Mariinskaya water system during WWII. Mariinskaya water system - abstract. Rybinsk is a grain city, and Cherepovets is rich

Almost simultaneously with Tikhvinskaya and even somewhat earlier, work began on the construction of the third waterway – Mariinsky system - connecting the Volga with Baltic Sea. Research in the direction outlined under Peter I, using the Vytegra, Kovzhi, and Sheksna rivers, was carried out several times: in 1774, 1785 and 1798. The waterway from the Volga to St. Petersburg in this direction had significant advantages: as the explorers of that time explained, ships traveling from the Volga to St. Petersburg along the route through Kovzha - Vytegra must rise to 34 m and then descend to 138 m, whereas in the Tikhvin direction it was necessary overcome an ascent of 175 m and a descent of 276 m.

These data differ somewhat from more accurate modern estimates, but correctly reflect the benefits of a route in which fewer gateways can be built. In addition, the watershed between Kovzha and Vytegra had practically unlimited supplies of water to power the system, and the rivers Svir, Sheksna, Kovzha and partly Vytegra included in it were suitable for navigation of ships in their natural state. But this project was not considered by Peter I, whose attention at that moment was diverted by the war with Turkey.

In 1785, Catherine II instructed Chief Prosecutor Vyazemsky “... to organize work to create a new waterway... in view of the expected great benefits.” By decree of December 31, 1787, 0.5 million rubles were even allocated for the construction of the Vytegorsky Canal. But soon this money was transferred to the construction of roads between St. Petersburg and Moscow, and work on the canal was not started.

After the death of Catherine II, Emperor Paul I reigned in Russia, who really gave the development of inland waterways in Russia great importance. On February 28, 1798, by Decree of Paul I, the Department of Water Communications was created, whose task was to draw up construction projects and supervise the work. This department was the first government body in the internal water transport and combined the functions of the ministry, design institute and cartographic bureau, educational and research institutes, etc. The decree prescribed “... to always have in that department several inspectors or caretakers who know the mapping, leveling and part of the buildings in reserve for possible work, up to eight people in number, who would form a clan high school these units, providing them with the necessary books and tools and, adding to them a mechanic, a lock master and to this last two assistants, with the salary required in the state ... "

The governor was appointed head of the department (director) Novgorod region Count Yakov Efimovich Sivers.

The need for the development of transport routes to St. Petersburg by that time was so acute that Emperor Paul I demanded that the department of water communications “urgently draw up a plan and estimate for this construction.” Count Sievers, who headed the department of water communications, personally reconnoitered the route and presented the Tsar with a report on the creation of a waterway along the Vytegorsky direction. On May 27, 1799, J. E. Sievers reported to the Senate that a prayer service was held in the village of Konetskaya on the occasion of the start of digging a canal.

The immediate impetus for the start of construction was the unprecedented drought of 1798, which almost led to a complete disruption of navigation along the Vyshnevolotsk system.

The construction of the system was a heavy burden for the treasury and could have dragged on for many years if a rather unusual solution had not been found. Funds available in the orphanage fund were used to finance the work, borrowing 400 thousand rubles each. per year, “the commander in chief of the educational houses of both capitals,” Empress Maria, gave her consent. Money raised for the maintenance of “illegitimate children and foundlings” through various donations and income from the monopoly on the publication of playing cards, as well as savings on the meager food and clothing of these children, turned out to be a source of financing the costs of building the system. In his decree of January 20, 1799, Paul I wrote: “... having accepted with Our special favor the presentation of Her Imperial Majesty as the Chief Commander over the educational homes of both capitals about borrowing 400,000 rubles from the safe treasury of the local educational home. per year for the speedy construction of the Vytegorsky Canal, We ordered our state treasurer Baron Vasiliev, accepting this amount as a loan from this place on the appropriate terms, to add it to other amounts allocated for water communications. Having thus strengthened the means for the successful completion of the work ... we command you, having drawn up a plan and estimates for its construction, to submit it to Our approval, undoubtedly hoping from your jealousy for the speedy completion of this channel, which from now on, as an expression of Our gratitude for such assistance to Her Imperial Majesty and as a keepsake for posterity, We deign to call it Mariinsky." This is how this name of the system appeared, which remained for 150 years.

Management of the construction of the Mariinsky system was entrusted to engineer-general de Volan, under whom a special department was created.

The construction of the Mariinsky system, as already mentioned, began in 1799.

The canal was built, as de Volan wrote, “in proportion to the depth of the Sheksna”, equal to 1.4 m, and a bottom width of 15 m. All locks and dams were built from wood. In the first three years, 8 locks and a connecting canal were built between Kovzha and Vytegra. At the same pace, 2–3 locks and an average of 2 dams per year, construction was carried out in the subsequent period. Already in the spring of 1808, the first loaded ship with a draft of 1 m passed from Kovzhi to Vytegra.

The official opening of navigation on the system was announced on July 21, 1810. A staff of 299 workers and specialists was appointed to service it.

