In order to see all the sights of Lake Ladoga , you need to spend more than one vacation in Karelia. Actually, a person who has been here once will be pulled here constantly. After all, a unique natural phenomenon - the largest freshwater lake in Europe, is itself the main attraction of this region. More than 40 rivers carry their waters to it, and only one Neva flows from it.
Ladoga lake
More like a sea than a lake, from ancient times it scared and beckoned, it seemed mysterious and beautiful. More than 18 thousand cubic meters of fresh water is stored in a basin formed by a glacier millions of years ago. Ladoga was freed from ice completely only 12 thousand years ago. The water here is cold, you can swim only in the middle of summer, and even then in the southern part of the lake, where the water warms up to 19-23 degrees.
The unusually beautiful shores of 1,000 kilometers attract tourists and pilgrims here. The size of the lake is impressive: 200 x 130 kilometers, and the depth in the north of the reservoir reaches 230 meters. Such is the Great Nevo - Lake Ladoga .
The peculiar structure of the bottom and the slope from the south form a wave that constantly breaks and goes in different directions. Because Ladoga is changeable and every minute it seems differently. Legends were composed about her, composed poems and songs. It can be scary, stormy and even, like a blue sheet of paper.
Since ancient times, Ladoga has been a transport route "from the Vikings to the Greeks." But the unpredictability and menacing nature of the raging sea frightened sailors. Many desperate people died in her waves. Therefore, mastering this severe, but so beautiful and necessary region for Russia, Emperor Peter I ordered to dig a bypass channel, Staroladozhsky. It goes along the southern edge of the lake. Then they dug another one, Novoladozhsky.
The sights of Lake Ladoga , such as skerries, are extremely picturesque . Rocks, pine forests, a huge number of large and small islands, separated by channels of transparent water, are concentrated mainly in its northern part.
Ladoga
Going on a trip around Ladoga in any direction, you will see not only beautiful landscapes, but also touch the rich history of these places.
The first prince Rurik came to us through this water, creating the Old Russian state. Powerful fortresses were built on the shores and islands to defend the land from the enemy: Nut, Staraya Ladoga, Korela. Shlisselburg and the new Ladoga - this is the Petrine era. Many and later sights of Lake Ladoga .
"The road of life"
The time when the fascists took the city of Leningrad into the ring goes further and further away from us. But he did not give up when he froze, he died under the bombing, he was dying of hunger. This topic is still given in pain in the hearts of residents of St. Petersburg. Of course, all Russian people know what the "Road of Life" is through the frozen Ladoga. This terrible and dangerous path helped someone survive in the besieged Leningrad. But for locals this is a shrine.
Now it is a monument road along which there are concrete obelisks with the designation of each kilometer. Driving along it, you see the monuments to the girls-regulators, drivers of the siege and a half, Leningrad children, sailors, pilots, Katyusha. These sights of Lake Ladoga will lead to the main monument of the road - the “Torn Ring”.
Valaam archipelago
There are places on earth, as if specially designed to glorify the greatness of the Creator. And for good reason they are separated by some barrier from the bustling world. Lake Ladoga keeps in its core such a place - Valaam, a tourist attraction and the greatest value for the Russian heart.
The area of 50 islands in the northern part of the lake occupies 36 km 2 . Two-thirds is the area of Valaam Island, it is here that the Transfiguration Monastery is located. Amazing place. The sheer cliffs hanging over the water seem formidable and impregnable. But on the shore, among peace and pine trees, you feel peace and love for everything earthly. According to legend, the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, having come here, erected a stone cross and predicted a great future for the monastery.
The history of Balaam, this severe region for life, is interesting and difficult. But it is inextricably linked with the monastery, which has experienced many troubles and hardships here. Today he is unusually beautiful and majestic. And rightly on Lake Ladoga, Valaam is a tourist attraction , one of the most important and unforgettable.
Konevets
The size of this island is small: 8 x 3 kilometers, and it is all strewn with boulders of glacial origin. And the very name of the island Konevets comes from the name of the largest of them, Stone Horse. It weighs 750 tons, only the glacier was able to drag such a giant. And it reminds a stone of a horse's head.
Once in these places there were pagan temples, but with the baptism of Russia, many monuments of Orthodox culture appeared here. In the XIV century the Monk Arseny created a new monastery here. His first cell was built on the Holy Mountain, on the slope of which a stream still flows down, the only source of water on the island. Later, people came to Arseny, the temple was built, the life of the monastery began, which was difficult and sometimes dangerous. Now the destroyed buildings have been restored, and the monastery on the island of Konevets surprises with its beauty.
Priozersk
It is impossible to talk about the wonderful cities located on the shores of a harsh lake in one article. But one of them, Priozersk, is famous for its Korela fortress.
It is believed that the city was created in the XIII century. But one of the annalistic sources claims that in 879, it was here, "in the city of Korela," that Prince Rurik died.
It is located in one of the most beautiful places in Karelia, where the Vuoksa River flows into Lake Ladoga, a natural attraction. The Korela fortress, created to protect the land from enemy raids, took part in all the wars that have been in these places since the time of Ancient Russia. The long-suffering city repeatedly passed from hand to hand, always finding itself in the thick of military events. After World War II, it was rebuilt. Only fortified, powerful walls have been standing for many centuries.