Information about Lake Onega. Lake Onega

"Onego-father" - this is how the Russian people who lived on the shores of Lake Onega from antiquity called their breadwinner, what they considered this quiet, transparent expanse framed by picturesque shores under the sky, shining with pearl light through the veil of almost permanent clouds here.
Russian scientist, historian and archaeologist of the late 19th century, founder of the Russian school of ethnography H.N. Kharuzin (1865-1900) in his work “Materials collected among the peasants of the Pudozh district of the Olonets province” cites such an appeal to the lake, recorded by him: with the incoming guests, bless the water to take not for the sake of cunning, not for the sake of wisdom, but for the sake of goodness and health ... ”In addition to the sacral and ritual intonation, one can also read the sincere gratitude of people to the lake - for the purity of its water, for the abundance of fish in it and timber on it shores. And, of course, for the beauty that pleases the eye and soul. And now the townspeople coming to Lake Onega in order to see the wooden architecture of the Kizhi reserve, the "demons" - the petroglyphs of Cape Besov Nos, go fishing, just relax and unwind, all as one say that they experience an unusually strong surge of spiritual strength here.
The name Onego is Sami by origin, like many original names settlements on its shores, which is a clear answer to the question of who mastered these shores. The Scandinavians and Russians also call the Finno-Ugric Saami the Lop, Loplyans and Lapps (this is where the toponym Lapland comes from). The Vepsians (Chud) also lived here. The Slavs came here in the 5th century. In the Sami language, the word ale, or elo, which was transformed in Russian into Onego or Onega, simply means " big lake". It is a large, second largest water surface in Europe after Lake Ladoga, with which it is connected by the only river flowing from Onego - the Svir, while about 50 rivers flow into it. As for the more ancient inhabitants of the shores of Lake Onega, then archaeological excavations on the islands of southern Zaonezhye, Bolshoy Lelikovsky and Small Lelikovsky, testify that people lived there settled down from the Neolithic era (the turn of the 5th-4th - the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC).
Geologists attribute the rocks that form the basin of the lake to the Proterozoic period. Hydrologists believe that this basin was filled mainly with water from melting glaciers, as well as underground sources. At the same time, the channels of the rivers flowing into the lake were formed. The location of the fjords in the north and northwest of the lake, rocky ridges and placers of small islands covered with granite boulders between them in the bays (bays) on the map of the lake are a kind of schematic reproduction of the movement of the ice cover on the ground here. This movement took place gradually and in different periods of the ancient glaciation of the European continent, with powerful jerks and shocks generated, as is quite obvious, by tectonic processes during the movement of the margins of the lithospheric plates. Under the influence of these processes, the larger islands of the lake were also formed, the total number of which, together with the very tiny ones, is about 150. The largest of the islands is Bolshoi Klimetsky (Klimenetsky), whose area is 147 km 2; There are several settlements here, a school operates. Other large islands are (Kizh), Kerk, Deer, Sennogubsky, Suysari. Large islands fall on the northern segment of the lake.
Depths in the southern segment of the lake on the coastal water areas range from 9 to 14.5 m. Netak in the north. Bottom depressions begin from the line Petrozavodsk - the mouth of the Vodla River, some reach depths of 111, 115.5 and even 132.5 m, although 127 m are still considered the maximum depth. water in Onega may vary depending on the prevailing in a given year strong winds, moving layers of water, or the amount of precipitation.
Lake Onega on the territory of Karelia (mainly), Leningrad and Vologda regions extends from north-northwest to south-southeast. The maximum length of the lake - between the Black Sands coast in the south and the mouth of the Kumsa River in the north - reaches 220 km, and the width - from Lake Logmo, in fact, the continuation of Onega, to the village of Pudozhsky churchyard - 86 km. The coastline in the south has a relatively smooth character, in the north it is indented by narrow fjords bordered by skerries.
Some were created by nature, others by man. It makes no sense to talk about which ones are more important, they are all valuable - because, in fact, they are inseparable.
The natural resources of Lake Onega are not fundamentally different from those of Lake Ladoga or, say, Lake Vänern in Sweden, because all these lakes in Northern Europe stand on the same geological Baltic granite shield, have common history origin, similar climate and hydrology. True, Onega belongs to the Baltic Shield only in its northern part, and in its southern part - to the Russian platform. A non-specialist will not notice this, but any person who understands the dim northern nature will be glad that he again sees deserted sandy spits, rocky capes, avant-garde detachments of virgin coniferous forests approaching the water. And also to the fact that he can stay in silence and go fishing from the heart here in clean water. The bottom of the lake with its silty areas, elevation changes from deep holes to shallow water, underwater ridges contribute to the fact that different breeds of fish are found here, and they fatten up a lot of body weight. The ichthyofauna of Lake Onega includes 47 species and varieties of fish. Among them are sterlet, salmon, trout, lake and stream, pike, whitefish, grayling, eel, etc. The lake begins to freeze around mid-December, but this is not the main obstacle for fishing enthusiasts, but short daylight hours.
Onega is connected with Ladoga by the Svir River, with the White Sea by the White Sea-Baltic Canal. And so on: with the Volga, the Caspian and Black Seas - through the network of canals of the Volga-Baltic waterway.
In total, 552 man-made monuments are registered on the coast of the lake today. Among the petroglyphs of Onega, the most famous, whose age is 5-6 thousand years, are those located on Cape Besov Nos, especially three large "figures" - an anthropomorphic "Bes" 2.3 m long, along the entire "body" of which there is a crack , looking really ominous, “Otter” (or “Lizard”) and “Burbot” (or “Catfish”). There are other places on Onega with Neolithic monuments, no less interesting, on the rocky outcrops of the coast from the mouth of the Vodla River to the mouth of the Chernaya River: it is better to learn about them and the road to them on the spot, the tourist infrastructure here, alas, is not yet very developed. The technique for creating these images is common for the Neolithic: dot-cutting on stone. On the peninsula Kochkovnavolok at the mouth of the Vodpa there are open in the 1980-1990s. the northernmost rock paintings of Lake Onega. Anthropomorphic figures are also found here, while images of animals predominate, and among them - swans (there are swans in other accumulations of petroglyphs). The largest local “swan” from head to tail is 4.12 m. These petroglyphs are much worse preserved than on the Besovy Nos: erosion has affected, some images are overgrown with lichens, and yet the most valuable impression from what they saw here is that the ancient hunters and fishermen thought not only about food, they also admired the surrounding world and, judging by the size of some figures, deified it, because the swan is not at all a game bird, but the personification of beauty and purity.
The beauty of the wooden buildings collected on the island of Kizhi in the State Museum-Reserve of Russian Orthodox Wooden Architecture "Kizhi", or "Kizhi Pogost", is included in the list world heritage UNESCO. In addition to the churches originally built on the island itself, chapels, houses and outbuildings from Zaonezhye and other regions of Karelia. About the “piecework” of the exhibits of this museum under open sky tell many stories. The most famous of them is the carpenter Nestor, who built the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord with one ax (initially without a single nail), threw the ax into the lake so that no one could copy his work.

