Navigation maps of Lake Ladoga. How to throw yourself on Lake Ladoga

general characteristics

The relief of the bottom of Lake Ladoga is characterized by a gradual increase in depth from south to north. The bottom of the northern part is uneven, furrowed with depressions. Depths exceeding 100 meters prevail here. It is in the north, near the islands of Kilpisaret, that the maximum depth of the lake is 230 meters. The depth of the depression against the Kurkijoki skerries reaches 220 meters. Not far from Priozersk, as well as near the Sortaval skerries, depths of up to 150 meters are known. The bottom relief of the southern part is calmer and more smooth. The depths in this part of the lake range from 20-50 meters and are close to the average depth of the entire reservoir - 51 meters.

The total area of ​​Lake Ladoga is 18,135 square kilometers, 457 of which are islands. Only islands exceeding 1 hectare in area, there are more than 650, of which about 500 are located off the northwestern coast. The bizarre outlines of rocky islands, sometimes reaching a height of 60-70 meters, are combined with the indented coast of the mainland, into which numerous bays deeply cut. The largest of them - Lekhmalakhti, Naismeri, Kurkiyoksky, Yakimvarsky, Sortavala - have a length of more than 10 kilometers.

From the steep shores, a delightful panorama of islands opens up, towering above the silvery surface of the lake. The figures speak eloquently about the ruggedness of the shores of northern Ladoga: from overall length The coastline of the lake is 1570 kilometers, 790 are accounted for by the skerry region.

The high northern coast drops to the south and gradually passes into the calmer western and eastern shores. The eastern shore is not indented, only two large bays protrude into it - Lunkulanlahti and Uksunlahti, covered from the side of the lake by one of the largest islands of Ladoga - Mantsinsari. The eastern coast (in the southern part) is surrounded by wide sandy beaches. The west coast is even less indented. It is overgrown with dense mixed forest and shrubs, coming close to the water's edge, along which placers of boulders of various shapes and sizes predominate. Ridges of stones often go far from the capes into the lake, forming dangerous underwater reefs.

The western shore passes into the low and swampy southern shore, bordered, like a curb, by thickets of aquatic plants. The coast here is replete with shoals, rocky reefs and banks. Therefore, the shallow southern part is fraught with many dangers for navigation.

Thirty-two rivers carry their waters to Ladoga. This is the full-flowing Svir, fraught with a huge reserve of energy, and small rivers of the northern coast, lost among the forests and meadows, and the rectilinear Volkhov, and flowing through many lakes of Vuoksa. There are short rivers, the sources of which lie 20-40 kilometers from Ladoga. Others stretched out for more than one hundred kilometers, and their waters overcome a long way before they join the lake.

No matter how the rivers of the Ladoga basin differ from each other in their size, together they serve as the main source of nutrition for the lake. Every year the rivers bring here about 68 cubic kilometers of water. In high-water years, this figure can rise to 100. The share of rain and snow involved in the replenishment of water reserves in the lake accounts for 15 percent, ground water- only 2 percent of the total inflow.

River waters flow into Ladoga fairly evenly throughout the year. In that leading role plays an artificial regulation of the flow of large rivers, which became possible after the construction of a number of structures and hydroelectric facilities.

In the spring, the southern river, the Volkhov, is opened before anyone else. It carries a huge mass of water at this time of the year. By winter, its value in the total inflow decreases. The flow of the Vuoksa (Burnaya) River is most evenly distributed over the seasons, followed by the Svir. This leads to the fact that in winter, when many rivers are depleted, the filling of the lake occurs due to these two tributaries.

Only the full-flowing Neva flows out of Ladoga. Every second it takes about 2500 cubic meters of water, which in less than a day manages to go all the way from the source to the Gulf of Finland. The length of the Neva is 74 kilometers. Throughout its length, the bottom of the river lies below the surface of the Baltic Sea. If, for some reason, the water level in Ladoga fell 4.5-5 meters below the average, then the Neva would flow back, and the waters of the Gulf of Finland would enter the lake.

Lake Ladoga (has the second name Ladoga, formerly referred to as Nevo) is considered the largest freshwater reservoir in Russia. Ladoga in its popularity is only slightly inferior to Baikal, known throughout the world. Hundreds of tourists come to its coast every year to enjoy the wonderful views and capture the beauty of these places in memory.

In this article, you will learn the main features of this reservoir - where it is located, what characteristics it has, what surrounds the lake, what flora and fauna it has, what it is like in winter and summer periods.

