The Pregolya River is the largest in the Kaliningrad region. The cities of Chernyakhovsk, Gvardeysk and Kaliningrad, the town of Znamensk and other towns and villages are located on it. On Pregol there is a Museum of the World Ocean, the famous floating lighthouse Irbensky and many other attractions. This is a unique river that flows only through the Kaliningrad region.
Geographic characteristics
Pregolya originates from the junction of the two rivers Angrapa and Instrucha, which merge into one near the city of Chernyakhovsk. The mouth is located at the confluence with the Kaliningrad Bay. It is not wide, like large rivers, but has characteristic features: channels, islands.
The length of the Pregolya River from the confluence to the mouth is 123 kilometers, along with its tributary Angrapa - 292. When formed, its width is small, only 20 meters, at the mouth it expands to 80. The direction of the river flow is from east to west. The bottom is sandy, sometimes silty.
The depth of the Pregol River is heterogeneous andvaries throughout from source to mouth. At the confluence, it has only 2-3 meters, in the lower reaches this figure ranges from 8-16 meters. In the lower reaches, near the village of Ozerki, the river will be divided into two parts: the northern branch (Novaya Pregolya) and the southern branch (Staraya Pregolya).
They are connected by canals that form islands of different sizes. Behind the largest and most famous island of Kant, they again merge and flow into the Kaliningrad Bay in a single stream. A sleeve can be called the Deima River, which branches off and flows separately near the town of Gvardeysk, flowing into the Curonian Lagoon.
Hydrographic features
The Pregolya River in the Kaliningrad Region floods twice a year. From the end of March to April - spring flood, the second time it occurs in the summer-autumn period. Thanks to them, oxbow lakes are formed in the floodplain of the river - small lakes. The largest are Empty and Voronye. The river carries its waters into two bays of the B altic Sea. Through Deima it flows into the Curonian Lagoon, where it delivers up to 40% of the total volume of water. The remaining 60% goes to Kaliningradsky.
Pregoli's food is mixed. The main part, about 40%, is replenishment due to rains, which are quite frequent in this area. 35% of the water inflow occurs due to snow melting. The remaining 25% the river receives from groundwater. During spills, in most cases, only the floodplain is flooded.
But sometimes floods occur during surges, even catastrophic ones, in whichmost of the area is flooded. The speed of the river is slow as it flows through flat terrain.
Tributaries
Pregolya is replenished with water due to tributaries, the largest of which are the Angrapa, Instruch, Lava, Pissa and Golubaya rivers. Also, a large number of small rivers and streams flow into it throughout the course. On the right bank, these are the rivers Lakovka, Guryevka, Glubokaya, Gremyachya. On the left bank - Baydukovka, Bobrovaya, Guards, Bolshaya.
Origin of the name
Greek scientist Ptolemy compiled a geographical map of the B altic Sea, which he called the Sarmatian. At the place where the Pregolya now flows, the river Khron, or Khronus, is marked. In the XII-XIII centuries, it had another name - Skara, it can be translated as "curve", "curved". The Prussian tribes who lived in these places gave it the name Pregillis, which means "low/deep place". The Germans called her Pregl. Russians living in these places began to call it the Pregolya River.
Aquatic life
Up to forty species of fish live in the river, but recently, representatives of valuable species of aquatic fauna, such as trout, are rare. This is due to poor ecology, which is caused by pollution of the river with industrial and household waste. This is especially true for the part that passes through Kaliningrad.
Recently, the ecological state of the river has improved slightly due to a stop at the pulp and paper mill (pulppaper mill), so the number of fish in it increased. The reduction in the number of valuable fish species is also associated with a reduction in spawning, since fish die when passing through the pre-estuary areas where Kaliningrad is located.
Some lucky ones may get lucky and become the owners of valuable trophies in the form of Japanese mitten crab, whose weight can reach one and a half kilograms.
Shipping
Before the construction of the Kaliningrad-Chernyakhovsk railway line, the river was considered the main transport artery. With its help, goods and passengers moved. Navigation became possible thanks to the deepening of the bottom and the fact that the river was connected to the B altic Sea by means of a canal. After the railway was built, the amount of goods transported along the river was greatly reduced. But it remains an important commercial route nonetheless.
Walk along the Pregola River
If you want to see Kaliningrad from a different side, then use the services of sightseeing pleasure boats. Their parking lots can be found on the river in the city center or on the skeleton of Kant near the cathedral. The tour of Staraya Pregola begins. In it you can see almost all the sights of the city: the Jubilee Bridge, the building of the Fish Exchange, the Mayak observation deck, the Koenigsberg Stock Exchange, the confluence of the Old and New Pregolya, a monument to sailors and fishermen who died at sea, the MO Museum and much more. You will sail under all the bridges of the city, however, good weather is important for this.
Bridges across the riverPregolya
Bridges are the decoration of the river and are of the most important national economic importance. In total there are 15 of them on Pregol. Nine bridges are located in the regional center and six - in other areas. The most famous are located in Kaliningrad: the adjustable pedestrian "Yubileiny"; multi-tiered movable, which has no analogues in Russia, since cars move along the lower tier, and rail transport moves along the upper tier.
Museums on the river
The Pregolya River in Kaliningrad is of great importance, it is impossible to imagine the life of the city without it. It has famous landmarks. One of them is the World Ocean Museum. It is located in the very center of the city, near the South Railway Station. Here you can look inside the structure of the B-413 submarine, visit the famous Soviet research ship Vityaz, the R/V Kosmonavt Viktor Patsaev, and the fishing trawler SRT-129.
