Lake Ladoga history of the name. Lake Ladoga: facts. Autumn fishing on Ladoga

Lake Ladoga is one of the largest fresh water bodies in Europe. In our article we want to talk about where the nature and climate are on its coast. It has quite interesting characteristics. The nature here is particularly beautiful.

Lake location

Where is Lake Ladoga located? It is partially located in Karelia (eastern and northern shores) and in the Leningrad region (southern, southeastern, western). On its banks there are cities such as Novaya Ladoga, Priozersk, Shlisselburg, Sortavala, Lakhdenpokhya, Pitkyaranta.

Lake Ladoga on the map is located both in the Leningrad region and in Karelia. It's big enough. In addition, there are also islands on it. The area of ​​Lake Ladoga is 17.9 square kilometers, excluding island areas. It extends from north to south for two hundred and nineteen kilometers. Its widest point is one hundred thirty-eight kilometers. Agree, the dimensions are impressive. Using these parameters, you can estimate the area of ​​Lake Ladoga.

The depth of the reservoir in the northern region ranges from seventy to two hundred and thirty meters, and in the southern part from twenty to seventy meters. As you can see, the depth of Lake Ladoga is very heterogeneous, and is most important in the northern part of the reservoir. And the volume of water mass is nine hundred and eight cubic meters.

Rivers of Lake Ladoga and islands

Thirty-five rivers flow into the reservoir. But only one originates from it - the Neva. On the southern coast of the lake there are three large bays: Volkhovskaya, Svirskaya and Shlisselburgskaya Bay.

The largest river flowing into Ladoga is the Svir. She brings water to it Lake Onega. Rivers such as Avloga, Morye, Burnaya, Airajoki, Vidlitsa, Obzhanka, Syas, Olonka and others also flow into the reservoir.

It must be said that in Lake Ladoga the water level is not constant. It constantly fluctuates, and this is clearly visible from the white stripes on the rocks that go under the water.

The islands of Lake Ladoga are quite numerous. There are about 660 of them. Their total area is four hundred thirty-five square kilometers. It must be said that more than five hundred islands are located in the northern part of the reservoir. This is the Skerries region.

Largest islands:

1. Riekkalansari - 55.3 km. sq.
2. Mantsinsaari - 39.4 km. sq.
3. Kilpola - 32.1 km. sq.
4. Tulolansari - 30.3 km. sq.
5. Vaalaam - 27.8 km. sq.

The most famous on the lake are the Valaam Islands. They are an archipelago of fifty islands with a total area of ​​about thirty-six square kilometers. They became famous thanks to Valaam Monastery, located on the main island, and the Nativity of the Mother of God Monastery on Konevets Island.

History of the lake

Lake Ladoga is located in a basin that has glacial tectonic origin. Three hundred to four hundred million years ago the entire territory of the lake and its basin was covered by the sea.

The modern relief was formed as a result of glacier activity. The main factor was the change in sea level and the rise of land. After the glacier retreated, the Baltic freshwater glacial lake was formed. Later, the waters of this reservoir went to the territory of modern Switzerland. And there the Ioldian Sea was formed.

Nine and a half thousand years ago, Lake Ancylovo appeared due to the rise of land. On the Karelian Isthmus it was connected through a strait with Lake Ladoga. And eight and a half thousand years ago, ongoing tectonic processes opened the Danish straits, and the Littorina Sea was formed. This, in turn, led to the emergence of the Karelian Isthmus and, in fact, the formation of Lake Ladoga. Over the past two and a half thousand years, the relief in these places has hardly changed.

The northern part of the lake is located on the southern part - on the East European Platform. It is at the junction of these surfaces that the greatest depth of Lake Ladoga is observed.

Climatic conditions

Lake Ladoga has a temperate climate, sort of a transitional form from temperate maritime to temperate continental. Such climatic conditions are explained very simply. Geographical location Lake Ladoga and the atmospheric circulation of this region determined such a climate.

