Belonging to the river sea basin of Lake Ladoga. Lake Ladoga: facts
Lake Ladoga - a lake in Karelia (northern and eastern coast) and Leningrad region(western, southern and southeastern coast), the largest freshwater lake in Europe. Belongs to the Atlantic Ocean Baltic Sea basin. The area of the lake without islands is from 17.6 thousand km 2 (with islands 18.1 thousand km 2); volume of water mass - 908 km 3; length from south to north - 219 km, maximum width - 138 km. The depth varies unevenly: in the northern part it ranges from 70 to 230 m, in the southern - from 20 to 70 m.On the shores of Lake Ladoga are the cities of Priozersk, Novaya Ladoga, Shlisselburg in the Leningrad region, Sortavala, Pitkyaranta, Lakhdenpokhya in Karelia. 35 rivers flow into Lake Ladoga, and only one originates - the Neva. In the southern half of the lake there are three large bays: Svirskaya, Volkhovskaya and Shlisselburgskaya bays. Climate The climate over Lake Ladoga is temperate, transitional from temperate continental to temperate marine. This type of climate is explained geographic location and atmospheric circulation typical for the Leningrad region. This is due to the relatively small amount of incoming earth surface and into the atmosphere of the sun's heat. Due to the small amount of solar heat, moisture evaporates slowly. There are on average 62 sunny days per year. Therefore, for most of the year, days with cloudy, cloudy weather, diffused lighting prevail. The length of the day varies from 5 hours 51 minutes at the winter solstice to 18 hours 50 minutes at the summer solstice. Above the lake, the so-called "white nights" are observed, which come on May 25-26, when the sun drops below the horizon by no more than 9 °, and the evening twilight practically merges with the morning twilight. White nights end on July 16-17. In total, the duration of the white nights is more than 50 days. The amplitude of the monthly average sums of direct solar radiation on a horizontal surface with a clear sky is from 25 MJ / m2 in December to 686 MJ / m2 in June. Cloudiness reduces on average per year the arrival of total solar radiation by 21%, and direct solar radiation by 60%. The average annual total radiation is 3156 MJ / m 2. The number of hours of sunshine is 1628 per year.
Noticeable impact on climatic conditions the lake itself renders. This is characterized by the smoothing out of the extreme values of climatic characteristics, as a result of which the continental air masses, passing over the surface of the lake, acquire the character of sea air masses. average temperature air in the area of Lake Ladoga +3.2 ° C. The average temperature of the coldest month (February) is 8.8 ° C, the warmest (July) +16.3 ° C. Average annual precipitation is 475 mm. The smallest monthly amount of precipitation falls in February - March (24 mm), the highest - in September (58 mm). During the year, westerly and southwesterly winds prevail in most of Lake Ladoga. The average monthly wind speed in the open part of the lake and on most islands from October to January is February 6-9 m / s, in other months 4-7 m / s. On the coast, the average monthly wind speed varies from 3 to 5 m / s. Calms are rare. In October, on Lake Ladoga, storm winds are often observed at a speed of more than 20 m / s, the maximum wind speed reaches 34 m / s. Breezes are observed along the entire coast in summer on calm sunny days and clear nights. The lake breeze starts at about 9 am and lasts until 8 pm, its speed is 2-6 m / s; It extends 9-15 km inland. Fogs are observed most often in spring, late summer and autumn.
The relief of the bottom of Lake Ladoga is characterized by an increase in depth from south to north. The depth varies unevenly: in the northern part it ranges from 70 to 230 m, in the southern - from 20 to 70 m. The average depth of the lake is 50 m, the greatest is 233 m (north of Valaam Island). The bottom of the northern part is uneven, riddled with depressions, while the southern part is quieter and more smooth. Lake Ladoga ranks eighth among the deepest lakes in Russia. Transparency at west coast Lake Ladoga 2-2.5 m, near the eastern coast 1-2 m, in the estuarine areas 0.3-0.9 m, and towards the center of the lake it increases to 4.5 m.The lowest transparency was observed in the Volkhov Bay (0.5 -1 m), and the largest is to the west of the Valaam Islands (8-9 m in summer, over 10 m in winter). There are constant waves on the lake. During strong storms, the water "boils" in it, and the waves are almost entirely covered with foam. In the water regime, surge phenomena are characteristic (fluctuations in the water level by 50-70 cm annually, up to a maximum of 3 m), seiches (up to 3-4 m), wave heights during storms up to 6 m.The lake freezes in December (coastal part) - February (central part), opened in April - May. The central part is covered solid ice only in very harsh winters. Due to the long and strong winter cooling, the water in the lake is very cold even in summer; it warms up only in the thin upper layer and in the coastal strip. The temperature regime differs in the central deep-water part of the lake and on the coast. The water temperature at the surface in August is up to 24 ° C in the south, 18-20 ° C in the center, at the bottom about 4 ° C, in winter under ice 0-2 ° C. The water is fresh and clean (except for areas contaminated with industrial wastewater), minerals and salts are dissolved in negligible amounts. Water belongs to the hydrocarbonate class (low content of calcium and magnesium salts, slightly more nickel, aluminum).