In 1810, after the official opening of the system for navigation, two locks were built in the Shestovskaya and Belousovskaya rapids of the Vytegra, which were not provided for in the original project. All locks had a chamber length of 32 m, a width of 9.15 m and could pass ships with a draft of 1.25 m with a carrying capacity of about 170 tons. The cells were filled with water through holes in the gates. The system's capacity was about 500 thousand tons per navigation.

By the end of construction, the system looked like this:

· 2 locks (St. Constantine and St. Anna) and 1 half-lock were built on Kovzha;

· 9 km from the St. Anna, a connecting canal began from Kovzha, which adjoined the Vytegra near the village of Verkhny Rubezh. There were 6 locks on the canal, of which 1 was three-chamber and 3 were two-chamber. The watershed point was Matkozero;

· 20 locks (including 6 two-chamber, 1 three-chamber and 1 four-chamber) and 2 half-locks were built on Vytegra.

In total, the system had 28 locks with 44 cameras and 3 half-locks. Its food was provided from Lake Kovzhskoe. Kovzha and Puras stream at the source of the lake were blocked by a dam and a spillway, and the horizon of the lake was raised by almost 2 m. The volume of water in the Kovzha reservoir created in this way reached 11.6 million m 3, which provided power to the system with a double reserve.

In addition to locks and canals, 20 dams, 12 spillways, and 5 drawbridges were built.

The beginning of movement along the Mariinsky system revealed its shortcomings, first of all, that the White and Onega lakes did not have bypass canals and ships were forced to follow them at great risk, even in relatively calm weather. In addition, the route of the waterway for a considerable distance passed through deserted and sparsely populated swampy areas. Therefore, it was difficult to find sufficient numbers of people and horses locally to pull ships and maintain shipping.

The construction of the Onega Canal on the section from Black Sands to Voznesenye (the source of the Svir) was completed only in 1845 - 1852. The Belozersk Canal was opened for navigation in August 1846.

And yet, in general, the creation of the Mariinsky Canal marked the most important stage in the history of the development of hydraulic engineering in Russia.

Mariinsky system. Voznesensky raid. 1909

Belozersky Canal in the area of Belozersk.

On the left is the shipping line office building. Photo from 1865

Sheksna mouth of the Belozersk Canal (Chaika). Gateway Security.

Photo from 1865

Mariinsky system. Dam of St. Paul in Devyatiny. 1865

Mariinsky system. Dam of St. Paul in Devyatiny. 1909

Mariinsky system. Drawbridge on the Vytegra River. 1909

Mariinsky system. Zaton Kareshka. 1909

Installation of a gate leaf on one of the Sheksninsky locks under construction.

Photo from the 1890s

Construction of a dam on Sheksna in Nilovice.

Photo from the 1890s

Mariinsky system. Kovzhskaya dam. 1909

Mariinsky system. General view of the plant. 1909

A monument in the village of Petrovskoye, erected in honor of the completion of the construction of the Mariinsky Canal in 1810.

Photo from 1865

Mariinsky system. Monument to Emperor Alexander II in memory of the end of the Mariinsky system. 1909

Simultaneously with the Mariinsky system, in 1802 - 1810, the Ladoga bypass canal was completed on the Volkhov - Svir section.

The importance of the Vyshnevolotsk system did not decrease with the commissioning of two new water systems. It still remained the main waterway to St. Petersburg. All first half of XIX For centuries, work to improve it continued: old dams were improved and new ones were built. In 1843, in addition to the complex of structures of the Vyshnevolotsk system, the Upper Volga beishlot was built. A wooden dam on a stone foundation, built near the source of the Volga, raised its level and connected lakes Volgo, Peno and Ovselug into one basin with an area of more than 160 km2. The water supply accumulated behind the dam made it possible to maintain a depth of 0.55 - 0.60 m in the upper section of the Volga (above Tver) during two months of low water due to releases. This was the first hydraulic structure to regulate the flow of Volga water. Beyshlot fulfilled its task of improving navigation on the upper Volga for many years and continues to serve to this day.

Thus, by 1811, the Volga and the Baltic Sea had connections by water in three directions: Vyshnevolotsk, Tikhvin and Mariinsky.

Shipping water system in Russia, built in the 18th-20th centuries and operating until the early 1960s, to connect with the Baltic Sea through the rivers and lakes of the North-Western part of the country, consisting of both artificial and natural waterways.

At the initial stage, a project was developed for a connection flowing into (connected through with, which is connected through to the Baltic Sea) with, flowing into, from which it originated, which was a tributary of the Volga. Work on designing the route of the water system began in 1710 English engineer John Perry, invited to Russia by Peter I.

Vytegra River.