It must be said that in these places there are not many sunny days a year. This means that the amount of solar heat reaching the earth is not so great. Therefore, moisture evaporates extremely slowly. In 12 months there may be only sixty two here sunny days. For most of the year, this region is dominated by days with cloudy, cloudy weather and diffuse lighting.

It is better to plan your vacation on Lake Ladoga from the twenty-fifth of May to the seventeenth of July, then you can watch the white nights here. These days the sun does not go below the horizon, morning and evening twilight merge into a single whole. In general, white nights last about fifty days.

It should be noted that Lake Ladoga itself also influences local climate, smoothing out extreme characteristics. Throughout the year, southwestern and western winds dominate here. Quiet and windless weather is extremely rare. Sometimes the winds are stormy.

The entire coast experiences breezes during summer days and nights. They start around nine in the morning and last until eight in the evening. Breezes penetrate fifteen kilometers inland. Fogs are observed here most often in spring, autumn and summer.

Lake shoreline

The coastline of Ladoga is more than a thousand kilometers long. The northern shores are heavily rugged rocks, forming many peninsulas and narrow bays, as well as small islands separated by straits.

South coastline low. It is less rugged and is often flooded. The coastline is entirely covered with rocky reefs, banks, and shoals. The Volkhovskaya, Svirskaya and Shlisselburgskaya bays are the largest bays of Lake Ladoga.

The eastern shores are very little indented. There are two bays here: Uksunlahti and Lunkulanlahti. It is in this part that there are wide, beautiful sand beaches.

The western shore of the reservoir is even less indented. It was completely overgrown with dense mixed forests and shrubs, which came close to the water. The shore is strewn with scatterings of boulders. Stone ridges sometimes extend from the cape far into the depths of the lake, thereby forming dangerous shoals.

Relief of the lake bottom

As we noted earlier, the topography of the lake bottom is heterogeneous and has a clear increase in depth from south to north. We can say that the average depth of the reservoir is about fifty meters, and the greatest is two hundred thirty-three meters (towards the north of the island of Valaam). Lake Ladoga in the northern part has a very uneven bottom. It is completely dotted with depressions. And in the southern region the bottom is smoother and more even. Lake Ladoga is the eighth deepest lake in Russia.

The transparency of lake water varies along different shores. Its lowest indicators are observed in the Volkhov Bay, and the highest - in a western direction from the Valaam Islands.

During a strong storm, the water in the lake, as they say, boils and seethes, it is completely covered with foam.

Only the central part of the reservoir can be covered with ice and only in very harsh winter. A long cold period leads to a strong cooling of the water, for this reason the water in the lake remains cold even in summer. She only has time to warm up in a thin top layer and a narrow coastal strip. The maximum temperature of surface waters is in August, when it is twenty-four degrees. The water in the lake is fresh and, in principle, quite clean, except in those areas where there is runoff pollution from industrial waste.

Economic importance of the lake

The location of Lake Ladoga has determined its serious economic importance for the country. The fact is that the lake is navigable, which is important for the region. It is considered one of the parts of the waterway that is part of the Volga-Baltic Route, as well as the White Sea-Baltic Canal.

The most navigable is southern part Ladoga from the Neva to the Svir. Since the reservoir is quite large, there are often storms, especially in the fall. During such periods, all shipping is stopped for the safety of passenger ships.

Since the founding of St. Petersburg, the lake has become part of the unified water transport system of northern Russia. For safe navigation along south coast The Staraya Ladoga Canal was built. As soon as it was not enough, the Novoladozhsky Canal, one hundred and sixty-nine kilometers long, was also laid.

The Staraya Ladoga Canal is now almost completely dry and overgrown. And the second canal is still navigable. Up to eight million tons of cargo are transported across the lake every year. Petroleum products, chemical raw materials, building materials, and timber are transported to the Baltic from the Volga. In addition, tens of thousands of passengers are transported across Ladoga every year.

From Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities there are cruises (tourist) to the islands of Konevets and Valaam. Vessels enter and pass through the central waters of the lake, where the shores are not visible. And in strong winds you can feel significant rolling.

Regular passenger transportation in Ladoga no. However, tourist ships sail twice a day to certain destinations during navigation periods.

Fish living in the waters of the lake

The fish of Lake Ladoga is of industrial importance. Ten species are caught, among which the most popular are vendace, smelt, and ripus. There are quite a lot of pike perch and whitefish in the lake.

Holidays on Ladoga

Despite the fact that the water in Lake Ladoga remains cold even in summer, it attracts a large number of vacationers. As we said earlier, there are beautiful sandy beaches on the coast. The northern islands are especially popular among tourists. The best period for kayaking on the lake is June and July. A little closer to autumn, storms begin, during which the water is rough, like in the sea.

Here on the lake there is the Nizhnesvirsky Nature Reserve. It is located on the right bank of the Conservation Area - a wetland of international importance. They are interesting because they are nesting places for aquatic and migratory birds. 256 different species of birds have been recorded in this area.

The island of Valaam is of particular interest to tourists. It is completely covered with coniferous forest. There is an ancient one on the island monastery, which was founded in the ninth to eleventh centuries.

Vacationers also like to visit Konevsky Island, which has a monastery. The island received this name from the Horse-Stone boulder located here. Until the end of the nineteenth century, this stone was a place of sacrifice. The main attraction is the Church of the Nativity Holy Mother of God, located on the territory of the monastery.

Historical excursion

The Novgorodians had a military and merchant fleet on Lake Ladoga for several centuries in a row. Geographical information also reached Western cartographers in those days. Lake Ladoga appeared on the map of the Moscow state back in 1544. It was made by the German scientist Sebastian Munster.

And in 1600, a drawing of Rus' was drawn up by Fyodor Godunov. The lake was depicted on it with fairly high accuracy. In the middle of the eighteenth century, a map was made not only of Lake Ladoga itself, but also of an artificial canal.

Novaya Ladoga

Novaya Ladoga is one of the towns on the shore of Ladoga. It is located on the left side of the Volkhov River in the place where it flows into the lake. The city was founded in 1704 by Emperor Peter the Great himself. A large number of historical architectural monuments have been preserved here, which may be of interest to guests and tourists.

Shlisselburg

The city is located on the shore of Ladoga. It was founded by the Prince of Novgorod in 1323, who founded a wooden fortress on the island of Oreshek. It was later captured by the Swedes, who renamed it Noteburg. And in 1702 the fortress was recaptured by Peter the Great. It was he who gave it its current name. The city also has its own attractions: the Staraya Ladoga Canal, the Oreshek fortress, the monument to Peter the Great, the Annunciation Cathedral, St. Nicholas Church.

Priozersk

A Karelian settlement lived on this site already in the twelfth century. And in 1310, the Novgorodians built a capital fortress at the mouth, called Korela. Later it was conquered by the Swedes. But in 1710 it again passed to the Russian Empire.

Lake Ladoga and its surroundings - enough interesting places for tourists. Here you can not only admire the beauty of nature, take boat trips, visit islands, but also see historical monuments that have survived to this day.

Lake Ladoga is the largest freshwater lake in Europe. Located on the territory of Karelia and the Leningrad region.

The first name of the lake was different. In ancient Russian chronicles it was called Nevo. Scientists believe that the name comes from the Finnish word for “swamp, quagmire.” In contracts concluded with Hanseatic cities and in the Scandinavian sagas he is called Aldoga, from the Finnish "wave". Modern name came into use only from the beginning of the 13th century. The lake began to be called Ladoga, forming the name from the name of the city of Ladoga.

