The Mariinsky water system connects the Volga and Baltic waters, starting on the Sheksna River in the Yaroslavl Region and reaching the Neva in St. Petersburg. Conceived by Peter the Great, implemented during the reign of Paul the First and his son Alexander, converted and completed by all subsequent monarchs, including Nicholas II.
Renamed in honor of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and reconstructed in the USSR again, having a long and rich history of the creation of the Mariinsky water system, the importance of which can hardly be underestimated even now, it is a complex of natural and artificial reservoirs that are the Volga-Baltic route from the depths of the continent to Europe.
The beginning of a long story. The idea of Peter the Great
The construction of St. Petersburg necessitated the constant supply of a wide variety of goods for own consumption, as well as domestic and foreign trade. Moving through the water allowed us to do this most conveniently and quickly.
At the direction of Peter I in 1710, the first surveys were conducted to establish a navigable route along the rivers Vytegra, Kovzh and Sheksna, through Lake Beloe, from St. Petersburg into the depths of Russia. Three directions were considered, one of them a hundred years later, in 1810, was opened under the name "Mariinsky Water System". The great artifact of antiquity (if we consider antiquity a little more than three hundred years of history), for its time was a very progressive structure, the result of engineering and strategic thought, which received the World Prize in Paris.
To implement the plan, the main reservoirs had to be combined and made more complete. This should have been facilitated by a multi-component system of locks and dams (then mainly wooden), as well as channels excavated manually.
The Vyshnevolotsky path already tested at that time did not correspond to the fullness of the needs of trade, despite human intervention in the affairs of nature.
In 1711, the king inspected part of the watershed of Vytegra and Kovzhi personally. The legend says that it was on the site of his ten-day parking at that time that a monument was erected.
The British engineer John Perry, who conducted these studies, considered it most reasonable to connect the Vytegra and Kovzha rivers with a canal. The first flows north, the second south. Each is connected in a long system with lakes and rivers, which provides the necessary transportation of goods between the north and south of a huge state, and, as a result, beyond.
The results of the study, calculations and proposals for the implementation of the work were announced in the Senate in the presence of the Sovereign. The Turkish campaign and subsequent events, including the death of the king, postponed the implementation of the project for a long time.
The need for a full-flowing shipping route was growing, but under Catherine the Second, who even signed a decree on the allocation of funds for the work conceived by her father, funds from the treasury were nevertheless redirected to the construction of land communications of priority directions - Petersburg-Narva and Petersburg-Moscow.
Research hired by Peter Alekseevich specialist recalled during the reign of Paul the First and resumed repeatedly - in the 70s, 80s and 90s of the 18th century.
Implementation of the plan
When the need reached a critical level, the Department of Water Communications took up the matter, namely, its head Count Y. E. Sivers. He resumed his research, taking as a basis the direction proposed by John Perry, and presented to Paul the First a report substantiating the need for an early start of work.
The sovereign approved the undertakings. Money to start the work was taken from the funds of the safe treasury of the Educational houses of St. Petersburg and Moscow, which were managed by the tsar’s wife - Maria Fedorovna. It is to this fact from the history of the Mariinsky Water System that the shipping route owes its name, which was appropriated by order of January 20, 1799 and perpetuated the name of the emperor’s wife. Then the name was written and pronounced somewhat differently, as "Maryinsky".
In the same year, work began, and nine years later the first ship passed the test route. The solemn opening of the more than 1, 125-kilometer (1, 054 versts) Mariinsky system of canals and natural reservoirs took place in July 1810, after 11 years of persistent, heavy, mostly manual peasant labor.
To the opening of the road, he was equipped with the following hydraulic structures:
- 28 wooden locks and half-locks, mainly one- and two-chamber (except for the three-chamber lock of St. Alexander on the Mariinsky Canal) - the total number of cameras is 45, each had the following parameters - 32 meters, 9 meters and 1.3 meters - length, width and depth on the threshold, respectively; most of the locks were named after the saints, except for the locks “Glory”, “Russia” and the half-lock “Devolant” (later replaced by the gateway of St. George) on Vytegra;
- twenty dams;
- twelve gutters (annual dams);
- five drawbridges (drawbridges).
