Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga (,
Ladozhskoye Ozero; ) is a
freshwater lake located in
Republic of Karelia and
Leningrad Oblast in northwestern
Russia. It is the largest lake in
Europe, and the 15th lake by area in the world.
The lake's area is 17,700
km² (excluding the islands). Its length (north to south) is 219 km, average width is 83 km, average depth is 51 m, maximum depth is 230 m (in north-western part). Basin area: 276,000 km², volume: 908 km³. The are about 660 islands, with a total area of 435 km². Most of the islands, including the famous
Valaam islands, are situated in the north-western part.
The basin of the Ladoga includes about 50,000 lakes and 3,500 rivers longer than 10 km. About 85% of the water income is due to tributaries, 13% is due to
precipitation, and 2% is due to underground waters. The most significant tributaries are:
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Svir River from
Lake Onega (south-east, discharge: 790 m³/s);
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Volkhov River from
Lake Ilmen (south, discharge: 580 m³/s);
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Vuoksi River from
Lake Saimaa in
Finland (west, discharge: 540 m³/s).
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Syas River (south, discharge: 53 m³/s).
Ladoga's level above the sea is 4 m. It drains into the
Gulf of Finland of the
Baltic Sea via the
Neva River.
The Ladoga is navigable, being a part of
Volga-Baltic Waterway connecting the
Baltic Sea with the
Volga River. The
Novoladozhsky Canal bypasses the lake in the southern part, connecting the Neva to the Svir.
The Ladoga is rich with fish. It has its own
endemic Ringed Seal subspecies known as the
Ladoga Seal.
 |
Towpath Bridge between Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega (from a photograph taken ca. 1912). |
In the
Middle Ages, the lake formed a vital part of the
Trade Route from the Varangians to the Greeks, with the Norse emporium at
Staraya Ladoga defending the mouth of the Volkhov since the 8th century. In the course of the
Swedish-Novgorodian Wars, the area was disputed between the
Novgorod Republic and
Sweden. In the early 14th century, the fortresses of
Korela (Kexholm) and
Oreshek (Noteborg) were established along the banks of the lake.
The ancient
Valaam Monastery was founded on the island of
Valaam, the largest in Lake Ladoga, abandoned between
1611–
1715, magnificently restored in the 18th century, and evacuated to Finland during the
Winter War in 1940. In
1989 the monastic activities in the Valaam were resumed. Other historic cloisters in the vicinity are the
Konevets Monastery, which sits on another island, and the
Alexander-Svirsky Monastery, which preserves fine samples of medieval Muscovite architecture.
During the
Ingrian War, a fraction of the Ladoga coast was occupied by
Sweden. In
1617, by the
Treaty of Stolbovo, the northern and western coast was ceded by Russia to Sweden. In
1721, after the
Great Northern War, it was restituted to Russia by the
Treaty of Nystad. Later, in
1812–
1940 the lake was the border between Finland and Russia.
During the
Siege of Leningrad (
1941–
1944), Lake Ladoga provided the only access to the besieged city. Supplies were transported into
Leningrad with trucks on winter roads over the ice, the "
Road of Life", and by boat in the summer. After the
World War II, Finland lost the Karelia region to the USSR, and most Finns were forced to evacuate the ceded territory. Some native Karelians, however, remained and still live there.
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Shlisselburg (at )
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Novaya Ladoga (at )
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Syasstroy (at )
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Pitkyaranta (at )
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Sortavala (at )
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Lakhdenpokhya (at )
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Priozersk (at )
The
2003 film
Vozvrashcheniye (
The Return), directed by
Andrey Zvyagintsev, was filmed on and around Lake Ladoga and the Gulf of Finland.
