Many different rivers exist in the world. Many of them are shrouded in interesting stories and legends. Of particular interest is the Kalmius River. In addition to the unusual name, its characteristics are very interesting. It flows in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. The article will discuss where the river is located, its various properties, economic use and much more will be considered.
Kalmius River: description and general information
To begin with, it is worthwhile to talk in more detail about where Kalmius is located. It flows, as already mentioned, in the eastern part of Ukraine, in the Donetsk region. This is a fairly large river, located mainly on the plains. It covers several areas of the region and at the end flows into the Sea of Azov.
We should also note its size. The length of the Kalmius River is about 209 kilometers. In general, this river is not too deep. The average distance to the bottom is about 2 meters, but there are also deeper places. In the cold season, the river is usually covered with ice. Most often this happens in December. Ice breaks open in the month of March, when the average daily temperature rises significantly. So, we have analyzed the general information about this reservoir. Thus, it becomes clear that this is indeed a large waterway, which passes through several settlements and plays an important role in their economic life.
Improvement of the river in Donetsk
Now it’s worth talking about how the Kalmius River looks in the city. Its headwaters are located in a forested area. Here on its banks grow old, mighty trees. To improve the area adjacent to the river, a large culture park was set up here. It was built in the 50s of the XX century. Around the same time, the authorities decided to create a reservoir here. In the 60s it already began to function. A wonderful recreational area was organized on its shores, where you could ride a boat or visit the local beach. Various sports are also held here, for example, you can often see sailing competitions here.
The reservoir has a rather large size, to the center of the city its width reaches almost 400 meters. Wonderful promenades are organized here, where city residents often like to stroll.
How is the river used for economic purposes?
Now that we know what Kalmius looks like, it's worth talking about how it is used and for what purposes. On the river, as many as 4 reservoirs are organized. Initially, some of them were created in order to provide nearby settlements with drinking water. However, water from reservoirs was used not only for this, but also for generating electricity. There is a state district power station called Starobeshevskaya. It is located on the reservoir of the same name. Thus, it becomes clear that the Kalmius River plays an important role in the national economy and contributes to the water supply of many settlements, and is also an important source of electricity.
Animal world
We need to talk separately about the fauna that inhabits the reservoir. The Kalmius River cannot boast a special variety of fish. In its upper reaches, only minnows are found. In the middle reaches, you can find much more different fish, for example, gudgeon, bleak, chub. Sometimes there are carp, zander, perch and other types of fish. Recently, the species composition of the reservoir has noticeably decreased. There is also a gudgeon at the mouth of the river, very rarely you can see a common carp.
History of the Kalmius River
Of course, it’s worth a little to learn about the history of this reservoir. Its shores were inhabited since time immemorial. The most ancient objects that were found here by archaeologists are over 150 thousand years old. This indicates that there were settlements of people. Also here were found burials related to the Stone Age. Their age is 5-6 thousand years.
Many peoples lived here, however, in the 11th century, the Polovtsy came here. And already in the XIII century there was a Tatar-Mongol invasion, it replaced the Polovtsy from these places. For a long time, until about the 16th century, territories near the river remained not very populated. In the XV century, these lands were annexed to the Crimean Khanate. During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the river was actively used as part of a large waterway that led to the Sea of Azov. Also, from the end of the 15th century, peasants from Russia and Ukraine began to settle here.
What are the legends of the river?
As mentioned above, there are various interesting stories about this reservoir. One legend about the Kalmius River says that underground passages exist under it. Such a legend appeared relatively long ago, it turns out that in the 70s of the XX century in Donetsk it was decided to build a subway. Then they planned to build 3 branches, one of which could pass under this river. However, the construction did not start, it was considered dangerous due to the possibility of methane release. In this way similar legends about the secret tunnel under the river appeared. Also, such rumors could be contributed by protracted work on laying an underground collector in the area.