general information

Lake of glacial-tectonic origin on the territory of the Republic, Leningrad and Vologda regions in the north-west of the European part of the Russian Federation.
Education time: about 12 thousand years ago, with the end of the last Valdai glaciation.
According to hydrographic parameters, Lake Onega is included in the water basin of Lake Ladoga and the Neva River.
Type: fresh.
The most significant flowing rivers: Vytegra, Suna, Andoma, Vodla, Shuya.
The largest islands: Bolshoy Klimetsky, Bolshoy Lelikovsky (in the southern Zaonezhye), Kerk, Deer, Sennogubsky, Suysari.
Cities: Petrozavodsk, Kondopoga, Medvezhyegorsk, urban-type settlement Povenets.
Outflowing river: Svir.
Nearest airports: Pulkovo in St. Petersburg (international), Besovets in Petrozavodsk.

Numbers

Length: 220 km.
Maximum Width: 86 km.
Note: different sources give different indicators of the length and width of the lake.
Water surface area: 9720 km 2 (excluding islands, whose area is 224 km 2).
Total number of islands: more than 1500.
Water mass volume: 295 km3.
Length coastline : 1280 km.
Max Depth: 127 m.
catchment area: 62,800 km2.
Water transparency: 1.5 to 8 m.

Climate and weather

Transitional: from temperate continental to maritime.
January average temperature: -9°C.
July average temperature: +16°С.
Maximum water temperature in July-August: +24°С.
Average annual rainfall: 610 mm.

Economy

Shipping.
Fishing.
Tourism.