Lake Ladoga belongs to two territories - the eastern and northern shores are located in the Republic of Karelia, and the southern and western ones please residents Leningrad region. The lake belongs to the basins of the Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea.

Characteristics

lake area

If we take the total area of ​​Ladoga, then we get an impressive figure - 17,870 km², and if we also take into account the islands, then 18,320 km² comes out. The volume of water in the lake is 838 km³. The maximum recorded width is 125 kilometers, and the total coastal length is as much as 1570 kilometers.

The height above sea level is small - only 4.8 meters, but the depth is tens more. It is impossible to accurately measure the depth throughout the lake, it is uneven - in the northern part the spread in numbers is from 70 to 220 meters, in the southern part - from 19 to 70 meters. But it was possible to measure the greatest depth, in Lake Ladoga it is 230 meters.

Water temperature

Like the entire Leningrad region, Lake Ladoga is in a cold and rainy haze. all year round. average temperature water in warm periods of the year is about +19. In autumn it drops to +10 degrees, and in winter frosts it drops to -3 degrees. In August, if the year turned out to be successful, you can catch a temperature of +24 degrees on the surface of the lake, but closer to the bottom it will be only +17 degrees. At a depth of more than 200 meters, the water temperature is almost always +3, +4.

Nature of Ladoga

The northern and eastern coast (Karelia) belongs to the middle taiga zone, and part of the lake in the Leningrad region belongs to the southern taiga subzone. The northern subzone is characterized by the appearance of mosses and shrubs (mainly blueberries, blueberries), an abundance of spruce forests; dark coniferous forests are characteristic of the southern part, linden and maple are sometimes found, but the moss cover is less developed.

In Ladoga, scientists count more than 110 species of aquatic plants. There are more than 76 subspecies of blue-green algae alone, and there are also green algae and diatoms. Together with the violent underwater world found a haven and planktonic animals. The lake is home to cladocerans, copepods, rotifers, daphnia, cyclops, water mites, a wide variety of worms, mollusks and other crustaceans.

The waters of Ladoga are rich not only in ticks but in unicellular organisms, more than 50 species of fish are found here. For example, Ladoga slingshot, trout, whitefish, salmon, bream, smelt, rudd, pike perch, catfish, cheese, asp, palia, roach, perch, pike, sturgeon, silver bream, burbot and many others. The region of the lake richest in seafood is the shallow southern zone, where the depth is only 20 meters. But in the northern deep-water area, the catch will be less diverse.

In addition to fish, this reservoir can also show tourists more than 200 species of birds. The most attractive place for birds to live is the southern zone, however, many birds can be seen in Karelia. On the territory of Lake Ladoga there are: gulls, river ducks, geese, swans, cranes and waders, eagle owls, grebes, short-eared owls, ospreys, red-footed falcons, herbalists, golden plovers and even white-tailed eagles.

Lake Ladoga has become a habitat for the world's only representative of pinnipeds - the Ladoga ringed seal (a special subspecies of the ringed seal). In total, there are about 4000 of them in the world, therefore these animals are listed in the Red Book and are strictly protected by law.

Cities

The following cities are located on the shores of the lake itself: Priozersk, Novaya Ladoga, Sortavala, Shlisselburg, Pitkyaranta and Lahdenpokhya. The largest of them are Priozersk and Novaya Ladoga, although the number of people there does not exceed 50 thousand.

Larger cities are located near Lake Ladoga, for example, St. Petersburg. From the northern capital of Russia, you can get to Lake Ladoga different ways, starting from public transport (trains, buses, trains, ferries) and ending with travel by car. At the same time, the travel time will be no more than three hours, and if you use the car and lay the right route on the map, you can manage it in one and a half.

From the northern part, the nearest city to Ladoga is Petrozavodsk. You can also get there by car or public transport. However, the road will have to spend a little more than 4 hours.

Climate and seasons of Lake Ladoga

It is no secret for avid tourists that in the autumn and winter months Ladoga looks extremely inhospitable. Even in Karelia, where there are picturesque cliffs and wild flowers making their way among thick grass, Lake Ladoga is inhospitable.

During cold periods, the Arctic anticyclone acts on the lake, which brings strong gusts of wind, storms, prolonged rains and sub-zero air temperatures. In October, the storm season begins, it becomes damp and wet, and frequent fog appears on the lake. The only outlet for lovers of autumn holidays is September, this month Ladoga is more or less ready to share its beauties - heavy rains do not come often, water surface calm and clean, the air retains a piece of summer.

