On what plain is Lake Onega located? Lake Onega lake

The average depth of the lake is 31 m, the maximum depth in the deepest northern part of the lake reaches 127 m. The average depth in the central part is 50-60 m, closer to the south the bottom rises to 20-30 m. Lake Onega is characterized by numerous pronounced rises and lowering the bottom. In the northern part of the lake there are many troughs, alternating with high rises in the bottom, forming banks where industrial trawlers often fish. A significant part of the bottom is covered with silt. Typical forms are luds (shallow rocky shoals), selgi (deep-sea bottom elevations with rocky and sandy soils in the southern part of the lake), underwater ridges and ridges, as well as depressions and pits. Such a relief creates favorable conditions for the life of fish. The regime of Lake Onega is characterized by a spring rise in water, which lasts 1.5-2 months, with an annual amplitude of the water level of up to 0.9-1 m. The flow from the lake is regulated by the Verkhnesvirskaya hydroelectric station. Rivers bring up to 74% of the incoming part of the water balance (15.6 km 3 per year), 25% comes from precipitation. 84% of the expenditure part of the water balance comes from runoff from the lake along the Svir River (on average 17.6 km 3 per year), 16% from evaporation from the water surface. The highest water levels of the lake are in June - August, the lowest - in March - April. Frequent disturbances are observed, storm waves reach 2.5 m in height. The lake freezes in the central part in mid-January, in the coastal part and in the bays - in late November - December. At the end of April, the mouths of the tributaries open, the open part of the lake opens in May. The water in the deep open parts of the lake is clear, with visibility up to 7-8 m. In the bays it is slightly less, up to one meter or less. The water is fresh, with a mineralization of 10 mg/l.

Lake Onega is the second largest freshwater body of water in Europe. Its area is impressive; in size this reservoir is second only to The lake is located in the Republic of Karelia, as well as in the Leningrad and Vologda regions. But most of the lake is still located in the Republic of Karelia (80%), two other regions account for only 20% of the area of ​​this reservoir.

Lake Onega: depth and area

To talk about this reservoir in more detail, you must first talk about its size. The area of ​​Lake Onega is 9600 square kilometers, more precisely - 9690 square kilometers. km. This is an impressive figure. And it must be said that this area is taken without taking into account the islands. If we take into account the islands, then the area of ​​Lake Onega in square meters. km will reach the figure 9720. To better understand the scale of the lake, let's say that its area is equal to the area of ​​Cyprus, and this is not a small republic at all.

The average depth of Onega is about 30 meters, and the greatest depth is 127 meters. Note that these are very impressive figures for lakes. About 50 different rivers (and about 1000 different watercourses) flow into Lake Onega, and only one river flows out of the lake - the Svir.

Dimensions of Lake Onega: length and width

The length of the reservoir from north to south reaches 245 kilometers. The greatest width of the lake is 92 kilometers. On the banks there are three Karelian cities (Petrozavodsk, which is also Medvezhyegorsk and Kondopoga).

In general, it must be said that the Republic is the largest part of the lake, characterized by a large number of rocks. The shores of the lake are really rocky; sometimes it is very difficult to approach the reservoir precisely because of the rocks.

Meaning of the lake

Almost every local resident will always answer your question about the area of ​​Lake Onega and will be happy to tell you some stories about the reservoir or its attractions. For the local population, the reservoir is a source of pride. Dimensions of Lake Onega really impressive. Local residents have a lot to be proud of. As we have already said, the area Lake Onega in km 2 equivalent to entire countries! Let's take a closer look at it.

Islands

The total number of islands in Onega is 1650, but not all of them are large. The total area of ​​all islands in the lake is 224 square kilometers. The most famous island is Kizhi. It houses a unique museum-reserve of the same name, in which wooden churches from the 18th century have been preserved and restored. Some are built without the use of nails or other metal fastening materials.

But Kizhi is not the largest island in the lake; the largest in Lake Onega is Bolshoy Klimenetsky, its area is 147 square kilometers (more than half the area of ​​all lakes in Lake Onega). Big Klimenets Island has its own settlement, there is even a school.

If we name other large islands, then we need to mention Bolshoy Lelikovsky, as well as the island of Suisar and Yuzhny Oleniy. The nature on all the islands is very colorful, bright and special in its own way, like the entire Republic of Karelia, where most of the lake is located (we have already said this).

Flora and fauna of the island

Some shores of Lake Onega are very rocky, but most of the shores of the lake are low and often swampy. They also often flood when the lake level rises. This can explain the fact that there are only three cities on the lake.

Along the shores of Onega, as well as on almost all of its islands, in the reeds and reed thickets, ducks, geese, swans and other water birds often nest. Almost the entire coastal area of ​​the lake is occupied by dense coniferous forests, some of which are still untouched by human hands and are in pristine condition.