Construction of the system began in 1799. It connected the Tagazhma River (the left tributary of the Vytegra), the Vytegra River itself, Matko Lake, the Vatkoma River and the Kovzha River. In 1808, the first ship passed through the canal that cut the watershed between Vytegra and Kovzha. The official opening of traffic along the Mariinsky system took place on July 21, 1810. The travel time for ships along it from Rybinsk to St. Petersburg was 110 days.

It consisted of 28 wooden locks (45 chambers) on the Kovzhe River, the watershed canal and the Vytegra River. All locks had a chamber length of 32 meters, a width of 9 meters and a depth at the king (threshold) of 1.3 meters. 20 dams were built on it, and to fill it with water from Lake Kovzhskoye, its level was raised by 2 meters due to dams on Kovzhe and Puras Stream.

Kovzha River.

For safe communication around the lakes White, Onega and Ladoga, bypass canals were dug - the Belozersky Canal (runs from the Kovzha River to the Sheksna River along the western and southern shores of Lake White), the Onega Canal (a canal along the southern shore of Lake Onega), the Staraya Ladoga Canal (runs along shores of Lake Ladoga, connected the Volkhov and Neva rivers, was abandoned after the construction of the Novoladoga Canal), the Svirsky Canal (connected the mouths of the Svir and Syas rivers, bypassing Lake Ladoga), the Syassky Canal (connected the mouths of the Volkhov and Syas rivers, bypassing Lake Ladoga).

Onega Canal.

In the 19th century, due to the growth in cargo traffic, the Mariinsky water system was modernized and supplemented. In 1829, the Sheksna River (a tributary of the Volga) was connected to the Sukhona River (a tributary of the Northern Dvina).

In 1886, the Novo-Mariinsky Canal was opened, bypassing Matko Lake, connecting Vytegra and Kovzha instead of the previous canal. In 1890-1896, the lock system was rebuilt and began to consist of 38 locks, including stone ones (on Vytegra - 28, on the Novo-Mariinsky Canal - 2, on Kovzhe - 2, on Belozersk - 2, on Sheksna - 4) and 26 dams (on Vytegra - 14, on Kovzha - 4, Belozersky Canal - 4, on Sheksna - 4).

Sheksna River.

The construction of new hydraulic structures continued in the first half of the 20th century. In 1922, the opening of the Cherepovets hydroelectric complex (lock No. 40) took place, in 1926 - the Cherepanovsky hydroelectric complex (lock No. 41), in 1930 - the Yagorbsky hydroelectric complex (lock No. 42).

Construction on the Svir River, launched in 1933, and construction (started in the late 1930s), is also related to the Mariinsky water system, since with the advent of these waterworks, conditions for navigation on the Svir, which was part of the system, improved.

Svir River.

In the spring of 1941, filling began, formed by blocking the Volga and Sheksna. As a result of the water rising by 18 meters, locks No. 39-No. 42 of the Mariinsky water system, which had become unnecessary, were flooded.

After the Great Patriotic War work to modernize the water system continued. In 1948 - 1953, the Vytegorsky Canal was dug in the lower reaches from Lake Onega to. In the second half of the 1950s, after launching in the south of the country

During the initial construction of the Mariinsky water system (1799 - 1808) “in the gorge” where the Vytegra River “... is surrounded by high rocky mountains and makes several meanders,” one- and two-chamber wooden locks of St. Andrew were installed (at the 32nd verst from Vytegra near the village of Velikiy Dvor), St. Samson and St. Michael, and below is the three-chamber gateway of St. Paul (at the 30th verst near the village of Parfeevskoye). Each lock chamber was 15 fathoms long and 30 feet wide. There were dams at the locks. With a rare exception on the Vytegra River (St. Andrew's lock), all locks were built in diversion (water supply) canals dug in the meanders of the river. In 1890 - 1896, a winding section of the riverbed, 1.5 versts long, was removed from the water system by digging.

There were two most significant excavations along the entire Mariinsky waterway: Perekop No. 1 near the village of Devyatiny (437.75 fathoms in rocky soil with the bottom laid at a depth of 11.01 fathoms from the surface) and Lukovetsky excavation on the Sheksna River. Devyatinsky Perekop was the most grandiose structure of the reconstruction of the Mariinsky water system in 1890 - 1896. The work was carried out by constructing a tunnel using the so-called English method, which was used in England, America, Italy, Switzerland and Austria. This method was used for the first time in Russia.

The essence of the tunnel method was that at the level of the bottom of the future canal, a tunnel-adit was built, which communicated with the surface by a number of shafts. The soil removed from the surface was thrown through the mine channels into the adit, where rolling stock cars stood under the mine openings. The soil was removed from the adit and dumped under the overpass along which the train was moving. The path for transporting soil from the dig went along the slope of the left bank and, bypassing the village of Kamennaya, went out along a wooden overpass (340 fathoms long and 6 fathoms high) to a low meadow, which subsequently disappeared under the poured soil.

