The Msta () is a river in

Tver Tver ( rus, Тверь, p=tvʲerʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is northwest of Moscow. Population: Tver was formerly the capital of a powerful medieval state and a model provincial town in the Russia ...

and

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, includi ...

s of northwestern Russia, a tributary of

Lake Ilmen Lake Ilmen ( rus, И́льмень, p=ˈilʲmʲɪnʲ) is a large lake in the Novgorod Oblast of Russia. A historically important lake, it formed a vital part of the medieval trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks. The city of Novgorod - ...

. It is long, and the area of its basin . The principal tributaries of the Msta are the

Berezayka The Berezayka () is a river in Valdaysky District of Novgorod Oblast and Bologovsky District of Tver Oblast of Russia. It is left tributary of the Msta and belongs to the drainage basin of the Neva and the Baltic Sea. It is long, and the area o ...

(left), the

Uver The Uver (russian: Уверь) is a river in Moshenskoy and Borovichsky District Borovichsky District (russian: Боровичский райо́н) is an administrativeLaw #559-OZ and municipalLaw #373-OZ district (raion), one of the twenty-one ...

(right), the Peretna (left), and the Kholova (left). The town of Borovichi and the urban-type settlement of Lyubytino are located on the banks of the Msta. The source of the Msta is in Lake Mstino in 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 R ...

immediately north of the town of Vyshny Volochyok. The river flows north, accepts the Berezayka from the left, and enters Novgorod Oblast. There, it accepts the Uver from the right and turns northwest. Downstream from the town of Borovichi, it forms the border between Borovichsky and Okulovsky District, and still downstream between Okulovsky and Lyubytinsky District. It departs from the border to the north, and downstream of the settlement of Lyubytino sharply turns southwest. It makes one more curve at the border with Krestetsky District and has its mouth downstream of the settlement of Proletariy. The river basin of the Msta is vast and comprises the eastern part of

and the areas in the northern part of

Tver Oblast Tver Oblast (russian: Тверска́я о́бласть, ''Tverskaya oblast'', ), from 1935 to 1990 known as Kalinin Oblast (), is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Tver. It was named after ...

. The towns of Borovichi, Bologoye, Udomlya, Okulovka, and Valday lie in the river basin of the Msta. Up to mid-19th century, Msta, which belongs to the river basin of the Neva, had been a part of an important water trade route connecting the Baltic and

Caspian Caspian can refer to: *The Caspian Sea *The Caspian Depression, surrounding the northern part of the Caspian Sea *The Caspians, the ancient people living near the Caspian Sea * Caspian languages, collection of languages and dialects of Caspian p ...

seas due to the very short distance between the Tsna, then the tributary of Lake Mstino, and the

Tvertsa The Tvertsa () is a river in Vyshnevolotsky, Spirovsky, Torzhoksky, and Kalininsky Districts, as well as in the cities of Torzhok and Tver in Tver Oblast, Russia, a left tributary of the Volga. It is long, and the area of its basin . Th ...

, a left tributary of the Volga. The portage between these lakes existed from the Middle Ages. In the beginning of the 18th century, Vyshny Volochyok Waterway was constructed, connecting the Msta and the Tvertsa. By the middle of the 19th century, after opening of the

Volga–Baltic Waterway The Volga–Baltic Waterway (Volgobalt, Волгобалт), formerly known as the Mariinsk Canal System (Russian: Мариинская водная система), is a series of canals and rivers in Russia which link the Volga with the Ba ...

and the Moscow – Saint Petersburg Railway, the significance of the Msta as a transport route has decreased. It is also notable for the rapids in a section between Opechensky Posad and Borovichi, and is a popular rafting route. The lowest of the Msta, downstream of the selo of Mstinsky Most, are listed as navigable in the State Water Register of Russia.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Rivers of Novgorod Oblast Rivers of Tver Oblast