The Western Dvina River is a waterway in the north of Eastern Europe. It flows through the territory of Latvia, Belarus and Russia. The ancient names of the river are Eridan and Hesin. It takes its beginning in the Tver region. Here she is gradually gaining strength in order to rush through the three countries and replenish the Baltic Sea with her waters . In the Tver region on the banks of the mentioned river in dense forests there is a small town of the same name, which is, among other things, the center of the Zapadnodvinsky district.
The ancient city of Western Dvina (Tver region)
The history of this region has five millennia. According to archaeological data, the first settlements here arose in the Neolithic era. On the outskirts of the city, an ancient Slavic settlement was discovered, which allows us to make the assumption that even in distant antiquity the water resources of the region were used by our ancestors as transport arteries and made these unique places attractive for people. Life was never calm in these parts; local settlements were regularly attacked by Lithuanians coming from the Baltic Sea. As a result, only by the beginning of the fifteenth century, local residents managed to conquer these lands and own them for 150 years. However, during the Livonian War (1558-1573), the struggle for these lands began again. At the first stage, Ivan the Terrible was forced to cede them to the Lithuanian prince Batory. However, by the end of this military conflict, the Western Dvina region was again included in the Moscow state. In the seventeenth century, the Polish-Swedish invaders invade here. And only by the middle of the nineteenth century in the region there was a tendency of economic and social development.
Modern city Western Dvina (Tver region)
During numerous wars, the ancient settlement was completely wiped off the face of the earth. And only in the twenties of the last century did a village appear here, and then an urban-type village of Zapadnaya Dvina. The city arose ten years later thanks to the large logging plant built here. Today the Western Dvina is the administrative center of the Zapadnodvinsky district of the Tver region. According to the 2010 census, its population is 10.2 thousand people. A tourist who accidentally gets here will not stay in this god and people forgotten “resort town”, and there are a number of objective reasons for this. The only interesting place here is a logging plant, but still no one will let you go there, unless you get a job there, but only extreme people can do it. However, there are some sights in this town: the Museum of History and Local History, which is located in the local school No. 1 on Kirova street in house No. 16, the current Orthodox Christian Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (Shcherbakova street, house No. 8), built recently - in 2008 year. From the monuments of history, culture and archeology, only dilapidated temples and archaeological ensembles have survived: the churches of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the Holy Trinity, the Transfiguration and Spasskaya. Perhaps these ruins are of some interest to historians or archaeologists, but they are unlikely to surprise the "advanced" traveler. The tourist infrastructure in the city is completely undeveloped, there are only two cafes with the colorful names "Vovan" and "Yuna", as well as the restaurant "Dvina". In fairness, it is worth noting that in this village there is a ski resort "Mukhino", but in the summer you will be bored and uninteresting there. As you can see, the assortment is very scarce, and this is understandable, because the Western Dvina is an industrial town. But the area is of particular interest to tourists. Tours are organized here that allow you to get acquainted with the most beautiful natural monuments: Lakes Savinskoye and Vysochert, places of growth of Chilim water walnut, listed in the Red Book, the ancient park Nikopol, in which rare species of trees, the Veles swamp system are preserved. But in most cases, these parts attract lovers of water recreation and fishing. Which is not surprising, because the places here are notable. Not only is nature very beautiful, but also the Zapadnaya Dvina River is rich in rare species of fish.
Description of the water body
The Zapadnaya Dvina has long served as a transportation route for humans. The ancient path “from the Varangians to the Greeks” ran along it, which was described by the chronicler Nestor in 1114–1116 in the famous “Tale of Bygone Years”. The source of the Western Dvina is Koryakino Lake (Valdai Upland). The river carries its turbulent waters through the hilly plains and lowlands left by the movement of an ancient glacier. The total length of this body of water is 1020 kilometers. Every year, it transfers up to twenty cubic kilometers of water to the Baltic Sea. The lake systems of the basin contain up to four cubic kilometers of fresh water. This region is very generously endowed with extraordinary attractiveness. Mixed forests reign here , which cover the fourth part of the basin. In the upper reaches of the river, in forests, spruce prevails, and in the middle reaches - birch, aspen and alder. On the Polotsk Plain, pine forests primarily grow.
