Many different rivers exist in the world. Many of them are shrouded in interesting stories and legends. Of particular interest is the Kalmius River. In addition to the unusual name, its characteristics are also very interesting. It flows in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. The article will discuss where the river is located, its various properties, economic use and much more will be considered.
Kalmius River: description and general information
For starters, it's worth telling in more detail about where Kalmius is located. It flows, as already mentioned, in the eastern part of Ukraine, in the Donetsk region. This is a fairly large river, located mainly on the plains. It covers several districts of the region and at the end flows into the Sea of Azov.
Separately, it is worth noting its size. The length of the Kalmius River is about 209 kilometers. In general, this river is not too deep. The average distance to the bottom is about 2 meters, but there are also deeper places. In the cold season, the river is usually covered with ice. Most often this happens in December. The ice breaks in March, when the average daily temperature rises significantly. So we dismantledgeneral information about this body of water. Thus, it becomes clear that this is indeed a large water artery that passes through several settlements and plays an important role in their economic life.
Beautification of the river in Donetsk
Now it's worth talking about what the Kalmius River looks like in the city. Its upper reaches are located in the forest park zone. Here on its banks grow old, mighty trees. For the improvement of the area adjacent to the river, a large cultural park was laid out here. It was built in the 50s of the XX century. Around the same time, the authorities decided to create a reservoir here. In the 60s, it already began to function. A wonderful recreational area was organized on its shores, where you could ride a boat or visit the local beach. Various sports competitions are also held here, for example, sailing tourism competitions can often be seen here.
The reservoir has a fairly large size, towards the city center its width reaches almost 400 meters. Wonderful embankments are organized here, where residents of the city often like to walk.
How is the river used for economic purposes?
Now that we know what Kalmius looks like, it's worth talking about how it is used and for what purposes. As many as 4 reservoirs are organized on the river. Initially, some of them were created in order to provide drinking water to nearby settlements. However, water from reservoirs was usednot only for this, but also for generating electricity. There is a state district power station called Starobeshevskaya. It is located on the reservoir of the same name. Thus, it becomes clear that the Kalmius River plays an important role in the national economy and contributes to the water supply of many settlements, and is also an important source of electricity.
Animal world
We need to talk separately about the fauna that inhabits the reservoir. The Kalmius River cannot boast of a special variety of fish. In its upper reaches, only minnows are found. In the middle reaches, you can find many more different fish, such as gudgeon, bleak, chub. Sometimes there are carp, pike perch, perch and other types of fish. Recently, the species composition of the reservoir has noticeably decreased. Minnow is also found in the mouth of the river, carp is very rarely seen.
History of the Kalmius River
Of course, it is worth learning a little about the history of this reservoir. Its shores have been inhabited since time immemorial. The most ancient objects that were found here by archaeologists are over 150 thousand years old. This indicates that human settlements were located here. Burials dating back to the Stone Age have also been found here. Their age is 5-6 thousand years.
Many peoples lived here, but in the 11th century the Cumans came here. And already in the XIII century there was a Tatar-Mongol invasion, it ousted the Polovtsians from these places. For a long time, until about the 16th century, the territories near the river remained not heavily populated. In the 15th centurythese lands were annexed to the Crimean Khanate. During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the river was actively used as part of a large waterway that led to the Sea of Azov. Also, from the end of the 15th century, peasants from Russia and Ukraine began to settle here.
What legends surround the river?
As mentioned above, there are various interesting stories about this reservoir. One legend about the Kalmius River says that there are underground passages under it. Such a legend appeared relatively long ago, it turns out that in the 70s of the XX century it was decided to build a metro in Donetsk. Then they planned to build 3 branches, one of which could pass under this river. However, construction never began, it was considered dangerous due to the possibility of methane release. It was in this way that similar legends about a secret tunnel under the river appeared. Also, such rumors could have contributed to the protracted work on laying an underground collector in the area.
