Girvas karelia how to get there. Girvas Volcano - an amazing mystery of Karelian nature

Karelia is a country of lakes and rivers. A place of calm and silence. It is not customary to talk about volcanoes here. They are not here in the usual way. And there are no earthquakes. But still, one volcano in Karelia deserves attention - Girvas volcano. Do not panic - the volcano has long gone out and does not pose a danger. This is perhaps the oldest attraction Karelia.

The ancient volcano Girvas in Karelia is one of the most beautiful sights. Photo — Ilya Danilov.

The track "Kola", it is also "Murmanka". 100 km from Petrozavodsk to the north. Kondopozhsky district, turn left to the village of Girvas and five kilometers along the road. Habitual, typical Karelia. Only here, among these ordinary Karelian pines, an amazing natural landmark is hidden. Ancient volcano Girvas and waterfall, exceeding the famous Kivach in power and strength. And if you can look at the volcano all the snowless season, then the waterfall reveals its secret only once a year. However, first things first.

He lived so long ago that it is even difficult to imagine - 3-1.5 billion years ago. He was active, then faded, and in parallel with this formed the local landscape, superimposing his lava flows on an even more ancient foundation. And today, the Girvas volcano is surrounded by lava layers, the thickness of which is about a hundred meters. In the canyon, all this, by the way, can be seen. For example, the vent, the explosion tube and the side slope of the left cone. The mouth of the volcano is elongated to the northeast. Well, the lava itself spread as much as a thousand square meters. So the lava field is quite huge.

Photo ancient volcano Girvas at the beginning of the 20th century. Photo: Prokudin-Gorsky, processing and storage: B. Gotchatsky, US National Library.

is an object of unique beauty. Here is solidified lava, and rocks, And sand dunes, and thick pine forests. In one place converged different eras, different eras. Here antiquity itself borders on our world.

It is all the more interesting that the volcano was discovered not so long ago - in the 60s of the last century, when the construction of a hydroelectric power station began here. During the construction process, the water level in the river dropped significantly, opening up an amazing canyon.

Thanks to the Suna River. It is her waters that fall on Kivach. She keeps many secrets not only on the waterfall sung by poets. It is on the Sun that two other once most famous Karelian padunas are located - Girvas and Poor threshold.

Poor threshold in Karelia - one of the 3 waterfalls of the Suna River

Once these waterfalls were considered the pearls of the Olonets region. Two powerful streams fell from a height of 10 meters. A little lower, the flow overcame two more smaller thresholds. The total height of the cascade was 15 meters.

But man came and turned nature back. In the 30s of the last century, two hydroelectric power plants were built on the Suna - Kondopoga and Palyeozerskaya. The dam drained the old riverbed. Girvas waterfall ceased to exist. Kivach also became smaller. People received electricity, Karelia lost the greatest natural water monuments, gaining at the same time a new one in the form of a volcano.

But to replace the old waterfall in Girvas a new one came - designed for a planned discharge of water. Yes, such that the Kivach field seems like child's play. But here's the trouble - the famous Girvas Padun comes to life no more than once a year - and then for a week or two, when the water in the reservoir rises especially high, and the Paleozerskaya hydroelectric power station cannot cope with the powerful flow. At the same moment, the Poor threshold, which lies downstream, comes to life. The water riot continues for two weeks. And then again the waterfall falls asleep, like a dragon from ancient fairy tales.

The author of these lines managed to attend the awakening of the waterfall in the spring of 2016. The spectacle is fantastic. Tons of water fall into the abyss. One threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold - there is no end to the elements. Many tourists specifically plan their trips for the opening of the gateways of the Paleozerskaya hydroelectric power station. The leaders of the hydroelectric power station are sympathetic to the desire of lovers to admire the waterfall and announce this spectacle in advance.

But today Girvas famous not only for the volcano and the waterfall. Here passes summer festival off-road sport with the same name - "Girvas". Athletes on ATVs, off-road vehicles and homemade cars first overcome sand dunes, and then rocks and frozen lava of an ancient volcano. They fall, rise, overcome water obstacles, stones - in general, both sports and art.

And Girvas was chosen by filmmakers. Filming took place here two years ago. new version the legendary film "The Dawns Here Are Quiet". Remember those moments when foreman Vaskov with his beautiful fighters guarded the Fritz? In film ancient volcano Girvas with its lavas and stone flows is shown from all sides.