Attractions

■ Petrozavodsk: Cathedral Alexander Nevsky (1826), Exaltation of the Cross Church (1852), Onega Embankment - an open-air museum, which houses a monument to the founder of the city, Peter I, monuments-gifts from sister cities, the Wishing Tree, other sculptures and structures, the Park culture and recreation - the former Petrovsky Garden, founded in 1703, oldest park Russia.
■ Kondopoga: wooden church Assumption of the Mother of God (1774), local history museum, Ice Palace(2001).
■ Petroglyphs of Cape Besov Nos, the Kochkovnavolok peninsula and other rocky ledges on the banks.
■ Kizhi Island- The Kizhi State Historical, Architectural and Ethnographic Museum-Reserve (UNESCO World Heritage Site): the Kizhi Pogost Ensemble: the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord (1714), crowned with a complex system of 22 domes arranged in 4 tiers; the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin (1764), the Tent Bell Tower (1863), the oldest wooden church in Russia - the Resurrection of Lazarus from the Murom Monastery (XIV century), as well as other churches, chapels, peasant houses, barns, a mill, rigs - a total of 76 buildings.
■ Monuments of Pegrema(opened in 1985) - an archaeological complex 1.5 km from the village of Pegrema on the Zaonezhsky Peninsula 100 monuments from different eras, including a unique cult complex (III-II millennium BC): boulders resembling figures people and animals.
■ Bolshoy Klimetsky Island.

Curious facts

■ Slava near Bolshoi Klimetsky Island anomalous place. Lovers of interpreting mysticism explain the origin of such stories by the fact that there is an “entrance to parallel worlds”. Ancient legends about ghosts and “witch lights” wandering around the island can be immediately attributed to the phantasmagoria of an inflamed consciousness, because it is known that there was an ancient temple on the island. But there are still unexplained facts of our time. So, in 1973, the captain of the fishing vessel Pulkin disappeared here. It is impossible to imagine that he got lost, he is a local, experienced person. Pulkin appeared 34 days later, dirty, ragged and emaciated. But he didn’t really tell anything, he only repeated that he didn’t remember where he was and what happened to him. In 2008, a local fisherman, Yefimov, said that “someone” drove him in the same circle five times in a row. In the summer of 2009, a group of students moored ashore. But as soon as they pitched their tents, they heard a rumble coming from somewhere out of the ground. All began severe headaches and nausea. The frightened youth quickly packed up and set off on their return journey. As soon as the guys sailed from the shore, all unpleasant symptoms receded.
■ From time to time there are rumors about elevated level radiation on the island of Kizhi. Scientists of the Institute of Geology of the Karelian Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, on the basis of their research, refuted these idle conjectures.
■ The word "trolling" in the language modern man is associated primarily with some kind of hoax, deliberate challenge, provocation, manipulation. Most often, it appears in social networks - both as a mode of action and as a term. However, the primary origin of this word is from the lexicon of fishermen. This is a fishing method. On Lake Onega, trolling at medium depths, from 30 to 60 m, is widely used. Its essence is to hold the bait in the water from a boat or from a motor boat. When trolling, up to 10 rods are used. They are installed on the sides with the help of special devices.
■ Since 1972, Russia's largest international multi-day sailing regatta has been held on Lake Onega at the end of July. Mostly cruising yachts of the Orel 800 class participate in the races, since 2003 yachts of the Micro class are also allowed to compete. The regatta starts and finishes in Petrozavodsk.

Lake Onega is the second largest lake in Europe. This lake is 2 times smaller than Lake Ladoga and contains three times less water. However, at the same time, the water in Lake Onega highest quality: it is much cleaner than Ladoga water, and even water in Baikal.

The length of Lake Onega from north to south is 248 kilometers, and from west to east - 96 kilometers. There are a large number of capes, islands, bays and bays. The total number of all islands is 1500.

The shores of the lake are mostly sandy and pebbly, but at the same time, rock outcrops can also be found. The shores of the northern region of Lake Onega consist of crystalline rocks, they are rugged and elevated. The relief of the bottom of the lake is quite simple, especially in its northern part. Almost all types of fish that are known in the reservoirs of Karelia are found in Lake Onega. More than 110 tributaries flow into this lake.

Onega lake. general characteristics

Lake Onega is one of the largest freshwater reservoirs in Karelia, which is located in its southeastern part. The total area of ​​the water surface of Lake Onega is 10,050 km2, and the total area, together with the islands, is 10,340 km2. The maximum width of the lake is 248 kilometers, and the maximum width is 83 kilometers. The total number of islands is 1650, with an area of ​​290 km2. The length of the entire coastline is 1542 kilometers, and together with the islands - 2699 kilometers. The total volume of water masses is 295 km3. The height of Lake Onega above sea level is 33 m2.

