Volga
The Volga begins its journey in the village of Volgoverkhov'e, located within the Tver Oblast. It rises from the Valdai Hills at an elevation of 228 meters above sea level. This source sits northwest of Moscow and southeast of Saint Petersburg. From this high point, the river heads east past Lake Sterzh before reaching the city of Tver. It continues downstream through Dubna, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod, and Kazan. The water then turns south to flow past Ulyanovsk, Tolyatti, Samara, Saratov, and Volgograd. Finally, it discharges into the Caspian Sea below Astrakhan at a depth of 28 meters below sea level. The total length of the river measures 3,530 kilometers. Its catchment area covers approximately 1.36 million square kilometers.
Russian hydronyms for the river derive from Proto-Slavic *vòlga meaning wetness or moisture. This root survives in many Slavic languages including Bulgarian, Czech, Serbo-Croatian, Slovene, Polish, and Macedonian. Scythians called the river Irtys, which literally meant wetness. This name connects to the Avestan term for a mythical stream meaning wet or moist. The word traces back to Proto-Indo-European roots related to dew or liquid. Herodotus recorded two ancient Iranic names for the Volga: Rha and Oarces. Rha derived from the Scythian word meaning broad. The Huns named the Dnieper river using a similar Scythian root. Turkic peoples living along the river formerly referred to it as Itil or Atil. Modern Tatar speakers call the river Ätlek while Chuvash speakers use İdel. Bashkir people refer to it as Yele. Kazakh speakers know it as Ertis. Turkish speakers call it İdil. The Mari people of the Ural region call the river Merya meaning way in their language.
The Volga formed the boundary between Cimmerian territories in the Caucasian Steppe and Scythian lands in the Caspian Steppe during classical antiquity. Between the 6th and 8th centuries Alans settled in the Middle Volga region and southern Russian steppes. Slavic tribes including Vyatichs and Buzhans inhabited areas around the river alongside Finno-Ugric, Scandinavian, Baltic, Hunnic, and Turkic peoples like Khazars. Ptolemy of Alexandria mentioned the lower Volga in his Geography book five chapter eight map two calling it Rha. He believed the Don and Volga shared an upper branch flowing from Hyperborean Mountains. A powerful polity called Volga Bulgaria flourished where the Kama joins the Volga. Khazaria controlled the lower stretches of the river. Cities such as Atil Saqsin and Sarai ranked among the largest in the medieval world. The river served as a vital trade route connecting Scandinavia Finnic areas with various Slavic tribes and Turkic Germanic Finnic peoples. It linked Old Rus' and Volga Bulgaria with Khazaria Persia and the Arab world. After the Scythians migrated west they displaced the Cimmerians making the Volga a new boundary.
Construction of Soviet Union-era dams involved enforced resettlement of huge numbers of people. The town of Mologa was flooded to construct the Rybinsk Reservoir which became the largest artificial lake in the world at that time. Building the Uglich Reservoir caused flooding of several monasteries with buildings dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. In total Soviet dams flooded 2,600 villages and 165 cities covering almost 78,000 square kilometers. This area equals the combined size of Maryland Delaware Massachusetts and New Jersey. Nearly 31,000 square kilometers of agricultural land disappeared under water along with 31,000 square kilometers of forestland. Ecological and cultural damage often outbalanced any economic advantage gained from these projects. Five of the ten largest cities of Russia including Moscow lie within the Volga drainage basin. High levels of chemical pollution have adversely affected the river and its habitats since industrialization began.
During World War II the city on the big bend of the Volga known as Volgograd witnessed the Battle of Stalingrad. This conflict possibly represents the bloodiest battle in human history fought between Soviet Union and German forces. Both sides were deadlocked in a stalemate for access to the river itself. The Volga remained a vital transport route between central Russia and the Caspian Sea providing oil field access to Absheron Peninsula. Hitler planned to use access to Azerbaijan oil fields to fuel future German conquests. Whoever held both banks could move forces across the river to defeat enemy fortifications beyond it. Germany would have been able to move supplies guns and men into northern Russia if they took the river. At the same time Germany could permanently deny this transport route to the Soviet Union hampering their access to oil and Persian Corridor supplies. Many amphibious military assaults occurred attempting to remove the other side from the banks. Much fighting was close quarters combat with no clear offensive or defensive side throughout the duration.
The Volga region is home to a German minority group called Volga Germans. Catherine the Great issued a manifesto in 1763 inviting all foreigners to populate the region offering numerous incentives. Conditions in German territories caused Germans to respond in largest numbers. Under the Soviet Union a slice of the region became the Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. On the 22nd of June 1941 Hitler started the German-Soviet War. On the 28th of August 1941 Stalin had the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet pass a decree on resettlement of Germans residing in the Volga region. Approximately 400,000 remaining Volga Germans were accused of collective collaboration and deported to Siberia and Central Asia. They faced forced labor camps known as Labour Army where thousands died. Most Russian Germans including men and women were conscripted between October 1942 and December 1943. In 1964 they were officially cleared of collaboration accusations though restrictions remained. Freedom of travel granted in 1972 allowed return to the Volba but explicitly not to settlements inhabited before deportation. This only became possible after Dissolution of the Soviet Union.
The Volga widened for navigation purposes with construction of huge dams during Joseph Stalin's industrialization years remains important to inland shipping. All dams equipped with large double ship locks allow vessels of considerable dimensions to travel from Caspian Sea almost to upstream end. Connections with river Don and Black Sea are possible through Volga-Don Canal. Links with northern lakes like Ladoga and Onega Saint Petersburg and Baltic Sea exist via Volga-Baltic Waterway. Commerce with Moscow realized by Moscow Canal connecting Volga and Moskva River. Infrastructure designed for relatively large scale vessels with lock dimensions spanning many thousands of kilometers. Formerly state-run now mostly privatized companies operate passenger and cargo vessels on the river. Volgotanker operates over 200 petroleum tankers among them. Grain and oil have been among largest cargo exports transported on the Volga until recently. Access to Russian waterways granted to foreign vessels on very limited scale until recent EU-Russia policy changes.
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Common questions
Where does the Volga river begin and end?
The Volga begins its journey in the village of Volgoverkhov'e within the Tver Oblast at an elevation of 228 meters above sea level. It discharges into the Caspian Sea below Astrakhan at a depth of 28 meters below sea level.
What is the total length of the Volga river?
The total length of the Volga measures 3,530 kilometers. Its catchment area covers approximately 1.36 million square kilometers.
How did ancient civilizations name the Volga river?
Scythians called the river Irtys which literally meant wetness while Herodotus recorded two ancient Iranic names for the Volga as Rha and Oarces. Turkic peoples living along the river formerly referred to it as Itil or Atil and modern Tatar speakers call the river Ätlek.
Why were Soviet dams built on the Volga river?
Construction of Soviet Union-era dams involved enforced resettlement of huge numbers of people to create reservoirs like the Rybinsk Reservoir which became the largest artificial lake in the world at that time. These projects flooded 2,600 villages and 165 cities covering almost 78,000 square kilometers to support industrialization and navigation.
When was the Battle of Stalingrad fought on the Volga river?
During World War II the city on the big bend of the Volga known as Volgograd witnessed the Battle of Stalingrad between Soviet Union and German forces. The conflict possibly represents the bloodiest battle in human history fought over access to the river itself.
What happened to Volga Germans during World War II?
On the 28th of August 1941 Stalin had the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet pass a decree on resettlement of Germans residing in the Volga region. Approximately 400,000 remaining Volga Germans were accused of collective collaboration and deported to Siberia and Central Asia where they faced forced labor camps known as Labour Army.