The Volga-Baltic channel. Cruises on the Volga-Baltic channel

The reservoirs of the European part of Russia are connected in a single network, suitable for sailing of cargo and passenger vessels, yachts and boats. Between St. Petersburg and Moscow there are real "floating hotels" - well-equipped ships. The movement is possible due to the fact that in 1964 the Volga-Baltic channel united lakes and rivers in the north-west of Russia. Initially, the road was called Mariinsky, and in 1964 it got its modern name. River cruises along the Volga-Baltic became an exciting and prestigious kind of recreation for Russians and foreign tourists.

Mariinsky - the predecessor of the Volga-Balt

Attempts to connect the basin of the Volga and the Baltic Sea were made during the reign of Peter the Great, but only in 1810 the Mariinsky Water Network opened for the movement of ships. This grandiose project of hydraulic engineers of the Russian Empire was awarded the highest award at the International Paris Exhibition (1813). The beginning of the Mariinsky system was Rybinsk, then the movement was carried out along the Sheksna, Lake. White, p. Kovzhe, the Mariinsky Canal, which crossed the watershed of the Volga and Baltic basins. Then the route continued along the river. Vytegra, the lake. Onego, r. Svir, the lake. Ladoga and the river. Neve. The total length of the waterway was about 1100 km. In 1829, the Mariinsky Way was connected to the White Sea by canals, and bypassed artificial river beds. The largest reconstruction of the system began in the 1960s, when the Volga-Baltic Channel was built. The map of the new route coincided in some places with the Mariinsky, but part of its engineering facilities remained on the sidelines. Waterway, starting from the city of Cherepovets, ensured the connection of the basins of the five seas: the Baltic, the White, the Azov, the Black and the Caspian.

Waterway between the Volga and the Baltic

Dredging was carried out on the rivers Neva and Svir before the creation of a modern water transport system. In 1964, on the site of the existed 150 years of the Mariinsky, a new highway began to operate. A deeper Volga-Baltic channel was built with a smaller number of locks than in the tsarist time, and a modern management system. The engineering-hydraulic system was supplemented by 3 hydroelectric power stations, dozens of earthen dams and other structures. The total length of the route from the Neva to the entrance to the Rybinsk Reservoir has reached 857 km. Passenger transportation was opened by the voyage of the Krasnogvardeyets motor ship, which departed in the last days of June 1964 from Leningrad to Yaroslavl.

The modern Volga-Baltic waterway

The route from St. Petersburg to the city of Cherepovets consistently includes: p. The Neva, the lake. Ladoga, r. Svir, the lake. Onego, the Volga-Baltic channel, crossing the watershed between the Caspian and the Baltic basins. The length of the artificial channel connecting the Rybinsk Reservoir with the Onega Lake exceeds 360 km. The difference in the heights of the northern part of the watershed is 113 m, the Volga one is 13.5 m. The Volga-Baltic Canal includes numerous hydraulic structures (hydrounits, floodgates, reservoirs), their construction has led to a rise in the water level in some areas by tens of meters. The outlines of the banks have changed, new islets have appeared. At the bottom of the Sheksna or Cherepovets reservoir, located on the territory of the Vologda region, there were old sluices of the Mariinsky.

River cruise - a fascinating journey on a yacht, boat, boat

Cruises along the Volga-Baltic canal are sailing along the Volga, Neva, other rivers, as well as lakes and canals. The main routes are comfortable passenger motor ships. In the schedule of their movement stops are provided so that travelers can see the sights on the banks of water bodies and islands. After interesting excursions, tourists relax in cozy cabins, eat in restaurants offering guests a variety of dishes. Cruise ships organize leisure for passengers, on the beach there are "green parking" (picnics, swimming, sports and other entertainment).

Features of the territory along which the Volga-Baltic Waterway is laid

The map of the hilly plain, interrupted by marshy relief depressions, does not give a complete picture of the amazing landscapes. On the banks stretch meadows and small forests with peat bogs. The climate of the territory is moderate, but its conditions in Lake Ladoga are slightly different. Here, the northern winds can cause storms, in November they create dangerous conditions for navigation. The flow throughout the channel is weak, the average height of wind waves is 1.5 m. The months most favorable for the trip are June and July. Summer in northwest Russia is moderately warm, less wind power and excitement on Ladoga. It is time for the white nights, which allow you to enjoy the beauty of the northern nature around the clock.

Pearls in the "necklace" of the Volga-Baltic Way

Ladoga and Onega lakes belong to the group of the largest natural reservoirs of Europe. The basins by their origin are due to the glacier, which arose more than 100 centuries ago. The maximum depth of Ladoga is more than 230 m, Onega - 120 m. On the shores of the lakes are seen "sheep's foreheads" - the so-called boulders, processed by the languages of the glacier.

Picturesque forests and cliffs alternate with sandy beaches. Spruce and pine predominate, birch, aspen, elm, alder are found. The summer is pleased with the lush grass, the richness of flowers and berries. The fauna counts dozens of species of mammals and birds, among which there are many waterfowl. Perfectly feel in the reservoirs of commercial fish (whitefish, perch, carp and others). Ecologically clean lacustrine-forest region, remote from megacities and industrial giants of the Volga-Baltic channel, as if created for travel and recreation. Ladoga and Onega are not the only natural pearls in the Volga-Balta necklace. White Lake, reservoirs contribute to maintaining the image of a popular recreational area. On the banks there are convenient boat piers, parking lots, cafes, playgrounds and summerhouses for rest.

Exciting Volgo-Baltic travels

The nature of the North-West of the Russian Federation pleases with magnificent views of the lake-forest, marsh and river land. Reserve places attract hundreds of thousands of travelers. Tourists who travel from St. Petersburg to Moscow and in the opposite direction will see signs of a distant historical past in the heart of Russia. So, by analogy with the Egyptian desert, inhabited in antiquity by hermits-followers of the early Christian doctrine, the monasteries of Belozerye were called "The Russian Thebaid."

Popular cruise destinations:

• One-day excursions to the island of Valaam along Lake Ladoga;
• Visit Kizhi Island and the Museum-Reserve;
• Excursions by boat on the Ladoga and Onega lakes;
• A trip across the Volga-Baltic with a visit to the Russian capital and other routes.

Contrasts of Volgo-Balt

City landscapes in the distance from St. Petersburg to the east and south, and from Moscow to the north, are gradually replaced by landscapes of the lake-forest area. Before the eyes of the passengers of a cruise ship or yacht, ancient buildings, wonderful corners of nature, float by. During the trip along the Volga-Baltic you can visit St. Petersburg and the suburbs, see the sights of Moscow, monasteries, historical places - Uglich, Yaroslavl and others.

With sincere trembling, many travelers and pilgrims travel to the island of Valaam in the waters of Ladoga Lake, where the famous monastery is located . Over the water surface of Onega there is Kizhi Island, whose glory was created samples of Russian architecture of the XVIII century. As we approach the capital, well-groomed banks and grandiose concrete structures float past, quiet bursts of river water are heard overboard the cruise ship. Unforgettable impressions are received by tourists from contrasts of northern nature and urbanized landscapes of the main cities of Russia in Moscow and St. Petersburg.