In summer, the reservoir kindly welcomes guests with a southern anticyclone, delighting with picturesque places and clear water. Only seasoned people can swim here, but everyone will be able to enjoy the beauties. The average air temperature in July and August exceeds +20 degrees, so tourists will definitely be able to capture the sun glare playing on the surface of Ladoga.

Lake Ladoga - the largest freshwater lake in Europe - is located in the north-west of Russia, in a harsh region with majestic nature and rich history. It was here that Russian statehood was born, the first Russian cities appeared.

The history of the lake, the unique and rich nature - all this makes Lake Ladoga a valuable cultural object and a beautiful corner of Russia.

Origin of the lake

The lake was formed by the melting of the glacier, and this process lasted several millennia. Several times the giant lake either merged with the waters of the ancient ocean, or again found itself surrounded by firmament. Finally, about three thousand years ago, a pond pressed by the banks broke through to Baltic Sea the Neva river.

The gradual formation of the lake was reflected in the unique bottom topography: if in the northern part of the lake the depth reaches 230 m, then in the “shallow” southern part it is 20-70 m. The difference in landscape is also explained by the fact that the reservoir belongs to different natural zones. The Karelian (northern) coast lies on the Baltic crystalline shield, it is steep and rocky. The southern coast, located in the Leningrad region, consists of sedimentary rocks. The coast gently goes under water, forming sandy shoals and beaches.

Lake Ladoga on the map looks like the footprint of some giant beast. The length of the reservoir from north to south is 219 km, and from west to east - 138 km. The huge area of ​​​​the lake - over 18,000 square meters. km - holds about 900 cubic meters. km of water. More than 40 rivers and streams fill it with their waters, and only one - the full-flowing Neva - flows out. Some rivers connect Lake Ladoga with other lakes - with Onega, Ilmen, Saimaa.

There are many islands on the lake - more than 660. In the north of the lake there are the famous Ladoga skerries - a magnificent necklace of a series of rocky islands separated by narrow straits. The main diamond of this stunning unique beauty natural phenomenon- the holy island of Valaam with the famous Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery.

History of the lake

Lake Ladoga occupies a special place in the history of our country. The name of the reservoir comes from the name of the ancient Russian city of Ladoga, but there is another version: on the contrary, the city is named after the lake. Until the 13th century, the lake was called "great lake Nebo". In Finnish, the word "nevo" means: "swamp", "quagmire".

Fateful events that are reflected in culture and history are associated with Lake Ladoga:

• the famous route from the Varangians to the Greeks passed through Ladoga;
• in the 14th century, Oreshek, the oldest Russian fortress, was built at the source of the Neva;
• at the end of the XIV century, the largest Orthodox monasteries were built on the islands - Valaam and Konevsky, famous for their missionary activities;
• Novgorodians kept a navy here;
• battles took place on the lake and its shores Northern war 1701-1721;
• Road of life during the Second World War.

Since 1721, the coast of Lake Ladoga has become completely Russian. Even then, Peter I appreciated the harsh nature of the lake, its deceit: a complete calm in a few tens of minutes can be replaced by a real storm, and the waves rise to a height of 4-5 meters. Such inconstancy of the lake made Russian emperor to say the famous words that only one who walked along Ladoga can be considered a real sailor.

The road of life

There are tragic pages in the history of the lake that cause tears of joy and grief at the same time - this is a heroic chronicle of the salvation of hundreds of thousands human lives from besieged Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War.

The road of life through Lake Ladoga connected the dying city with the country and saved it from destruction. In the period from September 1941 to March 1944, 1,600 thousand tons of various cargoes were transported through the water and ice of the lake and more than 1,300 thousand people were evacuated.

In winter, goods and people were transported on the famous "lorries" - GAZ-AA. With the melting of the ice, navigation on the water began. In addition to 15 barges, metal vessels, which were built in Leningrad, took part in the navigation.

The road of life passed near the front line and needed protection. It was defended by anti-aircraft artillery divisions and fighter regiments, but thin ice and bombing destroyed about a thousand trucks.

In memory of the feat of the Soviet people on the Road of Life, 7 monuments, 112 memorial pillars along the highway and railway. The most famous of the monuments is the "Broken Ring" by architect V. G. Filippov.

Why you should visit Lake Ladoga

Ladoga is one of the many water bodies in our country, a visit to which will bring great pleasure. From year to year, in any season, thousands of fishermen, pilgrims and just vacationers flock to the shores of the lake. Each of them has their own interests, but the stunning beauty of the water surface, bizarre islands, majestic shores and, of course, the harsh nature of the lake leave no one indifferent. You need to make friends with him, and then the relationship with the lake will last for many years, bringing a lot of impressions.