There is evidence that seals are sometimes observed in Lake Onega. In general, it must be said that fish, as well as various invertebrates, are represented in the lake in a wide variety. We emphasize that among the invertebrates there are a significant number of relics of the ancient Ice Age.

Returning to the fish of the lake, we note that the following are found here:

• sterlet;
• lake salmon;
• trout (lake and brook);
• palia (luna and pit);
• zander;
• pike;
• perch;
• vendace (including vendace-kilets);
• grayling;
• smelt;
• roach;
• lamprey (river and brook).

And that’s not all, because in the lake there are no less than 47 species and varieties of freshwater fish, which belong to 13 families. Fishing on Onega is a special chic and a way to find inner harmony with nature. Moreover, fishing is possible on the lake at any time of the year.

Ecology

In the modern world with outdated wastewater treatment systems, nothing good can be expected in terms of the environment. Over the past decade, the impact on the lake's ecosystem has only increased. Particular damage is caused to the northwestern and northern parts of the lake. In this area there are Petrozavodsk, Kondopoga and Medvezhyegorsk industrial hubs. It must also be said that about 80% of the population lives in this area; the industrial potential of the basin here generally reaches 90%.

But recently there has been a tendency to modernize treatment facilities and make serious investments in this matter (both from the local budget and from federal funds). I would like to believe that this unique lake will not be abandoned to the mercy of fate and will not become the center of man’s negligent attitude towards nature.

Economic importance

The lake is navigable, and it is a large part of the waterway, which is included in the Volga-Baltic Waterway, as well as the White Sea-Baltic Canal. The lake is also a connecting link for the basins of the Baltic, Caspian and northern seas.

The system of canals and rivers allows you to send any cargo from the capital of the republic (the city of Petrozavodsk) to any countries located in the coastal sea zone. These are countries from Germany to Iran. We also mention that there is an artificially dug canal, which is located along the southern bank of Onega (from the Svir River to the river called Vytegra).

On the shores of Lake Onega there are two ports (Petrozavodsk capital port and the city of Medvezhyegorsk), in addition, there are five marinas and several small stopping points for ships.

There is currently no regular year-round passenger service on the lake. But there is a regular service several times a day during navigation between Petrozavodsk and Kizhi Island, as well as between Petrozavodsk and Velikaya Guba. Tourist ships and so-called “meteors” are involved here. Also, according to the latest information, there is a connection from Petrozavodsk to Shala.

Among some interesting events of the lake, we note that since the distant 1972, Lake Onega annually (in summer, in July) hosts the largest “Onega Sailing Regatta” in the country. This is the country's open sailing championship among yachts (cruising). There are no other organized competitions, although the area of ​​Lake Onega allows this. This is explained by the weak development of tourism in the region.

Kizhi Island

The main attraction of Lake Onega is the island of Kizhi, or more precisely, the museum-reserve of the same name, which is located here. On the territory of the museum island there are currently almost 90 monuments of wooden architecture from the 15th to 20th centuries.

The center of Kizhi island is architecture (buildings of the 18th century), it represents the 20-domed Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, as well as the 9-domed Church of the Intercession of the Virgin and the bell tower. In 1990, Kizhi Island was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is pride for our entire country!

Onega petroglyphs

Rock carvings, which are called Onega petroglyphs, are located on the eastern shores of Lake Onega. Scientists believe that their age is between 4-2 thousand years BC. Petroglyphs are located in groups. In total, they occupy a stretch of coastline approximately 21 km long or even more. Their total number is approximately 1200 different figures and signs. Petroglyphs have not been fully studied and new rock paintings are discovered from time to time. It seems that the shores of Lake Onega still hide many secrets. Its area allows this to be done.

To understand the scale of Lake Onega, you need to see it with your own eyes. Come fishing in Karelia or just relax here from the bustle of big cities and breathe in the clean northern air. You will love these places forever, and you will come back here again and again. Lake Onega will captivate and enchant. Karelia will also appeal to photographers. There are incredibly beautiful landscapes here that will not leave a creative person indifferent. The lake will also be appreciated by tourists, especially those who love beautiful open spaces. Holidays in Karelia are also a wonderful pastime, clean air, beautiful nature.

Lake Onega is the second largest lake in Europe. With an area of ​​9900 km 2, it ranks fourth among the large lakes of Russia. Its maximum depth does not exceed 120 m. The main tributaries of Lake Onega are the Shuya, Suna and Vodla. The river flows from it. Svir.

The lake basin is of tectonic origin; it was largely reshaped as a result of glacier activity. The influence of glaciers is especially noticeable in its northern part, which is distinguished by its rugged coastline: there are many narrow bays protruding deeply into the land, stretching from northwest to southeast, i.e. in the direction of glacier movement.

