Volkhov (river)

For other uses of "Volkhov", see Volkhov (disambiguation).

Volkhov
Physical characteristics
Mouth	Lake Ladoga
Length	224 km (139 mi)

Volkhov River (‹See Tfd›Russian: Во́лхов), also called Olhava river is a river in Novgorod Oblast and Leningrad Oblast of Russia.

Geography

Volkhov flows out of the Lake Ilmen north into the Lake Ladoga, the largest lake of Europe. It is the second largest tributary of Lake Ladoga. Its length is 224 km, and its fall is about 15 meters. It is navigable over its whole length.

The area of its basin, including the Ilmen basin, is 80,200 km². Its discharge is highly variable depending primarily on the level of the Lake Ilmen: from 44 to 2,900 m³/s. Volkhov was reported to reverse its direction in the upper part in exceptional cases. The river freezes up in the late November and breaks up in the early April.

The level of water is regulated by the Volkhov hydroelectric dam (the first Soviet regional hydroelectric dam opened on December 19, 1926 in the framework of the GOELRO plan) situated 25 km upstream the mouth of the river. Apart from hydroelectric purposes, the dam serves to facilitate navigation in the lower part of the river previously known for its rapids.

The upstream part of the Volkhov is connected to the Msta River by the Siversov Canal bypassing Lake Ilmen. The downstream part is connected with Neva, Syas River, and Svir River by the Novoladozhsky Canal bypassing Lake Ladoga.

Main tributaries

• Vishera (right), joins the Maly Volkhovets armlet
• Kerest (left)
• Oskuya (right)
• Pchezhva (right)
• Tigoda (left)
• Chyornaya (right)
• Vloya (left)
• Olomna (left)

Cities and towns along the Volkhov

• Velikiy Novgorod (58°32′N 31°16′E), near the source;
• Kirishi (59°27′N 32°00′E);
• Volkhov (59°55′N 32°21′E);
• Novaya Ladoga (60°06′N 32°18′E), near the mouth.

History

Despite its relatively small size, Volkhov has played a large role in Russian history and economy. A figure representing the Volkhov appears among the allegorical monuments to the four major rivers of Russia on the rostral columns in the ensemble of the St. Petersburg Bourse.

In the mid-9th century, the Volkhov was a heavily populated trade artery of the Varangian-dominated Rus' Khaganate. It was a vital part of the most important trade route connecting Northern Europe to the Orient, by way of the Volga (Volga trade route) and Dnieper (trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks). The ancient Russian capital Staraya Ladoga and one of the principal Russian medieval cities Velikiy Novgorod are located along the Volkhov.

After entering the Volkhov near Gorchakovshchina and Lyubsha, commercial vessels of the Vikings cast anchor at the major trade emporium of Aldeigja (Ladoga). Then they rowed upstream past a series of rapids, guarded by the fortified settlements at Novye Duboviki and Gorodishche. There was another outpost at Kholopy Gorodok, 13 km north of present-day Novgorod, or rather Holmgard, which was founded near the point where the Volkhov enters Lake Ilmen.

"Most of these were initially small sites, probably not much more than stations for re-fitting and resupply, providing an opportunity for exchange and the redistribution of items passing along the river and caravan routes". It seems on the whole likely that such pre-urban settlements gave the country its Norse name of Gardariki.