St. Petersburg is famous for its historical museums and cultural monuments, but its main attraction is considered to be the Neva, a river that amazes with its beauty, power and strength. This is a real water artery of the great Russian city, bringing unique energy and a certain mystery to it.
General Features
It has a very long length, 74 kilometers from its source (Lake Ladoga) and all the way to the Gulf of Finland in the eastern part of the B altic Sea, where the Neva flows into. The river in St. Petersburg itself flows for only 30 kilometers.
It has a fairly large width, especially near the source (more than 1000 m), and its narrowest place, 200 meters wide, is located near Cape Svyatki at the Ivanovskiye Rapids. On average, the distance from one bank to another varies from 500 to 700 m. It is also believed that the Neva is a deep-water river. Its minimum depth is 4 meters, and the maximum in some places reaches 24 meters.
In winter, the Neva freezes completely. She is bound by ice chains from December until April. The general direction of its flow is from east to west. The river has steep, sometimes steep banks, the average height of which is within 10 meters.
Centuries oldhistory
Several thousand years ago, at the place where the Neva is located - the river that has witnessed many historical moments in the fate of Russia, the Tosna River used to flow. After the Ladoga reservoir was transformed into a closed lake, its waters rose, thereby exceeding the permissible level, and flooded the entire valley of the Mga River. Ivanovskiye rapids were formed on this very territory. Thus, a valley arose, where the Neva now flows. The Tosna River and the Mga River subsequently became its tributaries.
The development of the lands of this waterway and the settlement of them by people began in ancient times when the glaciers melted.
In the ninth century the Neva was called Vodskaya Pyatina and belonged to Veliky Novgorod. It divided those lands into two banks, which had different names, the right one was the Karelian territory, and the left one was the Izhora.
It is generally accepted that the river received the name "Neva" from the Swedes in the thirteenth century, when battles between the militia of Nizhny Novgorod and the Swedish troops took place in these places. The first mention of the river as the "Neva" was found in a book describing the life of Alexander Nevsky.
In the eighteenth century, when the Neva returned to the Russian Empire, the solemn construction of St. Petersburg, which later became the capital, began. But bridges were not built at that time, since Peter I considered them a direct barrier to navigation. They began to appear in the city only after the death of the king.
Opening bridges
It is known that the setvarious structures were erected both near the river and above it. But the most important, of course, are the bridges. A large number of them have been built, and they are all different: some are for pedestrians, others are for cars, and still others are for railways. The oldest of them are Blagoveshchensky, built in 1850, and Foundry, built in 1879.
Many of the bridges are movable, and in 2004 a new non-drawable (cabled) Big Obukhovsky Bridge was opened. In 2007, the northern capital celebrated the opening of another cable-stayed bridge, the twin brother of the Bolshoi Obukhovsky.
Variety of attractions
Everyone knows the fact that the Neva is a river in St. Petersburg. The description of this waterway of the city introduces wonderful places along its course, with the extraordinary beauty of the valleys located near its banks.
In addition to the beauties of nature, the Neva is famous for the splendor of architectural masterpieces scattered along its banks. One of these ancient sights is the fortress with the interesting name "Oreshek", located near Shlisselburg. Along the entire length of the Neva, on its banks, there are many temples and historical monuments, as well as churches and various monuments dedicated to various memorable dates.
In St. Petersburg itself, on the banks of the Neva, there are many cultural monuments that have become real symbols of the northern capital of the Russian Federation. For example, the famous Hermitage is located there, which is one of the favorite places to visit.both residents and guests of St. Petersburg.
In 2006, a magnificent fountain was opened opposite Vasilyevsky Island. There are also many more interesting historical sights: Aurora - the famous cruiser, the Summer Garden, Alexander Nevsky Square, Smolny and many others.
Various islands and tributaries
26 smaller tributaries flow into the Neva, the main ones being the Mga, Tosna, Izhora, Slavyanka, Okhta and Chernaya Rechka.
In its delta, it has about forty islands, the most significant and largest of which are: Dekabristov, Vasilyevsky, Petrogradsky and Krestovsky. The territory of the Hare, Kamenny and Elaginsky islands is a little smaller, but they are no less famous.
Interesting facts
Neva is a river in St. Petersburg, which does not have braids and any wide shallows, so ships can safely come close to its banks.
The only river flowing from Lake Ladoga is the Neva.
The total length of its granite embankments is 100 km!
Due to the fact that waters from the Gulf of Finland are rushing into the lower reaches of the river, disastrous floods often occur there. The most catastrophic was in November 1824, which was even mentioned by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin in his poem called The Bronze Horseman.
Neva - a river in St. Petersburg - loved by fishermen. This type of fishing is very developed here, since in its waters there is an interesting fish - smelt, which comes here from the Gulf of Finland and has become a kind of brand of northerncapital Cities. If you're lucky, you can even catch salmon, but you need to know certain places. Pike, zander, ruff, roach, perch come across here.
Those who have never seen this water artery with their own eyes will not fully understand what the Neva (river in St. Petersburg) can be. Photos can only partially convey all its beauty, power and magnificence. This river amazes everyone with its grandeur.