These parameters provided the possibility of passing vessels with a carrying capacity of 160-170 tons. As the needs for increased cargo turnover grew, many structures were periodically modified, moved, cleaned and rebuilt.
Economic importance
The creation of a similar scale of a complex of waterways made it possible to significantly increase trade turnover not only within the country, but also with other states.
The exit through St. Petersburg to the Baltic provided communication with Europe. Deliveries along the Volga from the southern regions made it possible to actively trade in food and industrial goods, supplying them across the country from the Caspian to the Baltic Sea.
For the domestic economy of Russia, the significance was even more important - the Bread Exchange in Rybinsk, the building of which has survived to this day, is inextricably linked with the history of creation with the Mariinsky water system. It was opened shortly after the launch of the waterway to work and provided flour for non-grain areas of the country, and wheat was also delivered to Europe.
A beneficial effect on being on the Mariinsky Road and on the development of Cherepovets. At that time he was a rich trading city, a center of shipbuilding, training in this matter. Merchants lived there, providing movement on the water system. The first sea-going cargo ships built here even went to the USA.
Rivers of the Mariinsky Water System
In the Mariinsky system, four rivers are involved as shipping routes: Svir, Vytegra, Kovzh and Sheksna, except for the end points that give rise to important new sections of the waterway - the Volga and Neva.
However, the Volkhov and Syas are related to the Mariinsky water system, since bypass channels are laid through them at Lake Ladoga.
Being part of the main path of the Tikhvin water system, the Syas river is connected to the Mariinsky through the Svir channel (bypassing Lake Ladoga and the Svir river) and the Syas channel, connecting the Syas and Volkhov rivers. Both canals were modernized as part of the improvement of the water system.
The Ladoga Canal connects the Volkhov (part of the Vyshnevolotsk water system) and the Neva. It is through these artificial ponds that the road to St. Petersburg was laid from the Mariinsky system for ships prudently wary of Lake Ladoga, prone to storms.
Also, non-navigable shallow rivers (for example, Vodlitsa, Oshta, Kunost, Puras-brook, etc.) can be attributed to the Mariinsky water system, which, through human intervention, fed canals, other rivers and lakes, or became part of them themselves.
Mariinsky and Novo-Mariinsky Canals
The Mariinsky Canal can be called the most important artificial reservoir of the same name system. It was he who crossed the watershed of the Vytegra and Kovzha rivers, making it possible to connect the outback and north of the country by a common shipping route.
On the Kovzha River, it began at the village of Dirty Whirlpool and fell into Vytegra at the settlement of Upper Frontier. The man-made canal passed through two small ponds, Matko Lake (lowered during later reconstructions of the system) and the Catherine Basin.
Relative to the rivers connected by it, the canal had a higher level, so ships rose into it from one river and descended into another. Food was provided mainly by Lake Kovzh through the Konstantinovsky water supply. For this purpose, its level was raised with the help of dams by two meters. Maintaining the necessary fullness of the channel was provided by six gateways.
The Novo-Mariinsky Canal was built in the 80s of the 19th century, northeast of its predecessor, but has a common part with it when connected to the Vytegra River. Its construction was completed during the reign of Alexander III in 1886.
The new channel has become stony and deeper. Its reach was significantly reduced, which allowed to abandon the four old two-chamber locks and the Konstantinovsky water supply. Now the artificial pond was receiving food from the Kovzha River. For this purpose, the Alexander water supply served.
Lakes and lakeside canals
The most significant full-flowing lakes of the system are Ladoga, Onega and White (from north to south). Around the first and along the other two, the original shipping route passed, which provoked not just difficulties, but many tragic events. Subjected to frequent severe storms, the lakes were very dangerous, many ship wrecks occurred at that time in their waters.
This was the reason for the construction of bypass channels around them, providing a quick and calm route.
The Ladoga Canal was built earlier and immediately entered the Mariinsky Waterway. Novo-Ladozhsky was erected in the 60s of the 19th century.
Onega and Belozersky were built in the 40s of the same century.
The construction was not very well reflected only in the incomes of the local population. Previously, merchants had to use smaller vessels to transport goods safely. They were called "white-headed". Small, durable vessels provided transportation of goods along the shallower and quieter part of the lake, while large marinas barges crossed it empty.
