Ugra is a river flowing through the Kaluga and Smolensk regions of Russia. It is a left tributary of the Ob River. Ugra is a natural frontier on the outskirts of the capital of our Motherland - Moscow. Therefore, many glorious feats of arms were accomplished on its banks in the name of the fatherland. This beautiful river near Moscow will be discussed in this article.
Name of the river Ugra
There is some debate about the etymology of the name of the river. Some believe that this name is not of Slavic, but of Finno-Ugric origin. In this language, the root "uga" ("south") means "river". Others believe that the word "ugra" goes back to the Old Russian Qgr', which means "worm". It is from this lexeme that the modern word "eel" originated. If we take this hypothesis into account, then we can assume that in ancient times people called the river "snaking, winding" for the inconstant nature of its flow, which sharply changes its direction.
The origin of the Ugra River, some of its names are associated with the Magyar settlement, which stood on its banks in ancient times. The tribal name of the Magyars was the word "Ugrians".
Hydrological description
The length of the river is 399 kilometers. The area of the basin is approximately 15,700 km2. The source of the Ugra is located in the southeastern part of the Smolensk region.
Ugra is a river that is fed in several ways: 60% of the annual flow falls on melt water, 30% is groundwater, and only 5% of the flow comes with precipitation. The river level regime is characterized by a high, clearly defined flood, a rather low low water in the summer-autumn period, sometimes interrupted by floods due to heavy rains, and a consistently low low water in winter. At the end of March, the ice on the river melts, and the spring flood begins, which ends in early May. During this period, the water level rises by 10-11 meters compared to the winter low water. The average flow of water in the river per year is 90 m3 per second.
Ugra is covered with ice from the end of November to January. The river never freezes on the riffles, due to the strong current, the thickness of the ice on the Ugra is different.
The river valley is characterized by a large number of floodplains, the width of which reaches 1-2 kilometers, and in the lower reaches - 3.5 kilometers. The width of the Ugra channel is 70-80 meters in the lower reaches. The average speed of the river is 0.4-0.6 m/s.
Source of the river
Ugra is a river originating in the Smolensk region, Elninsk district, 25 kilometers from the city of Yelnya, 2 km from the village of Vysokoye. This place has been declared a natural monument of local importance. The natural boundaries of this protected area is the territory of the lowland in which it is located. The source of the rivera small swamp that is fed by surface water runoff. The Ugra valley in this place is almost not expressed, it is almost completely overgrown with small forests and small shrubs. Birch predominates among the trees, aspen is less common. The age of green spaces reaches 35-40 years. Only near the village of Vysokoe does the river take on a normal appearance with a well-defined channel and a normal course.
River tributaries
In the Kaluga region, the river stretches its course for 160 kilometers. Many streams and rivers flow into the Ugra. Its main tributaries are: Zhyzhala, Izver, Shanya, Techa, Ressa, Vorya, Rosvyanka, Veprika, Verezhka, Sokhna, Kunova, Remezh, Uzhayka, Debrya, Dymenka, Pride, Oskovka, Poppy, Baskakovka, Sobzha, Tureya, Voronovka, Sigosa, Volosta, Leonidovka and many others. In total, the Kaluga river Ugra has 44 tributaries. Its bed consists of pebbles and fine sand. The Ugra flows into the Oka at a distance of ten kilometers upstream from the city of Kaluga.
Historical facts
Ugra is a river that often served as a natural border between different political and ethno-tribal formations. Starting from 1147, the annals contain references to political clashes on it. The so-called "standing on the Ugra River" became widely known. So in the Russian chronicles they call the confrontation that took place between the great Moscow prince Ivan the Third and the khan of the Great Horde Akhmat in 1480. This moment in the history of Russia is considered the end of the Tatar-Mongol yoke. Defensive value of the Ugraemphasized by the nickname given to her by the people - "Girdle of the Virgin".
On the banks of the Ugra River, many Russians distinguished themselves by glorious feats of arms. Here in 1812 the famous Denis Davydov held the defense. During the Second World War, during the offensive of the Nazi troops on Moscow, Ugra became a natural barrier between the defenders of the Motherland and the occupiers. A. G. performed a feat on the river. Rogov, squadron commander. He sent his burning plane to the Nazi crossing over the Ugra and destroyed it.
River fishing
In Ugra you can catch a variety of fish: pike, burbot, roach, bream, silver bream, sterlet, catfish or pike perch. On the fodder reach, which is located below the roll, pike is well caught on live bait or bait. Other representatives of the fish fauna of the river prefer the worm. In the spring it is better to catch asp on the cockchafer. At the end of summer, the chub pecks well at the grasshopper. Experienced anglers keep their catch on the hooker and in the cage, as the muskrat or otter can sneak up unnoticed and appropriate the precious prey.
National Park
One of the cleanest in the central region of Russia is the Ugra River. The Kaluga region is famous for its magnificent nature. In 1997, the Ugra National Park appeared in this area, which is a specially protected natural area. A number of vascular plants (1026 species) grow here, some of which are imported from North America, others are local flora. 140 rare species for the Kaluga region grow in the national park: Venusslipper, B altic palmate, pinnate feather grass, neottianta klobuchkovy, long-leaved pollenhead and others. Many of these plants are in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
The fauna of the national park is represented by 300 species. Roe deer, wild boars, squirrels, moose and martens live here. Among the birds, capercaillie, hazel grouse, hawks, wood pigeons and woodcocks predominate. Beavers and otters can be found on the banks of the rivers. In total, the park has: mammals - 57 species, birds - 210, fish - 36, amphibians - 10, reptiles - 6, cyclostomes - 1.
The National Park "Ugra" stretches across the entire Kaluga region for a distance of 200 kilometers. 90% of the species diversity of the region includes this reserve.
