Now I can't even remember when this thought crept into my head. Maybe on our trips to Kola, when we cross the Severodvinsky Canal along the P-5 Vologda - Medvezhyegorsk highway, maybe later, when we were collecting information about it. This thought grew stronger, developed, and by the end of last 2013 we already firmly knew that in the summer we would go there ...
- Canal of the Duke of Württemberg -
It looks like this is the oldest canal in operation today. Its purpose is to connect the basins of the Northern Dvina and Volga rivers and thus obtain an outlet for the southern and central regions of Russia to the White Sea. The first serious research has been carried out since 1823. The construction, which began in 1825, under the leadership of the then head of the Department of Railways - Duke Alexander of Württemberg, brother of Empress Maria Feodorovna, was completed in record time - 3 years, and in 1828 the first ships went along the canal. The then existing Mariinsky system, the current Volgo - Balt, allowed the shortest route to deliver goods from St. Petersburg to Arkhangelsk through two channels - the Mariinsky and Severodvinsky.
It should be noted that there was already a waterway from Astrakhan to the White Sea at that time. In 1822, the construction of the North Catherine Canal was completed, which connected the basins of the Volga and Severnaya Dvina rivers. The project was extremely unsuccessful and later on during the construction there were many difficulties ... but the canal is 19 km long. nevertheless it was built, although it took 36 years to build!
- A little about Severo - Ekaterininsky -
Practical steps towards the construction of the canal began only with the reign of Catherine II. By her decree in 1781, a commission of engineers was sent to the construction site to draw up a project. After four years, she completed the work and presented the project. In 1786, earthworks began on the future canal. The construction site was a continuous kingdom of forests and impenetrable swamps. Desertion. Extremely harsh winters lasting six months. Finally, in 1822, overcoming enormous difficulties, the construction was completed and the canal was opened for the passage of ships.
Thus, it took 36 years to build the canal, spending more than 1 million rubles. Poor maintenance of the water system, lack of funds for repair work, destruction of hydraulic engineering devices - all this led to the fact that in 1838 the canal was officially abolished, having served only 16 years. But the channel still exists. It starts in the village of Kanava, and you can cross it from Vychegda to Kama only by a small boat. Photo - kultnasledie.rkomi.ru/
Returning to our Severodvinsky: the Canal has been built, shipping is in full swing. The dimensions of the track of the new canal fully corresponded to the dimensions of the Mariinsky system, which contributed to its growing popularity. The lock is 27.7 meters long, 8.25 meters wide and 1.8 meters deep. All this made it possible to use the same type of ships when passing through both systems, which was very convenient for merchants because intermediate transshipment of goods was excluded. Of course, then there were no ships, no electricity, or other benefits of civilization. The barges were brought into the locks by horse-drawn traction, the guiding along the canal went by barge haulers, and along the lakes - under sails. On the banks there were buoy-keepers' booths, who in the evenings went out into the canal and set fire to their facilities, since the movement along the canal was sometimes round-the-clock. Freight turnover was constantly growing, and during its existence the Severodvinsk water system was constantly reconstructed. The fairway deepened, the dimensions of the locks increased. The most serious changes were made during the period from 1916 to 1921 by the forces of WWI prisoners of war. At that time, about 8,000 people were working on the reconstruction of the canal. In 1897, a railway was built to Arkhangelsk, and the need for the canal began to decrease, and in 1933, when traffic began along the White Sea - Baltic Canal, it completely dropped. In 1964. as a result of the construction of the Sheksninskaya dam and the rise of water in the river. Sheksna, the first lock in Toporn was flooded, but the numbering was left the same and the Severodvinsk system now starts from lock No. 2.
Canal of the Duke of Württemberg. Photo - http://regionavtica.ru/
In the 90s, the financing of the canal was weak, the wooden structures simply rotted away, and, it would seem, his fate was a foregone conclusion. However, it was decided to preserve the Severo-Dvinskaya water system, and in the 2000s, its next reconstruction began, which continues to this day.
