Izhevsk is the capital of the region’s springs, and this is what the people say about Udmurtia. The city got its name thanks to the river on which it was founded. What is it called? What other rivers flow through Izhevsk? First things first.
General information about the city
In the XVIII century, the Russian state led an active foreign policy and needed a strong combat-ready army. In this regard, areas of the Middle Urals began to be actively developed, where deposits of magnetic iron ore were discovered. The construction of new plants began under the guidance of mining engineer Alexei Moskvin.
It was Moskvin who determined the place in the headwaters of the Izh River, where a factory village subsequently arose, and then the city of Izhevsk. The Kama River is 40 km from this place. The proximity of these waterways has played a key role in choosing a place for the construction of the future city. The date of its foundation is considered to be 1760.
In various historical periods, the city was called differently. Initially, from 1760 to 1918, it was simply called the Izhevsk Plant. From 1918 to 1984 listed Izhevsk. In the era of "perestroika", not for long, from 1984 to 1987, it was Ustinov. From 1987 to today , the city again bears the same name.
Now it is known which river in Izhevsk gave the name to the city. We will get acquainted with the Izh River in more detail.
The largest river of Izhevsk
The name of the river Izh came from the Tatar language. In Udmurt, it is called ӵ (). The origin of these two names - Izh and Oӵ, as well as how they are interconnected, has not yet been clarified.
Izh is the right tributary of the Kama River and flows through the territory of two republics at once - Udmurtia and Tatarstan.
She owes her birth to the merger of the Big and Small Izh. The sources of these rivers are located at one of the Udmurt villages Small Oshvortsy on the border of two districts - Igrinsky and Yakshur-Bodinsky. In 1978, the river received the title of a regional nature monument of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Flowing from north to south, Izh flows into Kama about 120 km from its mouth, which is located in the flood zone of the Kama reservoir. Its catchment area is 8510 square meters. km
The influence of a developed river system on the topography of a city
The need to create certain hydraulic structures on the Izh River influenced the geographical features of the city under construction. A powerful dam was erected. Together with the embankment, its length was about 600 meters, width - 47 meters, height - 8.5 meters. A huge pond formed over the dam (its length is 11.4 km, its width is about 2.5 km), which is often mistaken for a lake.
All this determined the urban landscape. Izhevsk is spread, as they say, on seven hills. The elevation ranges from 98 to 210 meters above sea level.
The first production buildings were built on the lower right bank of Izh, right behind the dam. On the left high bank was the home of the factory manager. So there were two directions in the development of the future city.
In addition, many other small rivers flow through the city, and there are up to 50 springs that come to the surface. The elevated part of the city was not exposed to waterlogging, in contrast to the low-lying Zareka, which during the flood flooded the Izhevsk River. From the moment of its foundation, the city was cut in two by a water barrier. Today these parts connect three bridges.
Water resources of Izhevsk
As already mentioned, the numerous rivers of Izhevsk form the basis of its water resources. They flow right through the city. Not every city boasts such an extensive river network.
How many rivers in Izhevsk? The answer to this question is interesting to many. 22 rivers of Izhevsk have their own names. The largest of them is the Izh River. Its total length is 259 km, and 35 km in Izhevsk. Next are the rivers (in decreasing order of length):
- Winter (in the Udmurtian Poym) is the left tributary of the Izh River with a length of 52 km, flowing through the Pervomaisky district of Izhevsk.
- Luke (39 km) is the right tributary of Izh, the source of which is swamps located west of Izhevsk.
- Muzhvayka or Pirogovka (length 38 km).
- Paselinka.
- Karlutka.
- Igermanka.
- Starkovka.
- Lullinka.
- Lamshurka.
- Robin.
- Chemoshurka.
- Orlovka.
- Tonovka.
- Pioneer Stream.
- Sepich.
- Chumoyka, as well as numerous rivers and streams without names.
Fishing is one of Izhevsk residents' favorite pastimes.
The rivers of Izhevsk enable citizens to spend their leisure time fishing. This is one of the favorite things for locals. More than 29 species of fish live in the rivers and ponds of the city and its environs. Among them are sturgeon, sterlet, whitefish, common carp, silver bream, asp, ide, bleak, chub and others. Of the valuable, extremely rare are salmonids - whitefish, taimen, listed in the Red Book of Udmurtia. These fish species are considered one of the most expensive not only in the region, but also in Russia as a whole.
In recent years, new invasive species have appeared among the local ichthyofauna, such as rotan, needle fish, Charkhal tyulka and round goby. Thus, the diversity of fish resources is increasing.