The lake has an elongated oblong shape from the northwestern to the southeastern part. Lake Onega is divided into several large bays and reaches. It is divided into 3 main parts:

1. The main part is the Central Onego.
2. North-western region - Big Onego.
3. The northeastern region, which consists of Small Onego, Kuzaransky Onego, Pyalemsky Onego, Tolvuysky Onego, Povenets Onego, Big Bay and a number of small bays.

Basically, sandy and rocky shores prevail here. Rocky shores are common in the northern part of the lake and along the western coast. Sandy banks stretch from the mouth of the Vodla River to the source of the Svir River.

The area of ​​the river basin of Lake Onega is 51,540 km2. From it, about 16 km3 of water enters the lake every year.

The water level in the lake changes every year. This is mainly due to the amount of precipitation. A constant current is expressed only in some parts of Lake Onega and is weak.

Lake Onega is one of the deepest reservoirs in Karelia (after Lake Ladoga). Its average depth is 29.4 meters and the maximum depth is 120 meters. Approximately 26 percent of the total area of ​​the lake is located at a depth of up to 10 meters, 42 percent at a depth of up to 20 meters, 69 percent at a depth of up to 40 meters, and 92 percent at a depth of up to 60 meters.

The relief of the bottom of Lake Onega is quite complex. This is especially true for the northern part of the lake. This lake is characterized by depressions and elevations of the bottom. Typical landforms for the lake are selgas, luds, underwater ridges and thefts, pits and depressions. In addition, there are also some areas with a flat bottom in the lake. The soils of Lake Onega are very diverse. There are rocky, rocky-sandy, sandy and sandy-gravel soils. The colors of the water in Lake Onega range from light yellow to yellow or orange-brown.

Onega lake. Flora and fauna

Higher aquatic vegetation is the least common in Lake Onega. Its thickets can be found only in the northern part, in small bays and other places that are protected from waves.

The total length of thickets is approximately 1 percent of the length of the entire coastline. Basically, these thickets consist of reeds, and in some places you can find pondweeds, reeds, water lilies, horsetails, villains, egg capsules, sedge and other types of vegetation.

The fauna of the lake is quite diverse, if we talk about its quality. Here you can see aquatic insects, mollusks, crustaceans, water mites, worms, bryozoans, sponges and others. There are only 350 different forms and species of benthic fauna in Lake Onega, however, only 30 percent of them have a significant distribution in the lake itself, while the rest are quite rare.

The richest and most diverse is the population of the thickets of the littoral, which make up about half of the forms and species known for this lake.

The average biomass volume of the bottom mass of the lake in summer and autumn is 11.5 kg/ha, with an average abundance of 5.72 million ind./ha.

Of all the benthic fauna of Lake Onega, crustaceans, including pontoporea, are the most valuable food for fish. Oligochaetes, in turn, are rarely used by fish as food. The most significant accumulation of food objects is found in pits and depressions with a depth of up to 50 meters.

If we talk about the crustacean plankton of the lake, then it is distinguished by a significant species diversity of composition. In general, 37 species of lower crayfish live in the lake.

In the coastal shallow waters of Lake Onega, one can find various forms of planktonic crayfish. Planktonic crustaceans reach the greatest quantitative development in summer period in the surface layer of water.

By the abundance of crayfish, as well as by their biomass in the horizon up to 2 meters, Lake Onega is a medium-productive reservoir in the entire republic. However, individual sections of this lake are not equivalent in terms of food resources in shallow, most heated areas.

In addition, if we talk about the feed ratio, then here the composition of the crustacean plankton of Lake Onega has a number of positive features. The plankton of the lake is dominated by cladocerans, most of which are valuable food substances, which include holopedium and bosmins.

Onega lake. Fish

In Lake Onega, you can find almost all types of fish that are known for the reservoirs of Karelia. This lake is inhabited by sturgeon (sterlet), salmon (salmon, trout, brook trout, ludny trout, pit trout, vendace, whitefish), chorius (grayling), smelt (smelt), pike (pike), cyprinids (roach, dace, silver bream, sabrefish, bream, golden crucian carp), loach (whiskered char, loaches), catfish (catfish), eels (eels), perch (perch, perch, ruffs), gobies (Onega slingshots, lops, sculpins), stickleback (nine-spined sticklebacks, three-spined sticklebacks), cod (lake burbot and lake-river burbot). Of the minigas, the river lamprey and stream lamprey are the most common.

