The flow of the Neva River. North-west Russia

15.10.2019

Today we will tell you where the Neva River came from. Why are we talking about this on the website about Finland? Because the history of Finland, the Baltic, Ladoga, St. Petersburg, and the Neva are inextricably linked from a geological point of view.

The Neva River is a very deep river. The Neva is inferior in water consumption largest river Europe, Volga, only 3 times. The Neva is equal in depth to the Dnieper and Don combined. The Neva is the only river flowing from Ladoga, while about 30 rivers flow into Ladoga. The Neva carries the waters of all these rivers into the Baltic. Moreover, the length of the Neva is only 74 km! You probably know that the usual length of rivers is usually hundreds, or even thousands of kilometers. So Neva is an exception. And the exclusivity of the Neva is inextricably linked with the history of its appearance.

The history of the Neva, which appeared several thousand years ago, dates back to the end of the last ice age, which ended approximately 10,000 years ago. During the Ice Age, northern Europe had an ice sheet more than a kilometer thick. Naturally, there were no known rivers, no Finnish lakes, or the Baltic Sea then.

With the melting of the glacier, a freshwater glacial lake was formed on the site of modern Baltic. The glacier melted, the lake gradually changed its shape, it began to flow into Atlantic Ocean. In its history over 10,000 years, the Baltic passed through the phases of the Baltic Glacial Lake, the Ioldievo Sea, the Ancylovo Lake, the Littorina Sea and finally took on the current form of the well-known Baltic.

In the picture below you see the appearance of the Baltic about 10,000 years ago. After some time, when the lake level increased due to the melt waters of the glacier, the lake began to flow into the Atlantic in the area of the Danish Straits, and the Baltic became a sea.

Ancient Baltic, approximately 10,000 years ago

At the same time, Lake Ladoga was part of the Baltic, since the water level was high, and after the glacier disappeared, the soil, unloaded from gravity, had not yet had time to rise. Ladoga was connected to the Baltic by a channel in the Vyborg region. Freed from the yoke of a kilometer-long glacier, the soil quickly rose. The soil rose faster in the Vyborg region in the north of the Karelian Isthmus. The soil rose and, as can be seen in the picture below, Ladoga eventually separated and became a lake.

Ladoga becomes a lake

As soon as Ladoga became isolated, the water level in Ladoga began to rise. As we said, about 30 rivers flow into Ladoga, as well as such large rivers as the Svir and Volkhov. At that time, the Mga River also flowed into Ladoga approximately along the current bed of the Neva, and the Tosna River, again along the current bed of the Neva, flowed into the Baltic. There was a small isthmus between the rivers in the area of the village of Otradnoye, where Nevskie Porogi is now located. The level of Ladoga rose by 12 meters and Ladoga ruptured into the Baltic in this very place, near the village of Otradnoye. This is how the Neva River was formed and therefore in this place of the river there are Nevsky Rapids. How this happened can be seen in the picture below.

Ladoga broke into the Baltic

The etymology or origin of the name of the Neva River has two most likely explanations:

Explanation based on Finno-Ugric languages, where the word “neva” means swamp. For example, in Finnish the name “swamp” still coincides exactly with the name of the Neva River
Explanation based on Indo-European languages, where the word "neva" is close to the Indo-European root "new". In most European languages, such as Russian, English, Swedish, Lithuanian, the word “new” has the same ancient root with the letters “nu”, “but”, “not”. For example, in English “new” is “new”, in Swedish “ny”

The explanation based on the word “new” looks very plausible, since the river is really new and was formed within the memory of people living in northwestern Europe. Such a catastrophic event as the formation overnight of such a deep river as the Neva could not go unnoticed. It is not for nothing that people have long made up stories about floods and deluges.

On the other hand, the Finno-Ugric explanation has no less weight. Firstly, the area around the river is indeed very swampy and this completely coincides with the Finno-Ugric root “neva”, meaning swamp. In addition, in the north-west of Russia, many names of rivers and lakes can be explained from the standpoint of Finno-Ugric languages. There are a lot of such names. Starting from the name of the river “Msta”, which means “Black” in Finnish, and ending with such names as Ladoga, Seliger and even Moscow.

It is difficult, and perhaps impossible, to say unambiguously now where the name of the Neva River came from. But from both explanations it is obvious that the name of the river is very ancient and, most likely, is not even a thousand years old. In our opinion, it does not matter who named the Neva, but what is important is that people of different nations have lived in these places since ancient times. Moreover, they lived relatively peacefully, as they adopted the names of rivers, lakes, and hills from each other. In the event of war or mass extermination of peoples, the ancient names would most likely be lost, and the Msta or Neva rivers would be called differently. People most likely lived in these places together, traded, exchanged experiences, and adopted new words, knowledge and concepts from each other. It is important for us not to pay attention to attempts to quarrel our peoples, but to continue to live according to the behests of our ancestors - amicably and with respect for each other.