Scientists have proven that the basin of Lake Ladoga is of glacial-tectonic origin. During the Paleozoic era, waters splashed here ancient sea, later a glacier formed at this place, which largely shaped the modern topography of the reservoir and its surroundings. The area of ​​the lake is 18,400 square kilometers. Its length from south to north is about 219 km. The maximum width of the reservoir (from west to east) is 138 km.

Due to its origin, Ladoga is characterized by uneven depths. The “shallowest” part of the lake is the southern one. Local depths do not exceed 70 m. But in the northern part, the average depth of Lake Ladoga is about 100 m. There are places where the water thickness reaches 260 m.

There is a noticeable pattern on Lake Ladoga: the steeper the shores, the greater the depths around them. The highest and steepest banks are in the north, directly next to the skerries. In the south they are flatter and the depths there are shallow.

By the way, the peculiarity of Ladoga is the uneven water level. In the old days they said that it grows for seven years and falls for seven years. On average, the lake's water reserves are 908 cubic kilometers. For comparison, Baikal is 24,000 km³.

32 rivers flow into Lake Ladoga, and only one flows out of it - the Neva. Many rivers connect Ladoga with other lakes. Through the Volkhov it is connected to Lake Ilmen, through the Svir River - to Onega, through Vidlitsa - to Vedlozero, through Tulema - to Tulmozero.

Sunset on Svir. The Svir River connects Lakes Ladoga and Onega.

The lake is rich in islands. Most of them are in the north. These are the famous Ladoga skerries, a beautiful necklace of islands that are separated from each other by a whimsical labyrinth of straits. An integral part of the Ladoga skerries is the famous Valaam archipelago, where the ancient Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery is located.

The large northern islands include Lunkulansaari, Konevets, Mantinsaari, Vossinansaari and others. In the southern part of the reservoir there are very few islands and they are all small: Ptinov in the Volkhov Bay and Zelentsy in Shlisselburg Bay.

On the shore of Lake Ladoga.

The unique inhabitant of the lake is the Ladoga seal. This is the only kind marine mammals, which has adapted to life in fresh water. Their rookeries on the islands of the Valaam archipelago are under special protection.

From the end of the eighth century, Slavic settlements appeared on the shore of the lake: the city of Ladoga, later Korela, present-day Priozersk. At the beginning of the 14th century, the Oreshek fortress, present-day Shlisselburg, was built at the source of the Neva. The famous monasteries on Valaam and Konevets were founded a little later.

Shore of Lake Ladoga.

At the end of the 17th century, the southern, northern and western coasts of Lake Ladoga became part of Swedish Ingria. The Swedes rename the Russian Oreshek and Korela to Noteburg and Kexholm, and found the settlement of Sortavala. With the outbreak of the Northern War, Lake Ladoga becomes an arena of military operations. The most famous battles of that period were the battle of ships near Kexholm and the capture of Noteburg. In 1721, the Ladoga coast again became Russian.

Lake Ladoga is rich in interesting places:

Ladoga skerries

Skerries are rocky islands separated by narrow straits and channels. They occupy a significant part of the northern part of the lake. The skerries stretch in a semicircle from the city of Pitkyaranta to the village of Berezovo. Throughout their entire length they are stunningly beautiful, but the most majestic landscapes begin to the northeast of the island of Koinosaari, which closes the village of Terva from the expanses of Ladoga.

On the northern coast of Lake Ladoga there is amazing city Sortavala. It owes its unique historical and cultural appearance to three states at once: Finland, Sweden and Russia, which include different times was. This is a beautiful Karelian city, surprising with its unusual architecture.

Eastern Beaches

The eastern coast of Ladoga is famous for its clean sandy beaches. Shallow water warms up well, especially if June and May are warm. These beaches are considered an ideal place to relax.

Lake Ladoga in these places seems endless, and on the coast in some places you can see sand dunes. There are also some near the village of Vidlitsy. The ancient settlement is located at the mouth of the river of the same name. In the village you can admire the Church of the Great Martyr George. The surroundings of Vidlitsa attract with incredibly beautiful nature.