In Lake Ladoga, 378 species and varieties of planktonic animals were identified. More than half of the species are rotifers. A fourth of the total number of species are protozoa, and 23 percent falls together on cladocerans and copepods. The most common zooplankton species in the lake are daphnia and cyclops. A large group of aquatic invertebrates lives at the bottom of the lake. In Ladoga, 385 species were found (mainly various crustaceans). The first place in the composition of benthic fauna belongs to insect larvae, which account for more than half of all species of benthic animals - 202 species. Next come worms (66 species), water mites, or hydrocarina, molluscs, crustaceans and others. The lake is rich in freshwater fish, which go to the rivers for spawning. Lake Ladoga is home to 53 species and varieties of fish: Ladoga slingshot, salmon, trout, char, whitefish, vendace, smelt, bream, damp, blue bream, silver bream, rudd, asp, catfish, pike perch, roach, perch, pike, burbot and others ... Human impact on the reservoir reduces the number of valuable fish - salmon, trout, char, lake-river whitefish and others, and the Atlantic sturgeon and Volkhov whitefish are listed in the Red Book of Russia. The most productive areas include the shallow southern part of the lake with depths of up to 15-20 m, where the main fishery is concentrated, and the least productive is the northern skerry area. From Gulf of Finland sturgeon passes through the lake along the Neva for spawning in the Volkhov and other rivers. Along the southern and southeastern shores of Lake Ladoga, pike perch is found. Salmon inhabits the lake, which in autumn goes to rivers, where it spawns. Whitefish, Siberian sturgeon and other fish are bred in Lake Ladoga and Volkhov. In the Ladoga area, 256 bird species belonging to 17 orders are regularly found. More than 50 species of birds were recorded here during the transit flight in spring and autumn. The migration links of the Ladoga area cover the space from Iceland to India and from southern Africa to Novaya Zemlya. The most attractive territories for birds are the southern Ladoga area. Here on the migration there are grebes, swans, geese, ducks, sandpipers, gulls, terns, cranes and shepherds, as well as nesting sites of river ducks, tufted ducks, red-headed duck, gulls, terns, large and medium curlews, great gulls, herbalists, golden plovers and other sandpipers, gray crane, white-tailed eagle, osprey, red fawn, eagle owl, gray owl, short-eared owl and a number of other birds. The northern skerries are a nesting place for the gray-cheeked grebe, great and medium-sized merganser, gulls (including sea gulls and blackbirds), terns (including Arctic terns), sandpipers and many other species; during migration, there are accumulations of arctic ducks and waders. In Ladoga Lake lives sole representative pinnipeds, Ladoga ringed seal. The number of seals in the lake is estimated at 4000-5000 heads (according to 2000 data). The species is listed in the Red Book.
In the European part of Russia, in the Republic of Karelia and the Leningrad region.
The ancient name of the lake is Lake Nebo (Nestorov's chronicle of the 12th century), and in the old Scandinavian sagas and agreements with Hanseatic cities, the lake is called Aldoga. The modern name of the lake appeared at the beginning of the 13th century, there are several versions of its origin, but none of them has been unambiguously confirmed.