This story echoes that. We also have information about this. However, first watch our video program, where we clearly show how the Neva River was formed:

1. Ancient Baltic, approximately 10,000 years ago

The Neva River flows through the center of Russia's northern capital, through St. Petersburg. It is thanks to the expanses of the Neva River that St. Petersburg (aka Leningrad, Petrograd or simply Peter) is the most majestic and, probably, the most beautiful city in Europe, and possibly the whole World. If you are a resident of St. Petersburg, then you may have heard about the history of your native region. A very interesting, but not well known, fact is that the Neva River is a very young river. Moreover, by geological standards, the Neva River appeared literally yesterday, namely several thousand years ago. You will learn how this happened from our article and from our video program, where, with the help of animations, we showed the geological process of the formation of the river.
The Neva River is a very deep river. In terms of water consumption, the Neva is only 3 times inferior to the largest river in Europe, the Volga. The Neva is equal in depth to the Dnieper and Don combined. The Neva is the only river flowing from Ladoga, while about 30 rivers flow into Ladoga. The Neva carries the waters of all these rivers into the Baltic. Moreover, the length of the Neva is only 74 km! You probably know that the usual length of rivers is usually hundreds, or even thousands of kilometers. So Neva is an exception. And the exclusivity of the Neva is inextricably linked with the history of its appearance.
The history of the Neva, which appeared several thousand years ago, dates back to the end of the last ice age, which ended approximately 10,000 years ago. During the Ice Age, northern Europe had an ice sheet more than a kilometer thick. Naturally, there were no known rivers, no Finnish lakes, or the Baltic Sea then.
With the melting of the glacier, a freshwater glacial lake was formed on the site of modern Baltic. The glacier melted, the lake gradually changed its shape, and it began to flow into the Atlantic Ocean. In its history over 10,000 years, the Baltic passed through the phases of the Baltic Glacial Lake, the Ioldian Sea, the Ancylovo Lake, the Littorina Sea and finally took on the current form of the well-known Baltic.
In the picture below you see the appearance of the Baltic about 10,000 years ago. After some time, when the lake level increased due to the melt waters of the glacier, the lake began to flow into the Atlantic in the area of the Danish Straits, and the Baltic became a sea.

2. Ladoga becomes a lake

3. Ladoga broke into the Baltic

This happened quite recently, several thousand years ago. People still remember this catastrophic event. The average annual flow of the Neva River is about 80 cubic meters. km. in year. Based on the fact that the volume of Lake Ladoga is approximately 900 cubic meters. km., the average depth of the lake is 50 m, and the level has increased by 12 meters, it can be assumed that the volume of the lake, while it was closed, increased by about 100-200 cubic meters. km. Thus, the outflow of excess water from Ladoga apparently took only 1-2 years. Therefore, this event can truly be considered catastrophic. The catastrophic nature of this event may have been reflected in the name of the river.
The etymology or origin of the name of the Neva River has two most likely explanations:
Explanation based on Finno-Ugric languages, where the word “neva” means swamp. For example, in Finnish the name “swamp” still coincides exactly with the name of the Neva River
Explanation based on Indo-European languages, where the word "neva" is close to the Indo-European root "new". In most European languages, such as Russian, English, Swedish, Lithuanian, the word “new” has the same ancient root with the letters “nu”, “no”, “not”. For example, in English “new” is “new”, in Swedish “ny”
The explanation based on the word “new” looks very plausible, since the river is really new and was formed within the memory of people living in northwestern Europe. Such a catastrophic event as the formation overnight of such a deep river as the Neva could not go unnoticed. It is not for nothing that people have long made up stories about floods and deluges.
On the other hand, the Finno-Ugric explanation has no less weight. Firstly, the area around the river is indeed very swampy and this completely coincides with the Finno-Ugric root “neva”, meaning swamp. In addition, in the north-west of Russia, many names of rivers and lakes can be explained from the standpoint of Finno-Ugric languages. There are a lot of such names. Starting from the name of the river “Msta”, which means “Black” in Finnish, and ending with such names as Ladoga, Seliger and even Moscow.
It is difficult, and perhaps impossible, to say unambiguously now where the name of the Neva River came from. But from both explanations it is obvious that the name of the river is very ancient and, most likely, is not even a thousand years old. In our opinion, it does not matter who named the Neva, but what is important is that people of different nations have lived in these places since ancient times. Moreover, they lived relatively peacefully, as they adopted the names of rivers, lakes, and hills from each other. In the event of war or mass extermination of peoples, the ancient names would most likely be lost, and the Msta or Neva rivers would be called differently. People most likely lived in these places together, traded, exchanged experiences, and adopted new words, knowledge and concepts from each other. It is important for us not to pay attention to attempts to quarrel our peoples, but to continue to live according to the behests of our ancestors - amicably and with respect for each other.