IN last years the corresponding infrastructure has also appeared here - there is parking, toilets, places for garbage, benches and tables for a bivouac. Today, the ancient volcano Girvas and the waterfall of the same name rightfully bear the title of one of the main natural monuments. Karelia. In our company you can always order.

The text was written by Evgeny Belyanchikov, especially for the Golden Ring of Karelia. The material uses photographs of Alexander Shishov, Vitaly Tarakanov, Evgeny Belyanchikov.

Karelia is a country of lakes and forests. However, this is not the only thing that attracts tourists. The republic also has unusual attractions which are not widely known. For example, the waterfall and volcano Girvas in Karelia. They got their name from the name of the village near which they are located.

The name Girvas is associated with the Karelian word "khirvi" or "khirvas", which means "elk" in translation.

Paleovolcano Girvas

Girvas is a paleovolcano, it doesn't work. Now more than five hundred active and “dormant” volcanoes are known, and the number of paleovolcanoes, extinct millions and billions of years ago, is in the tens of thousands. In Karelia, such antiquities are numerous - the territory of the republic is part of tectonic plate, Baltic Shield. Therefore, during the period of its geotectonic development, there were many volcanic complexes here. The Girvas volcano was active for about 900 million years, more than two billion years ago, in the early Proterozoic era.

Approaching it, you can see the dry river bed. The volcano itself is not similar to modern ones and is an ancient stony rock. It is located north of the village of Girvas in the park. There is an entrance fee. Paleopark is equipped for tourists: there are cafes, souvenir shops, toilets, parking.

Geological data

The presence of volcanic rocks and characteristic relief in the Republic of Karelia has long been known. The Girvassky paleovolcano was discovered during the construction of the Palozero hydroelectric power station in the 1960s by geologists A.I. Golubev and A.P. Svetov.

According to geological data, Girvas is an integumentary volcano, belongs to the Icelandic type. The lava field is one thousand square meters and consists of one and a half dozen lava flows of different ages, which indicates about 15 periods of volcano activity during its action. The thickness of the ancient lava layers reaches one hundred meters.

In the gorge, where water is drained from the Paleozerskaya hydroelectric power station, there are lava flows, inclusions of volcanic rocks. The mouth of the former volcano is elongated into northeast direction. Its dimensions are 20 by 50 meters. An explosion pipe and an additional volcanic crater have also been preserved from ancient times.

Girvas volcano in Karelia: how to get there by car

You need to go along the Kola highway, on which there is a sign for Girvas. On the square with the shops of the village of Girvas, you can see a branch from the road to the right, to the north. If you turn there and drive a little further, bypassing the dam of the local hydroelectric power station, you will meet the sign “Park Girvas”. On the left - a cafe, a ticket office, a parking place. On the right is the entrance to the paleopark.

It is worth noting that travel agencies make organized excursions to Girvas.

Girvas waterfall

Girvas is famous for its nearby waterfall. It is located near the Palozersk hydroelectric power station on a paleovolcano.

It is worth noting that earlier the name Girvas in Karelia was borne by another waterfall. But after the construction of a dam on the Suna River in the 1930s, it is no longer active. The modern Girvas waterfall is located on the Pioneer Canal and is the most powerful in the republic. It is also connected with the ancient geological history of Karelia. Its bed consists of frozen volcanic rocks.

Most of the year you will not be able to admire the Girvas waterfall, because the water from the canal goes to the needs of the hydroelectric power station of the nearby village - Paleozero. However, in early May, excess water from the power plant is released, and the mighty torrents of water cause observers to admire and awe. The height of the water drop is 300 meters, and the highest cliff is 15 meters.

At a time when the waterfall is not active, you can admire the surroundings from the dam. Extreme lovers use the dry rocky bed as a place for climbing.

How to get to the waterfall

How to get to Girvas in Karelia by car? You need to go in the direction of Murmansk along the highway and turn to Girvas at the sign, get to the village, from where immediately turn right along a large asphalt road (about 7 kilometers after the sign). After a couple of kilometers, a hydroelectric power station will appear on the right, to the left of which there is a waterfall. When it operates, the sound of water announces the approach of the stream.