The relief of the lake bottom is characterized by a complex structure and extremely uneven depth distribution. This makes Lake Onega, like Ladoga, stand out among other large lakes in the world. Approximately along the line Petrozavodsk - the mouth of Vodla, the lake basin is divided into two sharply different parts: northern and southern. Its southern part has a flat bottom topography and relatively shallow depths. Here, in turn, several morphologically isolated parts can be distinguished: 1) Svirskaya Bay, 2) Svirskoe Onego, 3) Southern Onego and 4) Central Onego.

The northern part of the lake basin is characterized by extremely sharp fluctuations in depth, the presence of numerous long and deep depressions or holes, separated by elevated areas of the bottom. A large number of shoals, capes, islands and bays gives this part of the lake a skerry character. Individual parts of the lake have their own names: Bolshoye Onego, Petrozavodsk Bay, Kondopoga Bay, Lizhemskaya Bay, etc. The largest lip of the northern part of the lake is Povenetskaya, it is about 100 km long.

The northern coast is rocky, and the southern, eastern and western coasts are mostly formed by a chain of sand dunes, reaching a height of 15-18 m in places, behind which there are sometimes swamps. The entire deep-water part of the lake basin is made of light gray-green silt, and the shallow coastal parts of the lake are made of fishing line, pebbles and boulders.

The amplitude of lake level fluctuations is small and amounts to 50-55 cm per year; its long-term values ​​are equal to 1.8-1 9 m; depending on the nature of the weather, in a given year there is a different type of annual variation of the water level, but for the most part the variation of the level corresponds to the type of regime with a clearly defined, although low, spring flood. In the secular course of the lake level, a certain cyclicity is observed, which is in good agreement with the course of atmospheric precipitation.

It is interesting to note that on Lake Onega, engineer Stabrovsky back in 1854, for the first time in Russia, recorded seiches. This was done many years before the seiches of Lake Geneva began to be studied by Trout.

Water balance of Lake Onega on average for a long-term period (1887-1939) according to calculations made by 3.A. Vikulina; characterized by the following data (Table 1).

Table 1. Water balance of Lake Onega

The transparency of the lake's water is relatively low, less than in Lake Ladoga. A white disk, lowered into the water, usually ceases to be visible at a depth of 4 m. The bulk of the lake water has a slightly brownish color due to the large influx of swamp waters; its mineralization is very weak and amounts to 30-40 mg/l, and its hardness is no more than 1 German degree. The water temperature reaches its highest values ​​(17°) in August; in the bottom layers, even in the hottest periods, the temperature does not exceed 4°. In the warm part of the year, the shock layer is well defined and is located at a depth of 20-25 m.

The freezing process of Lake Onega begins from the coastal shallow parts and gradually covers the central deep-water areas, which become covered with ice much later due to the large reserve of heat in the water and waves; this process lasts about 1.5-2 months - from mid-November to the end of January. Clearing the lake of ice begins in the southern part of the reservoir in mid or late April. Most of the lake opens in the first ten days of May, and the central part - in the middle of this month. Lake Onega is part of the White Sea-Baltic waterway and is a regulator of the flow of the Svir, the water energy of which is used for hydropower purposes.

No wonder Karelia is called the land of blue lakes. After all, there are over 60 thousand of them here. It just so happens that of the two largest such reservoirs - Onega and Lake Ladoga, throughout history seem to compete with each other in their superiority. Yes, Lake Onega both in depth and in area it is twice as shallow, but its waters, into which more than 1,150 rivers flow (in comparison: only 35 rivers into Ladoga) wash 1,650 islands (which is 2.5 times more, unlike Ladoga). Even in terms of water quality, Onego puts Ladoga to shame, even Baikal itself!
The shores in the northern part of the lake are elevated, densely covered with forest and quite heavily indented by bays, capes, lips, cliffs, while in the southern half they are low, mostly swampy.
Mainly on Onego Storms are common when waves reach heights of over 2 meters, but there are exceptions with breezes and calms in the summer months.

History of Lake Onega

Lake Onega belongs to the Baltic Sea basin and is located in the southeastern part of Karelia, similar in shape to some kind of monster, extending either claws or tentacles in the form of bays to the north.
In connection with what the lake was given such a name has not been established to this day. However, there are several versions of its origin. According to the first, aniz means “significant” in Finnish, which corresponds to the impressive size of the reservoir, because it is not for nothing that it is listed as the second largest in Europe. According to another version, from the Sami “onego” is translated as sand, i.e. "lake with a sandy bottom." Another assumption is “low-lying plain” (a lake formed in a lowland) or a variant from Finnish - “sound”, explained by the echo reflected from the rocks that prevail in these places.
Previously, the Finns called Onego “smoking lake” because of the frequent and thick fogs over the reservoir.
The basin of Lake Onega was formed as a result of the activity of a glacier in a place where the earth’s crust collapsed, so large depths are characteristic here, reaching a maximum of 130 meters.

