The famous writer Alexandre Dumas loved to travel. And in 1858, a difficult one brought him to Russia, where, among other things, he decided to go on a cruise along Ladoga. The largest lake in Europe shook Dumas and … almost destroyed it.
The storm - an old acquaintance of the inhabitants of the Ladoga coast - overtook the ship on which the writer was sailing: “Everything was covered with such a fog that it was impossible to see each other. The lake seethed like water in a cauldron. It seemed that the thunderstorm had originated not in the air, but in the depths of a bottomless lake. The fog was deepening, the thundering thundered more and more deafeningly, the lightning gleamed with some deathly shine, the waters of the lake rose higher and higher "… Fortunately for Dumas, his voyage ended well: the ship landed on the shore. But tens of thousands - no exaggeration! - the ships were so unlucky: they found their death at the bottom of Lake Ladoga. That is why I often call it "the lake of lost ships" …
BURNO WINDS, FULL OF STONES
Lake Ladoga has been navigable since ancient times. How else could you get around this obstacle on the way - 219 km long and 125 km wide? No way. I had to master. Since the 9th century, a water trade route “from the Varangians to the Greeks” ran along Lake Ladoga from Scandinavia through Eastern Europe to Byzantium.
The descendants of the Vikings, forged from warriors into merchants, did not grumble, but before going through Ladoga, they sacrificed to the gods: swimming on the lake was associated with great risk. Alas, often in vain …
The years passed, but they did not change the harsh temper of Lake Ladoga.
Peter I, having ordered in 1718 to build a canal along the southern shore of Ladoga, lamented: "What a great loss for all the years is being repaired on Lake Ladoga, that in one summer about a thousand ships were lost, and since the beginning of the construction of this place more than 10 thousand." Contemporaries echoed the sovereign-emperor: "The lake is very stormy with winds and filled with stones."
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What will you order to do with these circumstances? You can't argue against nature. But it can be observed - and along the way to establish the reasons for the "bad" behavior. In the late 1780s, a member of the St. Petersburg and Russian Academy of Sciences, scientist-encyclopedist and naturalist N. Ya. Ozeretskovsky visited Ladoga with an expedition, about which he reported in detail in his "Journey on Lake Ladoga". Alas, he was able to establish only the following. First, "navigators and fishermen very often, especially in spring and autumn, when storms are raging at the most, have a great need for deceased shelters to save their lives from destruction, but the lake does not present them everywhere". Secondly: “Lake Ladoga very often from the winds comes to a terrible wave, which seems to surpass the oscillation of the big sea. Fresh,light and transparent water of this action rises from the very bottom and produces shafts similar to terrible mountains, so that the ship rushes over the lake rather than floats. " And thirdly: “Even the most aquatic inhabitants, such as sturgeons, salmon, whitefish and other fish, in the depths of the lake, not only do not find peace, but also no safety for themselves, because often waves from their element are erupted on land and go to food to man, beast and birds. At a time like this, being on a boat on the lake is an extreme, leading to complete despair. Then it is not important for anyone to lose their cargo, to lose their entire property, just to save their lives, against which the waves, invincible enemies rise up … "Whitefish and other fish, in the depths of the lake, not only do not find peace, but also safety for themselves, because often waves from their element are ejected onto land and go to food for humans, animals and birds. At a time like this, being on a boat on the lake is an extreme, leading to complete despair. Then it is not important for anyone to lose their cargo, to lose their entire property, just to save their lives, against which the waves, invincible enemies rise up … "Whitefish and other fish, in the depths of the lake, not only do not find peace, but also safety for themselves, because often waves from their element are ejected onto land and go to food for humans, animals and birds. At a time like this, being on a boat on the lake is an extreme, leading to complete despair. Then it is not important for anyone to lose their cargo, to lose their entire property, just to save their lives, against which the waves, invincible enemies rise up … "invincible enemies … "invincible enemies …"
AT YOUR AWS
It didn't work to come to an agreement with nature. On the contrary, everyone is used to the fact that a storm on Ladoga, especially in autumn, is a common thing. It got to the point that not a single insurance company in Russia has insured ships sailing with cargo on the lake. But they went anyway - at their own peril and risk. And not only trade, but also passenger: maybe yes I suppose - faithful helpers of every Russian person.