“In order to preserve forever the memory of your labors for the benefit of the State in the department of ways
messages ... I command to call this channel - the channel of Duke Alexander of Württemberg. "
Nicholas I. Highest Decree. August 23, 1828
- Preparation -
The preparation for this trip was no different, we only strengthened the navigation part with the SAS Planet program, which turned out to be not at all superfluous. In the latest versions of SAS, navigation maps of Navionix with buoys, depths and other navigational conditions became available, which we successfully downloaded a week before the start. The total volume of the cards turned out to be about 12 GB. In addition to everything, the spouse made a parking awning and a small gennaker.
... and a gennaker with an area of 6.5 m / sq.
And one more thing: it was decided to try the preparation of food from dried ingredients of our own preparation. The water part of the route was designed for 4 days + 1 spare day, and there was no need for this. But we decided to give it a try. Dried mainly meat, onions, potatoes, some cabbage and beets.
Dried foods on a hike have a number of advantages - low weight and volume, a decent supply of vitamins and a long shelf life. For us, they are irreplaceable in water voyages when the entire carrying capacity of the ship is given over to fuel.
I didn't like the potatoes ... it takes a long time to cook and the taste is far from the original
After the winter, they assembled the boat, tested the engine, immersed its deadwood in a barrel of water ... left it all in the car and set off. The route is familiar - through Sergach to Yaroslavl, further to Vologda and to the left to Sheksna.
- Let's hit the road -
In two days we got to Sheksna settlement, where a house in the “Parus” rest house was previously booked. Cozy houses for 2-3 people, hot and cold water, shower. The territory is clean and well-groomed, it's not like a cigarette butt, shaking off the ashes was somehow awkward. The proximity of the reservoir, the shore convenient for launching boats, and the fact that the director himself is a powerboat in life, and the problems of the boat crew are well known to him, probably predetermined the direction of activity - recreation on the water, refueling yachts and boats with fuel, food, etc. etc. In a word, we liked it.
p. Sheksna. Tourist base "Parus"
We settled in, went for gasoline, and bought a North-West SIM card for the Internet in the nearest salon. Throughout the route, cellular communication was ... more often Megafon, a little less often MTS, but they did not remain without communication. The Internet was necessary to receive the GRIB weather file, again in preparation for the upcoming trip to the Barents Sea.
While we are preparing the boat, a little history: As already mentioned, the need for a waterway to Arkhangelsk is long overdue. Severo-Yekaterininsky did not suit either in quality or in the dimensions of the navigable route, as well as in the distance from the Mariinsky system along which caravans went from St. Petersburg to central Russia, and further to the lower reaches of the Volga. Even before the construction of the Severodvinsk water system, there was a path called "Slavic portage", which had been operating since the 10th century. It consisted of: the Slavyanka river from the Sizminsky flood to the Nikolskoe lake, in fact the drag itself from Nikolsky Torzhok to the Volokoslavinskoe village and the Prozovitsa river to Lake Kubenskoe. This drag was, as they say now, private, and was inherited. At the end of the 16th century, it belonged to Princess Theodosya (wife of Prince David Kemsky), and after her death, it passed to the son of Dmitry Donskoy - Andrey. The dragging of ships along the portage was carried out by the population living in the area, for whom this work was an important source of income. Ivan the Terrible in 1576 granted the portage along with the lands and peasants of the volost to the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery. In 1602, at the initiative of the monastic authorities and with the permission of Boris Godunov, Torzhok was set up on the portage, which contributed to the revitalization of trade and the intensification of traffic in the area.
Both the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, and the village of Volokoslavinskoye with its drawbridge pontoon, and Sizminsky himself will be in front ... and while the boat is assembled, gasoline and equipment are loaded, and about an hour in the afternoon we left the hospitable Parus. Four days later, having described an arc 220 km to the northeast, we will return here again, but everything is in order.