Two locomotives with rolling stock moved along the rails, each consisting of 45 cars (3 cars for each of the 15 shafts). There were 16 people working at the top of each shaft, and two people at the bottom in the adit. Breaking was carried out manually with little support from blasting. During these difficult works, unexpected obstacles appeared, for example, in one part of the excavation under the slabs there was a layer consisting of alternating layers of stone and clay of all colors and compositions, this whole mass began to move with the onset of thaws.

On average, 1,200 people and 500 horses were employed on a permanent basis. There were not enough workers. Food and technical supplies came intermittently in autumn and spring, and in winter it was very expensive, since only horse-drawn transport could be used. One winter there was a frost of thirty degrees. One year of construction coincided with a bad harvest. The threat of a cholera epidemic arose twice.

Devyatinsky perekop. A steam locomotive drives a loaded train. 1893

The construction of Perekop No. 1 took five and a half years. The volume of excavation amounted to more than 80 thousand cubic fathoms, including 5 - clay soil and 76 - slab and rocky (dolomitized) limestone (786, 48.5 and 737.5 thousand, respectively cubic meters. The first Russian experience of the tunnel method of canal construction exceeded the volume of work previously known by six times.

Perekop walked around the bend of the river where the St. Samson and St. Michael locks stood. In the perekop itself, three locks, each 50 fathoms long, were installed. In technical terms, three locks with one dam with distances between chambers of 125 fathoms were actually one three-chamber lock.

Today in the river valley you can see the remains of a whole complex of wooden hydraulic structures of the old Mariinsky Theater different years the buildings. A little below the mouth of the White Stream in the channel of the Vytegra-Mariinsky there are the ruins of the dam and lock of St. Andrew. The log fortifications of the walls of the former lock chamber and the fallen gate remained. The current channel, when turning into Perekop, is blocked by the remains of the St. Samson dam and the wooden structures of the St. Samson sluice of the first construction. The artificial origin of the excavation is easily determined by its straight direction and smooth slopes.

The now unpreserved “floor” of the bottom of the chambers of the two upper locks was laid on beds attached to limestone slabs, and the chamber of the St. Vladimir lock had a pile foundation. Half-rotten beds in one place and the remains of a pile foundation in another place can still be distinguished. The appearance of the first St. Michael's locks should be restored at least in general outline using fragments of wooden structures and pile fortifications in the riverbed is virtually impossible.

In 1887, the Novo-Mariinsky connecting canal with a total length of about 9 versts was built to bypass Matkozero, including 2 versts 7 fathoms of the old canal (from the mouth of the first canal to the St. Peter's lock). There were only two gateways on the new channel. The lifting of vessels to the watershed reach of the canal was carried out through the St. Alexander lock, and entry into the Baltic branch was carried out through the St. Peter lock.

The area around the canal and locks was completely open. A mile from St. Peter's lock there was an obelisk erected in honor of Peter I by General Devolant. From the monument one could see the basin of Matkozero, which was lowered in 1886. At the fifth mile of the new canal, away from the Aleksandrovsky Lock, the remains of the former Konstantinovsky water pipeline remained for a long time. The design of this structure could have been understood back in the pre-war years of the 20th century.