So why is it worth visiting the shores of a wonderful lake? Here are the main reasons:

1. . More than 50 species of fish live in the lake, the most famous of which are salmon, whitefish, Ladoga smelt, pike perch. You can fish at any time of the year with consistently great results.
2. Rich flora and fauna. The nature of Lake Ladoga is unique and diverse: here you can find southern plant species and tundra flora; hares, wolves, bears, elk and other species of animals live in the forests, and the Ladoga seal lives in the north of the lake.
3. Diving. Thanks to fresh and clean water, its low temperature, the artifacts of bygone times lying at the bottom are perfectly preserved and are of scientific and research interest.
4. Curious natural phenomena: mirages, brontides (underground rumble).
5. Visiting holy places.
6. Developed tourist infrastructure.
7. Rest on sandy beaches.
8. Complete absence of mosquitoes.

Lake Ladoga - mysterious, majestic and beautiful, will always attract thousands of tourists seeking to join its harsh beauty. The wealth of waters and shores, the bizarre landscape and the history of the lake stagger the imagination and fill hearts with love for Russia, its nature and culture.

Europe is famous for its beauty and attractiveness. Its nature has more than once become the property of songs and legends, fairy tales and poems, writings and stories. Among all the variety stand out expanses of water. Lake Ladoga is a bright representative. Its main difference from other water bodies lies in the rich flora and fauna.

general characteristics

Lake Ladoga is called the largest in Europe. Its area exceeds 18 thousand square kilometers. Interestingly, 457 kilometers of water area is occupied by the islands of Lake Ladoga, which in themselves are not so large. For example, the area of ​​the largest land areas located in the middle of the lake surface does not exceed one hectare. And in total there are more than 650 pieces. Nature has placed the islets so that over 500 of them are located in the northwestern part of the lake.

The rocky islands are distinguished by their bizarre shape and unusual outlines. Their height is 60-70 meters. It is especially interesting to observe the harmonious combination of coastline and island lines. The islands are separated by numerous bays that cut into land areas.

Mother nature has been working on the artistic and aesthetic design of this corner for more than one millennium. the globe. Lake Ladoga is one of the oldest water bodies. In its lifetime, it has seen a lot, survived amazing events, which can be judged by the numerous remains and remains on its banks and bottom.

New research has made it possible to find out more accurate parameters of the water body. Lake Ladoga is 83 kilometers wide and 219 kilometers long. Without the island territory, it occupies a total of 17,578 square kilometers, which makes it possible to call it the largest European lake.

The length of the coastline exceeds one and a half thousand kilometers. Scientists managed to calculate the coefficient of its irregularity. It is 2.1, which allows us to speak about the presence of multiple bays. The bowl of the lake is distinguished by its impressive capacity, which is 908 cubic kilometers.

lake depth

The average depth of Lake Ladoga is 51 meters. However, if we talk about the largest, then the figure already grows to 230 meters. The map of the depths of Lake Ladoga also makes it possible to judge impressive indicators. It usually marks the areas that are considered the deepest.

The bottom relief is not uniform. Therefore, it is not surprising that the depth of Lake Ladoga is different throughout its entire water area. For example, in the southern part, the bottom is flat and smooth. This helps to reduce depth. The decrease is observed from north to south. In the northern part, the depth reaches 10-100 meters, and in the southern part, this value is an order of magnitude lower and varies in the range from 3 to 7 meters. The bottom is distinguished by rocky spits and shoals, you can even find clusters of boulders.

Bottom relief

In general, such differences in depth are explained by the features of the geological structure of the bottom. Which, in turn, is due to its impressive length. Geological structure leaves its mark also on the lake basin and its appearance. Interestingly, the bottom relief seems to resemble islands. He copies them exactly. Thus, mountains and plains, depressions and potholes, hills and slopes can be observed at the bottom of the lake.

Most often, depressions up to 100 meters deep predominate. There are more than 500 of them in the northwestern part of the lake. It is interesting that such formations are concentrated in groups. And they, in turn, create a kind of labyrinth of bays. This phenomenon is called skerry. The map of the depths of Lake Ladoga allows you to verify this.

The slope of the lake has an average of 0.0105 and the angle averages 0.35 degrees. This value near the northern coast is already 1.52 degrees, and near the eastern coast - 0.03. This is also considered quite an important indicator.