In general, 47 varieties and species of fish live in Lake Onega, which belong to 13 families and 34 species. It is possible to find a chub in the lake.

17 species of fish are endowed with the greatest fishing value in the lake, namely vendace, whitefish, ruffs, roach, pike, char, pike perch, smelt, salmon, bream and perch, and the smallest - crucian carp, ide, dace, bleak and grayling. Other fish species in Lake Onega are quite rare.

The main commercial fish of this lake is the vendace. It is widespread in almost all places. The vendace feeds only on crustacean plankton. In turn, kilets is a large form of vendace. It is mainly found in the southern part of the lake. Smelt is an object of mass fishing. But at the same time, it will also happen as food for fish such as pike perch, salmon, burbot and char. If we talk about whitefish, then in Lake Onega they are noted in 9 different forms. In addition, all whitefish are divided into 2 large groups- these are lake-river whitefish and lake whitefish. Also in Lake Onega there is also burbot, or rather its two forms - lake-river and lake burbot. Burbot as well as vendace is ubiquitous. Pike perch is one of the most valuable fishery objects on the lake, but its catch is rather small. However, the most common and numerous fish in Lake Onega is the ruff, which is found at a depth of up to 70 meters. Perch can be found mainly in coastal areas, as well as in shallow water. open lake. Breams are found here in the area of ​​estuaries and sources of rivers. But the pike is not of significant importance in the fishing of the lake. It lives in shallow, vegetated areas. If we talk about salmon, then in Lake Onega there are several herds of this fish. Now the most numerous is the herd of Shuya salmon.

But one of the most valuable fish of the salmon family is char, which is common in the area adjacent to the deepest parts of the lake. The ide in this lake has little commercial value, but the grayling can be found almost everywhere. Very rarely in Lake Onega there are golden carp, unlike bleak and dace.

not without reason Karelia is magnified by the edge of blue lakes. After all, there are over 60 thousand of them. It so happened 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 area are twice as shallow, but its waters, into which more than 1150 rivers flow (in comparison: only 35 rivers flow into Ladoga), wash 1650 islands (which is 2.5 times more, unlike Ladoga). Even in terms of water quality, Onego plugs into his belt, what is there Ladoga, Baikal itself!
The shores in the northern part of the lake are elevated, densely covered with forests and rather strongly indented by bays, capes, bays, cliffs, while in the southern half they are low, mostly swampy.
Basically, on Onego storms are frequent, when the waves reach a height of over 2 meters, but there are exceptions with breezes and calm 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, stretching either claws or tentacles in the form of bays to the north.
In this connection, the lake was given such a name, until today it has not been established. However, there are several versions of its origin. According to the first, aniz in Finnish means "significant", which corresponds to the impressive size of the reservoir, because it is not in vain 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 suggestion is "low plain" (a lake formed in a lowland) or a variant from Finnish - "sound", explained by the echo reflected from the rocks prevailing in these places.
The Finns used to call 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 the glacier in the place of failures of the earth's crust, therefore great depths are characteristic here, reaching their maximum of 130 meters.

Islands

The main part of the islands is concentrated in the northern and northeastern parts of Onega.
Zaonezhie- most large peninsula on the lake. This area is included in the UNESCO heritage list as unique territory the only one in all of Europe. Many interesting objects are scattered here and there along the islands and shores of Zaonezhie: villages, famous and not so famous, with old huts, churches, chapels. Among travelers Zaonezhie is nicknamed "Russian Rome". On the Kizhi chernozems, vegetation grows diverse and unique for other islands. So every 100 meters, one type of forest is replaced by another.
One of these islands is pearl of Lake Onega and Zaonezhie, business card Karelia - a whole museum that has concentrated 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 the whole (from which the Vepsians and Karelians originated), gradually began to master the Novgorodians. This mixture of two nationalities left its mark on the formation of the culture of the island (which affected the local dialect, examples of architecture, epics).