The boat's load is small: there are two of us, gasoline and equipment about 200 kg and Merck already provides planing by 70% of the trigger. It was the most economical trip - we burned only 70 liters for 220 km. We accept the forecast, by the evening they promise a thunderstorm front and an increase in wind. We request the situation in Sizminsky from the oncoming dry cargo ship.
- Inflates, the wave is more than a meter - do not poke your nose.
Don't poke your nose around like that, and after walking about 40 km we get up for the night just before going out to the Sizminsky spill.
Volga-Baltic Canal. R. Sheksna
The shores are low-lying and swampy. Only with 3-4 approaches we find a good place to spend the night. The thunderstorm front came up in time and got us pretty wet, but there was plenty of firewood here and everything was dry by the time we left. Part on gas, part on hot pipes. Although it rained all night, it was shallow and nasty. Anchorage N59 ° 33.580 ′ and E38 ° 27.704 ′
Cooking dinner from "dried fruits"
At the very first parking lot, we tried out the innovations: 1 - GPS sensor GlobalSat BU-353 in low cloud cover "caught" 8 satellites and then we will go along SAS with Navionix maps. 2 - "dried fruits" fully justified expectations, but the can of Yoshkar-Olinskaya was thrown into the pot. I liked everything dried, except for potatoes - perhaps not so dried.
"Dried fruits" is a good thing, but the bank of Ioshkar-Olinskaya will not hurt.
"Sheksna-gateway" is far away ... those who are well received in Sizmensky.
By morning the weather improved, the sun appeared, and we are preparing to continue the route. Sizminsky spill is ahead.
"May lily of the valley" - however, the Red Book.
- Sizminsky spill -
The spill got its name from the Sizma River, the left tributary of the Sheksna. It was formed as a result of the construction of the dam of the Sheksninskaya hydroelectric power station in 1964 in the village of Sheksna. It stretches for 20 km in length and in some places reaches the same width. Here was one of the most difficult sections for navigators - the famous Nilovets rapids, stretching for several miles. This section was dangerous by the speed of the current, shallow depths and a winding fairway. In total, in the area of the present Sizmensky flood there were three locks and dams of the Mariinsky system: "Nilovitsy", "Kovzha" and "Black Ridge" which created a backwater of 1-2 meters each and hid numerous rapids and rapids. Before reaching Topornya about 2 km, there will be another flooded lock - N35 "Derevenka" on the old bed of Sheksna.
Flooded lock of the Mariinsky system No. 36 "Nilovitsy"
Flooded lock of the Mariinsky system No. 35 "Derevenka"
The sun was rising, and with it the breeze, and we had a quick bite to go. As if someone threw a handful of buoys into the water and they scattered across the reservoir. It is not easy to understand the logic, but the SAS of the planets helps. Repeatedly tried to go under the shore, but the stumps invariably returned us to the ship's course, to the old channel of Sheksna. Here we go on channel 5, or rather, we walked until the radio was flooded. The "passenger" is behind us. Rushing 25-30 kilometers. It is difficult for us to walk at such a speed, but we are going. If he doesn't hear us, then let him at least see. There are no photos, only a video at the exit to Sizminsky. At about 11 o'clock, slightly getting wet in Sizminsky, we came to Toporna, from where the North Dvina water system begins.
- Severo-Dvinskaya sluice system -
Topornya is a town in the Kirillovsky district of the Vologda region with a population of 134 people. This is how this settlement is described in Wikipedia, and in a sense, undeservedly short. As a settlement, it is really small but clean and well-groomed, but as a nodal point in the water system of Russia, its importance is difficult to overestimate.
Almost all waterways of the European part of the country converge in Toporn, judge for yourself:
1. To the north, along the Volga-Balt, to Lake Onega. Further left along the Svir and Ladoga to the Baltic Sea
2. To the north, along the Volga-Balt, to Lake Onega. Further straight to Povenets and along Belomoro-Baltic to Belomorsk.
3. To the east along the North Dvina system, further along the Sukhona to the Northern Dvina, and along it to Arkhangelsk.