Islands

The main part of the islands is concentrated in the northern and northeastern parts of Onega.
Zaonezhye- the largest peninsula on the lake. This area is included in the UNESCO heritage list as a unique area, the only one in all of Europe. There are many interesting objects scattered here and there along the islands and shores of Zaonezhye: villages, famous and not so well known, with old huts, churches, chapels. Among travelers, Zaonezhie is nicknamed “Russian Rome”. The Kizhi chernozems grow diverse and unique vegetation that is unique to other islands. So every 100 meters, one type of forest is replaced by another.
On one of these islands is pearl of Lake Onega and Zaonezhye, the calling card of Karelia - a whole museum, containing masterpieces of wooden architecture in the open air, famous throughout the world - Kizhi.
In the 10th century, the history of the island began, when the local lands, inhabited by Finnish tribes - the Korela and Ves (from which the Vepsians and Karelians descended), gradually began to be developed by the Novgorodians. This mixture of two nationalities left its mark on the formation of the island’s culture (which affected the local dialect, examples of architecture, and epics).

The Kizhi Museum-Reserve includes another specially protected part - the Kizhi Skerries, which are a labyrinth of numerous islands of various shapes and sizes: from large to very tiny. Some are covered with tall grass meadows, some with dense forests, some have inland lakes, others have swamps.

The most valuable natural objects of the Kizhi skerries include:

Inland lakes and swamps on Klimetsky Island are a stopping and resting place for swans and geese, as well as a nesting place for cranes. Here you can see rare species of insectivorous plants.

Volkostrov Island a kilometer north of Kizhi Island. These are rocks famous for the extraction of Volkostrovsky amethysts and overgrown with meadows, and in the center of the object there is a grassy swamp with a number of rare plants of the republic. Inspected only on special routes.

Radkolye Island- a rocky island, therefore the soil cover is very rocky, and therefore it is impossible to find a forest here, except that birch and pine trees grow in small groups, and rare plant species for this region, as well as native plant species, are of particular interest.

Lelikovo Island has long been overgrown with waist-deep grass, a few houses with tiny windows. And at the very beginning of the 19th century there were over 280 residents and 90 households. The bulk of the population were Novgorodians who fled the oppression of their boyars. Their main occupation was arable farming. Therefore, there are no forests here, since the trees were completely cut down to create arable land.
The church in the name of the Holy Forerunner was built by the local merchant Kleerov. The entire facility fell into disrepair, the iconostasis was completely stolen. And although the church is not a masterpiece, it is a legacy from our ancestors. A hundred-year-old two-story stone house in which the founder of the shrine lived has been preserved here to this day.

Near the village of Podjelniki there is a sacred grove. Ancient fir trees, the maximum diameter of whose trunks reach a meter, were concentrated around the local chapel.
The wooden chapel of Praskeva Pyatnitsa and Varlaam Khutynsky (1750) is not operational, the iconostasis has not been preserved. It consists of two rectangular log houses placed end to end. The wider one is a vestibule with a porch, the narrower one is the chapel itself. A hexagonal bell tower rises above the entrance hall. The belfry tent is supported by pillars and ends with onion domes. Both log houses are covered with a gable roof. On the south side of the chapel there is a bench for rest, where you will have the opportunity to inhale the aroma of freshly cut hay and wild rosemary, and see cloudberries and cranberries ripening in the swamp nearby.

Thermokarst sinkholes in the central part of Kizhi Island (100 meters west of the village of Yamka) illustrate a complete picture of how the landscape was formed. When the glacier melted, rivers with melt water formed in its thickness. Sand and gravel absorbed blocks of ice, which subsequently melted and formed caves, the arches of which were so unstable that they collapsed, forming craters.

Deer Island

12 km east of Kizhi Island, with an area of ​​just over 1 sq. km, it is an archaeological monument of the republic, since limestone deposits formed by the remains of sponges, mosses, corals and blue-green algae dating back more than 2 billion years have been preserved here. In the 17th century, limestone mining was carried out on the island, during which a burial ground with the bones of an ancient man, presumably considered an ancestor who stood at the origins of the formation of the Sami people, was discovered, as well as numerous hunting and fishing tools, and jewelry.

The village of Suisar, Prionezhsky district (50 km from Petrozavodsk), founded in the 16th century, has preserved its original historical layout and the remains of a relict spruce grove. But the local ancient forge was transported to the island of Kizhi and is now presented as an exhibit. Nowadays Suisar is an integral stop for the yacht regatta, which is held annually in Lake Onega

"Osudareva Road"

The exact location of the path was not recorded in historical sources. It stretched through swampy forests, from the village of Nyukhcha in the White Sea to Povenets in Lake Onega, with the aim of secretly leaving the troops of Peter I to the Swedish fortress of Noteburg in order to recapture and return to Russia the banks of the Neva and access to the Baltic coast at the beginning of the 18th century. The road is 260 km long. was laid out in 14 days and overcome on foot by battalions in 8 days, which in history is a complete paradox.