Beach in the Vidlitsa area.

Priozersk

Ancient Korela, modern Priozersk, is one of the ancient Russian cities with unusual interesting story. This is a beautiful town where ancient Orthodox churches and a majestic Lutheran church have been preserved. There is a unique ancient fortress here. Architectural gems surrounded beautiful landscapes with picturesque rivers and dense northern forests.

Fortress Oreshek

The Shlisselburg fortress Oreshek is rightfully considered a historical and architectural monument. Built at the beginning of the 14th century on Orekhovoy Island, it served as an outpost on the Swedish border. The citadel has withstood fierce assaults more than once, fully justifying its name. Later, the fortress became the “Russian Bastille”, where the most dangerous criminals were sent. Today there is a museum here, which operates despite restoration work that has been ongoing since 1966.

Balaam

An archipelago consisting of fifty islands, the largest of which is Valaam. This is one of the most important shrines of Orthodoxy, Northern Athos, as it is called. Here is the oldest monastery in Russia. The history of its origin goes back to the 1st century, when Valaam was visited by Andrew the First-Called. Almost a thousand years later, the first monks came to the island from Novgorod. Valaam is a unique place. It's all around here wildlife, practically unchanged since the development of the island by man.

Stormy waves of Lake Ladoga, which in windy weather looks like a sea, incredibly beautiful sunsets and sunrises, steep cliffs of skerries and sand dunes of eastern beaches. All this remains forever in the heart of everyone who has ever seen these magnificent landscapes. It’s worth coming here, because harsh Ladoga is not only living history, but also one of most beautiful places Russia.

Lake Ladoga on the map.

1. Ladoga skerries;
2. Sortavala;
3. Priozersk;
4. Balaam;
5. Oreshek Fortress;
6. Beaches on the eastern shore of the lake;
7. Mouth of the Svir River.

Petrozavodsk, Kivach, Martialnye Vody, northern Ladoga, Ruskeala Waterfalls, Valaam and much more. Car and pedestrian travel for every taste - choose, and you will dream of Karelia for a very long time!

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

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

Origin of the lake

The lake was formed by the melting of a glacier, and this process lasted several thousand years. Several times the giant lake either merged with the waters of the ancient ocean, or again found itself surrounded by the firmament. Finally, about three thousand years ago, a body of water, pressed by its 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 areas. The Karelian (northern) coast lies on the Baltic crystalline shield, it is steep and rocky. South Bank, located in the Leningrad region, consists of sedimentary rocks. The coast gently goes under water, forming sandbanks 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 is 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 deep Neva - flows out. Some rivers connect Lake Ladoga with other lakes - Onega, Ilmen, Saimaa.

There are many islands on the lake - more than 660. In the north of the lake 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 Nevo.” In Finnish, the word “nevo” means “swamp”, “quagmire”.

Fateful events 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 sources of the Neva;
• at the end of the 14th century, the largest Orthodox monasteries were built on the islands - Valaam and Konevsky, famous for their missionary activities;
• Novgorodians kept a navy 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 became completely Russian. Even then, Peter I appreciated the harsh nature of the lake, its treachery: complete calm in a few tens of minutes can give way to a real storm, and the waves rise to a height of 4-5 meters. Such inconstancy of the lake forced the Russian emperor to say the famous words that only the one who walked on Ladoga can be considered a real sailor.

Road of life

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

The road of life across Lake Ladoga connected the dying city with the country and saved it from death. Between September 1941 and March 1944, 1,600 thousand tons of various cargo 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 “one and a half trucks” - GAZ-AA. With the melting of the ice, navigation by water began. In addition to 15 barges, metal ships took part in navigation, the construction of which was carried out in Leningrad.