Ladoga is the largest freshwater lake in Europe, the largest lake in Karelia and the Leningrad region and the third lake in Russia (after the Caspian Sea and Baikal) in terms of water surface area. The area of Lake Ladoga with islands is 18.3 thousand km 2, the water surface is 17.9 thousand km 2, the volume is 838 km 3, the length is 219 km, the maximum width is 125 km, the length of the coastline is 1570 km, the maximum depth is 230 m in the northern part the basin between the Valaam and Western archipelagos of the islands, the height of the water surface above sea level is 5.1 m. Lake Ladoga was formed about 10 thousand years ago, after the filling of the basin stretched from northwest to southeast with water from the melting edge of the ice sheet. Its northern shores are composed of crystalline rocks, high and highly dissected; the peninsulas continue in chains of islands, forming a skerry type of coast. To the south, the coast becomes low and flat, bordered by narrow beaches with boulders, in small bays overgrown with near-water vegetation. The southern part of the coast consists of three large shallow bays: the Svirskaya Bay and the Volkhovskaya Bay, into which the largest tributaries flow, and the Petrokrepost Bay with the source of the Neva. There are more than 660 islands in Lake Ladoga, the largest are Riekkalansari (55 km 2), Mantinsari (39 km 2), Kilpole (32 km 2), Tulolansari (30 km 2) and Valaam (28 km 2). Lake Ladoga is the main body of water in the European system of great lakes, which includes lakes Saima (Finland), Onega and Ilmen. The waters of this system flow down the Neva into the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. The catchment area of Lake Ladoga is 282.7 thousand km 2, including the catchment areas of these three lakes and many more small ones, with a small own drainage basin equal to 48.3 thousand km 2 (17%).
Every year, Lake Ladoga receives an average of 83 km 3 of water, 70% of which is lake water masses flowing along the river. Svir from Lake Onega, along the river. Vuokse from the lake. Saimaa and along the river. Volkhov from the lake. Ilmen. The runoff of each of them is regulated by hydroelectric power plants and amounts to about 20 km 3 / year. Another 16% is the inflow of 16 small rivers and 14% is atmospheric precipitation. 9% of the water in the expenditure part of the water balance evaporates, the rest of the water is the runoff of the river. Not you. The water exchange time is about 10 years. The average range of intra-annual changes in the water level in Lake Ladoga is 69 cm (from 21 in the low-water 1940 to 126 cm in the high-water 1962).
The main tributaries of Lake Ladoga (large and medium rivers)
| Inflow | Length | Basin area (km 2) |
|---|---|---|
| Swir | 220 | 83200 |
| Volkhov | 224 | 80200 |
| Vuoksa | 156 | 68700 |
| Syas | 260 | 7330 |
| Janisjoki | 70 | 3900 |
| Olonka | 87 | 2620 |
In spring, after clearing the ice from the south coast bays at the end of April - the first half of May, the coastal shallow waters are intensively warmed up by the already warm air and solar radiation, as well as the relatively warm water of the floods of small rivers. The water temperature in the southern area of the water area usually rises above 4 ° С by May 15, and 2.5-3 ° С on the surface of the deep-water area. A thermal bar () arises between warm and cold water masses. With further heating of the water, the thermobar moves to the center slowly along the northern steep slope (0.05–0.1 km / day) and faster along the southern gentle slope at a speed of 1.3–1.5 km / day. It prevents the mixing of river water masses with the actual main water mass. Therefore, the Volkhov flood waters and Svir waters move to the north along the eastern coast, and the least mineralized Saimaa waters from the mouth of the river. Vuoksi along the western bank to the south and further to the Neva. The thermobar disappears in late June - early July near the Valaam archipelago, when the surface water layer 20–40 m thick warms up to 10–15 ° С. Under the lower layer of the temperature jump, in summer, from a depth of 30–40 m and down to the bottom, water heats up only to 5 ° C. With autumn cooling, its upper layer cools down, the temperature jump layer sinks until October, and then disappears at a temperature close to 4 ° C. The time of the disappearance of the thermobar is variable, because when the windy weather sets in in summer, drift currents and waves mix the river water masses and the main lake water in the upper layer, renewing its chemical composition and leveling the distribution of plankton over the water area. In summer, this water mass dominates in the flow of the Neva, and during the freeze-up period, the most mineralized Volkhov waters are added to it. With a wind of 18 m / s near the Valaam Islands, the wave height reached 5.8 m, surges in the windward sections of the coast raise the water by 0.2–0.5 m. Shallow waters freeze in October, and the edge of the ice cover gradually shifts to the deepest central area until mid-January, when full freeze-up occurs in frosty winters, lasting until the end of February. In winters with frequent thaws, the lake partially freezes, and 20–40% of its surface above the greatest depths remains open. In such winters, the heat storage of the main water mass is minimal, and its spring-summer heating is longer.