Animal world

In a country like Russia, Lake Ladoga plays a huge role. They call him a supplier drinking water for the northern capital of the state - St. Petersburg. However, in addition to this, a huge number of a wide variety of animals live in Ladoga. The main place among them, of course, is occupied by fish.

To date, more than 58 varieties and species of fish are known to exist in the waves of Lake Ladoga. It is interesting that there are those who are "guests" in Ladoga. These include sea eel, Baltic salmon and sturgeon. They only occasionally swim into the waters of the lake. permanent place their habitat is the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic.

Unfortunately, due to the massive catching of fish today, far from all of its former inhabitants have remained in Ladoga. Sometimes representatives of the fish kingdom disappear for no apparent reason. For example, sterlet. It is no longer found in Ladoga waters, and the researchers have not found the reasons for this.

New species

But new inhabitants appeared in the lake. They are represented by peled and carp. The latter appeared in Ladoga relatively recently - in 1952-1953. The reason for this was that it was bred in the nearby lake Ilmen. The fate of the peled was similar. It "wandered" to Ladoga from the Karelian Isthmus, where it was actively bred in the late 50s of the last century.

In addition, in the waters you can also find such fish as palia, salmon, pike perch, whitefish, bream, trout, ripus and vendace. They are distinguished by their value in the field of industry. These species are called commercial. There are also less valuable inhabitants of the lake. Among them are roach, smelt, pike, ruff, blue bream, bleak and bream. They are considered no less tasty, but their use in food is represented by smaller volumes.

Probably, it is impossible to really name all the fish that are found in the waters of Lake Ladoga. There are so many inhabitants there that work on their discovery and study continues even now.

On the brink of extinction

Some fish of Lake Ladoga are now on the verge of extinction. Among them are those that are considered valuable in the industrial field. The clearest example is salmon. In Ladoga there are individuals whose weight exceeds 10 kilograms. They are real giants. Interestingly, the fish goes to spawn in late spring and summer. Young animals live there for no more than a couple of years, and then return to the lake.

Now the rivers are littered with lumber, so salmon spawning has become difficult. In this regard, it was decided to suspend the mass catch of fish. The corresponding law was passed in 1960.

Another valuable fish is palia. She lives in the northern part of the lake. In winter, it can be found at a depth of more than 70 meters, and in the warm months it rises to 20-30. Reproduction occurs in mid-autumn.

Live in Ladoga and whitefish. Now there are seven varieties of them in the lake. Four of them, namely lake Ladoga, Ludog, black and Valaam, are considered exclusively riverine, and three others - Svir, Vuoksa and Volkhov - can live both in the lake and in the river. On average, during the breeding season, each individual lays about nine thousand eggs in October and November.

More recently, people were massively engaged in catching whitefish, and now this species is on the verge of extinction. A peculiar reason for this can be called the construction of the dam of the Volkhovskaya hydroelectric power station. The fish could not overcome such an obstacle, and the measures people took to do this did not save the situation.

Rivers of Lake Ladoga

Now let's talk about water arteries.

The rivers of Lake Ladoga are very numerous. This allows us to speak of its wide drainage basin. Its area exceeds 250 thousand square kilometers. Not every lake can boast of such figures.

Finland and Karelia, located nearby, share water resources with Ladoga, the rivers also carry their waves from the Novgorod, Pskov and Vologda lands. The water bodies of the Arkhangelsk and Leningrad regions make their contribution.

In total, about 45 thousand streams and rivers flow into Lake Ladoga. Interestingly, before becoming part of Ladoga, the waters of the rivers accumulate in the nearest lakes, including Saima, Onega and Ilmen. They, in turn, make it possible to form such tributaries of the main Ladoga as the Volkhov, Vuokse and Svir. In total, they bring more than 57 cubic kilometers of water into the lake every year. This is approximately 85 percent of the total water mass that accumulates in the geographical feature per year.

All other tributaries are called small. There is no explanation for this, because among them there are such impressive full-flowing rivers as Janisjoki, Syas and Tulemajoki.

It should be understood that the tributaries of the Ladoga are quite young - by the standards of rivers - in age. They are only 10-12 thousand years old. That is why most of them have not yet formed wide valleys. They flow among rocky areas and steep banks.

From the northeastern part of the lake lies the Baltic crystal shield. That is why the most full-flowing and loud tributaries flow into Ladoga from that side. Very often they turn into full-flowing turbulent streams, encountering rocks on their way that are quite difficult to wash away.