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 need to visit Lake Ladoga

Ladoga is one of the many water bodies in our country, visiting 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, quaint islands, majestic shores and, of course, the harsh character of the lake. You need to make friends with him, and then your 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 probably the main reasons:

1. . The lake is home to over 50 species of fish, the most famous of which are salmon, whitefish, Ladoga smelt, and pike perch. You can fish at any time of the year with consistently excellent results.
2. Rich flora and fauna. The nature of Lake Ladoga is unique and diverse: here you can find southern species plants and flora of the tundra; Hares, wolves, bears, moose and other species of animals live in the forests, and the Ladoga seal lives in the north of the lake.
3. Diving. Thanks to the fresh and clean water and its low temperature, the artifacts of bygone times lying on 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. Relax on sandy beaches.
8. Complete absence of mosquitoes.

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

Lake Ladoga (also known as Ladoga, previously called 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 their 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 there are, what it is like in winter and summer.

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

Characteristics

Lake area

If you take total area Ladoga, then we get an impressive figure - 17,870 km², and if we also take into account the islands, it comes out to 18,320 km². 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 1,570 kilometers.

The height above sea level is small - only 4.8 meters, but the depth is dozens more. It is impossible to accurately measure the depth throughout the lake; it is uneven - in the northern part the range varies 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 remains in a cold and rainy haze all year round. The average water temperature 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 is 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

Northern and east 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), and an abundance of spruce forests; The southern part is characterized by dark coniferous forests, sometimes linden and maple are 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 Planktonic animals also found shelter. The lake is home to cladoceran copepods, rotifers, daphnia, cyclops, water mites, a wide variety of worms, mollusks and other crustaceans.

The waters of Ladoga are rich not only in mites and single-celled 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 area of ​​the lake richest in seafood is the shallow southern zone, where the depth is only 20 meters. But in the northern deep-sea region, the catch will be less varied.

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, dabbling ducks, geese, swans, cranes and waders, eagle owls, grebes, short-eared owls, ospreys, falcons, herbal birds, golden plovers and even a white-tailed eagle.

Lake Ladoga became the habitat for the world's only representative of pinnipeds - the Ladoga ringed seal (a special subspecies of the ringed seal). There are about 4,000 of them in the world, so 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 Lakhdenpokhya. The largest of them are Priozersk and Novaya Ladoga, although the number of people there does not exceed the 50 thousand level.

Larger cities are located near Lake Ladoga, for example, St. Petersburg. From northern capital Russia can get to Lake Ladoga in various ways, starting from public transport(trains, buses, trains, ferries) and ending with travel by car. In this case, the travel time will be no more than three hours, and if you use a car and plot the correct route on the map, you can get there in one and a half hours.

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

Climate and seasons of Lake Ladoga

It is no secret to avid tourists that in the autumn and winter months Ladoga looks extremely inhospitable. Even in Karelia, where there are picturesque rocks all around and wildflowers making their way among the thick grass, Lake Ladoga is inhospitable.

During cold periods, the lake is affected by an Arctic anticyclone, 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, during this month Ladoga is more or less ready to share its beauty - heavy rains do not come often, the water surface is 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 will be able to swim here, but everyone will be able to enjoy the beauty. The average air temperature in July and August exceeds +20 degrees, so tourists will definitely be able to capture the glare of the sun playing on the surface of Ladoga.

Lake Ladoga is the most large lake Europe. The area of ​​Lake Ladoga is 18,400 square meters. km. It is an inexhaustible source of drinking water for the second largest city in Russia - St. Petersburg.

The lake is slightly elongated in the meridional direction. The maximum length is about 200 km, width - 130 km. The greatest depth is 230 m. Nature itself made sure that there was no monotony on the Ladoga shores. Lake Ladoga is rich in islands (up to 500 islands with an area of ​​about 300 sq. km), almost all of them are located in the north of the lake. Among them, the Valaam Islands stand out in size, with coastal slopes steeply descending into the water. Other large islands are Konevets, Vossinansaari, Heinäsensaari, Mantinsaari, Lunkulansaari. In the southern half of the lake there are very few islands and their sizes are small: Zelentsy (in Shlisselburg Bay), Ptinov (in Volkhov Bay).

