Gorky Reservoir

Gorky Reservoir (russian: Го́рьковское водохрани́лище), known colloquially as Gorky Sea (russian: Го́рьковское мо́ре), is an

artificial lake A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

in the central part of the

Volga River The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the List of rivers of Europe#Rivers of Europe by length, longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Cas ...

in Russia, formed by a hydroelectric

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

of Gorky Hydroelectric Station (now called

Nizhny Novgorod Hydroelectric Station The Nizhny Novgorod Hydroelectric Station or Nizhny Novgorod GES (russian: Нижегоро́дская ГЭС) is a hydroelectric station on the Volga river. Located near Zavolzhye, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, it belongs to the Volga-Kama Cascade ...

) built in 1955 between the towns of Gorodets and Zavolzhye and filled in 1955 – 1957. It spans for 430 km from the dam of

Rybinsk Rybinsk ( rus, Рыбинск, p=ˈrɨbʲɪnsk), the second largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Yaroslavl Oblast in Russia, lies at the confluence of the Volga River, Volga and Sheksna Rivers, 267 kilometers north-north-eas ...

to the dam of Gorodets through

Yaroslavl Yaroslavl ( rus, Ярослáвль, p=jɪrɐˈsɫavlʲ) is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historic part of the city is a World Heritage Site, and is located at the confluence ...

Kostroma Kostroma ( rus, Кострома́, p=kəstrɐˈma) is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian cities, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Volga and Kostroma. Popu ...

Ivanovo Ivanovo ( rus, Иваново, p=ɪˈvanəvə) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Russia. It is the administrative center and largest city of Ivanovo Oblast, located northeast of Moscow and approximately from Yaroslavl, Vlad ...

and

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...

oblasts of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. While it is relatively narrow and follows the natural riverbed of Volga in the upper part, it becomes up to 16 km wide downstream the town of

Yuryevets Yuryevets (russian: Юрьевец) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. Modern localities Urban localities *Yuryevets, Ivanovo Oblast, a town in Yuryevetsky District of Ivanovo Oblast Rural localities * Yuryevets, Dzerzhinsk, ...

. The reservoir takes its name from the former name of the city of

(actually situated some fifty kilometers downstream the dam), Gorky. An industrial town of Zavolzhye was built on the right bank of the Volga along with the construction of the dam. The filling of the reservoir resulted in the relocation of a number of villages and towns, such as Chkalovsk. Reservoirs in Ivanovo Oblast Reservoirs in Kostroma Oblast Reservoirs in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Reservoirs in Yaroslavl Oblast Reservoirs in Russia RGorky {{YaroslavlOblast-geo-stub