A bit about the history of water attractions

To the south of the village of Girvas in Karelia, on the Suna River, is the Girvas reservoir and dam. These notable places created by human hands. In the old dry channel of the Suna, you can look at the ancient lava rocks of the Girvas paleovolcano, and after walking along the channel, you can see the Poor threshold (now dried up).

The construction of the Sunskaya hydroelectric power station was thought at the very beginning of the last century. But they were able to start it only in 1915, when the arms production in Petrozavodsk, which supplied the fronts of the First World War with ammunition, felt a shortage of electricity.

Initially, they wanted to build a dam in a different place, upstream than the Kivach waterfall. As a result of this project, Sandal Lake was to be connected with two other lakes - Sunozero and Nigozero. From the latter, it was planned to lay a canal to the Kondopoga region, where, in turn, they were going to build a hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 20 thousand kW.

A canal was also supposed to appear, diverting water from the hydroelectric power station to Lake Onega. But there was a revolution, and there was no time for the construction of a hydroelectric power station. Work resumed only in 1923.

In the late 20s of the XX century, the Kondopoga power plant began work. It was no longer supposed to supply the arms factories of the Karelian capital, but the paper mill in the city of Kondopoga. Soon an unpleasant discovery was made - Sandal Lake began to shallow, there was not enough water for the normal generation of electricity. In this regard, they decided to send Suna along a new channel, to Paleozero.

In the early 30s of the XX century, the village of Girvas appeared, and in 1932 - Sunagesstroy. Soon they began to build a dam for a hydroelectric power station. Because of this, the water in the river rose by 50 meters. Beneath it were shores with forests and arable land, an old local cemetery and part of the small village of Koykary. The constructed dam became the reason for the end of the old Girvas waterfall. After all, it was erected in its place.

After the war, it was decided to build the Palozersk hydroelectric power station. Therefore, it was necessary to increase the water level of the Girvas reservoir by another 2 meters. The new hydroelectric power plant started operating in 1954.

What else is remarkable about Girvas

Of course, the main attraction can be called the nature of Karelia. Photos of Girvas convey only a small part of her beauty.

An interesting fact: there is an old airfield near the village of Girvas in Karelia. It was built in the early 1940s. Then appeared runway strip. Soon, before the start of the war, the strip was expanded and lengthened, which should have made it suitable not only for small aircraft. However, with the outbreak of war, work was stopped for obvious reasons. By the early 1980s, the airfield was a narrow dirt road and was used as a reserve for Aviation Regiment.

Only in the first half of the 1980s did it work normally. The rest of the time he was in reserve. And in the 1990s, after the relocation of the Aviation Regiment to Norilsk, it completely ceased to be used and fell into disrepair.

The runway for takeoff and landing is currently concreted. Its length is 2800 meters. Now the airfield is sometimes used for landing small civil aircraft and helicopters, as well as a platform for car and air performances.

In Girvas. Let's continue our trip around Karelia together.
As I said, traveling around Karelia is impressive in every sense. Rocks along the roads, thin tall "match pines" , rivers with fluffy green banks - "edges", following one after another, just have time to read the names, small and large mirror lakes and a lot of new incomprehensible names, fraught with riddles. Such as Girvas, for example.
Girvas is a small village in the Kondopoga region with a population of just over a thousand people. It is famous for three objects - volcano, canyon and once great waterfall from which there is now a brook. All these attractions are close by, which is very convenient.

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The extinct volcano in Girvas is the oldest sight Karelia. This a very attractive place for tourists and travelers, and I'll show you why.
The Girvas Canyon of the Suna River is a unique geological object in Russia, a monument that is studied by scientists and expeditions.However, science is science, and the canyon and volcano are amazing beautiful objects. I have never seen anything like this before - solidified lava of a deep gray-blue color, blue mother-of-pearl water in the crater and all this surrounded by pine trees, from which there is a thick aroma of pine needles in the air. Where else can you see this?!

