Ugra - the river in the Kaluga region

Ugra is a river flowing through the Kaluga and Smolensk regions of Russia. It is the left tributary of the Ob River. Ugra is a natural boundary on the outskirts of the capital of our homeland - Moscow. Therefore, on its shores, many glorious feats of arms were performed in the name of the fatherland. This beautiful river near Moscow will be discussed in this article.

The name of the river Ugra

Concerning the etymology of the name of the river, disputes are being waged. Some believe that this name is not Slavic, but of Finno-Ugric origin. In this language, the root "uga" ("south") means "river". Others believe that the word "Ugra" goes back to the ancient Russian Qgr ', which means "worm". It was from this lexeme that the modern word "eel" occurred. If we take this hypothesis into account, then we can assume that in ancient times people called the river "wriggling, winding" for the unstable nature of its current, drastically changing its direction.

The origin of the Ugra river, its name, is associated with the Magyar settlement, which stood on its shore in times immemorial. The tribe name of the Magyars was the word "eels."

Hydrological Description

The length of the river is 399 kilometers. The area of the basin is about 15,700 km ² . The source of Ugra is in the south-eastern part of the Smolensk region.

Ugra is a river that is fed in several ways: 60% of the annual runoff is in the thawed waters, 30% are groundwater and only 5% of the runoff comes with rainfall. The river level regime is characterized by high, pronounced high water, low low in the summer-autumn period, sometimes interrupted by high floods due to heavy rains, and stably low in winter in winter. At the end of March the ice on the river melts, and spring flood begins, which ends in early May. During this period, the water level rises to 10-11 meters compared to the winter low water. On average, the water flow in the river for a year is 90 m ³ per second.

Ugra is covered with ice from late November to January. The river never freezes on the ruts, because of the strong current, the thickness of the ice on the Ugra is different.

The valley of the river is characterized by a large number of floodplains, the width of which is 1-2 kilometers, and in the lower reaches - 3.5 kilometers. The width of the Ugra river bed is 70-80 meters in the lower reaches. The average speed of the river is 0.4-0.6 m / s.

The source of the river

Ugra is a river that originates in the Smolensk region, Elninsk district, 25 kilometers from the town of Yelnya, 2 kilometers from the village of Vysokoe. This place is declared a monument of local nature. The natural boundaries of this protected area is the territory of the lowland in which it is located. The source of the river is a small swamp that feeds on the surface runoff of water. The Ugra valley in this place is almost not expressed, it is almost completely overgrown with small forests and small shrubs. Among the trees, birch predominates here, aspen is less common. The age of green plantations reaches 35-40 years. Only near the village, the High River acquires a normal appearance with a well-defined channel and a normal current.

River tributaries

In the Kaluga region, the river extends its course for 160 kilometers. Many streams and rivers flow into the Ugra. Its main tributaries are: Zhizhala, Izver, Shan, Techa, Ress, Vory, Roshvyonka, Vepryka, Verezhka, Sokhna, Kunova, Remezh, Uzhika, Debra, Dymenka, Gordota, Oskovka, Makowka, Baskakovka, Sobia, Turaia, Voronovka, Sigosa , Volost, Leonidovka and many others. In total, the Kaluga Ugra River has 44 tributaries. Its bed consists of pebbles and fine sand. Ugra empties into the Oka at a distance of ten kilometers to the upper reaches from the city of Kaluga.

Historical facts

Ugra is a river, which often served as the natural boundary between different political and ethnically diverse entities. Since 1147, chronicles contain references to political clashes on it. Widely known became the so-called "standing on the river Ugra." So in the Russian chronicles called the confrontation that occurred between the great Moscow Prince Ivan the Third and the khan of the Big Orda Akhmat in 1480. This moment in the history of Rus is considered the end of the Tatar-Mongol yoke. The defensive significance of Ugra is emphasized by the nickname that the people bestowed on it, the Belt of the Virgin.

On the banks of the Ugra River, many Russians distinguished themselves with glorious military exploits. Here in 1812 the famous Denis Davydov kept the defense. During the Second World War, during the offensive of Hitler's troops on Moscow, Ugra became a natural barrier between the defenders of the Motherland and the invaders. On the river, A.G. Rogov, squadron commander. He sent his burning aircraft to the fascist crossing across the Ugra and destroyed it.

Fishing on the river

In the Ugra you can catch a variety of fish: pike, burbot, roach, bream, bream, sterlet, catfish or pike perch. On the stern reach, which is located below the road, a pike or a lure is caught on a live poultry or spoon. The rest of the representatives of the fish fauna of the river prefer the worm. In the spring it is better to catch asp on the May beetle. At the end of the summer, he bites well on the chrysanthemum chub. Experienced fishermen keep their catch on the koukan and in the cage, since the muskrat or otter can sneak up unnoticed and appropriate a precious prey.

National Park

One of the cleanest in the central region of Russia is the Ugra River. The Kaluga region is famous for its magnificent nature. In 1997, the national park "Ugra" appeared in this area, which is a specially protected natural area. Here grows a number of vascular plants (1,026 species), some of which are imported from North America, others represent the local flora. In the national park there are 140 rare species for the Kaluga region: Venus shoe, paltchatikollennik Baltic, feather grass feather, neotthiana hood, long-leaved pollen head and others. Many of these plants are in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.

The fauna of the national park is represented by 300 species. Here roe deer, wild boar, squirrel, moose and marten live. Among the birds dominated by wood grouses, hazel grouses, hawks, waghis and woodcocks. On the banks of rivers you can meet beavers and otters. In total, the park includes: mammals - 57 species, birds - 210, fish - 36, amphibians - 10, reptiles - 6, cyclostomes - 1.

The national park Ugra extends through the entire Kaluga region for a distance of 200 kilometers. 90% of the species diversity of the region includes this reserve.