4. To the south, along the Sheksna to the Volga to Astrakhan and the Caspian Sea
5. To the south, to Volgograd, and further along the Volga-Don, to the Azov and Black seas
In the approach channel stands Rechnoy-90, a little further the pier of the local small-size fleet, where we headed for the next drying. We tapped a little and dried the radio, we call the gateway on channel 3:
- "Second gateway, I 42-34"
- "The second is in touch"
- "Good day, undersized 42-34 from below. I ask permission to lock "
- "Now I will check with the dispatcher"
In about 20 minutes ...
- "Motorboat to the second"
- "Online 42-34"
- "We'll take you, but only with a passing one"
- "And when is it planned?"
- “I don’t know,“ Rechnoy-90 ”will go in this direction, but when - I don’t know”
- "It is clear, we will wait. Thanks"
I read that before small-sized ones were flooded for money, and everything is official ... or 500 rubles. for the entire canal, or 600. Then they stopped, it is understandable - it is unreasonable to dump several thousand tons of water because of one boat. But we are not offended, it's good that they generally take inflatable ones. The weather improved, the wind calmed down, the sun. We change clothes, dry ourselves. We even rested a little. It is convenient to sleep on the banks. The width of the Titan is more than two, here and the headrest and legs, again, do not hang down. Three hours later Rechnoy-90 goes to the airlock, and we follow him.
Video: We go to the route and the Sizminsky spill
North Dvinsky Canal
North Dvinsky Canal- a canal in the Vologda region of Russia, is part of the North-Dvinskaya water system. Most of it passes through the territory of the Russian North National Park.
After the revolution, the canal was renamed the Severo-Dvinsky waterway, and by 1921 the work carried out in 1916-1918 was completed. In 1930, the Zaulom Dam was reconstructed, and in 1932 - the Ferapontovskaya Dam, the new dams were made of reinforced concrete, which made it possible to somewhat raise the water level in the reservoirs they created. After the construction of the White Sea Canal, the role of the system began to weaken; however, during the Great Patriotic War, it was intensively used, and was also reconstructed - significant dredging works were carried out, the height of the “Znamenitaya” dam was increased.
After the war, the repairs were carried out by the Kuzminsky ship repair workshops, located in the city of Kirillov, on the bank of the Kuzminsky canal, where the canal adjoins it to Lake Lunskoye. In 1958-62, the manual drives of the sluice gates were replaced with metal ones, in the 1960s-70s the banks of the canals were reinforced with a wall of wooden piles 8.5 km long, in the 1980s the sluice gates were replaced with metal ones, metal pontoon ones were put into operation crossings.
Every year in the National Park "Russian North" the ecological and educational newspaper "Bulletin of the Russian North" is published.
The main sections: conservation science, protection of the territory, environmental education, tourism, children's section, "calendar of events".
All issues of the newspaper are in the MEDIA / OUR NEWSPAPER section
On the territory of the National Park "Russian North" there are unique natural, historical and cultural attractions.
Read in detail in the section TOURISM / WHAT TO SEE
The Russian North National Park is a place for children's ecological camps and research expeditions.
Reports about our eco-camps can be found in the section TOURISM / ECOLOGICAL CAMPS
On the territory of the National Park, 305 species of vertebrates were found: 31 species of fish, 7 amphibians, 6 reptiles are found in water bodies, 214 species of birds, 50 species of mammals are known.
In recent years, the white-tailed eagle and osprey, which are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, have settled and successfully breed in the national park. About 86 species of fauna representatives need special protection.
Read more in the section ABOUT THE PARK / FLORA AND FAUNA
Thousands of enthusiastic tourists visit the territory of the National Park every year.
More information about what to see - in the section TOURISM / WHAT TO SEE
Fans of winter active recreation will gladly ride skis and scooters across the endless snow-covered expanses of the Russian North National Park.
Read more about recreation in the park in the TOURISM section
The Russian North National Park is a source of inspiration for artists and poets.