Of course, scientists now know the reason for the lake's unpredictable behavior. It's all about the structural features of its basin, the distribution of depth, ranging from 20 to 230 meters, and outlines. In fact, it is distinguished from ordinary seas only by water - fresh, not salty. And so, according to its hydrometeorological conditions, it is no different from some water basins of the World Ocean. Hence, twenty-meter waves, and an unexpectedly appearing hurricane wind, changing the strength and direction …
HORSE-STONE
Local legends explain the terrible Ladoga storms in a completely different way, inclined to write off the rampant elements on the intrigues of demons …
In 1393 the monk Arseniy was returning from Athos to his native Novgorod. Thought to be a hermit on some Ladoga island not too far from the coast. He got into the boat and started sailing. Of course, a storm immediately arose, which nailed the monk to the coast of the island of Konevets. Arseny in a nightmare would not have dreamed of settling there: everyone knew that evil spirits had chosen this island as their refuge. They lived in a huge stone more than four meters high and weighing about 750 tons. Every year a horse was sacrificed at this stone. That is why they called it - Horse-Stone, and the island was named accordingly: Konevets.
After waiting for the storm to subside, Arseny was about to continue his voyage, but the waves brought him back every time. Then the monk realized that it was no accident, and stayed on the island. Thanks to what eventually appeared
Konevets Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin. Subsequently, he thundered all over Russia: it was considered good form to visit him among the members of the royal family, and after them, as usual, the rest of the Orthodox followed. But in the XIV century the island was deserted and joyless, and what is even worse - "more dense forest surrounded by demonic horror." Arseny alone had to fight the evil spirits of Konevets. Well, where didn’t ours disappear? He took in his hands an icon brought from Athos (now revered miraculous Konevskaya icon of the Mother of God), made a procession around the Horse-Stone, and then sprinkled the idol with holy water. Here the demons who settled in it turned into a raven, rose into the air, croaking ominously, and rushed into the waters of Lake Ladoga. Since then, the character of Ladoga has deteriorated: she has become insidious and unpredictable …
SHIP CEMETERY
The legend is good, of course, but absolutely implausible. Since 2002, the participants in the "Secrets of Sunken Ships" project have been exploring the bottom of Lake Ladoga. Their goal is to compile a state register of sunken ships. The task is difficult, but solvable: due to the peculiarities of the Ladoga water and its low temperatures, many sunken objects have been perfectly preserved at the bottom of the lake. Museum, and nothing more. But underwater. Therefore, it takes a lot of time and money to study its exhibits. The money is given by Gazprom, and the project participants, led by Andrey Lukoshkov, do not mind their time for their favorite pastime. According to their findings, it is already possible to trace the stages of the formation of ancient shipbuilding in the northwest of Russia. There would only be a desire. So, among the finds of the project are numerous fragments of ancient ships of the Slavs, Danes and Norwegians,victims of Lake Ladoga long before the birth of the monk Arseny …
Therefore - alas - neither prayer nor sacrifice will save you from the storm on Ladoga. There is only one way to overcome the element - not to engage in battle with it at all. Ladoga, as in the good old days, is dangerous and unpredictable. Yes, the lake is part of a waterway that is part of the Volga-Baltic waterway and the White Sea-Baltic canal. Yes, ships move quite intensively on the lake. But their crews know very well: at any second you have to be prepared for the worst. Sometimes the movement of passenger ships is simply prohibited - for safety reasons. But not a single legislative body is able to prohibit people from committing independent insane acts. Not a month goes by without some kind of emergency happening on Ladoga - boats and even whole yachts disappear without a trace, along with their passengers, people drown. The lake remains true to itself …
Natalia KUVSHINOVA