The Mariinskaya water system is a waterway in Russia connecting the Volga basin with the Baltic Sea. From Rybinsk to St. Petersburg seaport through the Ladoga canals (1054 versts). Consists of both natural and artificial waterways: r. Sheksna - White Lake - r. Kovzha - Mariinsky Canal - r. Vytegra - Lake Onega - r. Svir - Ladoga canals - r. Neva. It was under the jurisdiction of the Vytegorsky and St. Petersburg communication districts. Construction of a waterway was necessary to supply St. Petersburg (as the capital and largest city by population) with bread, timber, firewood and other products, goods for foreign trade, delivered through Rybinsk from the lower reaches of the Volga. For grain trading, a grain exchange was established in Rybinsk. Subsequently, wheat was exported to Europe through the Mariinsky system. The construction of the system, over 1,125 km long, took place during the reign of Paul I and his son Alexander I, and took 11 years. In connection with the development of capitalism after the abolition of serfdom, the capacity of the Mariinsky Canal was considered insufficient. In August 1882, work began on its modernization (the so-called Novomariinsky Canal). Construction work was completed in 1886. Following this, the construction of the Novosvirsky and Novosyasky canals (bypass canals near Ladoga) began. The reconstruction of the canals was led by engineer K. Ya. Mikhailovsky. In 1890, the Ministry of Finance allocated 12.5 million rubles for the reconstruction of the system. The work began on October 28, 1890. They were supervised by engineers from the Vytegorsky and Novoladozhsky railway districts: A. Zvyagintsev, K. Balinsky, A. Valuev, A. Moguchiy, V. Martynov. Total: 38 locks (on Vytegra - 28, on the Novo-Mariinsky Canal - 2, on Kovzhe - 2, on Belozersk - 2, on Sheksna - 4) and 26 dams (on Vytegra - 14, on Kovzha - 4, Belozersk Canal - 4, on Sheksna - 4). Four stone sluices were built (without No., No. 35, No. 36 and No. 37), each 150 fathoms long, 6 fathoms wide; with metal gates, collapsible dams of the Poare (Poare) system. Perekop (total length 20 versts): No. 1 Devyatinsky on Vytegra; Kopanovsky (at the 21st verst from the source), Krestovy, Alekseevsky, Maryinsky, Probudovsky (at the 45th verst), Lukovetsky (791 fathoms; shortened the path by 7 versts) on Sheksna. Cleared of influx and sediment, deepened and expanded lakeside bypass channels. In some places, towpaths have been renewed, in some places new ones have been built. The rapids on the Svir have been partially cleared, straightening and water-restraining structures have been built, and the navigation channel has been widened and deepened. On June 15/27, 1896, the opening ceremony of the rebuilt system took place in Chernaya Grid in the presence of the leader. book Vladimir Aleksandrovich, Minister of Railways M.I. Khilkov. At the World Exhibition in Paris in 1913, the Mariinsky system was awarded the Big Gold Medal. With the completion of the construction of the Volga-Baltic waterway, most of the Mariinskaya water system became part of it. The system reconstructed in 1959-1964 was named the Volga-Baltic Waterway named after. V. I. Lenin. During the initial construction of the Mariinsky water system (1799 - 1808) “in the gorge” where the Vytegra River “... is surrounded by high rocky mountains and makes several meanders,” one- and two-chamber wooden locks of St. Andrew were installed (at 32- th verst from Vytegra near the village of Velikiy Dvor), St. Samson and St. Michael, and below is the three-chamber gateway of St. Paul (at the 30th verst near the village of Parfeevskoye). Each lock chamber was 15 fathoms long and 30 feet wide. There were dams at the locks. With a rare exception on the Vytegra River (St. Andrew's lock), all locks were built in diversion (water supply) canals dug in the meanders of the river. In 1890 - 1896, a winding section of the riverbed, 1.5 versts long, was removed from the water system by digging.

Russian Empire

Construction of Perekop No. 1 took five and a half years. The volume of excavation amounted to more than 80 thousand cubic fathoms, including 5 - clay soil and 76 - slab and rocky (dolomitized) limestone (786, 48.5 and 737.5 thousand cubic meters, respectively. The first Russian experience of the tunnel method of canal construction exceeded the volume of work previously known is six times higher. Piloting barges along the Mariinsky system.

Today in the river valley you can see the remains of a whole complex of wooden hydraulic structures of the old Mariinsky Theater of different years of construction. A little below the mouth of the White Stream in the channel of the Vytegra-Mariinka there are the ruins of the dam and lock of St. Andrew. The log fortifications of the walls of the former lock chamber and the fallen gate remained. The current channel, when turning into Perekop, is blocked by the remains of the St. Samson dam and the wooden structures of the St. Samson sluice of the first construction. The artificial origin of the excavation is easily determined by its straight direction and smooth slopes. Kovzh Dam. 1909

In the lower part of the sides of the excavation, the remains of fastenings of the coastal slopes are visible in places. The locks of St. Samsonius, St. Michael and St. Vladimir (downstream, respectively, No. 25, 24, 23), which once stood in the perekop, now represent the remains of log structures of the side walls and bottom of the chambers and iron rods that secured the wooden structures to the “ stone" slopes of the dig. You can even “guess” the technical features of the cameras. The now unpreserved “floor” of the bottom of the chambers of the two upper locks was laid on beds attached to limestone slabs, and the chamber of the St. Vladimir lock had a pile foundation. Half-rotten beds in one place and the remains of a pile foundation in another place can still be distinguished. It is virtually impossible to reconstruct the appearance of the first locks of St. Michael, even in general terms, from fragments of wooden structures and pile fortifications in the riverbed. In 1887, the Novo-Mariinsky connecting canal with a total length of about 9 versts was built to bypass Matkozero, including 2 versts 7 fathoms of the old canal (from the mouth of the first canal to the St. Peter's lock). There were only two gateways on the new channel. The lifting of vessels to the watershed reach of the canal was carried out through the St. Alexander lock, and entry into the Baltic branch was carried out through the St. Peter lock. On the Vytegra River. 1909

The area around the canal and locks was completely open. A mile from St. Peter's lock there was an obelisk erected in honor of Peter I by General Devolant. From the monument one could see the basin of Matkozero, which was lowered in 1886. At the fifth mile of the new canal, away from the Aleksandrovsky Lock, the remains of the former Konstantinovsky water pipeline remained for a long time. A monument in honor of the completion of the construction of a new connecting (Novo-Mariinsky) canal between the Vytegra and Kovzheya rivers. Lock of St. Alexander. 1909

St. Xenia Dam on the Vytegra River. 1909

Dam of St. Paul in Devyatiny. 1909

Repair shop M.P.S. in Devyatiny. Vytegra River. 1909

The Mariinskaya water system connects the Volga and Baltic waters, starting at the Sheksna River in Yaroslavl region and reaching the Neva in St. Petersburg. Conceived by Peter the Great, implemented during the reign of Paul the First and his son Alexander, re-equipped and completed by all subsequent monarchs, including Nicholas the Second.