In the section TOURISM / WHAT TO SEE you will find photos of the most beautiful places for which our National Park is famous.
National park
expresses gratitude
internet studios
“Saitovo” for a creative approach to the creation of the park's website. We wish creative success to the studio staff!
On January 11, Russia celebrates the Day of Reserves and National Parks. The order on the creation of the first reserve - Barguzinsky (Republic of Buryatia) was signed on December 29, 1916 (January 11, new style). The creation of the first nature reserve on the shores of Lake Baikal took place during the First World War, which indicates the attention of the Russian state to the preservation of protected areas. In the Russian Federation, the creation of specially protected natural areas (PAs) is an effective form of environmental protection.
Illegal movement of mechanized vehicles on the territory of the national park outside public roads is a direct violation of Federal Law No. 33-FZ "On Specially Protected Natural Areas", in particular, clause 2g, Art. 15, and is a violation of the protected area regime. According to article 8.39 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, administrative liability is provided for this offense: a fine for citizens from 3 to 4 thousand rubles. We call on all local residents and guests of the Kirillovsky district to comply with environmental legislation and not violate the regime of protected areas!
More than 1000 species of higher plants grow on the territory of the National Park, 223 species of bryophytes, 131 species of lichens are identified.
In the park there is the northern border of the distribution of maple, linden, elm, hazel and wild apple trees.
10 plant species are included in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation, 88 species are included in the Red Data Book of the Vologda Oblast.
On the territory of the park, 24 species of the orchid family were found, some of which form unique viable populations.
There are not so many operating old canals in Russia, and the North-Dvinskaya system belongs to one of the existing and working ones. It is not part of the Unified Deep Water System of the European part of Russia. The North Dvina system connected the Volga basin with the Northern Dvina, and along this river you can get to Arkhangelsk and the White Sea.
For reference: The Malaya Northern Dvina River is formed by the confluence of the Sukhona and Yug rivers near the town of Veliky Ustyug in the Vologda Oblast. Further, it flows to the north, towards Arkhangelsk and near the city of Kotlas merges with the Vychegra river and from this place is called the Bolshaya Northern Dvina. After Arkhangelsk, the river flows into the Dvinskaya Bay of the White Sea.
Map of the North Dvina system
Main characteristics
- Length - 127 km, channel width - 26-30 meters
- The depth of the channel is 1.8 meters, then the Siverskoye Lake is 1.4 - 1.5 meters
- Vertical drop - 10 meters
- Number of locks - 6, dams - 8.
Description
For more than 180 years, the North Dvina system has existed and operated, connecting the Volga basin and the Northern Dvina. The waterway runs from the Sheksna River, a tributary of the Volga, to the Sukhona River and the Northern Dvina. The Severo-Dvinsky Canal includes the following structures and reservoirs:
The watershed, consisting of several canals and lakes:
- The longest Toporninsky canal, 6 km long, begins from Sheksna, on which barrage gates are installed, allowing to close the watershed part of the structure and carry out its repair. Locks # 2 and # 3 were built on the canal
- Lake Siverskoye with an area of 7.44 sq. km, on the banks of which the ancient city of Kirillov and the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery are located
- Kuzminsky Canal 1.17 km long with a pontoon ferry
- Lake Pokrovskoe
- Pozdyshka river with a canal dug in it about 2 km long
- Lake Zaulom, which became a reservoir, the water level in it was raised by a dam
- 1st and 2nd Vazerinsky canals 2.08 km long and 2.99 km long, respectively, separated by a small lake Pigasovo
- A small Kishemskoe lake and a Kishemskiy canal 2.65 km long with barrage gates allowing to close the watershed part and carry out its repairs.
- Lake Blagoveshchenskoye, from which the Porozovitsa River flows
- Porozovitsa River (deepened), there are two spillway dams with locks No. 5 and No. 6
- Further, the ships go along the Kubenskoye Lake, which is shallow, but large in area: its average depth is only 1.2, and its area is 370 sq. km
- The Sukhona River, flowing from Lake Kubenskoye. Lock No. 7 and a spillway dam are located 5 km from its source. The reconstruction of the structures took place in 2009-2010, all the main parts were replaced with concrete and steel, only the walls of the airlock remained wooden.