Another specially protected part belongs to the Kizhi Museum-Reserve - 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 are dense forests, on some there are inland lakes, on others there are swamps.

to the most valuable natural objects Kizhi skerries include:

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

Volkostrov Island one kilometer north of Kizhi Island. These are rocks, famous for the production of Volkostrovsky amethysts and overgrown with meadows, and in the center of the object there is a grass swamp with a number of rare plants of the republic. Viewed 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 birches and pines grow in small groups, and rare plant species for this region, as well as native plant species, are of particular interest.

Lelikovo Island long overgrown with grass to the waist, a few houses with tiny windows. And at the very beginning of the 19th century, there were over 280 inhabitants and 90 households. The bulk of the population were Novgorodians, who fled from the oppression of their boyars. Their main occupation was farming. Therefore, there are no forests here, since the trees were cut clean to create arable land.
The church in the name of the Holy Forerunner was built by the local merchant Kleerov. The whole object fell into disrepair, the iconostasis was completely plundered. And even though 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 survived to this day.

There is a sacred grove near the village of Podjelniki. Around the local chapel, ancient fir trees are concentrated, the maximum diameter of the trunks of which reaches a meter.
The wooden chapel of Praskeva Pyatnitsa and Varlaam Khutynsky (1750) is not active, the iconostasis has not been preserved. It consists of two rectangular log cabins placed close to each other. The wider one is a canopy with a porch, the narrower one is the actual chapel. A hexagonal bell tower rises above the vestibule. The tent of the belfry is supported by pillars and ends with onion cupolas. Both log cabins 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 breathe in the aroma of freshly cut hay and wild rosemary, see how cloudberries and cranberries ripen in the swamp nearby.

Thermokarst sinkholes in the central part of Kizhi Island (100 meters west of the village of Yamka) illustrate the full 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 vaults of which were so unsteady that when they collapsed, they formed funnels.

Deer Island

12 km east of the island of Kizhi, with an area of ​​just over 1 sq. km., 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 was mined on the island, during which a burial ground with bones was discovered ancient man, presumably considered an ancestor, standing at the origins of the formation of the Sami people, as well as numerous hunting and fishing tools, 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 relic spruce grove. But the local old forge was transported to the island of Kizhi and is now presented in the form of its exhibit. Now Suisar is an integral part of the yacht regatta, which is held annually in Onega lake

"Sovereign 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 Pegrema Village, Medvezhyegorsk district, surrounded by pine forest- the complex of the same name is located, which nature so carefully hid in thick grass, was opened to the public 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, circles-amulets made of boulders lined with snail. Burials of an ancient man were found 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 became 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: the vibration of the earth under his feet, an oppressive buzz that causes terrible headaches, the disappearance of people in one place and the appearance of a completely different one, 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 by a storm during the next trade route, and having prayed for salvation, he promised the Almighty to build a monastery on this place. Soon deserts appeared on the island. After this incident, Klim spent the rest of his life in seclusion in a holy monastery. Despite the dilapidation of the object, the atmosphere here is peaceful.

international memorial cemetery Sandarmokh, Medvezhyegorsk district, highway A119 to Povenets, 12 km. from Medvezhyegorsk.
The place in the 30s of the 20th century was used as a shooting and burial place for the victims of Stalinist repressions (there are about 7 thousand people of 60 nationalities). Basically, these were prisoners of the White Sea-Baltic Canal and the Solovetsky camps.
In the nearby chapel there is a book that lists the names of the executed people. Birds do not sing here, there are no traces of animals. Now there are steles and crosses.

Places of petroglyphs - The eastern shores of Lake Onega are mainly represented by rocky capes that store 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 unraveled by scientists.

Cape Besov Nos is the richest in petroglyphs. Of this abundance, the most famous drawing is in the form of a demon over 2 meters in length. A lighthouse that is no longer active rises on the cape. 200 meters to the east of the cape, there is a rocky island "Besikha", which is a pair of the cape. It is worth noting that the Devil's nose is listed as a landmark in the Onega regatta.

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

West Bank

Shoksha- an old Vepsian village, 60 km. from Petrozavodsk. The history of the village began with the extraction and processing of crimson quartzite in it. This is the only deposit of royal and time-tested stone. Used in the decoration of the Kazan Cathedral, the 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 Iono-Yashezersky monastery (the village of Sheltozero, surrounded by forest lambushka lakes), already mentioned in the 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 one of major islands Lake Onega, with an area of ​​about 7 sq. km. interesting object on the rock "Bell" is located in the southwestern part of the island - a "ringing stone" in the form of a boulder, when hitting the upper part of which with a small cobblestone, the stone makes a melodic sound, reminiscent of the ringing of a church bell.

