The Neva- river in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg is famous for its historical museums and cultural monuments, but its main attraction is the Neva River, which impresses with its beauty, power and strength. This is a real waterway of the great Russian city, bringing in it a unique energy and some mystery.

General characteristics

It has a very long extension, which is 74 kilometers from the source (Ladoga Lake) and to the Gulf of Finland itself in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea, where the Neva flows. The river in St. Petersburg itself flows for only 30 kilometers.

It has a fairly large width, especially near the source (more than 1000 m), and its narrowest 200 m wide is located near the Svyatky cape at the Ivanovo rapids. On average, the distance from one bank to another varies from 500 to 700 m. It is also believed that the Neva is a deep-water river. Its minimum depth is 4 meters, and the maximum in some places reaches 24 meters.

In winter, the Neva freezes completely. It is shackled with ice chains from December to April. The general direction of its current is from east to west. The river has steep, sometimes steep banks, the average height of which is within 10 meters.

A centuries-old story

Several thousand years ago, on the place where the Neva River is located, which witnessed many historical moments in the fate of Russia, the Tosna River previously flowed. After the Ladoga reservoir was transformed into a closed lake, its waters rose, thereby exceeding the permissible level, and flooded the whole valley of the Mgi River. On this very territory the Ivanovo rapids were formed. Thus, a valley appeared, where the Neva now flows. The Tosna River and the Mga River subsequently transformed into its tributaries.

The development of the land of this waterway and settlement by people began in the ancient times of the melting of glaciers.

In the ninth century the Neva was called the Vodskaya Five and belonged to Veliky Novgorod. It divided those lands into two banks, which had different names, the right one - Karelian territory, and the left one - Izhorskaya.

It is generally accepted that the river Neva received the river from the Swedes in the thirteenth century, when battles took place between the militia of Nizhny Novgorod and the Swedish troops in these places. The first mention of the river, as about the "Neva", was found in the book, which described the life of Alexander Nevsky.

In the eighteenth century, when the Neva returned to the Russian Empire, the solemn construction of St. Petersburg, which later became the capital, began. But the bridges at that time were not built, since Peter I considered them a direct barrier to navigation. They began to appear in the city only after the death of the king.

The opening of bridges

It is known that many different structures are erected both near the river and above it. But the most important, of course, are the bridges. They are built a large number, and they are all different: some are needed for pedestrians, others are designed for cars, and still others are railroad. The oldest of them are: the Annunciation, built in 1850, and Liteiny, built in 1879.

Many of the bridges are drawbridges, and in 2004 the opening of a new, non-folding (cable) large Obukhov bridge was held. In 2007, the northern capital celebrated the opening of another cable-stayed bridge, the twin brother of Bolshoi Obukhovskiy.

A variety of attractions

Everyone knows that the Neva River is a river in St. Petersburg. The description of this waterway of the city acquaints with wonderful places along its riverbed, with the extraordinary beauty of the valleys located on its banks.

In addition to the beauty of nature, the Neva is famous and the magnificence of architectural masterpieces scattered along its banks. One of these ancient attractions is the fortress with the interesting name "Oreshek", located near Shlisselburg. Throughout the length of the Neva on its shores there are many temples and historical monuments, as well as churches and various monuments dedicated to various memorable dates.

In St. Petersburg itself on the Neva banks there are many cultural monuments that have become real symbols of the northern capital of the Russian Federation. For example, there is the famous "Hermitage", which is one of the favorite places for visiting both residents and guests of Peter.

In 2006, a magnificent fountain opposite Vasilievsky Island was opened. There is also a lot of interesting historical sights: "Aurora" - the famous cruiser, Summer Garden, Alexander Nevsky Square, Smolny and many others.

Different islands and tributaries

In the Neva flows into 26 small tributaries in comparison with it, the main ones are Mga, Tosna, Izhora, Slavyanka, Ohta and the Black River.

In its delta, it has about forty islands, the most significant and large of which are the Decembrists, Vasilievsky, Petrogradsky and Krestovsky. The territory of Zayachy, Kamenny and Elagin islands is slightly smaller, but they are no less well known.

Interesting Facts

Neva is a river in St. Petersburg, which has no braids and no wide shallows, so ships can safely approach closely to its shores.

From Lake Ladoga follows the only river - the Neva.

The total length of its granite embankments is 100 km!

Due to the fact that the waters from the Gulf of Finland are catching up in the lower reaches of the river, there are often disastrous floods. The most catastrophic was in November 1824, which Alexander Pushkin mentioned in his poem called The Bronze Horseman.

The Neva River in St. Petersburg is loved by fishermen. This kind of fishing is very developed here, as an interesting fish lives in its waters - a smelt coming from the Gulf of Finland and becoming a kind of brand of the northern capital. If you are lucky, you can catch even salmon, but you need to know certain places. There are pike, pike perch, ruff, roach, perch.

Anyone who has never seen this water artery before, will not fully understand what the Neva (the river in St. Petersburg) can be like. Photos only partially can convey all of its beauty, power and splendor. This river strikes everyone with its greatness.