From the history
Back in the X-XI centuries, the delivery of goods from the Volga River basin to the Dvina was established, then there was a so-called portage, a land area between the Blagoveshchenskoye and Nikolskoye lakes, through which ships with goods were dragged by dry means, that is, by dragging.
Vessels with cargo went along the Volga, then along the Sheksna, the Slavyanka river and the Blagoveshchenskoye lake, then by portage - to the Nikolskoye lake, along the Porozovitsa river and the Kubenskoye lake, the Sukhona and Dvina rivers.
It is sometimes believed that the idea to create a waterway from St. Petersburg to Arkhangelsk belongs to Peter the Great. In fact, the emperor did not need a seaport competing with St. Petersburg, and by his decree in 1716 he reduced the supply of goods to the port of Arkhangelsk, which were intended for further "overseas trade", and from November 26, 1721, it was allowed to transport goods to Arkhangelsk only from neighboring regions. adjacent directly to the Dvina.
Later this blockade was lifted, but only goods for domestic consumption could be imported into Arkhangelsk. Only under PeterIIIin 1762 the city was returned to the status of a commercial port.
In order to build the Severo-Dvinsky Canal in 1823, surveys were carried out at the site of the ancient portage, in the watershed of the Sheksna River and the Porozovitsa River, which flows into Lake Kubenskoe. In 1825, work began on the construction of the Toporninsky Canal between the Sheksnaya River and Lake Siverskoye.
The work was supervised by the brother of Empress Maria Feodorovna, Duke Alexander Friedrich Karl von Wiertemberg, who managed the routes of communication of the Russian Empire. The channel bore his name until the October Revolution. 13 locks were built on the canal. The first ships passed the waterway in 1828.
On the new route, the ships went along the Sheksna River, the watershed canal, Siverskoye Lake and the Porozovitsa River, which flows into Lake Kubenskoye. Then the waterway continued along the Sukhona River, flowing from Lake Kubenskoye and Dvina to Arkhangelsk and the White Sea.
At the same time, the waterway was shallow and vessels with a draft of no more than one meter and a displacement of no more than 160 tons could pass along it. In the summer, because of the shallow Sukhona, the movement of ships was hampered. In this regard, in 1834, according to the project of engineer Vyacheslav Shishkov, at the source of the Sukhona on Lake Kubenskoye, the Znamenitaya dam and a sluice were built, which turned the lake into a reservoir.
The main reconstruction of the building took place from 1916 to 1921. The route was straightened and instead of 13 locks, 7 new ones were built, including the construction of the Znamenitaya concrete dam and a new lock. Now ships 150 meters long, 12 meters wide, with a draft of up to 1.8 meters and a displacement of 1000 tons could pass through the canal.
A large number of prisoners of war were employed in the construction, so in April 1917, out of more than 9.5 thousand workers, 6085 people were prisoners of war. Of the equipment, 7 dredgers were used.
With the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal, the importance of the North-Dvina system began to decrease, since the new route was more convenient. However, during the Great Patriotic War, when the Belomorkanal and the Kirov railway were cut, the waterway along the Dvina became vital. The cargo arriving under Lend-Lease had to be transported from Arkhangelsk to the central regions of the country. For this, dredging works were carried out on the Severo-Dvinsky Canal and the height of the Znamenitaya dam was increased.
In the post-war years, the North-Dvina system was maintained in a working condition, but nevertheless its wooden structures were gradually decrepit and, it seemed, that they were living out their last days. In 1964, during the reconstruction of the Volga-Baltic Canal, one of the locks, which became unnecessary, was dismantled and flooded by the Sheksna reservoir. But in the late 1990s, it was decided to keep the waterway, and in the 2000s, its reconstruction began.