Nature has been working on the artistic frame of Lake Ladoga for millions of years. Its northern part lies on the Baltic crystalline shield, the formation of which dates back to the most ancient eras of the history of the Earth's development. The rocks that make up the shield are mainly represented by granites, gneisses, and crystalline schists of the so-called Archean age. These rocks emerge on the surface and are only covered in places by a thin layer of sediments from a later time.

The Ladoga skerries, a necklace of islands separated from each other by a labyrinth of straits, are located off the northern coast. Some of them bristled with granite cliffs, plunging almost vertically into the cold depths of the waters. Others expose their sloping stone backs to the waves. In the depths of the bays there are small green islands covered with trees. A scattering of rounded boulders greets us west bank. Rocky ridges, called “fences” here, extend far into the lake. Sandbanks and dunes covered with red-trunked pines open to the gaze of the traveler along the eastern shore.

An integral part of the Ladoga skerries is the Valaam archipelago, on which the ancient Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery is located. At one time, it was his monks who were sent by the Russian Orthodox Church to spread the Christian faith among the peoples of distant Russian Alaska. Now Valaam is one of the most popular centers of international tourism.

Thirty-two rivers carry their waters to Ladoga, this is the full-flowing Svir, which contains a huge supply of energy, and small rivers on the northern shore, lost among the forests and meadows, and the straightforward Volkhov, and Vuoksa flowing through many lakes. There are short rivers, the sources of which lie 20 - 40 kilometers from Ladoga. Others stretch for hundreds of kilometers, and their waters travel a long way before flowing into the lake. No matter how different the rivers of the Ladoga basin are from each other in 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 increase to 100. The share of rain and snow involved in replenishing water reserves in the lake accounts for 15 percent, groundwater - only 2 percent of the total influx.

Many rivers connect Ladoga with lakes: the Volkhov river - with Ilmen, the Svir river - with Onega, the Vidlitsa river - with Vedlozero, the Tulema river - with Tulmozer, the Lyaskelya or Yanisyeki river - with Lake Yanisyarvi, the Vuoksa river - with large lakes of Finland (Saima lake system), the Taipale river - with Lake Sukhodolsky (Suvantojärvi).

Without exaggeration, Lake Ladoga can be called a storehouse of solar energy. Solar energy penetrating into the water column sets the water masses of the lake in motion. Even during short periods of calm, when the surface of Ladoga is mirror-immobile, at depth there is a movement of water masses both horizontally and vertically. This phenomenon contributes to the redistribution of heat in Ladoga, gradually enriching deeper layers with it. The accumulation of solar heat and its distribution in water during the day, season, year determines temperature regime lakes. Ladoga has its own spring, summer, autumn and winter.

The water reserve in Ladoga is 908 cubic kilometers. This value does not remain constant - in some periods it grows, in others it falls. True, such fluctuations in relation to the total mass of water in the lake did not exceed 6 percent, at least over the last 100 years. They manifest themselves in changes in water level and are sometimes so significant that they even cause low and high water periods in the Ladoga regime.

In the old days, prolonged low levels were often explained by the influence of supernatural forces. Among the inhabitants of the villages scattered along the banks, there were various legends. Maybe because the number 7 was considered lucky in Rus', there was a belief that the water level on Ladoga rises for 7 years and falls for 7 years. The onset of low-water years in the life of the lake has always been considered an unkind phenomenon. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it especially affected the life of St. Petersburg, whose economic development was closely connected with shipping. In low-water years, due to the strong shallowing of the Ladoga canals and the source of the Neva, navigation was difficult and incurred heavy losses. The supply of goods to the city was reduced, food prices began to rise, which is why the poor suffered first of all.