From the trip to Girvas, it seems to me, my deeper acquaintance with Karelia began. I learned that Karelia is not only rivers, lakes and rocks. Karelia is both waterfalls (and not only Kivach!), Volcanoes, and canyons. Yes, yes, once on the Suna River, in addition to Kivach, there were waterfalls Girvas and Poor threshold. And both are much larger and more effective than Kivach. What destroyed these two beauties? Everything is simple and sad. Remember - the GOELRO plan, the electrification of the entire country, a large-scale project of the Soviet era? The creation of a hydroelectric power station on the Suna River was part of this project. And although he gave electricity to cities and villages, he destroyed two unique natural monument. Dams were built on the Sun, water was diverted into another channel, and there were no more waterfalls.

But we didn’t know anything about this when we went to Girvas to watch dormant volcano and canyon. Our perception was not clouded by knowledge and was clear and enthusiastic, like a child's. They didn’t know anything at all, even where these sights are located, how to get to them, what is located in the vicinity, what is the history behind them ... Maybe this is how you need to travel in order to feel like real explorers?
Today I invite you to ride to Girvas with us, to see the dams, the canyon, the stream left from powerful waterfall and the crater of an ancient volcano , which is no less than 2 billion years old.

On the way to Girvas

Still amazing places in Karelia! Numerous towns and villages stand on the shores of lakes.
For example, the village of Spasskaya Guba, located along the shore of Lake Munozero.It's impossible to see!

P15 goes along the whole chain large lakes and past a few settlements. Finally we get to the Sura River, from which Girvas is already a stone's throw away.

Dams on the Suna River

All in all, on the Suna River wewe saw two dams: one - a little before reaching Girvas, the second - at the volcano.

Not knowing that this place is remarkable, we first jumped over the bridge, but after it we turned around and returned back. Nature itself stopped us! Well, how to drive past when such beauty opened from the bridge?!

with an incomprehensible structure on wheels ...

The fact that there is a serious deterrent between the lake and the river became clear when Kostya went down the steep path from the road.

Here's what he saw.

These powerful gates hold back the pressure of Suna's water.

Shallow Suna behind the dam.

A few kilometers from here, there was once a waterfall Poor threshold. Now, looking at the empty channel, it becomes clear that the waterfall simply has nothing to take from now.

But on the other side of the river in full glory. All this mass of water is held back by the dam.

Everyone looked and moved on.
In the village of Girvas, we had to travel a little. We asked one woman for directions, she willingly told us where to go. But as a result, we turned ahead of schedule and got lost. I had to stop and ask again. This time with a man. The little man, smiling, grinned rather (like, well, you got carried away, citizens, for the sake of our modest attraction), and explained how to get to the volcano.
In principle, we initially moved correctly. Arriving in the village, intuitively turned off the road to the left and drove straight past the pretty one-story houses. Thus, it was necessary to go all the way to the bridge.
Behind the bridge, to the left of the road, there is a huge parking lot. There you have to leave the car, cross the road and go on foot into the forest ... in search of the adventures of the volcano.

From the first attempt, we simply did not reach the bridge. Here they got lost.
The bridge, as you understand, also turned out to be not simple. Another dam.

The hammer and sickle are reminiscent of the fact that the hydroelectric power station was built in the distant Soviet years. One might even say that at their dawn.

In the distance, behind the dam, you can see the building of the hydroelectric power station.

Foundation buildings. But we certainly did not come for him.

Canyon of the Suna River.

We must pay tribute, we were very lucky - we arrived successfully. There had been no rain in previous days. The ground was very dry. Here it is fundamental. You will see why later. And it was absolutely deserted and very clean. Maybe just " high season"has not started in Karelia yet? I heard that now, in July, they charge 100 rubles for the passage to the canyon and the volcano. And that people complain about the presence of garbage. I readily believe that the entrance is now paid. As you can see, there is a fence. I can easily imagine a cashier at the gate.However, if this somehow contributes to looking after cleanliness and order, so be it.Natural monuments must be protected.

We go into the forest and stomp along the path.

"I look into the blue lakes", and my heart stops.

Silence and cleanliness met us in this romantic place.

Girvas Canyon is the real Karelia.

After we crossed the bridge, the road became steep.

With daddy's help, we climb up together. There, further, there will be more extreme. We turn on increased attention and hold the child by the hand all the time.

Bridge behind...

We have come to the volcano, now we must go down to it.