The Neva River is one of the most beautiful rivers Russia. Most people are familiar with it thanks to the beautiful St. Petersburg, located on its banks. As you know from a school geography course, the Neva is one river that originates in Lake Ladoga, and here is its source. In the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea is the Neva Bay, where the Neva flows, and there is its mouth.

Neva

A river flows through the area Leningrad region and the city of St. Petersburg. Its length is 74 km, the length in a straight line from the source of the Neva to its mouth is 45 km. The depth averages from 8 to 11 m, the deepest mark is 24 m. The Neva carries its waters along a plain called the Neva Lowland. The banks slope steeply to the water, their height is 4-5 m, at the mouth of the river they are flatter - 3-4 m. The place where the Neva flows is the Gulf of Finland; as already mentioned, it originates in Lake Ladoga.

The width of the river is on average 600 m, the widest point reaches one kilometer. Compared to other low-lying bodies of water, it is quite fast-flowing. The current speed is more than 1 m per second. The Neva River bends quite sharply in three places.

At the Ivanovo rapids. An approximately three-kilometer stretch of river with shallow depths, frequent shallows and high current speeds of up to 4 m per second. It is located near the town of Otradnoye.
Near Ust-Slavyanka - a historical district of St. Petersburg.
At the Smolny Institute. This historical building is a monument to the era of early classicism, built according to the design of the architect D. Quarenghi. Currently the governor's residence.

The Neva, with a length of 75 km, is one of the largest, deepest and deepest rivers in Europe. Due to the uniform flow of water from Lake Ladoga (source), there are practically no spring floods on the river.

Neva Delta - St. Petersburg

The city of St. Petersburg was founded and built in a low-lying and swampy place. To drain the swamps it was necessary to dig one hundred and one canals and a large number of ponds. The soil removed by digging the canals was used to raise the level of the islands. Over time, many of them lost their significance and were covered with earth. Now the number of islands has been reduced to 59.

Neva Bay, where the Neva flows, is located in the Gulf of Finland Baltic Sea. At its confluence, the river forms a branched delta with many islands connected by channels. St. Petersburg is actually located on these islands. The most famous islands- this is Zayachiy and Vasilievsky. On the first is the Peter and Paul Fortress, on the second are the famous St. Petersburg sphinxes and the stock exchange building.

Emperor Peter I had a dream to divide the largest of the islands, Vasilievsky, at the mouth of the Neva with canals, making it look like a corner of Amsterdam. The ruler's dreams were not destined to come true. An associate of Emperor Peter I, A. Menshikov, squandered the funds available in the treasury. On the island for a long time people refused to settle because there were no roads here. Its mass settlement was possible only after the construction of bridges across the Neva.

The area of the water artery basin of St. Petersburg is about 5 thousand km 2, including Lakes Onega and Lake Ladoga. It is distinguished by its complex hydrological network. The basin includes about 26.3 thousand lakes and 48.3 thousand rivers. 26 rivers and small streams flow directly into the Neva. Its main tributaries are: on the right side - Izhora, Slavyanka, Mga, Tosna, Murzinka, on the left - Chernaya Rechka and Okhta.

Etymology of the name

There are several versions of the origin of the name of the river. The first one is Finnish, from the word “neva”, which translates as treeless swamp. Translated from the Sami word “nеvе” means small, fast. The second version is based on the Swedish word “ny(en)” - new. There is also a Slavic hypothesis about the origin of the name Neva. From the chronicles it is known that Lake Ladoga, which is the source of the Neva, was called Nevo in the old days, which meant “new”. Apparently, the tribes that previously inhabited these lands were eyewitnesses of the water leaving the banks of the reservoir and the birth of the river.

St. Petersburg floods

The city is located in low-lying and swampy areas, on islands connected by channels, rivers and canals. During strong autumn winds blowing from the southwest, water rushes into the Gulf of Finland, where the Neva flows, and from there it flows through the river and channels into the city. Floods occur frequently and sometimes have catastrophic consequences. Near St. Isaac's Square there is a stele with marks of all known floods. The highest mark is at 4.21 m. This flood occurred in 1824 and was reflected in the work of A.S. Pushkin "The Bronze Horseman".

In St. Petersburg on the Neva, floods occur between September and December. They cause significant damage to the city. The last very dangerous flood, when the water mark along the Kronstadt water gauge was 220 cm, happened in 2007. In 2011, the construction of a complex of protective structures in Neva Bay was completed. It was deployed during the surge on December 28, 2011. This helped to avoid a very dangerous flood; according to experts, the water level could have risen to 281 cm. If they had not managed to close the dam, the city would have suffered multi-billion dollar damage.