Since ancient times, swimming on the lake was associated with great risk. Thousands of ships perished in its waves. It got to the point that not a single insurance company in Russia insured ships traveling with cargo along Ladoga. Not only the poor equipment of the ships and the lack of good navigation charts affected, but also natural features Ladoga. “The lake is stormy and filled with stones,” wrote the famous researcher A.P. Andreev.

The reason for the harsh nature of Ladoga lies in the peculiarities of the structure of its basin, the distribution of depths and the outlines of the lake. A sharp change in the bottom profile during the transition from the great depths of the northern part to the shallow depths of the southern part prevents the formation of a “correct” wave - along the entire length of the lake.

Such a wave can only occur in the northern part. When the winds drive it south, it retains its shape only above great depths. As soon as it gets into an area with depths of 15 - 20 meters, the wave breaks. She becomes tall, but short. Its crest tips over. Arises complex system waves going in different directions, the so-called “crush”. It is especially dangerous for small ships that experience sudden, fairly strong shocks. There is a known case when a research vessel, operating at a sea level of 3 - 4 and a wave height of 0.8 meters, experienced a shock, as a result of which the doors of the closet were torn off their hinges, and the dishes that flew out onto the floor of the wardroom were smashed to pieces. In the old days, apparently, during such unexpected impacts, the steering failed or damage was caused to the ship's hull, which led to its inevitable death.

Another feature of the excitement on the lake was also noticed. During a storm, waves alternate: a group of 4 - 5 high and long waves is replaced by a group of lower and shorter ones. Such waves are perceived by the ship as a bumpy road. It causes rolling, which negatively affects the condition of the ship's hull. Studying waves on a lake is associated with great difficulties. The most high wave, which was measured on Ladoga, was 5.8 meters. According to theoretical calculations, the wave height during a storm here may be higher.

A relatively calm area of ​​Ladoga is the southern lips, where waves of 2.5 meters occur only with very strong winds. The quietest month on Ladoga is July. At this time over the lake mostly It's calm.

The ichthyofauna of Lake Ladoga is represented by 14 families: lamprey, sturgeon, salmon, grayling, smelt, pike, carp, loach, catfish, eel, cod, stickleback, perch and sculpin. There are 53 species and varieties of fish in Ladoga. In the lake, its canals and lower sections of tributaries, the following fish are found and found in the order of the ichthyological system according to Berg: river lamprey, brook lamprey, sterlet, Baltic sturgeon (occasionally), sea salmon (as a rarity ), lake salmon, lake trout, brook trout (in Ladoga rivers), Ludoga palia, Yamnaya palia, vendace, Ladoga rhipus, Vuoksinsky whitefish, black whitefish, Yamny or Valaam whitefish, Ludoga whitefish, Volkhov whitefish, Svirsky whitefish, lake whitefish , grayling, smelt, smelt, pike, roach, dace, chub, ide, minnow, rudd, asp, tench, gudgeon, bleak, silver bream, bream, white-eye, blue, raw, sabrefish, crucian carp, mustached loach, loach, spined loach, catfish, eel, burbot, nine-spined stickleback, three-spined stickleback, pike perch, perch, ruffe, four-horned goby and sculpin.

Only 9 - 10 species are of primary commercial importance: whitefish, smelt, perch, roach, pike perch, vendace (together with ripus), bream, pike, salmon (together with trout), ruff. Based on the species composition of fish, Lake Ladoga is rightly called a predominantly salmon reservoir. Salmon, trout, palia, vendace, several breeds of whitefish, grayling and smelt, close to salmon fish, that is, a third of the species and varieties of fish represent a group of inhabitants of large, cool and clean waters. Other large group- carp fish, also making up a third of species Ladoga fish, is common in water bodies warmer than Ladoga, but these fish have also adapted to living in Ladoga, and some of them have large numbers(roach, ide, bleak, bream, partly raw).

The most interesting tourist attraction on the lake is the Ladoga seal, listed in the Red Book of Russia.