Origin of the name of the Valdai lake. Lake Valday: description and photo

Lake Valday is a living historical memory of Russia. It is located on the Valdai Upland, 140 km southeast of Veliky Novgorod, unites the expanses of the National Park of the same name. Known since ancient times, the lake has preserved the secret of its name, and one can only guess what roots lie at the base of the strange names of Russian rivers and reservoirs. Let's try to get closer to the riddles of the unique hydronym.

The Valdai Upland is the cradle of Russia's waterways

The beauty and solemnity of Russian nature is fully felt on the Valdai Upland. Magnificent Russian landscapes adorn an innumerable set of rivers and lakes, unique and unique. There are more than three hundred of them here. From here they begin their journey: flowing north to the Baltic, south to the Caspian and Black Seas. Here are the sources of the Volga, the Western Dvina and the Dnieper, hundreds of smaller streams and thousands of springs, valued as sources of curative mineral water. A considerable part of the Neva waters is collected from the Valdai Upland. It is no coincidence that the Valdai is called the cradle of Russian rivers. It is the beginning of the basins of the three seas and the main source of fresh water in Russia. Entering the first ten cleanest lakes with a unique wavy relief, an abundance of large and small islands, surrounded by inimitable majestic forests, Valdai Lake is not only of world importance, but also loved by many people who live nearby or come to rest and be alone with Russian history.

Origin of the Valdai Lake

Like many plain reservoirs, Valdai has a glacial origin. It is to him that the lake owes its picturesque sloping sandy beaches and magnificent stretches. Located near the lake Dinner (with emphasis on the last syllable) connects with Valdai 100-meter shipping canal, built by monks of the Iversky Monastery. Replenishment of both lakes is carried out, mainly, at the expense of springs and keys, which makes the water cold and crystal-clear, and the bottom - clean. On the mirror surface of the lake are scattered islands, three of which are especially large: Rowan, Birch and Patial. The city of Valdai stretches on the west bank.

Features of hydronyms

If we compare the area of the mirror of the Valdai Lake with its brothers Seliger or Ilmen, then, undoubtedly, it loses without picking up 20 km ² in the occupied space. The largest length of the reservoir is 10 km, and the width is 5 km. But it is unreasonable to measure lakes with the number of square kilometers. The unique beauty of the mirror surface of the reservoir with a scattering of islands, fascinating the beauty of the pleses, the greatness of the architectural ensemble of the Iversky Monastery, which grew up on the Rowan Island, is all the great Lake Valdai.

Pond parameters

Despite the fact that the average depth of the lake corresponds to 12 m, the unpredictable relief of the bottom presents surprises: in some places, the depth measurements were 52 and more meters. The lake occupies a deep depression, more than 40% of its total area has a depth of more than 15 m. The rowan island, located in the center of the lake, divides it into two valleys - the Valdai and Dolgoborodsky. The entire period of the calendar winter and until May the reservoir is tightened by an ice shell. Valdai Lake is only a part of the unique lake-forest natural complex, in order to protect it in 1991 Valdai State National Park was established.

Lake Valday, whose photo is presented, is almost standing. The large volume of water available in it, with a rather small flow, leads to a complete water change approximately every 40 years. The purity of water in these places attracts fishermen. According to statistics submitted by the administration of the national park, annually from Valdai lake is caught up to 40 tons of fish, the bulk of which are roach, ruff and perch of medium length.

Origin of the name of the Valdai Lake

And today disputes about the meaning of the word "Valdai" do not cease. The first settlers on the shores of the lake were the Finno-Ugric tribes, and the meaning of the word "Valda" is translated from their dialect as "bright, living water". The Baltic "wald" means an area, a volost, a possession. Slavic "volot" is translated, as a ruler, a hero. Moldovan "balte" means "swamp", and we can assume the following translation: "a lake in the marshy land." Now it is impossible to establish how, who and when came up with this name. One can say - how many scientists-historians, so many opinions. Some believe that the name of the Valdai Lake comes from the name of the legendary handsome blacksmith Valda, who once lived on the lake and gave his own name to a water body as beautiful as himself. Others put forward other versions, but one thing remains indisputable: pure water, uniqueness and the richest flora and fauna of the reservoir sweep away unnecessary disputes - this is really a bright, life-giving lake. Not so important is the origin of the name of the Valday lake, the main thing is that it exists from ancient times to the present day and gives us its purity and energy.

