![Svir-Onezhskoe ozero](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Svir-Onezhskoe_ozero.png)
The Svir (,
Veps: ,
Karelian/
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
: ) is a river in
Podporozhsky,
Lodeynopolsky, and
Volkhovsky districts in the north-east of
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 194 ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
. It flows westwards from
Lake Onega
Lake Onega (; also known as Onego, rus, Оне́жское о́зеро, r=Onezhskoe ozero, p=ɐˈnʲɛʂskəɪ ˈozʲɪrə; fi, Ääninen, Äänisjärvi; vep, Änine, Änižjärv) is a lake in northwestern Russia, on the territory of the Repu ...
to
Lake Ladoga, thus connecting the two largest lakes of
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
. It is the largest river flowing into Lake Ladoga. The length of the Svir is , whereas the area of its
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
is . The towns of
Podporozhye and
Lodeynoye Pole
Lodeynoye Pole (russian: Лоде́йное По́ле, lit. ''the field of boats'') is a town and the administrative center of Lodeynopolsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Svir River (Lake Ladoga's basin) ...
, as well as urban-type settlements
Voznesenye,
Nikolsky,
Vazhiny
Vazhiny (russian: Важины) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Podporozhsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Svir River at the mouth of the Vazhinka River, several kilometers northwest o ...
, and
Svirstroy are located at the banks of the Svir.
After
Peter the Great connected the Svir with 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 ...
by the
Ladoga Canal
The Ladoga Canal (russian: Лaдожский канал, Ladozhsky Canal) is a historical water transport route, now situated in Leningrad Oblast, linking the Neva and the Svir River so as to bypass the stormy waters of Lake Ladoga which lies i ...
in the 18th century, the river has been part of the Mariinsk Canal System, currently 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 ...
. The
Onega Canal
The Onega Canal (russian: Онежский канал) is a canal that runs along the southern banks of Lake Onega in Vytegorsky District of Vologda Oblast and Podporozhsky District of Leningrad Oblasts in Russia. It was built 1818–1820 and 1845 ...
is a bypass of Lake Onega from the south, which connects the Svir with the
Vytegra
Vytegra ( rus, Вы́тегра, p=ˈvɨtʲɪɡrə) is a town and the administrative center of Vytegorsky District in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located along the shores of the Vytegra River on Volga–Baltic Waterway, northwest of Vologda, the ...
. The Svir is heavily used for navigation, with both cargo traffic and cruise ships. There are two
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 ...
s with
hydroelectric power plant
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an el ...
s on the river. The
Lower Svir Hydroelectric Station
Lower Svir Hydroelectric Station (russian: Нижнесвирская ГЭС) is a hydroelectric station on the Svir River located in the urban-type settlement of Svirstroy, Leningrad Oblast, in northwestern Russia. It was open on December 19, ...
, in Svirstroy, sits from the river's mouth while the
Upper Svir Hydroelectric Station
Upper Svir Hydroelectric Station (russian: Верхнесвирская ГЭС) is a hydroelectric station on the Svir River located in the town of Podporozhye, Leningrad Oblast, in northwestern Russia. It was open on February 13, 1952 and has ...
, located in Podporozhye, is away.
Above the Upper Svir Hydroelectric Station, the Svir is built as the
Ivinsky Razliv Reservoir. Locks are built around both dams.
Since the Svir flows out of Lake Onega, its drainage basin occupies a vast area, spanning the south of the
Republic of Karelia, the north and the east of Leningrad Oblast, the northwest of
Vologda Oblast
Vologda Oblast ( rus, Вологодская область, p=vəlɐˈɡotskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, r=Vologodskaya oblast, ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is Vologda. The Oblast has a population of 1,202,44 ...
, and also includes minor areas in
Arkhangelsk Oblast (the basin of the
Ileksa). The main tributaries of Svir proper are the
Vazhinka
The Vazhinka () is a river in Prionezhsky and Pryazhinsky Districts of the Republic of Karelia and in Podporozhsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, a right tributary of the Svir. The urban-type settlement of Vazhiny is located in its mouth. I ...