Cities on the Neva

There are four cities in total on the banks of the Neva. This is primarily St. Petersburg, located on the Neva Bay Gulf of Finland. In addition, on the river there are Otradnoye, Kirovsk, Shlisselburg, located at the exit of the Neva from Ladoga. There are numerous small settlements on the banks.

Otradnoe

Before the revolution, the village of Otradnoye was a place countryside holiday residents of the capital. Beautiful places, Fresh air and the clean river attracted city residents here summer time. Now Otradnoye, with a population of 25.3 thousand people, is a fairly large industrial center, which has its own shipbuilding plant "Pella", the confectionery association "Lubimy Krai", "Lenrechport", OJSC "Nevsky Electroshield Plant", etc. The city, which received in 1970 year, its status as a result of the annexation of the villages of Ivanovskoye and Ust-Tosno, has a history of more than five hundred years.

It is located 18 km from the Rybatskoye metro station, which is part of the territory of St. Petersburg.

Kirovsk

Kirovsk was founded in 1931 on the high left bank of the Neva as a city for the builders of the Kirov State District Power Plant. Distance from St. Petersburg - 35 km. Currently it is industrial city with a population of 26 thousand people. Here is the Ladoga plant, a house-building plant, a branch of the Okeanpribor concern and many others. The M18 highway passes through Kirovsk, connecting the city of St. Petersburg with Murmansk. The city bears the name of the outstanding figure Soviet Union Sergei Mironovich Kirov. It has a pier and railroad station Nevdubstroy.

Shlisselburg

The city of Shlisselburg was founded as a fortress. It was founded in 1323 by Prince Yuri of Novgorod at the exit of the Neva from Ladoga on Orekhovy Island and was called “Oreshek”. The fortress was wooden; 25 years later the Novgorodians laid stone walls. It played an important strategic role and opened the way to the sea for Novgorod.

More than once “Oreshek” withstood the siege of the Swedes, but in 1613 it was captured by them and received a new name - Noteburg, which translated from Swedish meant the city of nuts. After 89 years locality was recaptured by Peter I. He gave it its modern name.

A settlement with the same name was formed on the left bank of the river, which in 1780 was given the status of the city of Shlisselburg. Now its population is 15 thousand people. The road N135 Shlisselburg - Kirovsk - Petersburg is built to St. Petersburg. Distance to Northern capital- about 50 km.

A special city. He is well known all over the world. A large number of tourists come to St. Petersburg every year. They visit museums and theaters, walk along the streets and embankments of the city. The sights of St. Petersburg are well known to all travel lovers.
But there is one attraction that has perhaps the greatest impact on the city, on its appearance, on its life and economy. This is the Neva River.

The river has a great influence on the life of the city:

The Neva adorns St. Petersburg. From the embankments Winter Palace And Peter and Paul Fortress opens beautiful view to the city. During a boat excursion along rivers and canals you can see the most Beautiful places St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, the city has practically no embankments suitable for recreation for citizens and tourists. During the white nights, the bridges turn into a popular attraction for tourists.
The Neva connects the Baltic Sea with Lake Ladoga. The river carries goods and passengers. Along the Neva, lovers of water tourism, owners of yachts and boats can get from the Baltic Sea to the inland waters of Russia.
The Neva divides the city into two parts. Raised bridges are an insurmountable obstacle for cars. In the summer, at night, the need to get from one bank to the other can become a difficult problem. The only bridge that does not open, on which you can cross the Neva at any time, is the Cable-stayed Bridge.

The Neva River flows through the Leningrad Region and St. Petersburg, connecting Lake Ladoga with the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. The length of the river is 74 kilometers. There are four cities on the banks of the Neva: Shlisselburg, Kirovsk, Otradnoye, St. Petersburg and several dozen small settlements.
The Neva is the only river flowing from Lake Ladoga. The average width of the Neva River is 400 - 600 meters. In the widest places (for example, in the delta near the Sea Trade Port), the width of the river reaches 1250 meters. In the very bottleneck The width of the river is about 210 meters. Near the Peter and Paul Fortress, the river divides into several branches.

At the source of the Neva River on Orekhovy Island, opposite the city of Shlisselburg, the Oreshek fortress is located. The fortress was founded in 1323. Now it is one of the attractions of the Leningrad region. Distance from Oreshek fortress to Palace Square approximately 40 kilometers (distance in a straight line).

Along the Neva by ship

The Neva is actively used by tourism and transport campaigns. A large number of large and small tourist ships move along the Neva. You can take a short excursion along the canals of St. Petersburg by boat, or go to more long journey. For travel lovers there are organized river cruises from to , Astrakhan, Rostov-on-Don, Perm, Nizhny Novgorod, to the island of Valaam, to the island of Kizhi and other places and cities.