Renamed in honor of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and again reconstructed in the USSR, having a long and rich history of creation, the Mariinsky water system, the importance of which can hardly be underestimated even now, is a complex of natural and artificial reservoirs that are the Volga-Baltic route from the depths of the continent to Europe.

The beginning of a long story. The idea of Peter the Great

The construction of St. Petersburg made necessary constant supplies of a wide variety of goods for own consumption, as well as domestic and foreign trade. Advancement on water made it possible to do this most conveniently and quickly.

At the direction of Peter I, in 1710, the first surveys were carried out to create a navigable route along the rivers Vytegra, Kovzha and Sheksna, across Lake Beloye, from St. Petersburg into the depths of Russia. Three options for directions were considered, one of them a hundred years later, in 1810, was opened under the name “Mariinskaya Water System”. The great artifact of antiquity (if we consider a little more than three hundred years of history as antiquity) was a very progressive structure for its time, the result of engineering and strategic thought, which received the World Prize in Paris.

To implement the plan, the main reservoirs had to be connected and made more complete. This was to be facilitated by a multi-component system of locks and dams (at that time mostly wooden), as well as canals dug by hand.

The Vyshnevolotsk route, already tested at that time, did not meet the full flow of the needs of trade, despite human intervention in the affairs of nature.

In 1711, the tsar inspected part of the territory of the Vytegra-Kovzhi watershed in person. Tradition says that it was on the site of his ten-day stay at that time that a monument was erected.

The British engineer John Perry, who conducted these studies, considered it most reasonable to connect the Vytegra and Kovzha rivers with a canal. The first flows north, the second south. Each is connected into a long system with lakes and rivers, which ensures the necessary transportation of goods between the north and south of the huge state, and ultimately beyond its borders.

The results of the study, calculations and proposals for the implementation of work were announced in the Senate in the presence of the Sovereign. The Turkish campaign and subsequent events, including the death of the king, delayed the implementation of the project for a long time.

The need for a full-flowing shipping route grew, but under Catherine II, who even signed a decree allocating funds for the work planned by her father, funds from the treasury were nevertheless redirected to the construction of land communications priority areas- Petersburg-Narva and Petersburg-Moscow.

The research of the specialist hired by Peter Alekseevich was remembered during the reign of Paul the First and was resumed several times - in the 70s, 80s and 90s of the 18th century.

Implementation of the plan

When the need reached a critical level, the Department of Water Communications got down to business, namely, its head, Count J. E. Sievers. He resumed his research, taking as a basis the direction proposed by John Perry, and presented Pavel the First with a report justifying the need to start work as soon as possible.

The Emperor approved the undertaking. Money for the start of work was taken from the funds of the safe treasury of the Orphanages of St. Petersburg and Moscow, which were managed by the Tsar’s wife, Maria Fedorovna. It is this fact from the history of the creation of the Mariinsky water system that the shipping route owes its name, which was assigned by order of January 20, 1799 and immortalized the name of the emperor’s wife. Then the name was written and pronounced slightly differently, like “Maryinsky”.

Work began that same year, and nine years later the first ship passed the test route. The ceremonial opening of the more than 1,125-kilometer (1,054 versts) Mariinsky system of canals and natural reservoirs took place in July 1810, after 11 years of persistent, hard, mostly manual peasant labor.

When the route opened, it was equipped with the following hydraulic structures:

28 wooden locks and half-locks, mostly single- and double-chambered (except for the three-chambered St. Alexander lock on the Mariinsky Canal) - the total number of chambers was 45, each had the following parameters - 32 meters, 9 meters and 1.3 meters - length, width and depth at the threshold , respectively; most of the locks were named after saints, except for the Slava, Rossiya locks and the Devolant half-lock (later replaced by the St. George lock) on Vytegra;
twenty dams;
twelve spillways (one-year dams);
five drawbridges (drawbridges).

These parameters ensured the passage of ships with a carrying capacity of 160-170 tons. As the demands for increased freight traffic grew, many structures were periodically modified, moved, removed and rebuilt.

Economic significance

The creation of a complex of waterways of such scale made it possible to significantly increase trade turnover not only within the country, but also with other states.

The exit through St. Petersburg to the Baltic provided a connection with Europe. Deliveries along the Volga from the southern regions made it possible to actively trade food and industrial goods, delivering them across the entire country from the Caspian to the Baltic Sea.

For the domestic economy of Russia, the significance was even more important - the Grain Exchange in Rybinsk, the building of which has survived to this day, is inextricably linked by the history of its creation with the Mariinsk water system. It was opened shortly after the waterway was put into operation and provided flour to non-grain areas of the country; wheat was also supplied to Europe.

