Disputes about the benefits to the national economy and the harm done to nature by hydropower plants already built and still under construction will never subside. State District Power Plants provide for the creation of reservoirs, which also cause a lot of complaints. Actually, the conflict that arises when trying to solve the problems of industrial and economic development of the country and preserve its historical and cultural heritage is eternal. The Kostroma Sea, which is the bay of the Gorky reservoir, is no exception. The Gorky reservoir itself is called the "mountain-sea". The expression vividly illustrates the fact that there are plenty of opponents at the reservoirs.
Boundless water open spaces
The huge lake-type pond located in the lower reaches of the Kostroma river belongs to both the Kostroma and Yaroslavl regions. It is shallow (the greatest depth is eight meters, the total is four), the coastline has a complex shape. The Kostroma Sea itself has peculiar hydrological and physical-geographical features.
In what territories is the wide Kostroma reservoir located? These lowlands with a large number of rivers, lakes and swamps were sung by N. A. Nekrasov. The area occupied by the Kostroma Sea approximately reaches the size of 40 x 20 km (according to some data, the occupied area is from 176 to 250 sq. Km), therefore it is called not the lake, but the sea, and its fame has long stepped beyond areas.
Finally flooded the country of Grandfather Mazay
The rivers Kast (west), Sot (north), Idolomka (east) flowed through the territory of the lost country of Grandfather Mazay, flooded 60 years ago. All of them, merging, formed the Uzaksu River, which before the construction of the reservoir was a tributary of Kostroma, which flowed east of all these rivers.
Now Uzaksa, like the lower reaches of the Kostroma, is a canal connecting the Kostroma Sea and the Volga channel section of the Gorky reservoir. This Gulf is connected with the Gorky Reservoir by the former river Sezeia and Sametskaya Ravine. Just between them is the large and beautiful island of Mokhovaya. Kostroma Bay arose on the site of dozens of lakes. The most notable of them were Lake Big, Swan, Botvino and others.
Flooded beauty
All the areas currently occupied by this reservoir, from the village of Glazova, located on the Sot River in the Yaroslavl Region, to the Ipatiev Monastery and from the village of Pribrezhny to the village of Bukhalova, were flooded from mid-March to mid-May.
In the surviving photographs, you can see that all the houses, services and churches in the flooded villages were built on high wooden piles. Surrounded by trees, they look very picturesque. Kostroma land has always been a symbol of patriarchal Russia.
Kostroma Sloboda
In total, 20 settlements had to be evacuated, among which were quite large, such as Miskovo with 500 yards, Kunikovo and Zharki with 450 yards each. It is always a pity when something disappears without a trace from the face of the earth, but in fairness it should be noted that the amazing exhibits of wooden architecture were preserved and transferred to another place.
In 1955, behind the southern wall of the Ipatiev Monastery, an unusual open-air museum was created - the Kostroma settlement. Churches were moved here, including the Transfiguration of the Savior from the village of Spas-Voezhi, and the Church of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary from the village of Kholm, and the Church of the All-Merciful Savior from the village of Fominskoye. From the houses removed from the territories to be flooded, an ethnic village has been created in the museum. The village of Spas-Vezhi, flooded during the creation of the Kostroma Bay, as well as the city of Mologa, absorbed by the Rybinsk reservoir, became symbols of irretrievably lost Russia.
Idol Dam
The history of the Kostroma Sea dates back to the 50s of the last century. In 1956, simultaneously with the launch of the Gorky (Nizhny Novgorod) hydroelectric station, which was the fourth stage of the Volga cascade of hydroelectric power stations, the Kostroma River was blocked. Its course was stopped by the Idol Dam, which starts from a shipyard in the city of Kostroma and ends at the village of Pribrezhny. A fifty-kilometer dam serves as a barrier to flooding of agricultural areas.
The functions of the Kostroma reservoir
What is the Kostroma Sea (photos posted in the article) now? Its main purpose is to regulate the water level in the Gorky reservoir, associated with the operation of the Rybinsk hydroelectric station.
In addition, the Kostroma Gulf is famous for its reproduction and feeding of fish, which then falls into the Gorky repository. Recently, tens of thousands of carp fry were released into the waters of the Kostroma Sea. They are also trying to reproduce on an industrial scale sterlet, which is listed in the Red Book.
Sea holiday
The nature surrounding the Kostroma Sea, rest on its shores makes it unforgettable. Moreover, dozens of magnificent camp sites and recreation centers for all tastes and prosperity stretch along the shores of the storehouse and on its islands - from the eco-hotel Romanov Les to various fishing huts that delight in comfort and affordable prices. The recreation centers are surrounded by beautiful forests full of game, mushrooms and berries. There are comprehensive information on such vacation spots as Familyhotel-RU, Astashevo, Belkina Griva (named after the island of the same name), Bely Yar, Vetluga and many, many others. And although the shores of the sea are swampy, there are pretty decent beaches on the dam. The recreation center "Coastal", located 20 km from Kostroma, is located right on the shores of the eponymous sea.
Fairytale fishing and the location of the pond
Separate words deserve fishing on the Kostroma Sea. Some reviews have data that in a few hours in the spills of the reservoir you can catch up to 30-50 pieces of pike perch. Very often come across pikes weighing up to 15-18 kg, tench, bream and asp - up to 3 kg.
Winter fishing is also wonderful here, and the bases available in large quantities are comfortable and affordable. It is worth adding that the beauty of the many islands of the Kostroma reservoir, as well as the coasts, is extraordinary. One of them, put up for sale, was included in the list of 10 best in the world in this category. We will give a hint to those who do not know where the Kostroma Sea is. Kostroma itself, the cradle of the Romanov dynasty, is located 344.5 km from Moscow along the Yaroslavl highway and the a / d Kholmogory M8. The Kostroma Sea, as noted above, spilled 20 km from it.