River geography
On a geographical map, the Western Dvina attracts attention with the rich gamut of green in its pool. It is characterized by numerous lowlands that were once glacial lakes. The narrow sections of the valley, where the river passes through the stained ridges, show their descent. One of the most extensive former lakes is the modern Polotsk lowland. Its surface is almost flat or gently wavy, in places very boggy, it is composed of tape clays and sand. The river valley was formed about 12-13 thousand years ago, it bears features unformed. On the territory of Belarus, the width of its channel is 100-300 meters, rifts and rapids are often found here. In some places, the valley narrows and becomes canyon-like with a depth of up to fifty meters. But, entering the Baltic Plain, the Western Dvina turns into a full-flowing river, its channel reaches 800 meters in width, and the valley reaches six kilometers.
Swimming pool
The basin of the Western Dvina is formed by more than twelve thousand small and large rivers. The largest tributary is the Mezha, with a length of 259 kilometers and a catchment area of ​​9080 square kilometers. Most tributaries flow or originate from numerous lakes, thereby forming a very complex hydrographic system. The blue placer of lakes in some places unites into groups: Ushachsky, Zarasaysky, Braslavsky. The largest are Osveiskoye, Lukomskoye, Lubanskoye, Zhizhitskoye, Drysvyaty, Razna, Drivyaty. The total area of ​​the lakes exceeds two thousand square kilometers and reaches three percent of the total river catchment area.
Seasonal filling
Zapadnaya Dvina is a plain river, its main runoff is formed as a result of melting snow cover, which accumulates in the winter. This also explains the nature of the distribution of runoff of this aquatic artery throughout the year. In the spring, high water is characteristic, abundant high water, which is accompanied by significant spills, as well as floodplain flooding, in addition, spring rainy weather contributes to this. By the beginning of summer, the Western Dvina begins to calm down, the waters return to the riverbed, and by mid-June, a significant decline in water is recorded. During the rest of the year, runoff depends on sedimentary and groundwater. In summer and autumn, when it rains, the Zapadnaya Dvina can even go over its banks. In winter, the volume decreases markedly, at this time the river level is the lowest, because the basis of its nutrition is groundwater.
Dangerous river
However, you should not think that the life of the river during the winter low season is so serene. In late autumn, when the river is covered with ice, a slugger passes through it. As a result, various dangerous phenomena - sparks - are created on the water. The channel in some of its sections can be completely clogged with sludge, as a result, the river level rises significantly, creating flooding and extensive upstream spills. A similar phenomenon can occur in the spring, when the channel becomes clogged with ice.
People come and go, and the river flows ...
Since ancient times, people have tried to tame the wayward river and adapt it for their economic purposes. Today, a whole cascade has been created on the Western Dvina, consisting of three large reservoirs. Its rich water resource is used in the hydro- and heat-power sphere, water supply, transport purposes, for recreation of the population and fishing. These places are rich in monuments of ancient architecture, which are witnesses to many historical events. For example, the elder of Belarusian cities - Polotsk - is decorated with the ancient Sophia Cathedral. This is a monument of architecture of the eleventh century. In the same city, Simeon Polotsky and George Skorina lived and worked, and Peter the Great stayed in one of the houses during the Swedish war. Another ancient city - Vitebsk (the most important shopping center on the way "from the Varangians to the Greeks") - has a thousand-year history.
Fishing in the Western Dvina
This unique corner of the Tver region attracts many tourists and lovers of fishing. Ecologically clean territory (this is confirmed by the medal of the All-Russian contest "Ecologically clean area") is replete with lakes with huge fish resources, which will not leave a single chance for an unsuccessful bite. The Zapadnaya Dvina River is also unique, covered with forests that make up the bulk of the region’s natural resources. Lovers of chub fishing come to this water body. After all, there are a lot of him on this river, even individuals up to three kilograms come across. Its large number is promoted by a feature of the river itself: rifts, shallows, islets and huge boulders abound here. All these places, like a magnet, attract this fish, especially rifts. In the spring and early summer, the chub is caught in front of them, at the exit of the pits, and until late autumn - after them, where the shallows pass into the depths.
Don't you like this kind of fishing? The Western Dvina is also rich in other fish species, for example, pike and perch. Fans of spinning gear will get indescribable sensations here. The fishing season begins in late May. At this time, the water level in the river drops markedly, and near the coastal zone you can observe a high concentration of medium-sized pike up to one and a half kilograms. She is caught on all types of bait, but prefers spinners. Perch also pecks at small “turntables” (No. 0-2). Here, mainly 400 grams of specimens are caught. From the second half of summer until mid-October, pikes weighing 2-3 kilograms, sometimes more, come across.