Oster is a river that is mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years. A huge number of legends, tales and fantastic stories are associated with it. Where does the river begin? Where does it flow? And what is the current ecological state of the river?
River Oster (Chernihiv region): general information
The length of the river is almost 200 kilometers, and the total area of the water basin is about 3,000 square kilometers. The Oster is a second-order tributary of the Dnieper. On its way, it receives the waters of at least 60 tributaries and streams.
Oster is a river that flows entirely within the Chernihiv region of Ukraine. Dozens of settlements are located on its banks, the largest and most famous of which is the city of Nizhyn.
Where does the Oster River originate and where does it flow? Its source is located near the village of Kalchinovka, Bakhmachsky district. Further, the river flows in a westerly direction, crossing the Dnieper lowland. The mouth of the watercourse is located within the city of Oster of the same name, where it flows into the Desna.
Oster is a river fed mostly by snow. In the area of the mouth, the water flowquite significant and is 3, 2 cubic meters. m/sec. The channel freezes around the beginning of December, and opens up by mid-March.
Oster River: photos and interesting facts from history
The beautiful Oster River flows through a territory that has been inhabited by humans since ancient times. Scientists are still arguing about the origin of this oikonym. Interestingly, the root "str" is quite common in the geographical names of the region of Eastern Europe. One has only to recall such rivers as the Dniester, Stryi, Styr and others. Researcher V. P. Petrov suggests that they all come from the same ancient Sanskrit word sravati, which can be translated as “flow” or “flow.”
There are many legends associated with this river. According to one of them, somewhere at the bottom of Ostra, a Roman ship still lies with countless treasures in its holds. This legend arose after local boys found old foreign coins on the banks of the river.
"Was Oster navigable?" - this question has long haunted local historians and local historians. According to the memoirs of travelers that have survived to this day, in the 18th century Oster was as deep as the Dnieper, and ships sailed freely along it. Even in the upper reaches of the river, the researchers found the remains of old wooden ships, which only confirms this theory.
Thus, before Oster, most likely, was navigable. But the active intervention of man in the life of the river has significantly modified it. As a result of the mass construction of dams and mills, Oster became shallow, and its banks began toswamp.
Oster and ecology
Ecology in the Oster River today remains very unfavorable. In July 2016, its waters were contaminated with dangerous chemicals dumped into the riverbed within the Nizhyn region. Poisonous runoff led to a massive pestilence of fish. The river water turned dark, and there was a pungent and unpleasant smell along the banks.
In connection with the current situation, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources announced a ban on swimming and fishing in the Oster River. A special commission took water samples and carried out their chemical analysis. The results were disappointing: the content of phosphates, ammonium and iron in the water exceeded the norm by 3-10 times.
Large-scale cleansing of the Ostra channel has been carried out three times over the past hundred years: in the 1930s, after the end of World War II and at the beginning of this century.
Treasures of Ostra
At the bottom of the river and on its banks, silver dinars have been found more than once - ancient Roman coins. It is these finds that lead romantics to the idea that somewhere at the bottom of Ostra lies a huge ship filled with jewels. The last such coin was found here in 1957, during a large-scale cleaning of the riverbed.
No less valuable and interesting finds were found in the Ostra basin. So, in the vicinity of Nizhyn, coins of Kievan Rus from pre-Mongolian times were found. Even foreign publications wrote about this fact. In 1873, near the village of Pashkovka, the so-called Pashkovsky treasure was found,consisting of many Roman coins. This find once again confirmed the theory of close trade and economic ties between this region and the Roman Empire.
City of Nizhyn and its bridges
Today, 15 bridges of various sizes have been built within Nizhyn on the Oster River. A hundred years ago, there were only four of them, and at the beginning of the 19th century, there were none at all.
Castle, Moscow, Lyceum, Magersky, Chervony - all these are the names of different bridges on the territory of the ancient city of Nizhyn. And they were not given to these structures by chance. The Castle Bridge, located near the Intercession Church, was also previously called Kerosenov, since there was a shop with this valuable product near it. But the Lyceum Bridge was named after the city lyceum, founded by Prince Alexander Bezborodko in 1807. By the way, the great writer Nikolai Gogol studied at this institution.
Of all the Nizhyn bridges, the Lyceum is the most interesting and the oldest. It was built back in 1832, on the site of the liquidated city dam. Young Gogol probably crossed the Oster River many times along it. There is also a monument to the writer not far from the bridge.
In closing
Oster is a river that flows through the territory of the Chernihiv region of Ukraine and flows into the Desna. Many interesting stories, legends and real historical facts are connected with this hydronym. In the summer of 2016, the river was heavily polluted with chemicals. Until today, swimming and fishing are not recommended in some parts of it.