Being on the Mariinsky Route had a beneficial effect on the development of Cherepovets. At that time it was a rich trading city, a center of shipbuilding and training in this business. It was inhabited by merchants who ensured movement along the water system. The first long-distance cargo ships built here even sailed to the USA.

Rivers of the Mariinsky water system

In the Mariinsky system, four rivers are used as shipping routes: Svir, Vytegra, Kovzha and Sheksna, not counting the end points that give rise to new important sections of the waterway - the Volga and Neva.

However, Volkhov and Syas are related to the Mariinsky water system, since bypass canals were laid through them at Lake Ladoga.

Being part of the main route of the Tikhvin water system, the Syas River is connected to the Mariinskaya through the Svirsky Canal (bypassing Lake Ladoga with the Svir River) and the Syassky Canal connecting the Syas and Volkhov rivers. Both canals were modernized as part of the improvement of the water system.

The Ladoga Canal connects the Volkhov (part of the Vyshnevolotsk water system) and the Neva. It is along these artificial reservoirs that the route to St. Petersburg from the Mariinsky system is laid for ships prudently wary of Lake Ladoga, which is prone to storms.

Also included in the Mariinsky water system are non-navigable small rivers (for example, Vodlitsa, Oshta, Kunost, Puras Ruchey, etc.), which, with the help of human intervention, fed canals, other rivers and lakes, or themselves became part of them.

Mariinsky and Novo-Mariinsky Canals

The Mariinsky Canal can be called the most important artificial reservoir of the system of the same name. It was he who crossed the watershed of the Vytegra and Kovzha rivers, making it possible to connect the outback and the north of the country with a common shipping route.

On the Kovzha River it began near the village of Gryazny Omut and flowed into the Vytegra near the settlement of Upper Frontier. The man-made canal passed through two small lakes, Matko Lake (drained during later reconstructions of the system) and the Catherine Pool.

Relative to those connected he had more high level, so ships ascended into it from one river and descended into another. Food was provided mainly through the Konstantinovsky water supply system. For this purpose, its level was raised by two meters using dams. Maintaining the required fullness of the channel was ensured by six locks.

The Novo-Mariinsky Canal was built in the 80s of the 19th century, northeast of its predecessor, but has a common part with it when connecting with the Vytegra River. Its construction was completed during the reign Alexandra III in 1886.

The new channel became stone and deeper. Its pool was significantly reduced, which made it possible to abandon four old two-chamber locks and the Konstantinovsky water pipeline. Now the artificial reservoir received food from the Kovzha River. The Alexandrovsky water supply served this purpose.

Lakes and lakeside channels

The most significant full-flowing lakes of the system are Ladoga, Onega and Beloye (from north to south). The original shipping route ran around the first one and along the other two, which provoked not just difficulties, but many tragic events. The lakes, subject to frequent strong storms, were very dangerous; many shipwrecks occurred at that time in their waters.

This was the reason for the construction of bypass canals around them, providing a quick and quiet route.

The Ladoga Canal was built earlier and immediately entered the Mariinsky Waterway. Novo-Ladozhsky was built in the 60s of the 19th century.

Onega and Belozersky were built in the 40s of the same century.

The construction did not have a very good effect only on the income of the local population. Previously, merchants had to use smaller ships to transport cargo safely. They were called "Belozerki". Small, durable ships ensured the transportation of goods across the shallower and calmer part of the lake, and large Mariinka barges crossed it empty.

Also, numerous small lakes were used for the functioning of the Mariinsky water system. They were used to fill navigable rivers and canals.

Improvements of the 90s of the 19th century

The improvement of the system, which was solemnly completed in 1886 and included multifaceted work carried out over 66 years, did not remain final for long.

Already in October 1892, new large-scale reconstructions of the most important waterway began. 12.5 million rubles were allocated for their implementation.

The result of the improvements was the construction of 38 locks of the Mariinsky water system. The very first locks on the Sheksna River were installed precisely at this time - they became four stone structures.
7 excavations were dug (including the famous Devyatinsky), straightening and shortening the existing shipping routes.
The bypass lakeside channels were cleared, widened and deepened.
New land roads for traction transportation (towpaths) were rebuilt and created.
more adapted to shipping (various cleaning works, deepening and widening of the route).

The result of engineering surveys and reconstruction, construction and reconstruction of hydraulic structures was a significant increase in the benefits from the operation of the Mariinsky water system. The means and technologies used were appreciated by contemporaries and awarded a gold medal at World's Fair in Paris 1913.

Scientific and technological progress has not bypassed this waterway. Already in 1922, the first Cherepovets hydroelectric complex was opened. Three more followed: in 1926, 1930 and 1933.

In 1940, decisions were made to create the Volga-Baltic and North Dvina water communication systems. At the same time, it was decided to mothball the construction of the Kuibyshev hydroelectric complex.