A couple of kilometers from the Village of Pegrema, Medvezhyegorsky district, surrounded by a pine forest, there is a complex of the same name, which was so carefully hidden by nature in thick grass, was opened to public viewing thanks to a fire: boulders in the form of human figures, animal figures “Duck”, “Frog” ", which served as idols for worshiping the souls of the dead, amulets circles made of boulders lined with a snail. Burials of an ancient man were discovered on the territory of the monument

Klimetsky Island is the largest on the way to Kizhi Island (7 km from the reserve) with a length of 30 km. These places were made famous by local storytellers in various legends and epics. In addition, Klimetsky gained particular fame, perhaps, as the most mysterious, shrouded in many inexplicable stories: vibration of the ground underfoot, a oppressive buzzing that causes terrible headaches, people disappearing in one place and appearing in a completely different place, memory lapses and much more.

On the same island you can see the ruins and, in some places, preserved frescoes of the Klimets Monastery (16th century). According to legend, the Novgorod merchant Klim was caught in a storm during his next trade route, and after praying for salvation, he promised the Almighty to build a monastery in this place. Soon deserts appeared on the island. After this incident, Klim spent the rest of his life in solitude in the holy monastery. Despite the dilapidated state of the building, the atmosphere here is peaceful.

Sandarmokh International Memorial Cemetery, Medvezhyegorsky district, highway A119 to Povenets, 12 km. from Medvezhyegorsk.
In the 30s of the 20th century, the place was used as an execution and burial place for victims of Stalinist repressions (there are about 7 thousand people of 60 nationalities). These were mainly prisoners of the White Sea-Baltic Canal and Solovetsky camps.
In the chapel located nearby there is a book that lists the names of the people who were executed. There are no birds singing here, no traces of animals. Now there are steles and crosses installed here.

Places of petroglyphs - The eastern shores of Lake Onega are mainly represented by rocky capes preserving monuments of the stone chronicle - petroglyphs represented by signs, drawings of animals, birds and conveying the consciousness of those people who lived here in the era of millennia BC. Until now, the meaning of many has not been figured out by scientists.

Cape Besov Nose is the richest in petroglyphs. Of this abundance, the most famous is a drawing in the shape of a demon, more than 2 meters in length. On the cape there is a lighthouse that is no longer operational. 200 meters east of the cape lies the rocky island "Besikha", which is adjacent to the cape. It is worth noting that the Demon's Nose is listed as a landmark in the Onega Regatta.

Cape Peri Nos is located a kilometer north of Besov Cape. Of all the petroglyphs located in the Onega complex, half are located on this cape. Some of the petroglyphs are located at the bottom of the lake. The edges of the cape are strongly indented by seven capes of varying sizes with rock carvings near the water, between which bays and bays are concentrated.

West Bank

Shoksha- an ancient Vepsian village 60 km away. from Petrozavodsk. The history of the village began with the mining and processing of crimson quartzite. This is the only deposit of royal and time-tested stone. It was used in the decoration of the Kazan Cathedral, Mausoleum, Winter Palace, and was also supplied to France for Napoleon’s tombstone.
16 km from Shoksha you will see the ruins of one of the oldest in Karelia, the Annunciation Ion-Yashezersky Monastery (the village of Sheltozero, surrounded by forest lakes-lambushki), already mentioned in sources during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. The desert was founded by a student of Alexander Svirsky - Jonah. Now the monastery is being restored.

Kolgostrov is one of the large islands of Lake Onega, with an area of ​​about 7 sq. km. An interesting object on the “Bell” rock is located in the southwestern part of the island - a “ringing stone” in the form of a boulder, when hit on the top of which with a small cobblestone, the stone emits a melodic sound, reminiscent of the ringing of a church bell.

Where to stay

A vacation away from civilization on the shores of the picturesque Lake Onega can be not only serene, but also comfortable accommodation, each option equipped with all the amenities of modern life. From the variety offered, any guest will find accommodation to their liking and taste.
At the recreation center "Zaonego.Ru" there are cottages with a high level of comfort (7 km from the property), a house with amenities in the Kizhi skerries area. Services: hunting (1000 rubles/person/day), fishing (500 rubles/8 hours), boat trips (from 700 rubles/day), excursions (from 2000 rubles), sauna, barbecue.
Tourist base "Senoval" (village of Garnitsy, 7 km from Kizhi), guest houses with a bathhouse, kitchen, smokehouse and barbecue, shop 3 km away. Cost of accommodation from 2800 rubles/day.
Tourist base "Big Bear" (M18, 27 km from Medvezhyegorsk), guest complex for 2 people. - from 1800, VIP cottage - from 3000, fisherman's cottage for 6 people - from 4200 rubles/day.