Historical references

According to archaeologists, people began to settle in Valdai in the Stone Age. 4-5 thousand years ago, these territories were mastered by the Balts (the ancestors of the modern Baltic nations) and the Finnish tribes, who left a reminder of themselves in the amazing names of lakes and rivers. In the 1st millennium AD. E. On the Valdai appeared Slavs, who came from the western Ilmen lands and from the southern - the Dnieper upper reaches.

Mentions in the annals

Unfortunately, not a single historical document confirms the origin of the name of the Valdai Lake. The first chronicle mention of the Valdai settlement in two courtyards, which arose on the trade route from Moscow to Novgorod, dates back to 1495. And after half a century Valdai became the center of the palace volost, which united many villages around the Valdai Lake, numbering 94 yards and named in the documents by the village of Valdai with a squat. In 1654, in connection with the erection and discovery on the Rowan Island of the Iversky Monastery, the village of Valdai is given a different name. From now on it becomes Bogoroditsky and goes to the possession of the monastery. But time does not stand still. And the village, located on the strategically important Russian route Moscow-St. Petersburg, is rapidly expanding, acquiring the status of a city, entering the Novgorod province and returning the glorious name of Valdai. This occurs in 1770. By this time a significantly increased population develops unique crafts: blacksmithing, foundry and baking. As the mushrooms grow numerous inns.

Iversky Monastery - a magnificent monument to Russian Orthodoxy

Valdai Lake - surprisingly clean, almost untouched by the civilization corner - at all times attracted people looking for solitude and the meaning of life. So the patriarch Nikon, looking at these places, in 1653 ordered the erection of a monastery in honor of the miraculous Iberian icon of the Mother of God on Ryabinov Island. According to the patriarch's plan, the monastery became the largest center for the unification of the universal Orthodoxy on Russian soil and the collection of world sacred places, declaring itself as a serious phenomenon in the religious and cultural life of the country. The architectural ensemble of the Iberian monastery itself is unusual and peculiar. The planning of the complex was carried out with the direct personal involvement of Nikon, and it has been completely preserved to this day. On the basis of this construction, the patriarch opened the first all-Russian school of masons, which led to an incredible span of stone architecture in the second half of the 17th century.

Iberian monastery is a historical shrine

At the monastery worked the first provincial Russian printing house, rare unique crafts developed: unique multi-colored tiles were produced, bells were cast. Unique works of icon painters, carvers on stone, wood and bones strike the imagination of modern specialists. In 1654, according to the diploma of the Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich, the Valdai Lake, with its islands, village and fisheries, was transferred to the monastery. The monastery began to be called Svyatoozersky, and Lake Valday - the Holy Lake. The history of the monastery abounds in all sorts of peripeteias, but the magnificent historical and architectural ensemble has been preserved in the centuries. Since 1991 the Iversky Monastery has been transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church, it was reconstructed in 2007-2008 and consecrated by Patriarch Alexy II. Today, travel agencies organize excursions with the right to attend divine services, open access to holy relics, the miraculous Iberian icon and other holy relics.

Holiday in Valdai

But back to the lake. Its convenient location on the way from Moscow to St. Petersburg allows lovers of country rest to spend the weekend on it and recover by the beginning of the work week. It is not without reason that the origin of the name of the Valdai Lake, as most historians tend, is at the root of the Finnish "Valda" - "clean, bright, alive." There is no better definition suitable to these places, not only to the lake, but also to surrounding forests with sun-warmed glades, storing secular secrets, oaks and powerful dense cedars. Valdai forests are light and lavish on berry meadows and mushroom places, pleasing lovers of forest walks.

The status of the national park limits the use of scooters and motor boats, and therefore the rest on the lake is calm and pleasant. The place of residence depends on the purposes of stay on the lake. Inveterate fishermen, who come on vacation and seek to catch as many fish as possible, often choose private houses in nearby villages, whose inhabitants are hospitable and accustomed to periodic visits to city tourists. With them, you can agree on renting a boat. Fishing - a great pastime, allowing you to move away from problems and relax your soul.

Family holidays with children are preferable to spend, staying in a hotel or hotel, providing not only comfortable rooms, but also a full range of services: excursions, rental of necessary equipment. Valdai hotels own well-maintained equipped beaches, providing a great rest for tourists. Interesting sightseeing tours to the Iversky Monastery, the Museum of the Uyezd City and the Museum of Bells. Also here you will be offered a choice of hotels, which are abundant around the perimeter of the Valdai lake. Some photos of the sights are presented in the article. The cleanliness and home cosiness of cottages and hotels, coupled with the crystal clearness of water and air, the beauty of secular forests will make the holiday unforgettable. Although the secret name of the lake Valdai will remain a mystery.