On what continent is Lake Onega located. Lake Onega (Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Region, Vologda Region)
Lake Onega- the second largest lake in Europe. In terms of an area equal to 9900 km 2, it ranks fourth among big lakes Russia. Its maximum depth does not exceed 120 m. The main tributaries of Lake Onega are Shuya, Suna and Vodla. River flows out of it. Svir.
lake basin tectonic origin; it was largely reshaped as a result of the activity of the glacier. The influence of the work of glaciers is especially noticeable in its northern part, which is distinguished by the indentation of the coastline: there are many narrow bays deeply protruding into the land, elongated from northwest to southeast, i.e. in the direction of movement of the glacier.
The relief of the lake bottom is characterized by a complex structure and extreme uneven distribution of depths. This Lake Onega, as well as Ladoga, stands out sharply from other large lakes in the world. Approximately along the line Petrozavodsk - the mouth of the Vodla, the lake basin is divided into two sharply different parts: northern and southern. South part it has a flat bottom topography and relatively shallow depths. Here, in turn, several morphologically distinct parts can be distinguished: 1) Svir Bay, 2) Svir Onego, 3) Southern Onego and 4) Central Onego.
The northern part of the lake basin is characterized by extremely sharp fluctuations in depths, the presence of numerous long and deep depressions or pits separated by elevated sections of the bottom. A large number of shoals, capes, islands and bays gives this part of the lake an skerry character. Separate parts of the lake have independent names: Big Onego, Petrozavodsk Bay, Kondopoga Bay, Lizhma Bay, etc. The largest bay in the northern part of the lake is Povenetskaya, it has a length of about 100 km.
The northern shore is rocky, while the southern, eastern and western shores are mostly formed by a chain of sand dunes, reaching a height of 15-18 m in places, behind which swamps are sometimes located. The entire deep-water part of the lake basin is filled with light gray-green silts, and the shallow coastal parts of the lake are filled with wood, pebbles and boulders.
The amplitude of fluctuations in the lake level is small and amounts to 50-55 cm per year; its long-term values are 1.8-1.9 m depending on the nature of the weather in a given year. different type the annual course of the water level, however, for the most part, the course of the level corresponds to the type of regime with a distinct, albeit low, spring flood. In the secular course of the lake level, a certain cyclicity is observed, which is in good agreement with the course of atmospheric precipitation.
It is interesting to note that in 1854 engineer Stabrovsky recorded seiches on Lake Onega for the first time in Russia. This was done many years before the seiches of Lake Geneva were studied by Trout.
The water balance of Lake Onega on average over a long period (1887-1939) according to calculations made by 3.A. Vikulina; characterized by the following data (Table 1).
Table 1. Water balance of Lake Onega
The transparency of the lake water is relatively low, less than in Lake Ladoga. The white disk, lowered into the water, usually ceases to be visible at a depth of 4 m. The water of the lake in the mass has a slightly brownish color due to the large influx of swamp waters; its mineralization is very weak and amounts to 30-40 mg / l, and its hardness is not more than 1 German degree. Highest values(17°) water temperature reaches in August; in the bottom layers, even in the hottest periods, the temperature is not higher than 4 °. In the warm part of the year, the shock layer is well expressed and is located at a depth of 20–25 m.
The process of freezing of Lake Onega begins from the coastal shallow parts and gradually captures the central deep-water areas, which are covered with ice much later due to the large supply of heat in the water and waves; this process lasts about 1.5-2 months - from mid-November to the end of January. Clearing the lake of ice begins in the southern part of the reservoir in mid or late April. Most of the lake opens up in the first decade of May, and central part- in the middle of this month. Lake Onega is part of the White Sea-Baltic waterway and is the regulator of the Svir flow, the water energy of which is used for hydroelectric purposes.
Powerful and majestic, with long coastlines and many tributaries, Lake Onega is located in Karelia.
The lake is located in the European part of Russia and is considered the second largest freshwater reservoir, after Ladoga. Most of the lake went to the Republic of Karelia, about 80% of the entire reservoir was located there, and the remaining 20% went to the Leningrad and Vologda regions. Lake Onega belongs to the basin of the Baltic Sea of the Atlantic Ocean.
Characteristics of Lake Onega
lake area
The reservoir has a coastline of 1542 kilometers, total area 9720 km². The maximum depth is 127 meters, although average depth for the lake - about 30 meters.
The length from south to north is 245 kilometers, and the largest width of the coastal zone is 92 meters.