Fishing

IN Lake Onega There are about 50 species of fish, among them: pike, perch, bream, pike perch, catfish, burbot, sterlet and even salmon and trout. This diversity is determined by the complexity of the bottom topography due to alternating depressions and increases in depth, which creates favorable conditions for its expansion.
The most common method of fishing, which even a beginner can master, is trolling (using a boat with a motor), which can also use a downrigger for catching deep-sea fish. Spinning fishing is also used - throwing bait into the water, which then begins to slowly pull up, simulating movement towards the shore.

Fishing pier, Kvartsitny village (70 km from Petrozavodsk). Services: boats, echo sounders, barbecue, smokehouse. Renting a boat for 4-5 people for 8 hours will cost about 10 thousand rubles, including the cost of fuel and fishing gear.

Country Club "Silver Onega". Services: salmon fishing licenses - 500 rubles, instructor, gear, catch storage - 50 rubles/pcs/day. A boat for 3 people for 5 hours will cost 12,000, a catamaran for 6 people for the same time will cost 15,000 rubles.

White nights in Karelia are considered one of the attractions of this region, and compared to St. Petersburg, here they last longer, starting from the May holidays and ending in August. This phenomenon is of particular interest to lovers of picturesque landscapes, when all nature is filled with magical colors. At this time of day it is quite light, almost like daytime. It is during this period that fans of extreme sports gather annually for the White Nights rally.

Discover your corner in Lake Onega! Enjoy the silence of Karelian nature and the beauty of local landscapes, get an unforgettable experience of a wonderful vacation!

Among the forests, rocks and swamps of Karelia, a large lake of a completely unusual shape spreads its vast expanses of water. Like an unknown monster, it stretched its tentacle-bays far to the north; one of them is shaped like a trunk, the other - a powerful claw of a huge crayfish. This is Lake Onega, or Onego, as Russian people called it from time immemorial, the second largest freshwater lake in Europe.

They say that in the ancient Finnish language the word “onego” means “smoking lake”, and this name appeared due to the frequent fogs in the area. However, some geographers do not agree with this and believe that the name passed to the lake from the river flowing to the east of it (or, conversely, the river took its name from the lake). Onego is also called the younger sister of the great Ladoga. And although it is half the size, it is almost a good fifty kilometers longer. It’s interesting to find out: why do lake scientists consider these giant bodies of water in Europe to be sisters?

It turns out there are serious reasons for this. What the giant lakes have in common is not only that they are the largest on the continent and are located close to each other. The main thing is that they were born almost simultaneously after the retreat of the last glaciers. Large depressions, the bottoms of which are occupied by lakes Ladoga and Onega, existed in pre-glacial times. They arose in ancient geological epochs during shifts and faults of the earth's crust. Glaciers, which repeatedly advanced from the north into the territory of Europe, smoothed out, or, as they say, “plowed up” the bottom of the lake basins, making them more even.

The southern and northern parts of Lake Onega differ sharply from each other, especially in the structure and outline of the shores. The southern part of the lake is a vast stretch, Central Lake Onega. Most of the lake waters are concentrated in it, and the depth here is significant - in places 100-110 meters. The shores are varied - rocky, sandy, marshy. Completely different shores in the northern part of the lake. Here it is divided into two bays - Big and Small Onega Lakes. Crashing into the southern tip of the Baltic crystalline shield, they stretched far to the north.

The eastern bay from the reach of Maloye Onega Lake extends north to the city of Medvezhyegorsk and in that area is called Povenetsky. From it the city of Povenets got its name, where one of the most important artificial waterways of our country begins - the White Sea-Baltic Canal, which connected the Volga with the White Sea. Big Lake Onega is divided into bays, which are called lips here. There are three of them - Kondopoga, Ilem-Gorsk and Lizhemskaya. The shores of the bays are very indented. They are covered with forest, rocky and often drop off into steep cliffs directly to the water.

Numerous small bays are separated by capes. It was as if someone had crushed the ends of the capes with a giant hammer, and therefore there were numerous stone placers, or, in local terms, luds, formed here. When strong winds rage, luds protrude from the water. Between the large bays is the vast Zaonezhye peninsula - a land of forests, rocks, swamps and ancient legends.

Lake Onega is rich in islands. There are more than one and a half thousand of them. Covered with dense forests, with shores indented by bays and coves, the islands give the lake a peculiar charm and picturesqueness. This was noticed by the writer M. M. Prishvin: “The islands seemed to rise above the water and hang in the air, as it seems here in very calm weather...” Indeed, the islands seem to “hang”, because in clear weather they are as if in a mirror , reflected in the flat surface of the lake.