(right), the
Oyat (left), and the
Pasha
Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitar ...
(left).
The main rivers in the basin of the Svir are the
Suna (the longest in the Svir basin), the
Shuya, the
Vodla
The Vodla (, ) is a river in the south-east of Republic of Karelia, Russia. The town of Pudozh is located along Vodla. The river is formed at the confluence of the rivers Sukhaya Vodla and Vama, two outflows of the Lake Vodlozero, a large freshw ...
, and the Vytegra. The basin of the Svir also includes an enormous amount of freshwater lakes, the biggest of which, behind Lake Onega, are
Lake Vodlozero
Lake Vodlozero (, ) is a large freshwater lake in the southeastern part of the Republic of Karelia, Russia. It is located at and has an area of 322 km². It is 36 km long and 16 km wide.[Lake Syamozero
Lake Syamozero (, , Karelian: ''Seämärvi'') is a large freshwater lake in the Republic of Karelia, northwestern part of Russia. It is located west of Petrozavodsk, the capital of the Republic, and has an area of 265–270 km². Maximum d ...]
,
Lake Gimolskoye,
Lake Lizhmozero, and
Lake Shotozero. The city of
Petrozavodsk
Petrozavodsk (russian: Петрозаводск, p=pʲɪtrəzɐˈvotsk; Karelian, Vepsian and fi, Petroskoi) is the capital city of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, which stretches along the western shore of Lake Onega for some . The population ...
and the towns of
Suoyarvi
Suoyarvi (russian: Суоя́рви; krl, Suojärvi; fi, Suojärvi) is a town and the administrative center of Suoyarvsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located northwest of Petrozavodsk. Population:
History
It is known that ...
,
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 ...
,
Medvezhyegorsk
Medvezhyegorsk (russian: Медвежьего́рск; krl, Karhumägi; fi, Karhumäki) is a town and the administrative center of Medvezhyegorsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia. Population: 15,800 (1959).
History
A village in ...
,
Pudozh
Pudozh (russian: Пудож; krl, Puudoži; vep, Pudož; fi, Puudosi or ') is a town and the administrative center of Pudozhsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located on the Vodla River east of Petrozavodsk, but traveling by the ...
,
Vytegra
Vytegra ( rus, Вы́тегра, p=ˈvɨtʲɪɡrə) is a town and the administrative center of Vytegorsky District in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located along the shores of the Vytegra River on Volga–Baltic Waterway, northwest of Vologda, the ...
, Podporozhye, and Lodeynoye Pole, as well as a number of urban-type settlements, are located within the catchment area of the Svir.
The river flows past the
Alexander-Svirsky Monastery
Alexander-Svirsky Monastery (Александро-Свирский монастырь) is a Russian Orthodox monastery situated deep in the woods of the Leningrad Oblast, just south from its border with the Republic of Karelia. The golden age o ...
, which housed
Svirlag
Svirlag, SvirLAG (Svirskiy Lager' – Svir Concentration-Camp, russian: Свирлаг, also / – ) was a Soviet forced labour camp run by NKVD's GULAG Directorate. It was located on the river Svir (hence the name Svirskiy in Russian) in the f ...
(one of the most infamous
gulag
The Gulag, an acronym for , , "chief administration of the camps". The original name given to the system of camps controlled by the GPU was the Main Administration of Corrective Labor Camps (, )., name=, group= was the government agency in ...
s). The area around the river saw heavy fighting during the
Continuation War
The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, as part of World War II.; sv, fortsättningskriget; german: Fortsetzungskrieg. A ...
1941–1944.
The right bank of the lower Svir is occupied by the
Nizhnesvirsky Nature Reserve
The Nizhnesvirsky Nature Reserve (russian: Нижнесвирский заповедник, lit. ''Lower Svir Zapovednik'') is a 416 km² (131 sq mi) zapovednik in Lodeynopolsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, established on June 11, 19 ...
, established in 1980.
References
{{Authority control
Rivers of Leningrad Oblast