The Neva is an important transport artery. The river is suitable for the passage of ships with a carrying capacity of about 5,000 tons along its entire length. During navigation along the Neva, a large amount of cargo is transported. The movement of large ships is hampered by numerous bridges that are opened at night to allow ships to pass through. The shipping season on the Neva lasts approximately from the end of April to November. The Neva is part of the Volga-Baltic Waterway and the White Sea-Baltic Canal.

According to modern ideas, about 10,000-7,500 years ago, on the site of the present Baltic Sea, there was a closed freshwater Ancylus basin (Ancylovo Lake). The reservoir occupied only part of the Baltic Sea, it east coast was in the Kronstadt area. The level in Lake Ancylov was lower than in the ocean, and 3-4 m lower than in the modern Baltic Sea. The Neva River did not exist then. In its place flowed the Tosna River, which flowed through the present Sea Canal into Lake Ancylovoye beyond Kronstadt, and the Mga River, which directed its waters towards Praladoga. Praladoga itself was an isolated lake and had access to the Ancylus basin in the north of the Karelian Isthmus along the Priozersk-Vyborg line.

Approximately 7,500 years ago, as a result of land subsidence, the Jutland Peninsula separated from southern Sweden and the straits were formed: the Great Belt and the Little Belt. The waters of the North Sea poured through the straits into the Ancylus Basin, turning it into a sea. This sea received the name Litorina Sea after the name of the mollusk that inhabited it - an inhabitant of the coastal areas of the sea, highly desalinated by river waters.

The Littorina Sea occupied large area, than the current Baltic, and protruded into the land with a narrow strait along the Neva lowland; the water level in it was 7-9 m higher than today. Lake Ladoga was then a bay of the sea and connected with. him through a wide strait in the north of the Karelian Isthmus. During the existence of the Littorina Sea, two important processes took place - the rise of the land of Fenno-Scandia and the cooling of the climate of the globe. Due to climate cooling, part of the precipitation that fell in the highlands and subpolar continental regions stopped returning to the ocean and went to replenish eternal snow and ice. The flow of water into the ocean decreased and its level began to fall.

As a result of rising land and lowering ocean levels, the Littorina Sea began to shrink and retreat, forming as a result of this regression about 4000 years ago the Ancient Baltic Sea. The water level in this sea was 4-6 m higher than in the modern Baltic. The shore of the Ancient Baltic Sea can be traced in St. Petersburg in the form of a low gentle ledge, bordering the island part of the city in an arc.

The land uplift occurred unevenly. Northern part Lake Ladoga was located in an area of faster uplift of the earth's crust than the southern part. As a result of this, the channel in the north of the Karelian Isthmus gradually died out. Ladoga turned into a separate lake and began to overflow. The waters of the lake covered large areas of land on south coast, flooding peat bogs, woody vegetation and prehistoric human sites. The filling of the lake continued until its waters flooded the entire valley of the Mga River and approached the narrow isthmus that separated the Mgu and Tosna rivers. Finally, the waters of the lake, having risen by more than 12 m and exceeding sea level by 17-18 m, poured across the watershed. As a result of this breakthrough, about 4000-4500 years ago, the Neva River was formed. The Ivanovo rapids remained at the site of the breakthrough. Prehistoric man undoubtedly witnessed this event. The release of the waters of Lake Ladoga after the breakthrough obviously lasted a long time: it took time to develop the Neva channel. The waters of Lake Ladoga approached the breakthrough site along the valley of the Mga River, and after the breakthrough they took advantage of the already prepared valley of the Tosna River. Thus, the valley of the Neva River was not worked out by itself, but was made up of two alien valleys of the Mga and Tosna rivers.

Initially, the Neva flowed into the Gulf of Finland of the retreating Litorina Sea, and then the Ancient Baltic Sea in one branch. But the sea continued to recede, and islands that had previously been shallow rose from the water. The Neva waters rushed into the hollows between the islands. This is how several branches appeared. Subsequently, the rapidly receding water after the floods, carrying with it soil particles, formed new branches and deepened the existing ones. The flowing water completed the work. As a result, several dozen branches and channels arose, of which the modern delta of the Neva River consists.

Typically, islands and shoals of deltas of large rivers owe their origin to the deposition of river silt. The Neva River Delta is an exception. There is very little silt in the Neva water, and its subsidence could not lead to the formation of islands. the main role in the appearance of the islands of the Neva delta belongs to the work of the sea and river flow.

The Neva and its delta in outlines close to modern ones were formed relatively recently - about 2500 years ago, when the current relationship between the water levels of Lake Ladoga and the Baltic Sea was finally established. Thus, the Neva is a young river.

The described theory of the formation of the Neva River is not the only one in the scientific literature. Some authors hold different points of view.

The delta of the Neva River and the surrounding area, where St. Petersburg now stands, is an example of the dramatic changes that humans make to nature. Now it is difficult to imagine what the area looked like in the past. But the Novgorod scribal books that have reached us, Swedish maps, plans drawn up after the founding of the city, and other materials make it possible to trace how the appearance of the area changed and the history of its waters.

