Lake Vozhe: description, features, photo

Lake Vozhe, whose photo is presented in the article, is located near the border between the Vologda and Arkhangelsk regions. It belongs to the Onega river basin . Stretched in the direction from north to south. The length of the reservoir is 64 km, the width varies from 7 to 16 km, the total area is 422 sq. Km. Km. The depth of Lake Vozhe is small, so it is considered shallow. Its average index does not exceed 1-2 m, but there are also places where the bottom deepens to a distance of up to 5 m.

Features of the reservoir

About twenty rivers flow into the lake, the largest of them - Modlona (38% of the incoming water) flowing from the south, and Vozhega (34%), whose delta, consisting of three channels, is in the east. The runoff is carried out in the north, through the stream of Svid, flowing into Lache, from which it takes its source of Onega.

Lake Vozhe (Vologda region) is located on the wide Vozhe-Lachskoy lake-glacial lowland, and its area belongs to the middle-tiered landscape type. The banks are flat, overgrown with reeds, the area around is heavily swamped.

The Beginning of Ancient History

The first settlers settled on the shores of the lake in the VII-VI millennium BC. E. Neolithic settlements of the IV-III centuries were investigated in the 1930s-1950s. At that time in the surrounding forests that surrounded Lake Vozhe, oak, linden, elm, hazel, prevailed among the vegetation, except for modern bears, elks, wild boars and badgers, represented by reindeer, maral, roe deer and tour.

Relict elms in the delta of Vozhegi still exist as the last remnant of ancient broad-leaved forests. The ancient ichthyofauna, which included sterlet, asp, catfish, zinc and rudd, disappeared by now.

"What's in your name?"

In the historical time, the region was inhabited by Finno-Ugric tribes, to which Lake Vozha owes its name. In the Komi language, the "chieftain" means "offshoot". The river Vozhega got its name, because it flows into the pond with three streams, and the lake was named after this watercourse.

Traditionally, local Russian residents called Lake Charande, after the name of the only city on its shore, Charandy. Once it was a rich settlement, the center of the Charozero volost. But after the restriction under Peter I of international trade through the port of Arkhangelsk and the decline of the road from Belozersk to Pomorze in 1776, he lost his city status.

Population of the Russian territory of the lake

The Russians began the colonization of the Vozhe district in the 11th-12th centuries, simultaneously from the Novgorod Republic and the Rostov-Suzdal land. In the XIV-XV centuries, this process intensified, in connection with the emergence of monasteries of the North Thebaid, which became centers of commerce, agriculture and industry. In 1472, on the island of Spas in the middle of the lake was founded Vozhesersky monastery, the ruins of which have survived to the present day.

The use of Lake Vozhe

Agriculture in the local area has always been underdeveloped. But fishing on Lake Vozhe - a habitual business. It can be called the main occupation and craft of local residents. The pond is rich in roach, perch, pike, yazem, bream and ruff. People who like to spend time with a fishing rod, often visit this lake, despite the inaccessibility due to the lack of good roads in this sparsely populated area. In the northern part of the lake there are whitefish, burbot, grayling. In total, 15 species of fish are now found, not including salmon and nelma sometimes entering this water area.

The level of industrial fishing on the lake in the XX century experienced considerable fluctuations. In 1893, 1,580 tons of fish were harvested here, in 1902 - 800 tons, and further the catches continued to decline. By 1913 on the lake on a permanent basis there were about 600 fishermen in summer and 300 in winter. But after 50-60 years the state had to be reduced, and by 1973 there was only one collective farm with twenty fishermen.

The minimum catches were during the period of collectivization in 1930 (80 tons) and in 1982 (95 tons). Currently, the catch, which can be obtained on the lake, is 200 tons per year.

Since the 1950s, for 20 years, water conservation measures have been implemented. Until the middle of the century, half the catch was ruff, then it stopped catching, switching to bream. Since 1987 in Vozha try to acclimatize zander.

Flora and fauna

Lake Vozhe has a fairly diverse flora. In the pond, 38 species of plants were found, among which the reed is the most prevalent. In the forests along the river Ukme there are tree-like junipers, with a height of up to 15 meters. In the vicinity of Vozhe, a comparatively rare taiga vine grows and orchids entered in the Red Book are found - calypso and a Venus shoe.

In the twentieth century, representatives of the beaver family, once completely exterminated by local residents, were re-acclimatized here.

Forests cover most of the lake's surroundings. In them there are such birds as the white-tailed eagle, the large spotted eagle, the buzzard, the buzzard. Swamps are inhabited by swans, Black-throated and Red-throated loons, partridges and curlews.

Ecological problems

Lake Vozhe is currently not in the most favorable ecological situation, which causes fears of specialists. This reservoir is located at a distance of 150 km from the largest industrial center of the Vologda region - the city of Cherepovets. Its industrial emissions reach the water area with air currents, they settle in large quantities in the lake due to the combination of a considerable width of the water mirror with extreme shallow water.

The banks of Vozhe increasingly bloom with blue-green algae, the diversity of zooplankton is reduced, and the content of heavy metal compounds in fish approaches the indicators of the more polluted White and Kubensky lakes.