The mineralization of the main water mass is low (64 mg / l), the Svirskaya - even less, the Vuoksinskaya - half as much, and the Volkhovskaya - 1.5 times more. Over the past 30 years of the XX century. the mineralization of the lake's waters increased by 16% due to natural causes and pollution by sewage. The composition of the water is hydrocarbonate-sulphate-calcium, the water is transparent, due to which the development of plankton is possible to a depth of 8–12 m. In Volkhov Bay, the transparency of the polluted water is half. The oxygen content in the Ladoga water is high, and in its surface layer there was even a supersaturation with oxygen released during the reproduction of microalgae. Self-purification of water masses is facilitated by coastal thickets of higher aquatic vegetation (more than 100 species), mainly reed, which occupy about 5% of the shallow water area. In total, about 600 species of aquatic plants and 400 species of aquatic animals were found in Lake Ladoga, many of which feed on phytoplankton, bacteria and other organic particles that pollute the water. Ichthyofauna is very diverse (53 species and varieties), it consists of salmon, lake trout, whitefish, char, pike perch, vendace, etc., the total biomass is estimated at 140 kg / ha. Atlantic sturgeon and Volkhov whitefish are listed in the Red Book of Russia. The most fish-producing shallow waters to a depth of 10-15 m in the southern region, where fish are fished, are the least fish-producing northern skerries. There are no commercial fish aggregations deeper than 40–50 m.
Lake Ladoga serves as a source of water supply for St. Petersburg, as a waterway to the White Sea-Baltic and Volga-Baltic shipping canals. In 1976-1983. the anthropogenic impact on the lake has sharply increased due to the development of industry and agriculture on the territory of its own drainage basin of Lake Ladoga and its coast. In order to reduce the pollution of lake waters in 1986 north of the mouth of the river. Vuoksy closed the large Priozersk Pulp and Paper Mill, after which there was a tendency to a decrease in the content of polluting organic substances and phosphorus in the water, causing water bloom - the reproduction of blue-green algae. Regular studies of the water regime, the chemical composition of water, and the ecological state of lake water masses, begun in 1957, are underway.
On the shores of Lake Ladoga are the cities of Priozersk, Novaya Ladoga, Shlisselburg in the Leningrad Region, Sortavala, Pitkyaranta, Lakhdenpohja in the Republic of Karelia.
For all great lakes, except for the Pskov-Peipsi, Ladoga Lake is the closing one. Therefore, its basin is very large: 258.6 thousand km2. (Ivanova and Kirillova, 1966). In this basin there are about 50,000 smaller lakes, many swamps and 3,500 rivers (each over 10 km long); the total length of the rivers is about 45,000 km (Nezhikhovsky, 1955). Swamps and complex lake systems of the basin regulate the flow into Lake Ladoga and its water regime. Rivers passing through intermediate lakes leave in them a lot of suspended mineral particles carried by them and reach Ladoga with noticeably clarified water. River floods spread over the lakes.
The Neva does not grow shallow at any time of the year, and there are no floods on it. Fluctuations in the level in the river depend mainly on the surge and surge winds. With rushing winds blowing downstream of the river, the water level can drop by 1 meter; with surging winds from the Gulf of Finland, the level sometimes rises to a dangerous level, and Leningrad is exposed to floods. The Neva is original not only for its abundance and its hydrological regime. Unlike normal rivers, it has no real river terraces, and no real delta. Typically, river deltas arise as a result of the deposition of sediments in the mouth of the river, which are carried by the river. But in the Neva, flowing from such a huge sedimentation tank, which is Lake Ladoga, there is very little sediment. Consequently, the sedimentation of silt at the mouth of the Neva could not lead to the formation of a delta in the usual way.
And the Neva delta, consisting of 101 islands and occupying an area of 83 km2, arose differently. The Baltic Sea was once larger than it is now. Reducing in volume and retreating to the west from the mouth of the Neva, it drained coastal shoals, turning them into islands. The Neva waters gushed between the islands, and the river began to flow into the sea not in one, as before, but in several branches. This is how the delta came about. It was formed about 2000 years ago.
As already noted, Northern part Lake Ladoga lies on the Baltic crystalline shield, the southern one - on the Russian platform. The southern border of the shield in the areas closest to Ladoga runs approximately along the line Vyborg - Priozersk - the mouth of the river. Vidlitsy - the source of the r. Svir.
The ancient rocks that make up the Baltic Shield come to the surface of the earth, being covered in places only by a thin (several meters) layer of loose sediments of the Quaternary time. Among the Archean rocks, the main place in the structure of the shield is occupied by various granites, migmatites, gneisses, and crystalline schists. Gneisses, shales, quartzites, sandstones, conglomerates, crystalline and dolomitized limestones, as well as tuffaceous and volcanic rocks form the Proterozoic sedimentary complex.
