best they could, guarded it for many years. You can count - and it turns out that six light towers stood above the source - for three centuries it has been reliably covered. Posters along the road warn - the land is commanded. Here you can not make fires, graze cattle, cut down forests, plow meadows. Volunteer teams of environmentalists clean springs, plant willow along the tributaries and the bed of the young Volga, shade the banks, and store moisture.

There is a sad example: the source of the Dnieper (a river that is born nearby) has receded over the past century, the springs have become stagnant, do not give strength to the flow. The Volga has not made a single step from its source, for centuries a spring has been beating in one place, delighting us with such constancy. Long distance...

Now you know where one of the great earthly rivers originates from. The path to those parts is not ordered - there would be a desire to be there. And remember: our ancestors called the Volga mother.