Valdaysky National Park (russian: Валдайский национальный парк, Valdayskiy natsional'nyy park) is a

national park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...

in the north of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

, located in Valdaysky, Okulovsky, and

Demyansky District Demyansky District (russian: Демянский район) is an administrativeLaw #559-OZ and municipalLaw #397-OZ district (raion), one of the twenty-one in Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is located in the south of the oblast and borders with Kre ...

s of

Novgorod Oblast Novgorod Oblast (russian: Новгоро́дская о́бласть, ''Novgorodskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, includin ...

. It was established May 17, 1990. Since 2004, the National Park has the status of a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

. Valdaysky National Park, which includes the town of Valday,

Lake Valdayskoye Lake Valdayskoye, or Lake Valdai (russian: Валдайское озеро, озеро Валдай, translit = ozero Valdai) is a freshwater lake located in the center of Valdaysky District of Novgorod Oblast in Russia in the middle of the Va ...

, and the northern part of

Lake Seliger Seliger ( rus, Селиге́р, p=sʲɪlʲɪˈgʲɛr) is a lake in Ostashkovsky District of Tver Oblast and, in the extreme northern part, in Demyansky District of Novgorod Oblast of Russia, in the northwest of the Valdai Hills, a part of the ...

, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Central Russia and has well-developed tourist infrastructure.

History

The area of the park in the Middle Ages belonged to the

Novgorod Republic The Novgorod Republic was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east, including the city of Novgorod and the Lake Ladoga regions of mod ...

. In particular, one of the versions puts the location of the Ignach Cross, a place mentioned in the chronicles where

Mongols The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...

advancing to Novgorod in 1238 turned back, inside the park limits. (The precise location is unknown). Valday was first mentioned in a chronicle in 1495. The growth of Valday was facilitated by construction of a road connecting Novgorod to Central Russia, and by the foundation of the

Valday Iversky Monastery Valday Iversky Monastery (russian: Валдайский Иверский монастырь) is a Russian Orthodox monastery founded by Patriarch Nikon in 1653. The monastery is located on an island in Lake Valdayskoye in Valdaysky District of No ...

in 1653, which became a major cultural center. All agricultural lands were already in use by the beginning of the 20th century, and the area developed further as recreational region. In 1990, the National Park was opened.

Location and geography

The park is located in the northern, the highest part of the

Valdai Hills The Valdai Hills (russian: Валда́йская возвы́шенность, Valdáyskaya vozvýshennost'), sometimes referred to as just Valdai (russian: Валда́й, Valdáy), are an upland region in the north-west of central European Ru ...

. The area of the park is divided between three districts of Novgorod Oblast, with 12% located in Okulovsky District, 62% in Valdaysky District, and 26% in Demyansky District. The landscapes of the park were formed during the

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...

and are characteristic for glacial landscape forms. In particular, the park contains 76 lakes of various origin. The biggest lakes are

(only a small portion of it lies within the park limits),

Lake Velyo A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

Lake Uzhin A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larg ...

, and

Lake Borovno A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

. The park belongs to the river basins of the Pola, the

Msta The Msta () is a river in Tver and Novgorod Oblasts of northwestern Russia, a tributary of Lake Ilmen. It is long, and the area of its basin . The principal tributaries of the Msta are the Berezayka (left), the Uver (right), the Peretna (left), ...

and the

Volga The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catch ...

. The Valdayka River, a tributary of the Berezayka River, originates from Lake Uzhin, and the

Polomet River The Polomet (russian: Полометь) is a river in Valdaysky, Krestetsky, and Demyansky Districts of Novgorod Oblast in Russia. It is a right tributary of the Pola. It is long, and the area of its basin . The principal tributary of the Polom ...

, a tributary of the Pola River, also has its source inside the park.

Flora

The area of which makes it 85.9% of the total area of the park, is occupied by forest. Water (mostly lakes) occupies 9.2% of the area, swamps — 2.9%. The most common tree species are birch (

Betula pubescens ''Betula pubescens'' (syn. ''Betula alba''), commonly known as downy birch and also as moor birch, white birch, European white birch or hairy birch, is a species of deciduous tree, native and abundant throughout northern Europe and northern As ...

Betula pendula ''Betula pendula'', commonly known as silver birch, warty birch, European white birch, or East Asian white birch, is a species of tree in the family Betulaceae, native to Europe and parts of Asia, though in southern Europe, it is only found ...

), alder (

Alnus incana ''Alnus incana'', the grey alder or speckled alder, is a species of multi-stemmed, shrubby tree in the birch family, with a wide range across the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Tolerant of wetter soils, it can slowly spread with runners ...

), spruce (

Picea abies ''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, 9–17 cm long. It is very close ...

), and pine (

Pinus sylvestris ''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US) or Baltic pine, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-green leaves and or ...

). A special type are oak forest (about 0.1% of the total forested area), which are in the park at their northern range.

Fauna

In the park, there are fifty species of mammals, 180 species of birds, and about 40 species of fish.

Red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...

mink Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera '' Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": ...

marten A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus ''Martes'' within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on ...

moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species i ...

brown bear The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of brown bears are called grizzly bears, while the subspecies that inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska is k ...

lynx A lynx is a type of wild cat. Lynx may also refer to: Astronomy * Lynx (constellation) * Lynx (Chinese astronomy) * Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory Places Canada * Lynx, ...

, and

grey wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

are all common in the park.

Tourism

The park comprises historically significant area, including the town of Valday, Valday Iversky Monastery, and a number of the 19th century estates. The area attracted artists and authors since the 19th century, and is currently one of the most popular tourist destinations in Central Russia. The area of the park is sufficiently covered by roads. There are many recreational facilities, mostly located at and around Lake Valdayskoye and Lake Seliger.

References

External links

*
Official Map of Valdaysky National Park (PDF)
{{authority control Geography of Novgorod Oblast National parks of Russia Protected areas established in 1990 Tourist attractions in Novgorod Oblast 1990 establishments in Russia