(Map and scheme of Lake Onega)
Lake water temperature
The water temperature in Lake Onega during the warm periods of the year (starting from May) varies from +5 to +13 degrees. In August, if the summer turned out to be extremely successful and warm, then in shallow water the water temperature will be about +17 degrees. However, above +22, the water in Lake Onega has not yet heated up.
During the cold periods of the year, starting from September, the lake cools down. After a hot summer, the temperature slowly drops, in October and November it reaches +2 degrees. And with the onset of frost, it decreases to 0 or -2.
(Air temperature on Lake Onega in winter and summer)
The air temperature here does not warm up above +30 degrees, even if the weather is sunny long time. The highest temperature mark recorded on the territory of the lake is +35 degrees. The warmest period is July, when the air warms up to +17 degrees.
During the winter months average temperature air varies from -7 to -13 degrees. The absolute minimum recorded in this area was -42 degrees.
Svir river
Connected with a water thread, 224 km long, the Svir River two large lakes Onega with Ladoga. The river begins its movement from Onega and changes in its channel from 100 m in the narrowest places and up to 12 km wide in the Ivinsky spill, then the river flows in the lowlands, occupied in the past by glaciers and flows into Lake Ladoga. In the Ivinsky spill, the river passes through the created Verkhnesvirsky reservoir, with an area of 183 sq. km with a hydroelectric dam. The river contains 30 islands, in the same place in the Leningrad region along the banks of the river there is the Nizhne-Svirsky Reserve.
Nature of Lake Onega
Lake Onega is characterized by low shores. Therefore, there are areas of land on coastal zone which are completely swamped. However, such conditions do not prevent the development of flora and fauna, which is abundant both in the reservoir itself and around it.
The highest form of vegetation is the least common on the territory of Onega; it can be found only in protected areas. nooks and crannies in the northern part. But here reeds and reeds, growing in an even line along the coastal zone, feel good. In some places you can find water lilies, sedge, pondweeds, egg capsules, horsetails. Also, coastal areas are rich in dense taiga forests.
The fauna located on the territory of the Onega reservoir does not suffer from the conditions either. In total, more than 350 different forms and species live on its territory. Starting from the simplest forms, aquatic insects, crustaceans, mollusks and sea sponges, and ending with seals.
If we talk about feathered friends, then waterfowl nest on the lake - geese, gulls, ducks and swans. Often on migration there are such species as cranes, eagle owls, short-eared owls, herbalists, grebes, terns, shepherds.
Fish of Lake Onega: 1) Lake salmon; 2) Trout; 3) Paliya; 4) Vendace
Also, there are more than 45 species of fish that belong to 13 families. The species that can turn up for a fisherman are: salmon, lake and river trout, catfish, eel, ruff, pike perch, dace, crucian carp, sabrefish, rudd, smelt, roach, pike, silver bream, loach, sterlet, vendace, palia, whitefish, ide, perch and grayling. The most common of them are perch, bream, pike perch, smelt, pike, vendace and ruff, and the least common are whitefish, grayling, palia, catfish and dace.
Cities on Lake Onega
The coastal strip of Lake Onega is densely populated, although it does not have million-plus cities on the shore. The entire coastal zone is dotted with small villages and settlements. Most of the villages are located in the southern and western parts lakes.
The largest of the populations are the cities: Petrozavodsk, Medvezhyegorsk, Vytegra and Kondopoga, and if we take into account the urban settlement, then the list can be supplemented by the villages of Povenets, Voznesenye, Shalsky and Pindushi.
If you are traveling through the territory of the Onega reservoir, be sure to visit Petrozavodsk. The capital of the Republic of Karelia has a large number of architectural monuments, for example, the building of the old men's provincial gymnasium or the ensemble of the Round Square. Do not forget to visit Kizhi Island as well. Its main attraction is the historical, architectural and ethnographic museum-reserve.
Climate and seasons of Lake Onega
(Winter rotunda on the embankment of Lake Onega, Petrozavodsk)
In general, winter on Lake Onega is mild, air and water temperatures are acceptable even for desperate bathers who want to harden themselves. However, it is often too windy on the territory of the reservoir, the cold subarctic climate carries an abundance of air masses. In winter, this results in long blizzards and snowstorms, and in summer - in a storm.
When continental anticyclones come from the south and east, dry and hot weather sets in in the spring-summer period, and sunny and clear days in winter.
Summer on Lake Onega is distinguished by picturesque places. Almost the entire coastal strip in Karelia looks like a colorful picture that has come to life, and under the warm rays of the sun, the landscape seems completely fabulous. However, in the summer, there are often precipitations on Onega, most of the norm (about 70%) falls precisely from May to August.
