St. Petersburg is famous for its historical museums and cultural monuments, but its main attraction is the Neva - a river that impresses with its beauty, power and strength. This is a real waterway of the great Russian city, bringing unique energy and mystery to it.
General characteristics
It has a very large length of 74 kilometers from the source (Lake Ladoga) and to the Gulf of Finland in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea, where the Neva flows. 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 near Ivanovo rapids. On average, the distance from one coast 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 shackles from December to April. The general direction of its flow from east to west. The river has steep, sometimes steep banks, the average height of which is within 10 meters.
Centuries-old history
Several thousand years ago, at the place where the Neva is located - the river, which witnessed many historical moments in the fate of Russia, the Tosna River flowed before. 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 Mgi River. On this very territory Ivanovo rapids formed. Thus the valley appeared, where the Neva now flows. The Tosna River and the Mga River subsequently transformed into its tributaries.
The development of the lands of this aquatic artery and their settlement by people began in ancient times, the melting of glaciers.
In the ninth century, the Neva was called the Vodskaya Five and belonged to Veliky Novgorod. She divided those lands into two banks, which had a different name, the right - Karelian territory, and the left - Izhora.
It is generally accepted that the river received the name “Neva” from the Swedes in the thirteenth century, when battles took place in these places between the militia of Nizhny Novgorod and the Swedish troops. The first mention of the river as the Neva was found in a book that described the life of Alexander Nevsky.
In the eighteenth century, when the Neva returned to the Russian Empire, the ceremonial construction of St. Petersburg began, which later became the capital. But bridges were not being built at that time, since Peter I considered them a direct barrier to shipping. They began to appear in the city only after the death of the king.
Bridge opening
It is known that many different structures were erected both near the river and above it. But the most important, of course, are bridges. A large number of them have been built, and they are all different: some are needed for pedestrians, others are for cars, and others are for railroads. The oldest of them are: Annunciation, built in 1850, and Foundry, built in 1879.
Many of the bridges are movable, and in 2004 the opening of a new non-movable (cable-stayed) Bolshoy Obukhov bridge. In 2007, the northern capital celebrated the opening of another cable-stayed bridge, the twin brother of 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 you to wonderful places along its channel, to the extraordinary beauty of the valleys located along its shores.
In addition to the beauties of nature, the Neva is famous for the grandeur of architectural masterpieces scattered along its banks. One of such ancient sights is the fortress with the interesting name "Nut", located near Shlisselburg. Throughout the Neva, many shrines and historical monuments are located on its banks, as well as churches and various monuments dedicated to various memorable dates.
In St. Petersburg itself, on the Neva banks 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 Vasilievsky Island. There are also many interesting historical sights: Aurora - the famous cruiser, the Summer Garden, Alexander Nevsky Square, Smolny and many others.
Various islands and tributaries
26 tributaries, small in comparison with it, flow into the Neva, the main of them are Mga, Tosna, Izhora, Slavyanka, Okhta and the Black River.
In its delta, it has about forty islands, the most significant and largest of which are: Decembrists, Vasilyevsky, Petrograd and Krestovsky. The territory of the Zayachiy, Kamenny and Yelaginsky islands is slightly smaller, but at the same time 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 calmly approach close to its banks.
From Lake Ladoga flows the only river - the Neva.
The total length of its granite embankments is 100 km!
Due to the fact that the waters from the Gulf of Finland are being pumped to the lower reaches of the river, disastrous floods often occur there. The most catastrophic was in November 1824, which Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin even mentioned in his poem entitled The Bronze Horseman.
Neva - a river in St. Petersburg - is loved by fishermen. This type of fishing is very developed here, since an interesting fish is found in its waters - smelt, which comes here from the Gulf of Finland and has become a kind of brand of the northern capital. If you're lucky, you can even catch salmon, but you need to know certain places. There are pike, pike perch, ruff, roach, perch.
Those who have never seen this water artery with their own eyes will not fully understand what the Neva (a river in St. Petersburg) can be. Photos can only partially convey all its beauty, power and splendor. This river amazes everyone with its greatness.