Svir tributary

Lake Ladoga is located in Russia, and the Svir is called its most full-flowing stream. This river flows from the Svir Bay of Lake Onega, and flows into Ladoga from the southeast.

Its length is about 224 kilometers. The river includes two large tributaries, which are called Pasha and Oyat. Interestingly, the origin of this object is still shrouded in secrets and mysteries.

The Svir River itself and its banks are not distinguished by the picturesqueness inherent in Ladoga. The description of Lake Ladoga tells about the amazing beauty of its shores, which Svir cannot boast of. Its coast is covered with alder bushes and wetlands, coniferous forests are found. Basically, the banks of the Svir River are accumulations of stones and boulders.

In ancient times, the Svir was famous for its numerous rapids. They could not be called high, but heaps of boulders were a serious obstacle to navigation. Local residents very often rescued sailors by helping them cope with crossings. Very often, residents of coastal villages and cities themselves served as sailors, pilots, and even captains. Proximity to a full-flowing river left its mark on the character and lifestyle of people.

But if we talk about the animal world, then it is quite large. It is in the waters of this river that salmon spawning is often observed. In the spring, you can meet flocks of these fish that head to the mouth of the Svir. The Oyat and Pasha tributaries play the main role in spawning. Ichthyologists believe that it is these rivers that can contribute to the revival of salmon in Lake Ladoga.

When to visit

Lake Ladoga has been shrouded in secrets, riddles and legends for centuries. All this, of course, attracts many tourists. People also go to Ladoga to admire the amazing beauty of nature, to see one of the largest lakes in the world with their own eyes.

In order not to miscalculate, you should know when it is better to go, what time to give preference to.

A trip here in May and June will be foggy in the truest sense of the word. In late May and early June, thick fogs descend on Ladoga, and it is quite easy to get lost in them. In such cases, it is very important to take with you experienced guides who will help you get to the right way and see all the beauty around.

This time is considered cold enough for those places. In the evening, skerries can be covered with a thin crust of ice, and the wind brings dampness. Of particular interest are a few hours after sunny weather. At such moments, the lake shines with calmness and attractiveness. However, in the next moment, a breeze comes up. It causes meter-long waves in the bays, although the lake off the coast continues to be distinguished by tranquility.

One of the most striking advantages of this time, of course, after the attractive appearance of the coastal territory, is the complete absence of mosquitoes. Dignity is also called the extraordinary purity of the lake. The bottom, even at a depth of several meters, can be seen very clearly. It is believed that if you drink water at such a moment, then happiness will not be long in coming. The water itself is clean and delicious.

Those people who appreciate comfort and coziness should visit Ladoga in the last two months of summer. This period is considered the best for a good rest. In this case, the temperature of air and water exceeds the optimal mark, allowing you to swim in the waves of the lake and sunbathe on the shore. On the islands you can pick berries and mushrooms, which are in abundance there.

Those people who travel to Ladoga in order to admire the local beauties should choose autumn months when literally the entire coast casts gold and bronze. In October, there is a deterioration in the weather, which is accompanied by fogs and storms. At such times, you can meet many artists and landscape painters here. They try to capture the exuberant beauty of Ladoga.

Lake Ladoga in winter is also an interesting sight. However, it is quite cold here at this time of the year. But the middle of the lake does not freeze even when severe frosts because of the impressive depth.

Those people who want to visit this corner of our vast Motherland should look for Lake Ladoga on the map. Many travel companies offer complete itineraries. If you wish, you can choose one of the suggested ones or create your own.

A trip to the coast of Lake Ladoga will surely be remembered by everyone. This area is distinguished by the amazing beauty of nature at any time of the year, the diversity of flora and fauna, as well as the opportunity to have a great rest.

It lies almost in the center of the Great Lakes region, at an altitude of 4.95 meters above sea level, lies between the parallels 59°51` and 61°46` north latitude and the meridians 29°48 and 32°58` east longitude from Greenwich. With an oval shape, somewhat pointed to the north, the lake stretches almost along the meridian, in the direction of which it has the greatest length of 196.5 kilometers. The greatest width of the lake is almost in the middle of its length, at the parallel of 61 ° north latitude, and between the mouths of the Vuoksa and Olonka, 124 kilometers.