"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 who come to Lake Onega in order to see wooden architecture reserve "Kizhi", "demons" - 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 in origin, as are many original names of 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, 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 happened gradually and in different periods. ancient glaciation European continent, powerful jerks and shocks, generated, as is quite obvious, by tectonic processes during the movement of the margins of lithospheric plates. Under the influence of these processes, more major islands lakes, the total number of which, together with 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 spaces 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 the north-north-west to the south-south-east. 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 Northern Europe stand on the same geological Baltic granite shield, have a common history of 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. The non-specialist will not notice this, but any person who understands the dim northern nature, rejoice that he sees the desert again sandbars, rocky capes, avant-garde detachments of virgin coniferous forests approaching the water. And also to the fact that he can stay in silence and fish from the heart here in clear 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 circumstance is not the main obstacle for lovers fishing and 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 are registered on the coast of the lake today man-made monument. 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, tourism 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. northernmost cave drawings 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 State Museum-Reserve Russian Orthodox wooden architecture"Kizhi", or "Kizhi Pogost", is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In addition to the churches originally built on the island itself, chapels, houses and outbuildings from Zaonezhye and other regions of Karelia were moved here with all possible care. 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.
coastline length: 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: Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (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 twin cities, the Tree of Desires, other sculptures and buildings, Park of Culture and Leisure - the former Petrovsky Garden, founded in 1703, oldest park Russia.■ Kondopoga: wooden church Dormition 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- State Historical, Architectural and Ethnographic Museum-Reserve "Kizhi" (UNESCO World Heritage Site): ensemble "Kizhi Pogost": 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.
■ Bolshoi 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 increased levels of radiation on Kizhi Island. Scientists of the Karelsky Institute of Geology scientific center 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 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.
In the wonderful northern region of Karelia, among the rocks, forests and swamps, there is a large Lake Onega, which is often called the younger brother of Ladoga. Maybe because it is the second largest lake in Europe, or maybe also because they were formed almost simultaneously, after the retreat of the last glaciers. And although Lake Onega is almost two times smaller and much shallower than Lake Ladoga (average depth is 30 meters), the water here is of very high quality, it is considered much cleaner than Ladoga.
The lake has long been called Onego, and there are still disputes about the origin of its name. Many believe that the reservoir got its name from the ancient Finnish language, and means “smoking lake”, since strong fogs have become a frequent occurrence in this place. According to another version, Onego is a noisy lake, according to a third version, the name means "big, significant." There is also a version that the lake got its name from one of the 50 rivers that flow into it. But most likely, this river got its name from the lake. Curious is the fact that only one river flows out of Onega - the Svir, which carries its waters to the great Ladoga.
Lake Onega is rich in islands, there are more than 1500 of them. The shores of the islands are indented with bays and bays, they give Onega a peculiar charm and picturesqueness. And a number of rocky capes, polished by the glacier and the Onega wave, became sheets of a stone book, on which ancient man more than four thousand years ago he kept a chronicle of his life. The petroglyphs of Lake Onega, depicting men, birds, lizards, tools, boats, deer, swans, fish, and some mysterious signs in the form of mysterious circles and lines, are mostly located on the east coast.
The ichthyofauna of Lake Onega is very diverse, there are more than 47 species of fish here: from bream and crucian carp to trout and salmon. Therefore, fishing has become one of the main types of recreation in the Onega region. Lake Onega is also very popular among yachtsmen. The festival of wooden ships "Blue Onego" and the All-Russian sailing regatta of cruising yachts "Onego" are held here.
See video: Fishing trips - fishing on Lake Onega. part 1
Part 2
The main attraction of the lake is Kizhi Island, where the State Historical, Architectural and Ethnographic Museum-Reserve is located. And the Kizhi churchyard, consisting of the twenty-two-domed Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the nine-domed Church of the Intercession of the Virgin and the hipped bell tower, has long been the hallmark of Karelia.
See where Onega is located on the map:
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Lake Onega is the pride of Russia, located in its northern part. It is huge in its size, in size, among the freshwater reservoirs of Europe, second only to Lake Ladoga.
And in terms of area on the globe, it occupies the 20th place. The lake attracts lovers of amazing fishing and connoisseurs of harsh nature with dense forests and interesting historical places. The water in the lake is fresh and very clean. Lake Onega on the map of Russia is easy to find, just carefully consider the marks and know the location.
Lake Onega on the map of Russia
Lake Onega in its location unites two regions - Leningrad and Vologda, as well as Karelia, is located in the Baltic Sea basin. But its main part is still located in Karelia - 80% of the lake area.
