Lake Sapsho (russian: Сапшо́) is a

glacial lake A glacial lake is a body of water with origins from glacier activity. They are formed when a glacier erodes the land and then melts, filling the depression created by the glacier. Formation Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,0 ...

Demidovsky District Demidovsky District (russian: Деми́довский райо́н) is an administrativeResolution #261 and municipalLaw #131-z district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Smolensk Oblast, twenty-five in Smolensk Oblast, Russia. It ...

Smolensk Oblast Smolensk Oblast (russian: Смоле́нская о́бласть, ''Smolenskaya oblast''; informal name — ''Smolenschina'' (russian: Смоле́нщина)) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative centre is the city of ...

, Russia. It is the largest lake (3,04 km²) of the

Smolenskoye Poozerye National Park Smolenskoye Poozerye National Park (russian: Смоленское Поозерье, which translates as Smolensk Lakes) is a forest-wetland ecosystem of 35 lakes and surroundings in the northwest of Smolensk Oblast near the Russian border with B ...

. It is situated northeast of

Demidov The House of Demidov (russian: Деми́довы) also Demidoff, was a prominent Russian Empire, Russian noble family during the 18th and 19th centuries. Originating in the city of Tula, Russia, Tula in the 17th century, the Demidovs found suc ...

in the northwestern part of the

oblast An oblast (; ; Cyrillic (in most languages, including Russian and Ukrainian): , Bulgarian: ) is a type of administrative division of Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as the Soviet Union and the Kingdom of ...

, near the settlement of

Przhevalskoye Przhevalskoye (russian: Пржева́льское) is an urban locality (a settlement) in Demidovsky District of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located in the northwestern part of the oblast, on Lake Sapsho, northeast of the town of Demidov, the admi ...

. A famous 19th century Russian traveller

Nikolay Przhevalsky Nikolay Mikhaylovich Przhevalsky (or Prjevalsky;; pl, Nikołaj Przewalski, . – ) was a Russian geographer of Polish descent (he was born in a Polish noble family), and a renowned explorer of Central and East Asia. Although he never reache ...

compared the lake with

Lake Baikal Lake Baikal (, russian: Oзеро Байкал, Ozero Baykal ); mn, Байгал нуур, Baigal nuur) is a rift lake in Russia. It is situated in southern Siberia, between the federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Repu ...

in miniature. The lake is a

natural monument A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance. Under World Commission on Protected Areas guidelines, nat ...

. It is connected with the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

by the Sapsha, Vasilyevka, Yelsha, and

Daugava , be, Заходняя Дзвіна (), liv, Vēna, et, Väina, german: Düna , image = Fluss-lv-Düna.png , image_caption = The drainage basin of the Daugava , source1_location = Valdai Hills, Russia , mouth_location = Gulf of Riga, Baltic Se ...

rivers. There are 4 big and 2 small islands on the lake. There are a lot of

tumuli A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones buil ...

of the Tushumlin culture by Lake Sapsho.О тушемлинской культуре IV—VII веков в Верхнем Поднепровье и Подвинье
The

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...

and

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...

of the lake are very diverse. Yet in the beginning of the 20th century there was the industrial fishery.Гавриленков В.М., Гавриленкова Е.П. На берегах «Смоленского Байкала» (очерки истории Слободского края). — Смоленское издательство «Смядынь», 2000. — С. 43. Though now any industry is prohibited here. A lot of species of the flora and fauna of the lake are in the Red Book.

Geography and hydrography

The Lake

Lake Sapsho is situated in the north-west of

, to the north of Smolensk. It is on the Sloboda Upland (russian: Слободская возвышенность) that is a part of

Smolensk–Moscow Upland The Smolensk–Moscow Upland is located in the Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Moscow and Smolensk regions of Russia, as well as the Vitebsk region of Belarus. Geography It stretches from southwest to northeast from the Belarusian city of Orsha to Yurie ...

(russian: Смоленско-Московская возвышенность). It is the largest lake in

. There are two eskers. One of them is partly destroyed by glacial flows. It caused the arising of five of six islands. Lake Sapsho is divided into deep northern and shallow southern parts. The other esker forms the western border of the lake. The northern side is also abrupt. On the contrary, the eastern and southern sides are gentle. The bottom of the lake here is also not steep. The northern basin is divided into western and eastern parts by a long underwater spit. The depth here is less than . It ends with a long shoal with depth less than , a so-called "underwater island" or "sitnik". Lake Sapsho drains into the rivers of the

Western Dvina , be, Заходняя Дзвіна (), liv, Vēna, et, Väina, german: Düna , image = Fluss-lv-Düna.png , image_caption = The drainage basin of the Daugava , source1_location = Valdai Hills, Russia , mouth_location = Gulf of Riga, Baltic Se ...

(russian: Западная Двина) basin. In spring, usually by the middle or end of April, water volume increases because of melting snow. The melting of ice on the lake usually takes from 10 to 15 days more, and ends in the late April or early May. The swimming season opens in late June or early July, and finishes in late July or early August. The lake usually covers with ice in the 2nd or 3rd decade of November. Sometimes, it happens in the middle of December. The thickness of ice is from to . In most severe winters it may become up to . The period of freeze-up is from 150 to 170 days.Национальный парк «Смоленское Поозерье»: Справочно-информационное издание / Под ред. А. С. Кочергина. — 2-е изд., перераб. и доп. — Смоленск: Маджента, 2006. — С. 28 Depth Sapsho-Petrakovskoye

The Rivers

Inflow rivers are the Sapshanka (russian: Сапшанка) in the south and the Sapsha (russian: Сапша) in the west. The outflow river is the Sapsha in the east. The Sapsha connects Lake Sapsho and Lake Petrakovskoye (russian: Петраковское). Both lakes have similar surface elevation. The area of Lake Petrakovskoye is . During the period of melting snow in spring and heavy showers in summer Lake Petrakovskoye fills with water faster than Lake Sapsho. Therefore, the Sapsha changes its flow. Usually changing of flow of the Sapsha happens several times a year.

The Islands

There 6 islands on the lake. Four of them are large: Chernetsky / Monk Island (russian: Чернецкий), Raspashnoy / Border Island (russian: Распашной), Bagryany / Crimson Island (russian: Багряный), Dlinny / Long Island (russian: Длинный). Two of them are small: Dubovy / Oak Island (russian: Дубовый) and Lyubvi / Island of Love (russian: Любви). Five of them are located in line along one of two eskers.

References

{{Reflist Sapsho Sapsho Tourist attractions in Smolensk Oblast