The largest among the islands are Klimetsky, Bolshoi Lelikovsky, and Suisari. There are islands that are wild, uninhabited, where humans rarely set foot, and there are also those that are famous and known throughout the world, such as Kizhi, a nature reserve famous for its wooden monuments of folk architecture, or Yuzhny Oleniy, the tomb of the ancient inhabitants of this region. Numerous large and small rivers replenish Lake Onega with their waters.

Among them are Shuya, Suna, Vodla, Andoma, Vytegra. Some of them are stormy, with rapids and waterfalls, while others are quiet and calm. The position of its level depends on how much water the rivers bring into the lake basin. In the spring, when the snow melts, the tributaries become full of water and intensively feed the lake. Its level rises until the end of June. The snow reserves in the basins will dry up - the river flow will sharply decrease, and the lake level will begin to gradually decrease.

Summer in the Onega region is cool, with frequent breezes. During the day they blow from the lake to land, and at night - in the opposite direction. The lake is rarely calm - only on quiet summer white nights. Lake Onega is amazingly beautiful with its harsh northern beauty, especially when its motionless surface is painted with pinkish reflections of the morning dawn. Autumn is a rainy time, with winds, storms, and frosts. Storms rage often. They come suddenly, raise large waves, break the rafts of the forest, drive logs to the shores. It’s uncomfortable on the lake at this time.

From November to mid-April, a cold winter reigns in the Onega region with snowstorms and snowstorms, frosts reach -30-40 degrees. At the beginning of winter, the shallow bays and bays in the northern part of the lake, sheltered from gusts of wind, are first covered with ice. The freeze-up gradually spreads to the south, covering more and more areas of the lake. Central Lake Onega does not freeze for a long time. The large mass of its waters still contains a lot of heat, and the winds blowing over the lake help fight ice formation by breaking up frozen areas.

Only in mid-January does frost conquer the water element, calm it down, and dress it in icy armor. Under its ice cover, Lake Onega sleeps until the beginning of spring. In May the ice melts.

The northern nature of the Onega region is beautiful. This is a truly forested region with rich timber reserves. Long-fiber Karelian spruce grows here, from which excellent quality paper is produced; beautiful furniture, famous all over the world, is made from the famous Karelian birch. There are protected groves here, which Peter the Great bequeathed to his descendants to keep. In the dense forests of the Onega region there are moose, bears, wolves, wild boars, lynx, marten, otter, and squirrel. The local reservoirs have become the second home of the North American muskrat. There are a great variety of birds here, including waterfowl; only about 200 species. The owner of the forest wilds is the royal capercaillie.

The forests of the Onega region are a huge natural berry plantation, where all types of berries from the northern region are abundantly presented - lingonberries, strawberries, cranberries, cloudberries, blueberries, raspberries, currants, and blueberries. Lake Onega is also famous for its fish resources. It is home to all types of fish characteristic of lakes in Karelia. Perch, whitefish, grayling, smelt, vendace, roach are the most common fish; they can be found in any corner of the lake. There is lamprey, which rises up the tributaries of the lake to spawn. Valuable commercial fish - salmon and trout - also live here.

By the way, there were no trout in the lake before. She is a gift from Sevan, a guest from sunny Armenia. From there, millions of eggs of this fish were delivered by plane. The famous Sevan trout (ishkhan) took root, and Lake Onega became its second home. The Baikal omul has also become comfortable here. The lake has always played a big role in human life. It is sung in ancient epic works and in ancient legends. Over the course of thousands of years, man has created a distinctive culture here, material traces of which have survived to this day.

In one of the most famous museums in the world - the State Hermitage in St. Petersburg - you can see exhibits telling about the culture and art of the ancient inhabitants of our Motherland. In the center of one of the halls there is a huge stone slab of dark red color; its polished surface is dotted with images of deer, swans, fish, and people; Here you can see some mysterious signs in the form of circles and lines. This granite block is a piece of Lake Onega. It was dug out on the rocky cape of Peri Nos and brought to the Hermitage for public display. The exhibit weighs tens of tons.

The drawings carved on the rock, which was brought from the shore of Lake Onega, are about four thousand years old. Neolithic man lived in many areas of the European North. He, obviously, was not very afraid of the winter cold, as evidenced by the remains of ancient settlements discovered even on the shores of the White and Barents Seas. The collected information enabled scientists to draw up a map of the settlement of Neolithic man. It clearly shows that in some places the settlements are closely grouped, forming, as it were, unique “cities” or densely populated areas.

These include areas of the middle reaches of the Sukhona River, the shores of lakes Bely, Bozhe, Lachi, Onega, the coast of the Onega Peninsula and Kandalaksha Bay. And yet, of all such places, the most inhabited were the shores of Lake Onega.