Recently, the section of the canal passing through the Russian North National Natural Park has attracted more and more attention as a promising tourist route leading to the remarkable architectural and artistic monuments of Belozerye - Goritsky, Ferapontov and Kirillo-Belozersky monasteries, as well as the Elias Church near Tsipina Gora.
In addition, the Severo-Dvinskaya system, which includes ancient canals and wooden hydraulic engineering devices, is of interest as a monument of science and technology of the 19th century.
The "Russian North" runs through the most remarkable part of the famous North Dvina water system, crossing the interfluve of the Sheksna and Sukhona rivers in the Vologda region. The system has the status engineering monument, which brought to life the idea of connecting the basins of the Northern Dvina and Volga rivers.
Its site, located within the park, is not only an interesting display object and a promising tourist route. He can tell a lot about the history of the development of engineering and construction skills in the Russian state.
Being navigable, this waterway previously included 13 locks, which first lifted ships on the Volga slope by 11.4 m, and then lowered them on the Dvinsky slope by 13.5 m.Some of them were later removed due to the fact that there was no longer a need for their exploitation. Now the system includes 7 gateways and 5 artificially laid canals. Initially, the sluice gates were wooden and manually operated, but now they are made of metal and mechanized.
One of the canals - Severo-Dvinsky - has a length of 127 km, a width of 26 to 30 m and a depth of up to 1.8 m. It begins at the village of Topornya on the Sheksna River and reaches the village of Znamenskoye at the head of the Sukhona River, connecting both of them. Until the 30s of the last century, the canal was the only waterway that connected the Volga with the White Sea. The North Dvinsky Canal includes the following water bodies with engineering structures (6 locks and 8 dams):
- canals: Toporninsky with Toporninsky barrage gates and locks No. 2 and No. 3, Kuzminsky, 1st and 2nd Vazerinsky, with Kishemsky barrage gates;
- lakes: Siverskoye, Pokrovskoye, Zaulomskoye with the Zaulomskoye dam, Pigasovo, Kishemskoye, Blagoveshchenskoye, Kubenskoye with the Znamenitaya dam and sluice No. 7;
- rivers: Itkla with sluice No. 4, Porozovitsa with sluices No. 5 and No. 6, Pozdyshka.
Level differences in the lock chambers vary from 1 to 4 m. Initially, three locks were equipped on the Toporninsky Canal, later the first of them was flooded. However, the numbering of the gateways remained the same, starting from the second number.
Peter I was fascinated by the idea of constructing a waterway connecting St. Petersburg with Arkhangelsk in this area. The best place could not be found - even in the X-XI centuries, the famous Slavic portage functioned here. But this idea began to be realized only in the 19th century, as evidenced by the following chronology:
- 1823 - conducting surveys in the Kirillov area to find the best option;
- 1824 - execution of design work;
- 1825 - start of construction;
- 1828 - opening of the canal for shipping.
The canal was named after the Duke von Württemberg, who ruled the routes of the Russian Empire in 1822-1833 and was responsible for its construction. During the Soviet era, the water body was renamed.
Duke Alexander of Württemberg
Chief Manager of Railways in the years 1822-1833
Severo-Dvinsky waterway was of great importance for the Russian Empire as a transit cargo route. It was repeatedly deepened, reconstructed, and completed, including during the years of Soviet power. On the shores of water bodies there were ship repair shops, buoy workshops, shipping companies, which gave many local residents work to maintain the waterway and hydraulic structures.
Water system named after Duke Alexander Friedrich Karl von Württemberg (Württemberg)
Click on the image to enlarge
But after the construction of the Belomorkanal, the role of the system began to diminish, shifting the emphasis to predominantly passenger transportation. They were carried out by the Sukhonsk Shipping Company until the mid-70s. After the construction of the Vologda-Povenets asphalt road here with a lapel in the direction of Kirillov, the flights of passenger steamers were recognized as unprofitable.
Currently, there is a small shipping traffic with timber cargo and passenger routes for tourist purposes.