Where to stay

Rest far from civilization on the shores of the most picturesque Onega Lake can be not only serene, but also comfortable housing, each version of which is equipped with all amenities modern life. From the variety offered, any guest will find a place to their liking and taste.
At the recreation center "Zaonego.Ru" there are cottages with a high level of comfort (7 km from the object), 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.
Hostel "Senoval" (village of Garnitsy, 7 km from Kizhi), guest houses with sauna, kitchen, smokehouse and barbecue, shop 3 km. The cost of living is from 2800 rubles per day.
Tourist base "Big Medveditsa" (M18, 27th km from Medvezhyegorsk), guest complex for 2 people. - from 1800, VIP-cottage - from 3000, cottage for a fisherman for 6 people - from 4200 rubles / day.

Fishing

IN Onega lake there are about 50 species of fish, among them: pike, perch, bream, pike perch, catfish, burbot, sterlet and even salmon and trout. Such diversity is determined by the complexity of the bottom topography due to alternating depressions and elevations of depths, which creates favorable conditions for its expansion.
The most common type of fishing that even a beginner can master is trolling (using a powered boat), which can also use a downrigger to catch deep sea fish. Spinning fishing is also used - throwing a 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 tackle.

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

White nights in Karelia are considered one of the attractions of this region, and compared to St. Petersburg, they are longer here, starting from 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 was during this period that lovers extreme species rest annually gathers at the White Nights rally.

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

This reservoir has an interesting shape - towards the north it stretches with tentacles-bays, its shores are dotted with many headlands, there are also islands overgrown with lush vegetation. Lake Onego is the second largest freshwater reservoir in Europe, it is sometimes compared with the majestic Ladoga and is called its younger sister.

As you know, it is almost twice as large as Onega, but they were formed at the same time.

The history of the origin of the lake

On the surface of the Earth, this reservoir appeared as soon as the last glaciers on it retreated and melted, filling the purest water huge pits that existed long before the formation of the glaciers themselves. Scientists claim that the reason for their appearance was faults and shifts in the earth's crust in ancient geological eras.

The deep waters of this mysterious lake have seen many amazing creatures that settled here many thousands of years ago. Who knows, perhaps their descendants still live at the bottom of the reservoir.

The lake has an oblong shape, its maximum length, taking into account the mouths of the rivers flowing into it, is 245 km. Its widest part is 91 km long.

About 50 rivers flow into this reservoir, while only one flows out - the Svir. The maximum depth of the reservoir reaches 107 meters, while the average depth is 30 meters. In terms of purity and transparency of water, Onego is comparable only with the famous one.

Coastline

The reservoir deservedly enjoys unprecedented popularity among tourists who like to explore the remote corners of the country. It is worth noting that the two parts of the lake are strikingly different from each other in the outline of the shores and their structure.

The southern part (the so-called Central Onega Lake) is a wide stretch. It is here that the greatest depths are concentrated, and the coasts amaze with their diversity - these are rocks, sandbanks, and swamps.

Nature itself divided the northern part of the reservoir into two picturesque bays, which are called the Small and Big Onega Lakes. They stretched out towards the north, cutting their cold waters into the southern edge of the Baltic Crystalline Shield. Thanks to excellent natural conditions, is well developed here.

Islands of Lake Onega

The surface of the beautiful Lake Onega is literally dotted with numerous islands. In total there are more than 1.5 thousand of them - large and small, rocky and covered with vegetation. The largest are the islands of Bolshoy Lelikovsky, Klimetsky, Suysari. One of the most famous among them is the protected island of Kizhi, known for its unique monuments of folk architecture.

Some of the islands are wild, they are rarely trodden by a human foot. Many islands attract travelers with an excellent opportunity to spend time alone with nature and enjoy the enchanting landscapes of the Karelian region.

Due to the huge number and variety of fish, the best in life can be organized here. The waters of the lake are especially rich in such species of fish as grayling, whitefish, perch, vendace, roach, smelt. There are also lampreys and valuable commercial species such as trout and salmon.

In addition to the trout brought from the Armenian city of Sevan, the Baikal omul has perfectly taken root here, spreading throughout the reservoir. The picturesque shores of Lake Onega and its many islands will be a great place for those who are interested in the real one.

Mysteries of Lake Onega

The famous Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg has an interesting exposition, which is a huge piece of stone slab weighing several tens of tons. This gigantic block was once part of Lake Onega, or rather, its rocky cape Peri Nos.