The territory of modern St. Petersburg has long been inhabited. Already in the 9th century. it belonged to Novgorod and was called Vodskaya Pyatina, the area on the right along the Neva was called Karelian land, on the left - Izhora land. In the XIV-XV centuries. a fairly large population for that time lived here. So, according to the Novgorod inventory books of 1471-1478. on Fomin Island (Petrogradsky Island) there were 30 courtyards, on Vasilyevsky Island - 24 courtyards, at the mouth of the Okhta River - 50 courtyards, etc. According to the inventory books of 1500, on the territory of the current city there were more than 1000 households with a population of 5500 people of both sexes. Finally, according to the Swedish plan of 1676, there were about 40 small villages in this territory. Some villages bore Swedish names, others - Finnish, and still others - Russian. Of the villages with Russian names, we note Pervushino on the site of the Summer Garden, Spasskoye near Smolny, Palenikha and Sebrino near the Liteiny Bridge, Usaditsa and Kalina on the banks of the Fontanka. The villages were scattered among forests and swamps. Their inhabitants were engaged in hunting, fishing, as well as the trade that Novgorod and then the Swedes actively conducted with the peoples of Europe. Small patches of land were used for vegetable gardens and arable land.

It was a swampy area, almost entirely covered with dense forest. There were wolves, bears, lynxes, and moose in the forests. The nature of the area at that time is given an idea of the Swedish names of land on the plans of the 17th century: “Land mixed with manure”, “Solid land”, etc. Petrogradsky island was called Berezovy, Vasilyevsky - Losiny, Aptekarsky - Dikiy, Dekabristov Island - Ivovoy . Such names of swamps and tracts as Chertovoye, Mokhovoe, Sukhoe, Mokroe, mentioned in various written sources of the early 18th century, also speak about the appearance of the area. The whole area along the right bank of the Malaya Neva near the Tuchkov Bridge and along the Zhdanovka River (former Bolotny Channel) at the beginning of the 18th century. On the maps it was listed under the name Mokrushi. The deep and marshy swamp was located in the area of Mikhailovsky Garden and Inzhenernaya Street. The impassable swamp was located near Gostiny Dvor between Dumskaya Street and Apraksin Lane, as well as on the site of the Technological Institute. In 1705, about 1/5 of the territory of present St. Petersburg was occupied by swamps. Finally, the character of the area is reminiscent of the still preserved street names: Borovaya, Glukhoozernaya, Bolotnaya, Torfyanaya, Polevaya, Lesnaya, Glinyanaya.

Before the founding of the city, there was significant more rivers than now. Rivers and streams crossed the area in different directions, forming many islands and peninsulas among the swamps. Thus, the census book of 1500 mentions White Island in the area of the current Finlyandsky station, Big and Small Galgeev Islands near Murzinka. The names of many villages mentioned in the same book are also characteristic: Ostrov, Ostrovki, Black Island, Spruce Island.

The rivers were fuller than they are now. The facts speak about this: a fairly large population once lived along the banks of the Slavyanka River - apparently, the river was navigable; the mouth of the Okhta River during the period of the existence of the Swedish fortress Nyenschanz on the site of Petrozavod was accessible to deep-draft ships; There were berths on the left bank of the Okhta.

This was the area and its river network before the founding of St. Petersburg. After the founding of St. Petersburg - May 16 (27), 1703 - on the orders of Peter I, first of all, the construction of clearings in the forest and the construction of roads began. These works, as well as the creation of military and port facilities, were carried out mainly during the first 5-7 years. Then they began to rebuild the city's waterways - Peter I dreamed of creating a port city, cut through by numerous rivers and canals, convenient for the navigation of ships and the movement of residents.

The first to be dug was the Fortress Canal along the entire length of Hare Island to supply water to the garrison of the Peter and Paul Fortress in case of a siege and to transport building materials (the canal was filled up). In 1706, a ditch was dug, now called the Kronverk channel. By the end of 1711, the Lebyazhy Canal appeared on the site of the Lebedinka River. A few years later, the Moika River was deepened and connected to the Fontanka River near the Summer Garden. By 1718, in addition to Lebyazhy, two more canals from the Neva to the Moika were dug: Krasny (filled up in 1765) and Winter Canal. In 1717, a fourth canal began to be laid from the Neva to the Moika, which was named Kryukov canal after the contractor Semyon Kryukov. By 1720-1725 the Lithuanian and Admiralteysky canals were built, the Rowing Port on Vasilyevsky Island was almost completed, etc.

After the death of Peter I, the construction of canals and clearing of rivers almost stopped, and those that existed fell into decay. Construction work resumed only after 1740.

