Seliger ( rus, Селиге́р, p=sʲɪlʲɪˈgʲer) is a

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

in Ostashkovsky District of

Tver Oblast Tver Oblast (, ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Tver. From 1935 to 1990, it was known as Kalinin Oblast (). Population: Tver Oblast is a region of lakes, such as Seliger and Brosno. Much o ...

and (in the extreme northern part) in Demyansky District of

Novgorod Oblast Novgorod Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, including Veliky Novgorod and Staraya Russa, are located in the oblast. The historic m ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, in the northwest of the

Valdai Hills The Valdai Hills, sometimes shortened to Valdai, are an upland region in the north-west of central European Russia running north–south, about midway between Saint Petersburg and Moscow, spanning Leningrad, Novgorod, Tver, Pskov, and Smolensk ...

, a part of the

Volga The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...

basin. It has an absolute height of , an area of , and an average depth of . Lake Seliger is a large system of bodies of water linked by channels, has many small islands, and is surrounded by forests - including pine woods with many berries and mushrooms. It is one of the biggest natural lakes of Central Russia. The only outflow of the lake, the Selizharovka River, flows from the southern end of the lake and drains into the Volga after 36 kilometres (22 mi). The

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

of the lake includes the major part of Ostashkovsky District, the south of Demyansky District, as well as minor areas in the

Firovsky District Firovsky District () is an administrative and municipalLaw #4-ZO district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Tver Oblast, thirty-six in Tver Oblast, Russia. It is located in the north of the oblast and borders with the urban-type sett ...

of Tver Oblast. Seliger is situated within a picturesque landscape of forests and hills. The lake is a protected

nature 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, funga, or features of geologic ...

of the Tver Oblast () and "seasoned travellers" refer to it as the "European Baikal" due to the diversity of its unique flora and fauna, similar to

Lake Baikal Lake Baikal is a rift lake and the deepest lake in the world. It is situated in southern Siberia, Russia between the Federal subjects of Russia, federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast, Irkutsk Oblasts of Russia, Oblast to the northwest and the Repu ...

. Valdaysky National Park covers the northern part of the lake. Every year, Seliger camp forums bring together young people to study and discuss issues in political science, economics, art, literature and culture. Ostashkov, the only town on the lake, is one of the most popular

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...

s in central Russia. The is located on Stolobny Island. The closed urban-type settlement of Solnechny, a military base, occupies

Gorodomlya Island Gorodomlya Island () is located on Lake Seliger in Tver Oblast, Russia, northwest of Moscow. The closed urban-type settlement of Solnechny is located on the island. In June 1930, the People's Commissariat of Agriculture ('' Narkomzem'') bega ...

Travel and tourism

Seliger lakes offers a number of accommodations for tourists. Many places are surrounded by untouched nature. Sunset at Seliger lakes.jpg, Sunset at Seliger lakes Colorful Sunset at Seliger lakes.jpg, Sunset at Seliger lakes Lake Seliger. Ostashkov. View of Voroniy Island.jpg, Lake Seliger. Ostashkov. View of the island of Voroniy on a foggy morning Veris super occasum Lacus Seliger.jpg, Spring sunset over Lake Seliger

References

External links

Tourism in Seliger areaTravel and Tourism to Seliger LakeMap of Lake Seliger
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seliger Lakes of Novgorod Oblast Lakes of Tver Oblast LSeliger