Literally the entire surface of the granite slab is covered with ancient images of swans, deer, fish and people. In addition to living figurines, numerous signs in the form of lines and circles can be seen on the stone. What they mean is still a mystery.

Scientists have established that the age of the rock paintings of Lake Onega is 4 thousand years. The shores of this reservoir have always been inhabited by people, as evidenced by the remains of their ancient sites found in different places.

On the banks of the Onego there are the most unique monuments of antiquity - this is the Oleneostrovsky burial ground ( City of dead) and the Onega sanctuary. Surely there are others here. Amazing places as yet inaccessible to humans. Solving the ancient mysteries of the lake is a great reason to start to its shores.

How to relax on the lake

Famous for its unique corners nature, where everyone can relax and gain strength. Lake Onega is one of such places.

It is worth coming here with families or friends, but even single travelers will have something to do in this wonderful land. There are excellent conditions for all lovers of an active lifestyle. Exciting hikes, picking berries and mushrooms - all this is available to travelers.

02.09.2017

Lake Onega is the most beautiful reservoir in the North-West of Russia with crystal clear fresh water. The untouched nature of the coasts and small islands, as well as historical and cultural monuments (rock paintings, a wooden cathedral, and others) are the perfect combination for an interesting and memorable vacation. Which Interesting Facts is it worth knowing before going to Lake Onega?

1. There are a lot of islands on the lake - about 1650, and they are concentrated mainly in the northern part of the water area.
2. The largest Onega island is Bolshoi Klimetsky with several settlements, a school, and the ruins of a monastery. The area of ​​the Big Klimets Island is 147 km².
3. The calmest and most favorable season for tourism on the lake is summer, although severe storms occur at any time of the year, waves rise to 4-5 meters and cause death even for experienced fishermen and tourists.
4. The approach of a storm on the lake is determined by several signs, for example, by a sharp drop in pressure or fast moving clouds, although the wind blows weakly near the earth.
5. "Galician Ruffs" and "Shelonik" are the local names for the winds. The first one is squally, blowing from the southeast, creating waves with “lambs” at the tops. The second blows strongly from the southwest and is very dangerous for small ships.
6. For the safety of merchant ships crossing the lake, back in the 19th century. along south coast a bypass channel was built where one could not be afraid of a storm.
7. The sites of ancient people found on the Big and Small Lelikovsky Islands indicate that the shores of the lake were inhabited as early as the 4th-3rd millennium BC.
8. Approximately the same time (4th-3rd millennium BC) petroglyphs are dated, which in groups cover the rocks on the capes Besov Nos, Peri Nos, Kladovets and some others. In total, more than a thousand images of people, animals, birds were found. The most famous trinity: demon, otter and burbot.
9. The village of Pegrema on the Zaonezhsky Peninsula is considered the place where the ancient sanctuary was located, since at the end of the 20th century about 100 bizarre boulders depicting various animals and people, including, for example, a human skull, were found there.
10. The famous museum of wooden architecture on the island of Kizhi includes exhibits brought from different islands of the lake and from all over Karelia, and on Kizhi itself by 1966 (the formation of the reserve) there were only two churches and a bell tower.
11. In total, along the shores of the lake and on the islands, there are 552 man-made monuments dating from different periods of human history.
12. In 1938-1952, a hydroelectric power station was built on the Svir River, which flows out of the lake. It has its own river reservoir (Verkhnesvirskoye), but Lake Onega itself is also considered a natural reservoir, its flow is regulated.
13. Shungite is a rock that is used in metallurgy, construction, water filtration and even in alternative medicine. The largest deposits in Russia are on the Zaonezhsky peninsula and along the northern shore of the lake.
14. On the shores of Lake Onega, 24 lighthouses were built. Most of them are no longer active (Anzhepsky, Andomsky, Besov Nos, Dry Nose, Vasilisin, Monak, etc.), but some still serve for navigation purposes (for example, Garnitsky in the harbor of Petrozavodsk)
15. A multi-day sailing regatta has been held annually in the waters of the lake since 1972. This is the main sporting event in Karelia, which has international status. The start and finish of the race are in Petrozavodsk.

And Lake Onega is an important transport facility. Vessels using it can pass along the Svir to Ladoga, along the White Sea-Baltic Canal - to the White Sea, and from there to Moscow, the Volga and further to the southern seas.