The beauty of the Tosna River has long attracted Petersburgers. Its high steep banks form a kind of canyon. Pictures of exposed ancient rocks with a rich palette skillfully convey to travelers their intricate game. And although the river cannot boast of depth and breadth, the history and picturesqueness of its places deserve attention.
Geographical Information
The Tosna River marked the territory of the Kirov, Luga and Tosnensky districts of the Leningrad region of Russia. She begins her movement from a marshland near the village of Poddubye and keeps the main path along the Prievskaya lowland, crossing the region from south to north.
Its main tributaries are Sablinka and Lustovka. Near the city of Otradnoe Tosna flows into the Neva. In total, its length is 121 kilometers, the basin area is 1640 square meters. kilometers, and the tortuosity coefficient is about 1.5 kilometers.
In some places, Tosna is a fairly fast river, there are sills and shiver on it, which is attractive for lovers of boating and outdoor activities. The average width of the river is small, only 5 meters, which is also indicated by its name (narrowly from the Proto-Slavic name), but there are sections up to 30 meters.
Of the large settlements on the river, there are cities such as Tosno, Nikolskoye and Otradnoye, as well as the urban settlement of Ulyanovka.
A river with a rich history
Tosna is a very ancient waterway, which, according to experts, arose more than 7-8 thousand years ago. Scientists were able to track its previous direction under the waters of the Gulf of Finland. At that time, the Neva River did not exist yet, and Tosna flowed into the Antsilov Lake beyond the island of Kotlin.
The abundance of fish in the Tosna River from time immemorial attracted people to its banks. In the XI-XII centuries, Slavic peoples appeared here, gradually began to take over the territory on which there were already small Finno-Ugric settlements. These places were attractive to many, but at the same time they were very troubled. Neighborhood with Sweden, as well as with the Livonian and German orders forced to be always on the alert and on alert. For several centuries, Tosna with all its tributaries periodically became the contested border between Russia and Sweden. Only in the 15th century, this territory, having defined itself as the Votskaya Pyatina of the Novgorod Principality, was annexed to the Moscow state.
In 1887-1884, the Tosna riverbed was used to organize a 30 km long sea channel. The ship canal Kronstadt - Petersburg was approved by Alexander II and was erected for the passage of deep-seated large vessels.
Tosna River Canyon
A special colorful place is the canyon of the river, where most of the natural monuments and historical sites are concentrated. It originates near the Grafsky bridge and, rising upstream, continues to the waterfall of the same name. Its length is almost 4 kilometers, the depth reaches 25 meters, and closer to the waterfall - more than 10 meters.
The terrain of the canyon Tosna (near Ulyanovka) is quite ancient. According to archaeological data, the formation of a deep valley occurred as a result of an ice retreat. After the rise of the territory in northwestern Russia, a plateau formed by Ordovician limestones formed. In the canyon of the river there are many geological outcrops, including pyrite, blue Cambrian clay and marcasite.
Mini Niagara
The famous Tosnensky (or Gertovsky) waterfall is the pride and attraction of the Leningrad region. Its age is about 11 thousand years, as a result of which ancient fossils that are well preserved in limestones are often found here. The appearance of the waterfall is explained by the retreat of the Yoldian Sea, when powerful jets of the water stream, falling from the limestone ledge onto the underlying rocks, formed a water-bearing bowl.
The waterfall on the Tosna River is represented by a horseshoe-shaped form, from afar it resembles Niagara Falls, its miniature copy. In Europe, it is recognized as one of the widest: with large water in the river, it reaches 30 meters. Along with this, the waterfall itself is relatively low, depending on the season, the height can be from 2 to 4 meters.
Tosnensky waterfall near the village of Ulyanovka is an important historical object and is part of the Sablinsky natural complex.
Sablinsky caves
On the shores of Tosna, near the Sablino station, there is a group of large caves of artificial origin. The entrances to most of them are completely filled up or have small openings, but there are also those that have become popular tourist sites. Among them, the most noted: Three-eyed, Left-bank, Pearl and others.
The main activity in the construction of caves began in the second half of the XVIII century. Quartz sand mined in mines was transported in wheelbarrows to the banks of the Tosna and loaded onto barges, then it was transported to the city of Nikolskoye at the imperial glass factory.
Over time, the Tosna River began to fade, and it was unprofitable to supply sand from Sablino, the caves were abandoned. After the workings were completely stopped, water and time were actively involved in the matter. As a result, some of the mines and passages were completely filled up, and some workings became isolated and managed to stand out in independent caves.
The legendary Ivanovo piglet
During the Great Patriotic War, the battles on the Tosna River were of key importance in the large-scale battle for Leningrad. Mainly, the “Ivanovo Piglet” on the territory of Otradny became a bridgehead, which played a significant role in upholding the city on the Neva. The material of the book by I. A. Ivanova, The Barrier on the Tosna River, gives some picture of these little-known events, and includes the recollections of participants and eyewitnesses.
In August 1942, the German army received an order from the higher leadership to seize the besieged city until September, while Soviet troops tried to break through the blockade with the forces of the 55th army. In order to prevent the enemy from approaching Leningrad even closer, the 268th Infantry Division was able to recapture the bridgehead on the east coast of Tosna. Under its cover, trains were landed, which managed to occupy the village of Ust-Tosno and some part of Ivanovsky. Fierce battles continued from August 19 to September 7, nevertheless, the Ivanovsky Piglet managed to defend at the cost of heavy losses.
It is worth noting that the Soviet troops held the Ivanovo bridgehead until 1944.
Fishing on the Tosna River and the discharge of oil products
Not so long ago, Tosna was considered quite rich in fish and attracted a considerable number of lovers of healthy leisure to its shores. Burbot, perch, bream, pike, roach. In addition to the usual species for these places, the chub and dace were often found in catches. However, at present, things are not so rosy. According to reviews, fishing on the Tosna River leaves much to be desired from year to year. And increasingly, treasured places prefer to be “silent”. According to experienced anglers, even 30-40 years ago, a catch of several pikes, each weighing 1.5 kilograms, could well be considered the norm, today you can only dream of such a thing. Fish in the river began to leave.
Environmentalists of the Leningrad Region have repeatedly raised the issue of water pollution of the beautiful river. As it was found out, oil and waste products of some households were repeatedly drained into its waters, which caused damage to the environment and led to the mass death of fish. Unfortunately, this problem still does not have a final solution and continues to repeat with some frequency.