Fontanka River until 1712-1714. was called Erik or Nameless Erik. It was a swamp river that formed islands and creeks in its flow. In 1743-1752 the river was cleared. In 1780-1789 it was cleared and deepened a second time, and the banks were covered with granite. It received its new name - Fountain River - from the fountains installed in the Summer Garden. The fountains were fed with water through a pipe drawn from a pond-pool located on the corner of what is now Grechesky Prospekt and Nekrasov Street (now a public garden), where the water flowed by gravity through the Ligovsky Canal.

In 1764-1790 The Ekaterininsky Canal (now the Griboedov Canal) was built. At the site of the canal, a Deaf River with almost stagnant, muddy water previously flowed. For its twists and turns, the Deaf River was also called Krivusha. In the upper reaches it had two branches - the Deaf Channels, which originated between the current Konyushennaya Square and the Arts Square. During high water, the Glukhaya River communicated through its channels with the Moika and Fontanka.

In the 70s of the XVIII century. Work was carried out to clear swamps and deepen lakes on Elagin Island. The excavated earth was used to build embankments and dams along the shore, protecting the surrounding area from flooding when the waters in the Neva rose. The dams have survived to this day. In 1782-1787 The Kryukov Canal was extended southward to the Fontanka River (originally this part of the canal was called the Nikolsky Canal). Subsequently, part of Kryukov dripped between the Neva and Blagoveshchenskaya Square (now Truda Square) was enclosed in a pipe and filled up in connection with the entry into operation of the current Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge and the improvement of the square.

In 1769, they began laying a canal from the Ekateringofka River to the east, towards the Neva River, along the route of the City Ditch (later the Obvodny Canal). The main work on the construction of the Obvodny Canal - the largest in the city - was carried out much later, in 1805-1834, mainly under the leadership of the prominent scientist and engineer P. P. Bazin. The canal played an extremely important role for the industrial and housing construction of the southern regions of the city, which then assumed a wide scope. In the 50-60s of the last century, continuous lines of ships and barges with various cargoes walked along the Obvodny Canal. In winter, they often broke the ice cover manually, using picks. To ease the pressure on intra-city waterways, around the same time the Vvedensky Canal was built, connecting the Fontanka River with the Obvodny Canal (filled in 1967), and opposite the Aleksandro-Nevsky Lavra, a branch was built from the Obvodny Canal to a basin for mooring ships.

At the end of the 18th century. The Moika River was cleaned and deepened, its banks were lined with granite. By 1804, the Pryazhka River was connected to the Neva by the short Salnobuyansky Canal.

During the construction of the Sea Trade Port (1874-1885), very large hydraulic engineering works were carried out to lay canals and clear rivers in the southwestern part of the Neva delta.

Special mention should be made of the construction of the Sea Canal. This artificial underwater slot, 30 km long, 80-120 m wide and about 9 m deep, crosses the Neva Bay from east to west. The canal connects the mouth of the Neva River with the open part of the Gulf of Finland and is extremely important for maritime navigation. Before its creation, large merchant ships were unloaded in Kronstadt. Warships built in the city's shipyards were put out to sea without equipment and only in Kronstadt were they finally armed. To prevent siltation, which is inevitable in shallow water with strong waves, part of the canal was enclosed in dams.

Significant works of the post-revolutionary period include the construction of the Rowing Canal on Krestovsky Island, the laying of new channels for the Smoleniya and Volkovka rivers, the construction of deep ponds in the Moscow and Primorsky Victory Parks, the reclamation of the Belaya Mel islands, the construction of an approach canal to the Marine Passenger Terminal on the Western Spit Vasilyevsky Island and, finally, washing out the wide shallow strait between Dekabristov Island and Volny Island and turning these islands into a single massif.

In the city in different time work was carried out on the construction and clearing of many other rivers and canals that were not mentioned above. But at the same time, some canals were filled up and rivers disappeared. If in the 18th and 19th centuries. the number of watercourses increased continuously, then in the 20th century. their number began to decrease.

Some canals at the very beginning were created as temporary, only to drain the area. For example, the Oblique Canal (started from the Neva, near the Liteyny Bridge, and went to the Fontanka), the Church Canal, laid along the Malaya Sadovaya street, Transverse channel in the Summer Garden.

Other canals, initially built as permanent ones, lost their significance over time and were filled in.

To supply the city with clean drinking water in 1718-1725 the Lithuanian Canal was built. It began near the village of Gorelovo from the Dudergofka river, flowing from the Dudergof lakes. The water flowed by gravity through the canal into the already mentioned pond-pool at the intersection of present-day Grechesky Avenue and Nekrasov Street, and then to the fountains of the Summer Garden. Within the city, the Ligovsky Canal was about 10 km long, and its total length was 20 km. In the middle of the 19th century. the canal turned out to be very neglected and turned into a dump of sewage. On the section from Nekrasova Street to the Obvodny Canal, it was enclosed in a cast-iron pipe and filled in by 1891, and on the section between the Obvodny Canal and Zabalkansky (now Moskovsky) Avenue - by 1910. Now the open section has been preserved behind the Krasnenkaya River to the west of Avtovo.

