Three forces of nature
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Three forces of nature

“Still the daughter of the Ether, 

Swims the sea as water-mother, 

With the floods outstretched before her, 

And behind her sky and ocean… 


Lifts her head above the surface, 

Lifts her forehead from the waters, 

And begins at last her workings… 

Now commences her creations,

On the azure water-ridges, 

On the mighty waste before her.


Where her hand she turned in water, 

There arose a fertile hillock; 

Wheresoe'er her foot she rested, 

There she made a hole for fishes; 

Where she dived beneath the waters, 

Fell the many deeps of ocean…


Thus created were the islands, 

Rocks were fastened in the ocean, 

Pillars of the sky were planted, 

Fields and forests were created, 

Checkered stones of many colors…”

These are the lines from the Finnish-Karelian folk epic ‘Kalevala’. This is how the people who had inhabited this area since ancient times explained its origin. The forest, water and stone are the main treasures of the region that strikes with its pristine beauty, nordic restraint, slight arrogance, spirituality, and - at the same time - its magical attractiveness. The forests in Karelia occupy half of the entire area, the rivers and lakes occupy a quarter, and the swamps cover one fifth of the Karelian land. All the trips around Karelia are ‘ecotours’. As part of a press-tour arranged by Rostourism, we travelled to some places to see the main touristic routes.

EcoTourism Expert  launches a series of publications on travelling in Karelia

WATER

Федосов(а) Н. Федосов(а) А. водопад _Кивач_1.jpg


Karelia is called the Land of lakes. Totally, there are 60 thousand large and small waterbodies. Onega and Ladoga are the largest lakes in Europe and are of glacial origin. The peculiarity of the natural landscape is a great number of islands, both flat and steep. By the way, the prototype of Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin was, probably, Alexander Poltoratsky from Petrozavodsk, a friend of Pushkin and the grandson of Charles

Gascoigne, one of the best weapon manufacturers in Europe, invited to Karelia by Catherine the Great to improve the queen’s weapons foundry.

The main large rivers of the region are Shuya, Chirka-Kem, Okhta, and Suna. They are the most popular among water tourists. A choice of very different rafting routes is offered - from easy to difficult rapids for highly qualified tourists and sportsmen.

Karelia is also the dream of every fisherman. Lake Ladoga alone is inhabited by up to 50 thousand species of fish. A rainbow trout in the Lake proves that its water is very clean. Another favorite of the local people is vendace from the salmon family, a nutritious white fish, almost boneless.

Back in the Soviet years, academician Konstantin Sytnik said good words about the impassable Karelian marshes, “Not so long ago, we realized the role of swamps in the ecological equilibrium of any region of the country ... Swamps, like a giant sponge, absorb the atmospheric moisture, as well as dust, soot, oxides of sulfur, nitrogen, carbon, various hydrocarbons that our industry produces in very large quantities. The swamps absorb polluted moisture and release clean one. if you look at the map of the world - the most majestic rivers flow out of the swamps.” In mid-July, the swamps in Karelia are covered with a red carpet of ripening cloudberries, there are also many red bilberries and blueberries. Northern wild berries liqueurs and jams are the famous Karelian souvenirs that everyone brings home from the trips to Karelia.

The Kivach waterfall: The song of water and stone

водопад _Кивач_.jpg


The Kivach waterfall is on the Suna River in the Kivach Reserve. Its water rushes down from four stone steps. Back in the 19th century, it was the second highest plain waterfall in Europe, second to the Rhine Falls (Rheinfall) only. But many considered it even more beautiful. So, Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, one of the most highly esteemed Russian poets before Alexander Pushkin and a statesman, who was appointed the governor of the Olonets Province described Kivach in his poem ‘Waterfall’ calling it a diamond mountain.

The waterfall used to break huge 19-metre long logs into chips. But the hydropower plants built in the Soviet years took away its power, and the Kivach Waterfall became less strong. The Kivach Waterfall is about 11 metres high and it ranks now just fourth in Europe.

водопад _Кивач1.jpg


There are several ideas about the origin of the word ‘kivach’. Some think it means ‘stone belly’ or ‘snow mountain’ in Karelian. Others connect it with the Finnish words ‘ardent’, ‘hot’.

The local legend has it how this waterfall appeared. Two rivers - sisters Suna and Shuya - set out in search of their husbands-to-be. Their way ran through dense forests and hard rocks. But then one day, they got exhausted and decided to stay for the night in some place. Kind Suna offered a comfortable and safe bed to her sister, but when Suna woke up she saw that her sister had long fled far ahead, without waiting for Suna to wake up. Suna tried to catch up with Shuya but failed because there were many rocks and dangerous rapids on her way. Suddenly, Suna heard her sister's voice and, despite her fear, threw herself down the cliff, like a waterfall. Unfortunately, Suna was never able to catch up with her sister and slowly flowed through the dense forests.

Girvas and Po’or-Rapid: Waterfalls that don't exist

They are considered dead, but sometimes they come to life. The waterfalls are on a volcano that is more than two billion years old. Once Girvas consisted of two powerful flows with the total height of 15 metres. But in the early 1930s, when the construction of the hydropower plants started, the Girvas Waterfall actually ceased to exist. Today, the Girvas is called the Paleozerskaya hydropower plant deluge. This happens only in those years when the water level in the water reservoir is especially high and the

hydropower station cannot cope with the powerful flow. In such cases, tonnes of water rush down with great speed into the Suna River raising its water level.

The word ‘girvas’ is the Karelian for an ‘elk’, which indicates the abundance of these animals in the local forests. The Karelia’s attraction, unique both in beauty and age, is surrounded by an untouched pine forest.

Not far from Girvas, there is a Po’or-Porog (Po’or-Rapids), another dead waterfall. According to some sources, ‘Po’or’, is the Karelian for a ’lye’ (the alkaline solution obtained when leaching wood ash - ed.), according to others, it means a ‘deer’. Today, it is a huge volcanic gorge.

‘Marcial’ waters: The first Russian resort where the Tsar took treatment

A monument to Peter the Great In Petrozavodsk.jpg


The Marcial waters got the name after Mars, the God of war, because of their high iron content. For many centuries, the local people used this water for treatment, and after Peter the Great heard about the miraculous healing properties of the springs, the first Russian resort appeared here. The Great Northern War was going on that took away a lot of tsar’s strength and health. It was not the right time to travel to the European resorts and it was unsafe. Own Russian springs were needed. So, Peter the Great addresses the Senate with a decree: “Gentlemen, Senate! Upon receiving this, tell Dr. Schubert to make a search for spring waters in our State (and especially for the places rich in iron ore) that can be used to treat for diseases.” The spring waters were found and are still being used for treatment.

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To be continued...

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