The spring of 1941 was marked by the beginning of the filling of the Rybinsk Reservoir. It lasted until 1947, at which time the work on laying the Volgo-Balt was resumed.

In 1948, work began on creating a canal from Lake Onega to the city of Vytegra, which shortened and straightened the waterway. Construction was completed in 1953.

In 1952, another hydroelectric power station was built on the Svir River. In 1961 and 1963, three hydroelectric complexes were put into operation on Vytegra and Sheksna.

On November 2, 1963, the Mariinskaya water system officially ceased to function. Navigation through it has been completed.

At the end of May 1964, two more waterworks began to function and a new canal between the Kovzha and Vytegra rivers was filled. In the summer, the first ships passed along the new route - first hydraulic construction ships, then cargo ships and last - passenger ships.

On October 27, the Volga-Baltic Route was adopted by the commission and an act on this was signed, and in December a decree was issued naming it after V.I. Lenin.

Current status

After reconstruction 1959-1964. The Mariinskaya water system became part of a more progressive complex of tracks and hydraulic structures. It was named the Volga-Baltic Waterway.

IN given time its length is about 1,100 kilometers, the minimum depth of the navigable fairway is 4 meters. This allows vessels with a displacement of up to 5 thousand tons to operate.

Now this route is one of the links connecting the five seas: the Baltic, White, Caspian, Azov and Black.

Historical monuments of the waterway

Throughout its history, the Mariinskaya water system has had vital importance For economic development countries. Numerous events associated with its construction and reconstruction were periodically marked by the installation of monuments:

Peter the Great in the city of Lodeynoye Pole on the Svir River.
Obelisks on the Syask canals, marking the end of the construction of each.
Two obelisks in honor of the construction of the Novo-Ladoga Canal (the Shlisselburg Canal has not survived).
Three obelisks dedicated to the Belozersky Canal.
Obelisks on the Mariinsky and Novo-Mariinsky canals.
Obelisk in honor of the construction of the Onega Canal.

One of the first memorial buildings has not survived - a wooden chapel in honor of Peter the Great near the village of Petrovskoye.

There is a legend that an obelisk with the inscription “Mary accomplished Peter’s thought” at the site of the future junction of Vytegra and Kovzhi (Mariinsky Canal) was installed where the emperor planned this large-scale construction and called the place “Be-mountain”. The junction of the two rivers occurs at the highest point of the watershed.

The construction of the Novo-Mariinsky Canal, in addition to the installation of the obelisk, was also celebrated by the release of a tabletop copper medal 8.5 centimeters in diameter.

A medal with a diameter of 7.7 cm was also cast in honor of the completion of the construction of the Novo-Svirsky and Novo-Syasky canals.

Interesting facts from the history of the Mariinsky water system

An interesting long history includes some particularly remarkable facts related to the creation and functioning of the Mariinsky water system.

The Mariinsky system is named after Empress Maria Feodorovna (since the initial funds for construction were allocated from the treasury of the educational homes that she oversaw).
The locks at White Lake were called “Convenience”, “Safety” (the junction with Sheksna) and “Polza” (from the Kovzhi side).
The river tanker "Vandal", built in 1903 and plying along the Mariinsky water system, was the world's first motor ship and diesel-electric ship.
The water system was served by ten shipping companies different levels.
Devyatinsky Perekop is included in the list of specially protected natural areas. The artificial reservoir, just under a kilometer long, took more than five years to build in monolithic rock. Work was carried out English way, with the laying of an adit along the bottom of the future canal, connected to the surface by fifteen shafts. The excavated soil was thrown into them and removed.
Initially, the journey from Rybinsk to St. Petersburg along the Mariinsky system took approximately 110 days, after improvements it took 30-50 days (1910).
Due to insufficient funds in the treasury for the construction of the waterway, in 1818, Alexander I ordered to collect duties from ships depending on their size, as well as targeted fees from merchants and men of the tax-paying classes.
The Syask Canal was originally named after Empress Catherine II. Novo-Syassky - Maria Fedorovna.
The Svirsky and Novo-Svirsky canals are named after the Alexander Tsars - the First and Third, respectively.
Matko Lake, which was the watershed point of the Mariinsky water system, was drained when the level of the Mariinsky Canal dropped, and its basin was used for dumping soil. In 2012, it was proposed to erect a memorial monument to the once important reservoir.
The last vessel to pass through the Mariinsky water system was a self-propelled barge called “Ilovlya”.

The initially stormy and fast Sheksna has changed dramatically due to hydraulic structures, like other bodies of water. The river beds laid out by nature were changed and supplemented, which affected the flora, fauna and social life of people. Human intervention greatly influenced the fate of the entire area through which the Mariinskaya water system passed.

Photos from the late 19th and early 20th centuries speak eloquently of great achievements and large-scale work carried out in difficult conditions without proper technical support. However, the granite-clad canals, dug by hand, and numerous large-scale buildings also make one think about the many human lives sacrificed to progress.