The Msta () is a river in

Tver Tver ( rus, Тверь, p=tvʲerʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is northwest of Moscow. Population: Tver was formerly the capital of a powerful medieval state and a model provincial town in the Russian ...

and

Novgorod Oblast Novgorod Oblast (russian: Новгоро́дская о́бласть, ''Novgorodskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, including ...

s of northwestern Russia, a tributary of

Lake Ilmen Lake Ilmen ( rus, И́льмень, p=ˈilʲmʲɪnʲ) is a large lake in the Novgorod Oblast of Russia. A historically important lake, it formed a vital part of the medieval trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks. The city of Novgorod - wh ...

. It is long, and the area of its basin . The principal tributaries of the Msta are the Berezayka (left), the

Uver The Uver (russian: Уверь) is a river in Moshenskoy District, Moshenskoy and Borovichsky Districts of Novgorod Oblast. It is a right tributary of the Msta. It is long, and the area of its basin . The principal tributary is the Syezha (left). ...

(right), the Peretna (left), and the Kholova (left). The town of Borovichi and the urban-type settlement of

Lyubytino Lyubytino (russian: Любы́тино) is an urban locality (a work settlement) and the administrative center of Lyubytinsky District of Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Msta River. Municipally, it serves as the administrative center of ...

are located on the banks of the Msta. The source of the Msta is in

Lake Mstino Mstino () is a lake in Tver Oblast, Russia, in the Valdai Hills area. Its main outflow is Msta River. The lake occupies an area of , its length is , width . It lies at an altitude of 154 meters, with maximum depth of 10 meters. References See a ...

in the

Valdai Hills The Valdai Hills (russian: Валда́йская возвы́шенность, Valdáyskaya vozvýshennost'), sometimes referred to as just Valdai (russian: Валда́й, Valdáy), are an upland region in the north-west of central European Ru ...

immediately north of the town of

Vyshny Volochyok Vyshny VolochyokThe more-regular spelling Vyshny Volochok ( rus, Вы́шний Волочо́к)—with instead of after an unpaired " hush consonant"—is seen but is not official; the two spellings are pronounced the same in Russian. ( rus, ...

. The river flows north, accepts the Berezayka from the left, and enters Novgorod Oblast. There, it accepts the Uver from the right and turns northwest. Downstream from the town of Borovichi, it forms the border between Borovichsky and Okulovsky District, and still downstream between Okulovsky and Lyubytinsky District. It departs from the border to the north, and downstream of the settlement of Lyubytino sharply turns southwest. It makes one more curve at the border with Krestetsky District and has its mouth downstream of the settlement of Proletariy. The river basin of the Msta is vast and comprises the eastern part of

and the areas in the northern part of

Tver Oblast Tver Oblast (russian: Тверска́я о́бласть, ''Tverskaya oblast'', ), from 1935 to 1990 known as Kalinin Oblast (), is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Tver. It was named after Mikhai ...

. The towns of Borovichi,

Bologoye Bologoye () is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities *Bologoye, Tver Oblast, a town in Bologovsky District of Tver Oblast ;Rural localities * Bologoye, Omsk Oblast, a '' selo'' in Rozovsky Rural Okrug of Russko-P ...

Udomlya Udomlya (russian: Удо́мля) is a town and the administrative center of Udomelsky District in Tver Oblast, Russia, located on the shores of Lake Pesvo on the Rybinsk–Bologoye railway, north of Tver, the administrative center of the oblas ...

, Okulovka, and Valday lie in the river basin of the Msta. Up to mid-19th century, Msta, which belongs to the river basin of the

Neva The Neva (russian: Нева́, ) is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast (historical region of Ingria) to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length of , it ...

, had been a part of an important water trade route connecting the

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages * Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...

and

Caspian Caspian can refer to: *The Caspian Sea *The Caspian Depression, surrounding the northern part of the Caspian Sea *The Caspians, the ancient people living near the Caspian Sea *Caspian languages, collection of languages and dialects of Caspian peopl ...

seas due to the very short distance between the Tsna, then the tributary of Lake Mstino, and the

Tvertsa The Tvertsa () is a river in Vyshnevolotsky, Spirovsky, Torzhoksky, and Kalininsky Districts, as well as in the cities of Torzhok and Tver in Tver Oblast, Russia, a left tributary of the Volga. It is long, and the area of its basin . The princ ...

, a left tributary of the Volga. The portage between these lakes existed from the Middle Ages. In the beginning of the 18th century,

Vyshny Volochyok Waterway Vyshny Volochyok Waterway (russian: Вышневолоцкая водная система) is a waterway connecting the basins of the Baltic and Caspian Seas, or, more specifically, the Msta River and the Tvertsa River, around the town of Vyshny ...

was constructed, connecting the Msta and the Tvertsa. By the middle of the 19th century, after opening of the

Volga–Baltic Waterway The Volga–Baltic Waterway (Volgobalt, Волгобалт), formerly known as the Mariinsk Canal System (Russian: Мариинская водная система), is a series of canals and rivers in Russia which link the Volga with the Balti ...

and the

Moscow – Saint Petersburg Railway Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, the significance of the Msta as a transport route has decreased. It is also notable for the

rapids Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade''. ...

in a section between Opechensky Posad and Borovichi, and is a popular rafting route. The lowest of the Msta, downstream of the selo of Mstinsky Most, are listed as navigable in the State Water Register of Russia.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Rivers of Novgorod Oblast Rivers of Tver Oblast