Also, numerous small lakes were used for the functioning of the Mariinsky water system. At the expense of them, shipping rivers and canals were filled.
Improvements of the 90s of the 19th century
Solemnly completed in 1886, the improvement of the system, which included the multifaceted work carried out over the course of 66 years, did not remain final for long.
Already in October 1892, new large-scale reconstruction of the most important waterway began. 12.5 million rubles were allocated for their implementation.
- The result of improvements was the construction of 38 locks of the Mariinsky water system. The very first locks on the Sheksna River were installed at that time - they were four stone structures.
- 7 digs were digged (including the famous Devyatinsky), which straightened and reduced the existing shipping routes.
- The clearing, expansion and deepening of bypass lakeside channels was carried out.
- The land roads for traction transportation (shorelines) were rebuilt and created.
- The Svir River is more adapted to shipping (various cleaning works, deepening and widening of the route).
The result of engineering surveys and conversions, the construction and reconstruction of hydraulic structures has been a significant increase in the benefits of operating the Mariinsky water system. The tools and technologies used were appreciated by contemporaries and were awarded a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1913.
Soviet period
Scientific and technological progress has not bypassed this waterway. Already in 1922, the first Cherepovetsky waterworks was opened. Three more followed: in 1926, 1930 and 1933.
In 1940, decisions were made on the creation of the Volga-Baltic and North-Dvina water communication systems. At the same time, they decided to mothball the construction of the Kuibyshev hydroelectric complex.
Spring 1941 was marked by the beginning of the filling of the Rybinsk reservoir. It lasted until 1947, at the same time actions to lay the Volga-Balt were resumed.
In 1948, work began on creating a canal from Lake Onega to the city of Vytegra, which shortened and straightened the waterway. Construction was completed in 1953.
In 1952, another hydroelectric power station was built on the Svir River. In 1961 and 1963, three waterworks on Vytegra and Sheksna were commissioned.
On November 2, 1963, the Mariinsky Water System officially ended. Navigation on it has been completed.
At the end of May 1964, two more waterworks began to function and a new canal was filled between the Kovzha and Vytegra rivers. In the summer, the first vessels passed along a new path - first hydro-builders, then cargo and then last - passenger.
On October 27, the Volga-Baltic Way was adopted by the commission and an act was signed on this, and in December a decree was issued on the assignment of the name of V. I. Lenin to it.
Current status
After the reconstruction of 1959-1964. The Mariinsky water system has become part of a more progressive complex of paths and hydraulic structures. It was called the Volga-Baltic Waterway.
At present, its length is about 1, 100 kilometers, the minimum depth of the shipping channel is from 4 meters. This allows vessels with a displacement of up to 5 thousand tons to run.
Now this way is one of the links connecting the five seas: the Baltic, White, Caspian, Azov and Black.
Historic Monuments of the Waterway
Throughout the history of the Mariinsky Water System, it has been crucial for the economic development of the country. Numerous events related to its construction and reconstruction were periodically marked by the installation of monuments:
- Peter the Great in the city of Lodeynoye Pole on the Svir River.
- Obelisks on Syassky canals, marking the end of construction of each.
- Two obelisks in honor of the construction of the Novo-Ladoga Canal (Shlisselburgsky not preserved).
- Three obelisks dedicated to the Belozersky Canal.
- Obelisks on the Mariinsky and Novo-Mariinsky canals.
- The obelisk in honor of the construction of the Onega Canal.
One of the first memorial buildings was not preserved - a wooden chapel in honor of Peter the Great near the village of Petrovskoye.
There is a legend that an obelisk with the inscription "Maria completed the thought of Peter" at the site of the future connection of Vytegra and Kovzhi (Mariinsky Canal) was installed where the emperor planned this large-scale construction and called the place "Be-mountain." The connection of the two rivers takes place at the highest point of the watershed.
The construction of the Novo-Mariinsky Canal, in addition to installing the obelisk, was also noted by the release of a tabletop copper medal 8.5 centimeters in diameter.
A medal with a diameter of 7.7 cm was also cast in honor of the completion of the Novo-Svirsky and Novo-Syassky channels.