The ancient Lake Onega obviously played a special role in the life of Neolithic man. It was here that two greatest monuments of antiquity were discovered: the Onega Sanctuary and the City of the Dead - Oleneostrovsky burial ground. Several rocky capes jut into the lake from the eastern shore. Some of them are poorly marked and have no names, but the other five capes are the best known. These are Karetsky Nos, Peri Nos, Besov Nos, Kladovets and Gazhiy Nos. The capes are composed of dark red granite. Over the centuries, wind and waves have polished the surface of the coastal rocks, making it even and smooth. On the rocks, right next to the water, you can see some images carved on the surface of granite. They are invisible and somewhat reminiscent of children's drawings. There are many primitive images of men, deer, birds, frogs, lizards, boats, and tools.

The drawings are arranged in groups and individually. Episodes of hunting and fishing are common. There are images of fantastic animals and birds, and next to them are drawings of real animals. These are petroglyphs (ancient rock carvings), the creations of Stone Age artists, for whom polished coastal rocks served as a canvas, and a flint chisel served as a brush. About six hundred such petroglyphs were discovered on the shores of Lake Onega. There are especially many of them, and a wide variety of them, located on Cape Besov Nos. Local residents called these drawings “demon footprints.” The rock art area was a natural temple of the ancients where religious rites and ceremonies were performed. Ancient people were adherents of the cosmic cult, especially the cult of the Sun, as evidenced by numerous images of this luminary. The ancient inhabitants of the Onega shores had not only a sanctuary for performing religious rites, but also a family tomb where they buried the dead. It is known in the scientific world as the Oleneostrovsky burial ground and is located on South Oleny Island. It is curious how the burial was carried out.

A hole was dug to a depth of about one and a half meters. Its bottom was abundantly sprinkled with red ocher. She was identified with fire and was supposed to scare away the demons of evil. Together with the deceased, objects that belonged to him during his lifetime were placed in the pit, including stone axes and knives, spears and arrows. Various amulets made of stone and bone were found - figures of people and animals; these were the owner’s friends: they were supposed to protect from danger, disease, the evil eye, and help in hunting and fishing.

Lake Onega has long faithfully served man. He built his home on the banks, hunted in the coastal forests, and fished in its waters. But the importance of the lake has increased even more in our era, when the paths leading to the near and distant seas - the White, Baltic, Caspian, Azov and Black - intersect. Three great waterways lead from Lake Onega to the north, west and south; The White Sea-Baltic Canal connects it with the White Sea, and the Volgo-Balt (as the Volga-Baltic waterway is called) connects it with the Baltic Sea and the Volga. Passenger liners, motor ships, boats glide across its expanses of water, and “meteors” and “rockets” rush like giant snow-white birds.

On the shores of the lake there are several dozen ports and marinas, and among them the largest are Petrozavodsk, Kondopoga, Medvezhyegorsk, Povenets. Millions of tons of cargo and tens of thousands of passengers are transported across the lake every year. Ships coming from the Volga or Baltic to the North cross Lake Onega and approach the city of Povenets. This is where the lake path ends. Then they go along an artificial waterway - the White Sea-Baltic Canal. Lake Onega is located in the center of another waterway - the Volgo-Balta. This route starts from the shores of the Baltic Sea, from St. Petersburg, goes along the Neva, Ladoga canals, Svir, Lake Onega and the Volga-Baltic Canal.

This is how great the role of Lake Onega is, lying at the crossroads of large waterways of the greatest national economic importance! This does not exhaust the value of the lake; There are many sectors of the economy that make extensive use of its natural resources, and primarily fish resources.

Did you know that pearls are found on the coast of Lake Onega? In the mouth areas of some tributaries there is a bivalve mollusk that forms small pearlescent balls the size of a millet grain to a large pea. Pearl divers have to work hard to find one in which the treasured pearl has grown among the shells on the silted river bottom. The waters of Lake Onega are used to supply populated areas and industrial enterprises - timber processing plants, shipyards, machine-building plants, pulp and paper mills. The lake coast is a natural storehouse of wonderful stone.

Multi-colored building materials are mined here: red, pink, white and other color shades of marble, black and greenish diabase, the famous crimson-colored Shoksha quartzite, red, dark red and gray granite. A museum-reserve of wooden architecture has been created on the island of Kizhi, where many monuments of folk art are collected. There is something to see, something to be sincerely surprised at the famous Lake Onega. Everything is unusual here - ancient rock carvings, immortal creations of Russian architects of past centuries, and monumental monuments of the modern era - settlements that arose from the ashes of fires after the Great Patriotic War - and completely new cities created in recent years.

It is not for nothing that Lake Onega attracts thousands of visitors from around the world to its shores.