And let's get out of here. I can't imagine walking around here when it's damp. And without this, on dry pine needles and smooth earth, legs ride. I won’t lie, I got out of here almost on all fours. Maybe the soles of the sneakers are not suitable, slippery. But a fact is a fact. As Lena Uslanova says: “I remembered all my diagnoses” while climbing. :)

Girvas Volcano is a relatively new landmark of Karelia. It was discovered only in the sixties of the XX century and named after the nearby village of Girvas. The history of the volcano is interesting and unusual.

When you come to admire the volcano, you will not find the usual heap with a vent here. All this is left in the distant past. Three million years ago, there were mountains over six kilometers high in these places, and on one of the mountains there was active volcano. Erupted lava flooded the district for kilometers around, and the "bombs" erupted by the volcano, according to some scientists, could reach modern Petrozavodsk, and this is more than 80 km!

About a million years ago, the volcano fell asleep and the subsequent geological processes almost razed it to the ground. The mountains turned into hills, and where there was a volcano, the Suna River carried its waters.

In the 19th century, these places belonged to the Olonets province, and the most famous sights were three waterfalls: Girvas, Kivach and Poor threshold. In addition, the Girvas waterfall was the largest and most beautiful - several cascades had overall height 15 meters! And today, only one name remains from the Girvas waterfall!

In the 30s of the 20th century, the construction of the Palyeozerskaya hydroelectric power station began on the Suna River and the river was blocked by a dam, as a result of which the river became so shallow that the Girvas waterfall dried up completely and even the Kivach waterfall lost its former strength. But where the river dried up, scientists discovered the remains of a paleovolcano - the oldest found on Earth. So instead of one lost attraction, people received another.

You will be able to see the explosion pipe, the side slope of the left cone and the huge crater of the volcano, stretching to the northeast. The dimensions of the vent are amazing - 50x20 meters! everything in the area is covered with solidified lava flows interspersed with columnar and spherical fragments. These spherical fragments up to a meter in diameter are "unexploded" volcanic bombs.

Solidified lava flows total area more than a thousand square kilometers in size and stretch from Girvas to Svyatnavolok.

The frozen streams look simply bewitching due to the fact that each has its own shade of color - from green to black.

Having admired the frozen lava field enough, you can climb up to the forest and look at the remains of an ancient volcano from the top, even now this is a strong sight!

There are a lot of mushrooms in the forest. If you have at least a plastic bag, then it will not be difficult to fill it with mushrooms completely. If desired, here you can even find a glade for barbecue equipped with a table and a fire.

But what about the Girvas waterfall? - you ask - After all, they are talking about him now! Indeed, people come to the Girvas waterfall even today, only this is a completely different waterfall, man-made.

Now the Girvas waterfall is called the spillway of the Paleozerskaya hydroelectric power station. The spillway occurs infrequently, only in those years when the water in the reservoir rises especially high and the hydroelectric power station cannot cope with the powerful flow. Therefore, each such return is a real gift. Half an hour before the spillway, a siren begins to howl loudly, notifying everyone who is close to the old channel of the imminent descent of water.

When the gates of the dam open, a bewitching spectacle unfolds before the audience - a huge mass of water rushes down with a roar, falling from several steps. The highest of them is about 15 meters, and the total height difference reaches almost 30 meters. Compared to this cascade, the famous Kivach seems like a small threshold.

If you come here by car, you can go to one more place - an abandoned military airfield. It was active during the Great Patriotic War. Since 1960, the airfield has been used as a reserve for strategic aviation, and since 1992 it has become abandoned and unguarded.

The runway is in good condition. Its length is 2800 meters. Here you can drive a car and feel like a Formula 1 pilot.

To find the airfield, you need to go from the Kola highway and after 5 km towards the village you need to look for turns to the left. You can turn on any, they all lead to the airfield. In the photo above, from the red mark, the runway is clearly visible. On an SUV you will definitely pass in any weather. It is better to drive a passenger car only in dry weather.

How to get to Girvas volcano

You can only get here by car. If you drive from Petrozavodsk, then you need to move along the P21 (“Kola”) highway towards Murmansk to the sign for Girvas, turn off the highway and go to the village. In the center of the village, turn left. When the village houses are left behind, the bridge over the Suna and the Paleozerskaya hydroelectric power station will appear. After passing through the bridge, you will see a parking lot on the left, and the Girvas volcano on the right!

You can visit Girvas with organized tour. Below we offer a list of bases that organize excursions to the Girvas volcano.