Kivach Falls (russian: Кивач, from
Karelian ''kiivas'', "impetuous") is a 10.7-m-high cascade
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...
in
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 ...
. It is located on the
Suna River
The Suna (, ) is a river in the Republic of Karelia, Russia. The length of the river is 280 km. The area of its basin is 7,670 km2. in the
Kondopoga
Kondopoga (russian: Ко́ндопога; krl, Kondupohju; fi, Kontupohja) is a town and the administrative center of Kondopozhsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located by the northern tip of the Kondopoga Bay of Lake Onega, nea ...
District,
Republic of Karelia
The Republic of Karelia (russian: Респу́блика Каре́лия, Respublika Kareliya; ; krl, Karjalan tašavalta; ; fi, Karjalan tasavalta; vep, Karjalan Tazovaldkund, Ludic: ''Kard’alan tazavald''), also known as just Karelia (rus ...
and gives its name to the
Kivach Natural Reserve
Kivach Nature Reserve (russian: Кивач заповедник) (also Kivach) is a Russian 'zapovednik' (strict nature reserve) established in 1931 to study and protect taiga of the Republic of Karelia. The site includes the famous 10.4 meter Ki ...
, founded in 1931.
History
![Prokudin-Gorsky](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Prokudin-Gorsky.Suna_River.jpg)
Kivach owes much of its fame to
Gavrila Derzhavin
Gavriil (Gavrila) Romanovich Derzhavin ( rus, Гаврии́л (Гаври́ла) Рома́нович Держа́вин, p=ɡɐˈvrilə rɐˈmanəvʲɪtɕ dʲɪrˈʐavʲɪn, a=Gavrila Romanovich Dyerzhavin.ru.vorb.oga; 14 July 1743 – 20 ...
, a Russian poet who was inspired by its "unruly stream" to write "Waterfall", one of the most important Russian poems of the 18th century. Many other eminent visitors followed Derzhavin to see the famed waterfall. One of these was
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Poland and Gra ...
, who commissioned a new road to Kivach, a pavilion on the right bank of the stream and a bridge slightly downstream.
In 1936, the Soviets diverted part of the river to feed a local hydroelectric power station, which affected the waterfall negatively, while its rivals — Girvas (14.8 m) and Por-Porog (16.8 m) — were destroyed altogether. Although it is not as spectacular as it used to be, Kivach is still considered a major sight in Karelia.
References
Information for touristsInteractive photo with many angles
{{Authority control
Waterfalls of Russia
Landforms of the Republic of Karelia
WKivach
Tourist attractions in the Republic of Karelia
Cascade waterfalls