On the shores of Lake Onega are the cities of Medvezhyegorsk, Petrozavodsk, Kondopoga, Povenets, Shuya, Girvas. Near Pindushi, Pyalma, Cholmuzhi, Peschanoe and others settlements. There are 57 of them in total, but the bulk of the population, about 90%, lives in the three largest cities.
Part of the lake area (about 50 sq. km) is the islands, the largest are the islands of Kizhi, Suysari, Klimetsky, Kerk and are located mainly in the northern part of the lake. It is noteworthy that as many as 50 rivers flow into Lake Onega, but only the Svir River, which connects this lake with Ladoga, takes its source.
How to get there?
You can get to Lake Onega in different ways - by train, by car, and by water. From any city, you can come to Petrozavodsk by train and start your journey from this city, or maybe limit yourself to it. By train, you can also come to the city of Kondopoga, and to Medvezhyegorsk, and to Voznesenye, and to Vyterga.
Given that the lake is navigable and belongs to the waterway, motor ships regularly ply on it, on which you can go to the opposite shore without making a car detour along the shore.
To the islands summer time from Petrozavodsk you can easily get on the "Comet", but in winter it will be more difficult. Here you will have to opt for a helicopter or try a more extreme way - a snowmobile or a hovercraft, straight on the Onega ice.
Lake Onega interesting facts and origin
The origin of Lake Onega is glacial-tectonic, which means that it arose as a result of the melting of a glacier in places of tectonic depressions in the earth's crust.
Thanks to the glacier were polished certain forms relief, which allowed the appearance of different widths of valleys and high ridges. Well, the water of the melting glacier first filled the Litorin Sea, which eventually turned into Lake Onega.
In the place where the lake is now located, 400 million years ago everything was covered with a shelf sea. But there is no reliable information about the origin of the name of the lake, and not even all sources recognize another name for Onego, saying that to this lake it is irrelevant.
However, Onego is the old Russian name for this lake, which cannot be said about the word “Onega”, because this is already the name of a river that does not even come into contact with Lake Onega.
According to one version, the name of the lake comes from the Finnish language and means “sound”, that is, a sonorous or noisy lake. There are other versions of what the name might mean. Whether it is a low-lying plain, translated from the Sami, or significant and huge, translated from the Baltic-Finnish. And there is also an option that in translation this name means pleasure or satisfaction.
What Lake Onega: features
Lake Onega is not an easy freshwater reservoir, this and the purest water, and a variety of fish, which means favorite place fishermen and spearfishers, and beautiful nature, and crystal air, and indented shores, and magnificent sunrises, and enchanting sunsets.
Almost 50 species of fish are found here, many of which are of industrial importance, and this is almost all of those that are found in Karelia. The fishing season starts from mid-May and lasts until December.
Of course, given such favorable conditions for fishing, in many areas you can rent boats and fishing equipment, which will make life easier for tourists and add variety to their vacation.
Every year the championship of Russia is held here. sailing among cruising yachts, gathering a huge number of fans and tourists. The lake is navigable, but frequent storms often make shipping difficult. Passenger Transportation on the water are not regular, but some routes are quite constant.
Attractions
All coastline Lake Onega is teeming with sights - these are various architectural buildings, and temples, and interesting historical villages.
It is true that getting to all these sites is not so easy, so be prepared for a long hike, which will have few hotels and guest houses, but there will be many villages with hospitable hosts.
If you have enough time to go around the entire shore of Lake Onega, then get ready to go, you will not regret it. Well, you can start the journey from the very big city on the lake - Petrozavodsk.
Petrozavodsk what region and how far?
This city is the largest on Lake Onega, the capital of the Republic of Karelia. Of course, there are more places worth visiting in this city than anywhere else on Lake Onega. Definitely worth visiting National Museum Karelia and get acquainted with the life and color of the Russian North.
There are also the famous Petroglyphs, which attract tourists so much. But with modern art in the form of a variety of sculptures, you can meet by visiting the city's embankment.
In addition to avant-garde compositions and monuments, various unusual events and historical reconstructions are constantly held here. Here you can admire the lake or go by water to the island of Kizhi.
Various attractions, including a Ferris wheel with a wonderful view, are waiting for you in the park of culture and recreation in the city of Petrozavodsk. And if you want to see with your own eyes three million collections of stones and minerals, then you should definitely go to the Museum of Precambrian Geology.
Also, in Petrozavodsk there is medical resort Martial waters With healing mud and a museum about its history, as well as with wonderful healing air. Don't forget about the Postal Museum and maritime museum, and about the Museum of Industrial History.
