Igarka is a very important port in the lower reaches of the Yenisei. It is located in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, which from 1928 to the present day remains the main northern point for ships from around the world.
Country record holder
The Yenisei River is the pride of Russia. Each resident of the country uses the epithet "father" along with the name of this reservoir. She owns the second largest basin in the Russian Federation and the seventh among the largest systems in the world. This blue ribbon flows from south to north and divides Siberia into its west and east.
The channel starts from the discharge of the Big and Small Yenisei, in the capital of the Republic of Tuva - Kyzyl. The river will finish 3487 km from this point, under the shores of the Caspian Sea.
Today, this system is a strategically important object for the shipping of Russia. The waterway has a dozen modern marinas. The northernmost port on the Yenisei, Igarka, even accepts sea vessels.
Secret Name
In ancient times, different peoples respected the greatness of this stream. Each of the tribes that lived on the shores of the reservoir, named the current by similar names. For example, the Evenki gave him the name “ene”, which translated as “big water”.
Kets who lived in these territories later adopted this name. But according to their rules, a geographical term had to be added to the name. Therefore, to the alien word "ene" (that is, "river") was joined by the native "cess" (which also sounds like "big water"). The result is the name "Enesses", which in exact translation from two different dialects means "river river."
In the XVI century, no one knew that there would be a large port on the Yenisei. People living on these shores were engaged only in fishing.
Discoverers
Cossacks began to use the river as a waterway. Then the first written mentions of her appeared, which date back to the end of the 16th century. In 1601, Kondraty Kurochkin made a detailed description of this reservoir.
In his work, he noted that the channel is suitable not only for fishing, but also for shipping. Following this, settlements began to appear on the banks of the river one after another. Within a few years, the cities that still exist appeared. The most famous are Yeniseisk and Krasnoyarsk. There the ports of the Yenisei River were formed.
For many years shipping has been actively developing. By the beginning of the 20th century, 26 steamships were let into the river. But the waves went not only merchant and cargo ships. On holidays, sightseeing ships sailed on the water, which were aimed at acquainting everyone with local natural monuments.
You can thank the Cossacks not only for starting shipping in this basin, but also for introducing the name that contemporaries still use. Subsequently, the local name Eneses began to sound in Russian as Yenisei.
The main myth of the city
The first port on the Yenisei was already built under the leadership of the new, Soviet government. The ship parking lot is located in the village of Igarka.
The history of this settlement is very closely connected with water. Thanks to this element, the town received its name. According to one version, this land found its name in honor of the strait on which it is located.
The reservoir, in turn, is named for the local fisherman Yegor Shiryaev. The man had the glory of a skilled hunter and a man of fortune. The neighbors lovingly called the man Igark. To keep the fame of the dexterous fisherman alive, his strait was called his nickname. And although there is no documentary evidence of this version, locals really like this legend.
This land first appeared on the map in 1725. Forwarders Fyodor Minin and Khariton Laptev painted the strait in detail in 1740. At that time, there were only a few yards on the territory.
The path to fame
More than 150 years later, namely in 1876, mankind began to develop the Northern Sea Routes. The ships that arrived unloaded the goods directly to the shore, which at that time served as an impromptu port on the Yenisei. In addition to the fact that the places where the ships were moored were of little use for transporting cargo, these operations also took place in different territories. Often during the transfer of goods lost in the water. There were cases when the captains, without waiting for the river caravans and barges, sailed.
The construction of the port, which could accept different ships, was necessary. In 1923, the first attempts were made to implement the plan. First, they tried to organize the marina in Ust-Port. During the operation, the sailors realized that this place was uncomfortable.
Later they planned to begin work in the Angutin channel. But these plans were broken by the captain of the Tobol steamboat P.F. Ocheretko, who proposed building a northern port on the Yenisei River in the Igarsky Channel.
From the village to the national marina
This decision was not spontaneous. The sailor knew these waters well and previously measured the depth. The results that he received were sent to Sibvodput.
Next, the engineers began to work. They studied the strait for a long time and gave positive feedback. Having studied the future project in detail, experts allowed to be built near the city of Igarka.
On June 15, 1929, the authorities gave official permission for the construction. The project was part of the Soviet five-year plan, which fell on the years 1928-1932. So the first major timber export port on the Yenisei was delivered.
After the start of construction work, the number of people increased. Already in 1931 the number of inhabitants reached 3000. It was then that the point was given the status of a city. To develop new areas, political, military and other prisoners were sent to these lands. It was by their forces that new objects were built. The marina worked actively, with each year the volume of traffic increased. Ships from more than 20 different countries moored on this shore. Then the port city on the Yenisei received the glory of the sea gate leading to Europe.
Period of decline
Despite the fact that the marina started as a timber export facility, the USSR had grandiose plans for this territory. In 1956, the authorities developed a large-scale plan for the reconstruction of the city. This point was to become not only a maritime center, but also an industrial one.
In 1962, a disaster happened in Igarka. A terrible fire burned down hundreds of buildings. Nevertheless, everything was restored from scratch.
Dozens of wood processing factories worked in the city. Their products attracted even more foreign vessels. In the best of times, the seaport on the Yenisei could immediately receive about 25 large cargo ships. The rest of the product was sent by alloy downstream.
In terms of work, Igarka was second only to another shipping city - Arkhangelsk.
Now the momentum of this item has curtailed. In 2015, the population barely reaches 5, 000, while in 1989 this figure was almost 20, 000.
Despite this, Igarka may interest tourists.