To the north, the shores of the lake quickly narrow and end with the Hien-Selke Bay, and to the south, the shores narrow slowly and end with the vast bays of Shlisselburg and Volkhov, separated by a wide ledge. The length of the coastline is 1071 km., Of which 460 km., Occupying part of the western coast, from the border from the Polutorny stream to the source of the Neva, the entire southern coast and part of the eastern coast to the village of Pogranichnye Konduzhi belong to Russia, the rest 610 km. belong to Finland.

The surface of the lake, including the islands, is 15923 km2, of which 8881.1 km2 in Russia and in Finland 7041.6 km2 five times larger and ten times larger than the Saimaa, not to mention the rest of Western European lakes.

Lake Ladoga serves as a receiver of a huge amount of water, the only drain of which is the high-water Neva, flowing from the southwestern corner of the lake in two branches, separated by Orekhov Island, and flowing into St. Petersburg. Of the tributaries directly flowing into Lake Ladoga, the following are remarkable: in the western part of the lake: the Vuoksa River, flowing from Lake Saimaa and forming the famous Imatra waterfall, flows into Lake Ladoga partly directly at Kexholm, partly through Lake Suvanto by the Taipala River; in the northern part: Gellyulya, Laskila, Uksu, Tuloma, and Minola; in the eastern part: Vidlitsa, Tuloks, Olonka, Obzha, Svir with Oyat and Pasha and Voronega; in the southern part: Connecting with Tikhvinka, Volkhov, Kobona, Lava, Scheldikha and Naziya. The tributaries of the Volkhov, Syas and Svir serve as the beginning of three water systems: Vyshnevolotskaya, Tikhvinskaya and Mariinskaya, connecting Lake Ladoga with the Volga basin, and each of these rivers, together with the rest of the southern rivers, when it flows into the lake, is connected or crossed by old and new bypasses the Ladoga canals, which stretch along the entire southern and often eastern shore of the lake, from the source of the Neva to the mouth of the Svir.

With the help of its numerous tributaries, Lake Ladoga captures, in addition to part of Finland, St. Petersburg and Olonets, almost the entire Novgorod and some parts of the Pskov, Vitebsk, Tver and Arkhangelsk regions. The Ladoga basin includes a space of 250280.3 km2 Although Lake Ladoga, being between the basin and and, occupies a very advantageous position, and in terms of vastness, depth and excellent navigation conditions it itself constitutes an inland sea, but its navigation and trade and economic importance are extremely insignificant, due to the Ladoga bypass canals, which made the construction of sea-type ships necessary for navigation in the lake completely redundant.

Bay, Lake Ladoga and rocks (photo by Oleg Semenenko)

Shores of Lake Ladoga. From the mouth of the Vuoksa to the source of the Neva, the coast consists of clayey and loamy sediments, bordered by sandy soil, with numerous boulders. Up to the mouth of Taipala, the coast is still quite elevated, but further to the south, a low-lying desert coast extends, partly sandy, partly covered with thick. The southern coast of the lake, between the source of the Neva and the mouth of the Svir, is low-lying, almost treeless and consists of clay and swampy; formed by sediments of the rivers flowing into the lake, it is bounded from the south by an elevated ridge of limestones of the Silurian system, which, in all likelihood, was once the shore of Lake Ladoga. At present, they are located at a distance of 3 to 30 kilometers from it, and only near the mouth of the Svir, limestones with their rocky cliffs cut into a wedge into the shore of the lake, to Cape Storozhensky, forming the outskirts of the peninsula, which protrudes far into the lake.

Eastern coast, from the mouth of the Svir to the lake. Karkun-lamba, at first low-lying and partly swampy, gradually rises and consists of clay and loamy soil, which turns into pure sand on the very coastline. The coast of the northwestern part of the lake is the complete opposite from the southeastern one. Here, the shores and those adjacent to them are elevated, rocky and consist mainly of granite, partly gneiss, syenite and other crystalline rocks, as well as various kinds of marbles.

From Kexholm to the north and further east to Impilax, the granite gradually changes from light gray and coarse-grained to bluish-gray and fine-grained, very strong and hard; land, and the soil is sandy-clay, filled with boulders of various types, and granite is found only in low-lying capes protruding into the lake, consisting of fine-grained red granite.

Islands according to their composition and height they correspond to the coast near which they are located. Almost all the islands of the northern part of the lake are elevated, consisting mainly of granite and hard rocks. rocks, while the islands in the southern part are low-lying, partly swampy and surrounded by shoals and reefs. Due to the many islands and the significant indentation of the shores, the northern part of the lake is very rich in bays and bays closed from the winds, which are very convenient places for a quiet parking of ships, in the southern part of the lake there are no similar places with almost everything, as a result of which ships are here, with strong winds, forced to defend in open lake, mainly in the open and dangerous Koshkinsky roadstead.

