Volkhov River

Volkhov River (), also called Olhava river is a river in Novgorod Oblast and Leningrad Oblast of Russia.

Volkhov flows out of the Lake Ilmen north into the Lake Ladoga, the largest lake of Europe. It is the second largest tributary of Lake Ladoga. Its length is 224 km, and its fall is about 15 meters. It is navigable over its whole length. The area of its basin, including the Ilmen basin, is 80,200 km². Its discharge is highly variable depending primarily on the level of the Lake Ilmen: from 44 to 2,900 m³/s. Volkhov was reported to reverse its direction in the upper part in exceptional cases. The level of water is regulated by the Volkhov hydroelectric dam (the first Soviet hydroelectric dam opened on December 19, 1926 in the framework of the GOERLO project) situated 25 km upstream the mouth of the river. Apart from hydroelectric purposes, the dam serves to facilitate navigation in the lower part of the river previously known for its rapids. Volkhov is connected to the Msta River by the Siversov Canal. The river freezes up in the late November and breaks up in the early April.

The ancient Russian capital Staraya Ladoga and one of the principal Russian medieval cities Velikiy Novgorod are located along the Volkhov. In the 9th-11th centuries, Volkhov was a part of an important water trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks connecting Baltic and Black seas. Despite its relatively small size, Volkhov has played a large role in Russian history and economy. A figure representing the Volkhov appears among the allegorical monuments to the four major rivers of Russia on the rostral columns in the ensemble of the St. Petersburg Bourse.

Cities and towns along the Volkhov

Main tributaries

Vishera (right)
Kerest (left)
Oskuya (right)
Pchezhva (right)
Tigoda (left)
Chyornaya (right)
Vloya (left)
Olomna (left)

Leningrad Oblast | Novgorod Oblast | Rivers of Russia

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Cities and towns along the Volkhov

Main tributaries