The Tihvinskaya water system was one of the waterways connecting the

Volga River 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 catchm ...

with the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and fr ...

, and specifically the Mologa River with Syas River. In terms of the current administrative division of Russia, the waterway belongs to

Vologda Vologda ( rus, Вологда, p=ˈvoləɡdə) is a city and the administrative center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the river Vologda within the watershed of the Northern Dvina. Population: The city serves as a major transport hub of ...

and

Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 1 ...

s. It was first conceived by

Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

, but construction started only in 1802. The Tihvinskaya water system was built for the passage of middle-sized ships. This Tikhvin system functioned until the middle of the 20th century, when shipping along the

Svir River The Svir (, Veps language, Veps: , Karelian language, Karelian/Finnish language, Finnish: ) is a river in Podporozhsky District, Podporozhsky, Lodeynopolsky District, Lodeynopolsky, and Volkhovsky District, Volkhovsky districts in the north-eas ...

and the construction of railways had increased competition which led to its closure.

Geography

The Tihvinskaya water system started at the

Rybinsk Rybinsk ( rus, Рыбинск, p=ˈrɨbʲɪnsk), the second largest city of Yaroslavl Oblast in Russia, lies at the confluence of the Volga and Sheksna Rivers, 267 kilometers north-north-east of Moscow. Population: It was previously known as ...

wharf on the river

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 catchm ...

. The waterway went along the Volga (32 km), then on Mologa River (175 km). From the Mologa the waterway turned aside at Chagodoshcha and extended 179 km along the rivers Chagodoshcha and Gorun. After 33 km, it followed the river Sominka (32 km), lake Somin, and the Volchyna river (10 km). Between the upper Volchyna river and Lake Elgino the 6 km Tikhvin canal was built. Then the path ran on lake Elgino, the

Tikhvinka River The Tikhvinka () is a river in Boksitogorsky and Tikhvinsky Districts of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, a right and the biggest tributary of the Syas. The town of Tikhvin is located on its banks. It is long, and the area of its basin . The main tribu ...

(159 km), and on the river Says. Then the route goes through the Says canal (10 km), and Ladoga Canal, and finally through the

Neva River The Neva (russian: Нева́, ) is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast (historical region of Ingria) to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length of , it ...

(58 km). The Tihvinskaya system ends at the pier near the

Alexander Nevsky Lavra Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra or Saint Alexander Nevsky Monastery was founded by Peter I of Russia in 1710 at the eastern end of the Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg, in the belief that this was the site of the Neva Battle in 1240 when Ale ...

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. The Total length of the waterway was 902 km.

History

In the 18th century, construction of the Tikhvinskaia water system was raised several times on the agenda, but each time it was delayed due to lack of money in the treasury. In the summer of 1797, because of the severe drought, ships could not pass through the

Vyshny Volochyok Waterway Vyshny Volochyok Waterway (russian: Вышневолоцкая водная система) is a waterway connecting the basins of the Baltic and Caspian Seas, or, more specifically, the Msta River and the Tvertsa River, around the town of Vyshny ...

. Again, the question arose about the construction of the Tikhvin system. On January 1, 1802

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome * Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of ...

approved a draft of the water system General Devolant that would have built 17 locks and 10 of the sluice, and the channel between the lakes and the Swan Krupin.

Current state

Today, the Tihvinskaya water system has fallen into decline. All the gates are destroyed. The water level in Tikhvinka river fell more than 5 meters. Tikhvinka is heavily polluted with household waste. Numerous monuments of architecture, located on the banks of the Tikhvinka and its tributaries are in dilapidated condition.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tihvinskaya Water System Canals in Russia Transport in Leningrad Oblast Geography of Vologda Oblast Cultural heritage monuments in Leningrad Oblast