Of the islands in the northern part of the lake, near the shores, the most remarkable are: the island of Kuko-sari, lying at the mouth of the Vuoksa River. In Kronober Bay: Kilpodan, Korpan and Teposari, the last two of which form the entrance to the bay, representing a vast bay, completely calm for ships. Sarolin Island, which is the left bank of the Yakimvar Bay, 12 km. sunk into the mainland and representing a safe bay in all sorts of ways.

Of the islands in the middle of the northern part of the lake stand out: the Valaam group, consisting of 40 islands, which stretch along the parallel, at a distance of about 20 km. from the extreme islands of the northern skerries. The main and largest of this group is Valaam Island (26.2 km2), which has a very irregular shape, but with the islands Skitsky, Predtechensky and Nikonovsky closely adjacent to it, it is represented as an equilateral triangle. In its northwestern part, on a rock, is the Valaam-Preobrazhensky Monastery, deep in the bay, with a convenient pier. To the east of Valaam stretch the islands: Baiovye and Krestovye. To the south-west of the island: Gange-pa with a lighthouse, Muarka, Yalaya and Rahma-sari, lying almost on the same parallel. To the south are the islands: Suri Verko-sari and Voschaty or Vasiya-sari. To the south of this last island lies Konevets (6.5 km2), on which the Konevsky-Rozhdestvensky Monastery is located.

Lake Ladoga (photo by Dmitry Savin)

Depth Lake Ladoga is generally very significant; distributed unevenly, depending on the height of the banks: the steeper and higher the banks adjacent to the water's edge, the greater the depth and vice versa. From the southern low-lying coast, the depth, starting from half a meter, slowly and gradually increases; having passed the reefs and shoals that protrude from this coast, it begins to increase rapidly, so that in the middle of the lake it is from 60 to 110 m, further to the north it increases to 140, and in some places reaches 200 meters. Thus, the Ladoga bottom has a very significant slope from south to north, and it consists of a series of more or less irregular ledges, on which in places there are significant hillocks and hills, in places there are depressions and depressions. So, between lines of equal depths of 60 and 80 m, there are bottom elevations, at which the depth is only 32 m, and in the northwestern part of the lake, between lines of equal depths of 10 and 140 m, there are depths of 200 or more m.

Water level and currents. The water level of Lake Ladoga is subject to constant fluctuations, depending on the totality of all meteorological circumstances in the entire lake basin, as a result of which the height of lake water, not only in different years, but also at different times of the same year, is very different. From time immemorial, there was a belief about the seven-year periodicity of changes in the water level of the lake, according to which the horizon of lake water constantly rises for 7 years, and constantly decreases over the next 7 years, was completely refuted by 14-year observations, which were produced on the island of Valaam and of which there was no correctness in changing the position of the water level.

Opening and freezing. First of all, covered thin ice shallow southern part of the lake, usually at the beginning of November, sometimes at the end of October, at a temperature of about 5 degrees Celsius. This thin ice or fat is carried by the current into the Neva, on which the autumn ice drift begins, which does not last long. In the lake itself, with increasing frost, the entire southern part of the lake is covered with ice, both near the coast itself and in the space between the reefs and shoals protruding from it. Further, to the north of the parallel of the Sukhsky lighthouse, under the influence of winds that easily break the ice that forms, the lake does not freeze for a long time, and at great depths of the northern part it freezes only in December, often in January, in other years the middle of the lake remains unfrozen all winter .

Generally the lake is covered solid ice only in the most severe winters, with ordinary frosts, only the outskirts, 20-30 kilometers from the coast, are covered with ice. It is rather difficult to determine whether the middle of the lake is frozen or not, due to the remoteness of the middle of the lake from the shore. Fishermen performing under-ice seine fishing determine this with great accuracy by the current in the holes: if a current is observed in the holes corresponding to the direction of the wind, then the middle of the lake remains unfrozen, while the absence of a current shows that the entire lake is covered with solid ice.

The opening of Lake Ladoga, like freezing, also begins at the southern shore of the lake, usually at the end of March - the first half of April, simultaneously with the opening of the southern tributaries and warm water, which has a direct impact on the opening of the Neva, which always starts from the source, at Shlisselburg, and two ice drifts occur on it: the river proper, which does not last long, and the very long Ladoga ice, which almost never passes immediately.