Intrusions of gabbro, gabbro-diabases, and diabases belong to igneous rocks of the same age. On the northwestern and northeastern coasts of Lake Ladoga, there are numerous outcrops of migmatites, gneisses, crystalline schists, and rappakivi granites; The Valaam archipelago and the group of islands Mantsinsari and Lunkulansari are composed of olivine diabases.
To the south of the Baltic Shield, the Early Cambrian deposits of the Russian Platform are exposed to the surface in the area of Lake Ladoga, which, unlike the shield, was repeatedly covered by the sea in the Paleozoic. The Cambrian strata is represented by two complexes: the Valdai, developed everywhere and consisting of variegated sandstones and thin-layered shales, and the Baltic, composed of sandstones, sands and plastic blue clays, so fine-grained and greasy that they were sometimes used instead of soap when washing clothes.
There is no Baltic complex on the Karelian Isthmus; it is found only on the southeastern coast of Ladoga. The thickness of the cover of loose Quaternary sediments in the Ladoga part of the Russian Platform reaches tens of meters.
The surface of the crystalline basement, exposed on the Baltic shield and gradually extending to the south and east under the Paleozoic sediments of the Russian Platform (in the Neva delta at a depth of 200 m, in the southern Ladoga area - 300-400 m), is very uneven; it is crushed by cracks and faults into separate projections and depressions. In such tectonic depressions, called grabens, the basins of the Ladoga and Onega lakes lie. Protrusions and depressions of the relief stretch within the Baltic shield in a completely straight line for many kilometers from northwest to southeast or from north to south.
The straightness of the formations of the relief and the hydrographic network in itself indicates that these forms were created by tectonics, the internal forces of the Earth. And the longer these formations, the more reliable the assumption about tectonic origin them, since exogenous factors, due to their multiplicity and inconstancy, are not able to create rectilinear forms several kilometers long.
Difference in geological structure different parts of the Ladoga Lake basin is reflected in the structure of the lake basin. Thus, the relief of the bottom of the northern part of the basin, as it were, repeats the relief of the adjacent land and consists of deep-water depressions alternating with shallower areas. Depths of more than 100m prevail.
In the southern part of the lake, the bottom is smoother, the depths gradually decrease from 100m in the north to 10m or less in the south (in the Petrokrepost Bay, the depths on average vary from 3 to 7 meters). There are many sandy and stony spits and shallows, as well as accumulations of boulders at the bottom (Davydova, 1968).
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For all great lakes, except for the Pskov-Peipsi, Ladoga Lake is the closing one. Therefore, its basin is very large: 258.6 thousand km2. (Ivanova and Kirillova, 1966). In this basin there are about 50,000 smaller lakes, many swamps and 3,500 rivers (each over 10 km long); the total length of the rivers is about 45,000 km (Nezhikhovsky, 1955). Swamps and complex lake systems of the basin regulate the flow into Lake Ladoga and its water regime. Rivers passing through intermediate lakes leave in them a lot of suspended mineral particles carried by them and reach Ladoga with noticeably clarified water. River floods spread over the lakes.
The Neva does not grow shallow at any time of the year, and there are no floods on it. Fluctuations in the level in the river depend mainly on the surge and surge winds. With rushing winds blowing downstream of the river, the water level can drop by 1 meter; with surging winds from the Gulf of Finland, the level sometimes rises to a dangerous level, and Leningrad is exposed to floods. The Neva is original not only for its abundance and its hydrological regime. Unlike normal rivers, it has no real river terraces, and no real delta. Typically, river deltas arise as a result of the deposition of sediments in the mouth of the river, which are carried by the river. But in the Neva, flowing from such a huge sedimentation tank, which is Lake Ladoga, there is very little sediment. Consequently, the sedimentation of silt at the mouth of the Neva could not lead to the formation of a delta in the usual way.
And the Neva delta, consisting of 101 islands and occupying an area of 83 km2, arose differently. The Baltic Sea was once larger than it is now. Reducing in volume and retreating to the west from the mouth of the Neva, it drained coastal shoals, turning them into islands. The Neva waters gushed between the islands, and the river began to flow into the sea not in one, as before, but in several branches. This is how the delta came about. It was formed about 2000 years ago.
As already noted, the northern part of Lake Ladoga lies on the Baltic crystalline shield, and the southern part on the Russian platform. The southern border of the shield in the areas closest to Ladoga runs approximately along the line Vyborg - Priozersk - the mouth of the river. Vidlitsy - the source of the r. Svir.