Although the foundation of the city began with the construction of factories and was not conceived as a place for tourism, over the years, many places have accumulated here, forcing people to travel great distances to see them.
Karelia City Medvezhyegorsk
This is one of the ancient Russian cities on Lake Onega. As the name implies, its feature is a huge number of bears.
True, there is nothing to be afraid of, they are mainly made of wood, bronze or plaster. You will hardly be able to see a real furry bear. But there are other attractions here.
For example, centennial railroad station which has kept its appearance and even a heating system from the time it was built.
Do not go far from the station, but look into the history museum railway transport. Also visit the museum of local lore, which is located in a beautiful building in the form of a ship.
But, of course, the main attraction is the nature of Lake Onega surrounded by pine forest. It will be interesting here both in winter and in summer.
In the warm season, you will enjoy a trip for mushrooms, of which there is a great variety; and fishing with an obligatory catch in the form of roach, sabrefish or even catfish; And water travel on the boat; and an unforgettable beach holiday on fine sand; and healing baths in the shungite pool.
But with the onset of cold weather, you should evaluate Medvezhyegorsk ski resort and other snow fun - ride on the ice of a frozen lake or in the snow on airships, in dog sledding or using other unusual devices.
Kizhi Island on which lake?
The main attraction is not even the island of Kizhi itself, but the unique open-air museum of the same name located on its territory, one of the largest in Russia.
The wooden monuments of architecture in his possession cannot but please the eye. There are no houses or hotels on the island, only ancient buildings, samples of peasant settlements, churches, mills, chapels, barns.
Be sure to leave at least a whole day to visit Kizhi, because to get around everything you need a huge amount of time and you will not want to miss even the slightest corner.
And if you want to extend your acquaintance with this place for a few days, then you can rent a room on any neighboring island, from there they organize excursions or simply transport them on boats.
However, organized excursions This reserve of federal importance is visited both from St. Petersburg and Petrozavodsk by boat, and in winter by dog sled on the ice of Lake Onega.
The most remarkable building of the island of Kizhi can be called the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. You definitely won’t miss it and you can see it from anywhere on the island, because it is like an 11-story building high. Wonderful facades, smooth, ideal-looking wooden domes, located on different height compensate for the fact that the church can only be admired from the outside.
It strikes with its majesty and the impression is strengthened by the realization that it was built without a single nail. But you can go inside to the Church of the Intercession Holy Mother of God, and see ancient icons and paintings of church content.
In general, it is not possible to list all the sights of the island - each building, each mill, has cultural significance, is of interest and is famous for a certain history.
Visit the house of the peasant Oshevnev and the house of Sergeev, compare the water and windmill, look at the old baths and admire the chapels. And do not neglect the time for a quiet enjoyment of nature, which is beautiful anywhere on the shores of Lake Onega.
City of Kondopoga Karelia
Previously, this place was a village, and now the second largest city in Karelia after Petrozavodsk, but more ancient. In addition to its attractions, the city of Kondopoga is famous for its lovely lakes and rivers located in the area, magnificent nature, wonderful fishing and the possibility of organizing rafting on the Suna River.
Holland gave the city a wonderful gift - these are bell compositions that emit incredibly melodic, enchanting sounds.
The bells are located on the arch, as well as on the pillars, and their ringing is controlled using modern computer technology. Of course, you can not do without a local local history museum, in which the exhibits tell the story of the transformation and reincarnation of Kondopoga, as well as the life of the Karelian people.
When you get tired of visiting museums, go straight to the Kivach waterfall. It is located in the reserve, whose name is consonant with the name of the waterfall. In addition to a ten-meter waterfall, you will be amazed by three-hundred-year-old pines and an arboretum.
From natural beauties Mount Sampo can also be noted, which is considered a place of incredible power and fulfillment of desires. The mountain can be considered observation deck, which opens great view to Lake Onega and adjacent forests.
Do not be lazy and go to the very top, because it will not take too much effort, but the result will be worth it - you will enjoy the view of beauty.
Klimenetsky Island
Most large peninsula Lake Onega is Zaonezhsky, located in its northern part. But to the south of it is located the most big Island- Klimenetsky, on the territory of which the Holy Trinity Monastery is located, or rather its ruins.
It is significant in that it operated back in the 18th century and is practically the oldest stone monastery on the territory of Karelia.
Archaeologists and tourists will definitely not bypass this place and come in with their own eyes to see the preserved fragments of frescoes.
Of course, this is not all that attracts the island. It attracts lovers of secluded outdoor recreation, as there is an opportunity to forget about the bustle of the outside world, go fishing and sunbathe on the sandy beach.