To protect against fires and in case of enemy attack in 1715-1720. The Admiralty Canal was dug (around the Admiralty and further along what is now Trade Union Boulevard, then crossed the Kryukov Canal at what is now Truda Square and flowed into the Moika River). The canal was finally filled in by the middle of the 19th century. Only a small section between the Kryukov Canal and the Moika, called the Krushtein Canal, has survived. In the 70s of the XVIII century. The canals running from the Neva to the courtyard of the Admiralty were filled in. For security purposes, the Mikhailovsky (Engineering) Castle was also surrounded by deep ditches and canals. Along the castle, parallel to the Fontanka, ran the Church Canal (filled up in 1829), along the Moika - the Resurrection Canal (enclosed in a pipe and filled in in 1879). Now a small fragment of one of the canals of the Mikhailovsky Castle has been restored.

The history of the canals on Vasilyevsky Island is noteworthy. According to the idea of Peter I, which served as the basis for the projects of D. Tresipi and A. Leblond (1715-1717), Vasilyevsky Island was to become the center of the city. The island was cut into rectangles by channels. The main canals crossed the island lengthwise and were supposed to serve as a passage sea vessels from the seaside to the eastern arrow. The construction of these canals began under Peter I, but was carried out with deviations from the plan and with errors. This ruined the initiative. Due to the lack of bridges and frequent floods, people were reluctant to settle on the island. The construction of new canals was soon stopped. The dug channels were subsequently found expedient to fill up, because, as stated in the decree of Catherine II in 1762, from them “there is only dirt and a harmful spirit comes from. health." The canals were finally filled in by 1705-1770. The current lines and avenues of Vasilyevsky Island are the sites of former canals or canal routes planned for construction.

Finally, some canals were filled in due to the high cost of constructing embankments or for the purpose of landscaping the area. Among such canals, completely or partially filled up at a later time, we will mention the Vvedensky Canal near the Vitebsky Station, the Mezhevoy and Turukhtanny Canals in the area seaport, Shkipersky Channel on Vasilyevsky Island, part of the Kryukov Canal between the Bolshaya Neva River and Truda Square.

Due to the drainage of the area and the construction of sewers, the supply of a number of natural watercourses has decreased. Rivers turned into rivers, rivers into streams, and streams enclosed in pipes ceased to exist altogether. For example, the Malenkaya River, which flowed near the Main Post Office, the Tentelevka River, which flowed into the Tarakanovka River, and the Chernyavka River, the right tributary of the Okhta River, disappeared. Compared to 1700, there are now several dozen fewer rivers in the city.

The number of bodies of water (lakes, ponds) has sharply decreased. Small lakes made planning difficult and interfered with construction. At different times, the Deaf Lake near the Aleksaidro-Nevsky Monastery, a group of ponds on the islands of Rezvy, Gutuevsky and Aptekarsky, a dock inside the Admiralty, and a pond-pool behind the Anichkov Palace were completely filled up.

In total, during the existence of the city, more than 50 rivers, rivers, streams and channels and about 200 lakes and ponds were filled up or enclosed in pipes.

Maintaining the city's rivers and canals in good condition was not an easy task. The banks often collapsed. The water became polluted with sewage. The bottom was littered with debris and cluttered with sunken ships and forest. Initially, the responsibility of strengthening the banks of rivers and canals with piles, boards or fascines rested with homeowners. It was strictly forbidden to throw garbage into rivers and canals. Vessels were not allowed to come close to the shore. But all the measures did not achieve the goal. Over time, the responsibility for maintaining the rivers passed to the authorities. But things changed radically for the better only after the construction of major embankments and the reconstruction of the entire sewerage system.

The outstanding architects who built the city correctly assessed the importance of the Neva River as a city-forming factor. The Neva was to become the main architectural axis of the city.

Simultaneously with the construction of canals, clearing and deepening of rivers, the construction of embankments was carried out. In some places, driving piles into the water and backfilling the banks with earth led to a reduction in the width of rivers and canals. In other places, on the contrary, the earth was removed and the width of the watercourse increased. Thus, the river banks were leveled and straightened. For the most part the modern bank has moved towards the river: at the Summer Garden, for example, by 50 m, at the Winter Palace by 90 m, on the spit of Vasilyevsky Island by almost 120 m, and in the area of Pirogovskaya embankment by 150-200 m.

The construction of expensive canals and embankments, the clearing and deepening of rivers was not primarily dictated by considerations of beautifying the city. In the past, waterways were the most convenient, especially in marshy areas. In terms of the abundance of water, St. Petersburg ranks one of the first places in the world. Almost a fifth of its territory - about 110 km 2 - is occupied by water.