The ancient rocks that make up the Baltic Shield come to the surface of the earth, being covered in places only by a thin (several meters) layer of loose sediments of the Quaternary time. Among the Archean rocks, the main place in the structure of the shield is occupied by various granites, migmatites, gneisses, and crystalline schists. Gneisses, shales, quartzites, sandstones, conglomerates, crystalline and dolomitized limestones, as well as tuffaceous and volcanic rocks form the Proterozoic sedimentary complex.
Intrusions of gabbro, gabbro-diabases, and diabases belong to igneous rocks of the same age. On the northwestern and northeastern coasts of Lake Ladoga, there are numerous outcrops of migmatites, gneisses, crystalline schists, and rappakivi granites; The Valaam archipelago and the group of islands Mantsinsari and Lunkulansari are composed of olivine diabases.
To the south of the Baltic Shield, the Early Cambrian deposits of the Russian Platform are exposed to the surface in the area of Lake Ladoga, which, unlike the shield, was repeatedly covered by the sea in the Paleozoic. The Cambrian strata is represented by two complexes: the Valdai, developed everywhere and consisting of variegated sandstones and thin-layered shales, and the Baltic, composed of sandstones, sands and plastic blue clays, so fine-grained and greasy that they were sometimes used instead of soap when washing clothes.
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Lake Ladoga, the largest freshwater lake in Europe, is located in the northwest of Russia, in a harsh region with majestic nature and rich history. It was here that the Russian statehood was born, the first Russian cities appeared.
The history of the lake, unique and rich nature - all this makes Lake Ladoga a valuable cultural object and a wonderful corner of Russia.
The origin of the lake
The lake was formed by the melting of the glacier, and this process lasted for several millennia. Several times the giant lake then merged with the waters of the ancient ocean, then again found itself surrounded by firmament. Finally, about three thousand years ago, a reservoir pressed by the banks broke through to the Baltic Sea by the Neva River.
The gradual formation of the lake is 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 - 20-70 m. The difference in the landscape is also explained by the belonging of the reservoir 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 slopes gently under the water, forming sandy shoals and beaches.
Lake Ladoga on the map looks like a trail 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 is over 18,000 sq. 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, Saima.
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 natural phenomenon with its unique beauty is the holy island of Valaam with the famous Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery.
The 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 “the great lake Nevo”. In Finnish, the word "nevo" means: "swamp", "bog".
Fateful events are associated with Lake Ladoga, which are reflected in culture and history:
- 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 sources of the Neva;
- at the end of the XIV century, the largest Orthodox monasteries- Valaam and Konevsky, famous for their missionary activities;
- the Novgorodians kept a military fleet here;
- battles of the Northern War of 1701-1721 took place on the lake and its shores;
- The 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: complete calm in a few tens of minutes can be replaced by a real storm, and waves rise to a height of 4-5 meters. Such impermanence of the lake made the Russian emperor say the famous words that only those who walked on Ladoga can be considered a real sailor.
The road of life
In the history of the lake there are tragic pages that cause tears of joy and grief at the same time - this is a heroic chronicle of saving hundreds of thousands of 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 death. In the period from September 1941 to March 1944, 1,600 thousand tons of various cargoes were transported across 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 ships, the construction of which was carried out in Leningrad, took part in 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 Soviet people on the Road of Life on the territory from Leningrad to Ladoga, 7 monuments, 112 memorial pillars along the highway and railroad... The most famous of the monuments is the "Broken Ring" by architect V. G. Filippov. 
Why it is necessary to 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 simply vacationers flock to the shores of the lake. Each of them has their own interests, but no one is left indifferent by the stunning beauty of the water surface, bizarre islands, majestic shores and, of course, the harsh nature of the lake. 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 the wonderful lake? These are perhaps the main reasons:
- ... The lake is home to over 50 species of fish, the most famous of which are salmon, whitefish, Ladoga smelt, pike perch. You can fish at any time of the year with a consistently excellent result.
- 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, elks and other species of animals are found in the forests, and the Ladoga seal lives in the north of the lake.
- Diving. Thanks to the fresh and clean water, its low temperature, the artifacts of the past lying at the bottom are perfectly preserved and are of scientific and research interest.
- Curious natural phenomena: mirages, brontids (underground hum).
- Visiting holy places.
- Developed tourist infrastructure.
- Relaxation on sandy beaches.
- Complete absence of mosquitoes.
Lake Ladoga - mysterious, majestic and beautiful, will always attract thousands of tourists seeking to experience its harsh beauty. The richness of the waters and shores, the bizarre landscape and the history of the lake amaze the imagination and fill hearts with love for Russia, its nature and culture.
