Exploring rivers can always bring unexpected surprises. This is especially well known by archaeologists, because it was customary for all peoples of the world to build their settlements near water bodies. Sometimes it’s enough to dig a little deeper, and under the next layer of earth a long-vanished history will be revealed. Serezha is a river in the Nizhny Novgorod region. It is often visited by both scientists and outdoor enthusiasts.
River location
Being the right tributary of Tesha, the Serezha River, through 185 kilometers of its route, passes through the Perevozsky, Dalnekonstantinovsky, Vadsky, Arzamassky, Sosnovsky, Vachsky and Navashensky districts. A remarkable feature of this reservoir is its rare ecological purity today. This is due to the fact that cities were not built on its shores and industrial enterprises were not built, and few villages could not affect the water condition badly.
The river Serezha directs its flow to the west, and it has fast speed. It is characterized by a sandy channel, steep wooded shores, sometimes alternating with meadows.
Rafting enthusiasts are especially fond of these places, as part of her journey she goes through karst lakes, which create a real labyrinth. It is these water upheavals in combination with the fast flow that attract kayakers here.
Start of travel
According to those who have been to these parts, the Serezha River is not inferior in its beauty to the best reservoirs of the Meshchera. The fact that it is surrounded by pine forests, in which even in the wormy year there are mushrooms and berries, clear water, numerous sandy beaches and the absence of tourists - all this only adds points to her rating.
In its upper reaches, the Serezha River (Nizhny Novgorod Region) is quite shallow, so if you come here for fishing or rafting, you need to do it in the flood.
You can start your journey from the village of Chernukha. This is a fairly large settlement, near which there is a sanatorium. There is also a local history museum. You can stop at the local or spend the night in a tent in a pine forest.
At the beginning of the journey Seryozha is a shallow river. Fallen trees often come across, so you have to carry kayaks in your hands. All this is offset by beautiful steep banks with pine trees hanging over the water, like guards.
After some time, the river deepens, and the flow accelerates, the approach of karst lakes is felt.
Lake chains
These places are protected, therefore, neither hunting nor fishing are allowed, and travelers will need passes that are better taken care of before being caught by huntsmen.
The lake section occupies 40 km of the path, where the Serezha River constantly wags between meadows. Forests are now far away, so parking is not easy to find. It happens that tourists spend the night right in boats. As the lakes remain behind, the river straightens again, and, as if gaining strength, it accelerates over the course.
She prepared sandy beaches surrounded by pine trees near the village of Lesunovo. After the village, you should be careful, because Seryozha suddenly bifurcates: the right side ends with the picket fence of the old mill, and the left carries its waters further.
Throughout the path, you should be very careful, because here very unexpectedly there are low bridges, which can cause trouble during fast flow.
River Attractions
Archaeologists know very well where the Serezha River is, because it was on its bank that a settlement was found at the end of the 1st millennium. The presence of roads probably surprised them the most, given the current state of some routes in Russia.
Scientists still work at the site of the settlement, but those who are interested in the history of this region can come and study their findings.
Ancient modernity
As it turned out, the Serezha River, or rather, its headwaters, has been home to the small Teryukhan people for four hundred years. Although they were assimilated with the Russian peasants who came to these places, they managed to preserve their culture, life and history. A similar phenomenon is extremely rare. Usually a less numerous people are absorbed by new neighbors, and in order to preserve customs and rituals ... This should be studied and cognized. This is a good lesson for archaeologists and ethnographers.
The two nations continue to coexist, not forcing each other to adopt foreign traditions. The greatest interest and commotion was caused by the fact that these same Teryuhans are not similar not only to Russians, but also to the Mordovians living in these parts, although they are considered related peoples.
These people have their own written language and well-preserved fairy tales and legends, epics and songs that have their roots in ancient Russian history. Today, many pagan rites are reviving, people are drawn to the knowledge of their ancestors, but here, it turns out, they never died, and every year the Teryuhans regularly praised the arrival of spring and the farewell of summer.
Sergey today
Thanks to numerous archaeological finds, many Russians now know where the Serezha River is. Several settlements of different eras were found on its shores. Scientists dug up a whole complex of buildings with utensils and tools preserved there.
Interestingly, even in these ancient settlements a mixture of ethnic groups is felt. So here they found pottery of obviously Old Russian origin and knives, the shape of which is not typical for representatives of that time. Apparently, even in those days, this river attracted people from other sides with different cultural and religious views to its shores.
Thanks to the archaeologists who discovered the river to all lovers of kayaking, as here you can not only touch the pristine and clean nature, but also the history of this region.