How has the Western Dvina changed in 100 years? Vitebsk historians made a water expedition along the river
The most prominent local historian of Vitebsk, Alexey Sapunov, published the book "The Western Dvina River" in Vitebsk in 1893, which provided a detailed description of the main waterway of the Vitebsk region. What kind of life has this ancient river lived? The local historian's book offers a unique opportunity to compare the river's "past" with its current state at the beginning of the 21st century.
This idea formed the basis of a research project by Anatoly Dulov, head of the Department of History of Belarus at VSU named after P.M. Masherov, and Denis Yurchak, chief specialist of the Department of Ideological Work, Culture and Youth Affairs of the City Executive Committee. Vitebsk historians embarked on a water expedition along the Dvina last summer.
— We decided to make the most of the moment, as the construction of a cascade of hydroelectric power stations, and in particular the Vitebsk HPP, on the Western Dvina will change the river landscape. After the river rises, some objects will disappear in the flooded zone, — said Denis Yurchak. — We observed the condition of the river objects described in the 19th century. Photographic documentation of the Dvina landscapes will preserve the appearance of the river before the upcoming changes, creating a kind of electronic museum of its Vitebsk section.
In any case, the first part of the project is completed. We asked Denis Yurchak to share some observations about the elusive reality that they "pursued" along the river from the state border with Russia to Ruba.
— We began our rafting from the border along the left bank, from the place where the Rubezhnik stream flows in. Sometimes on modern maps it is indicated as the Senkovka River, after the name of the village on the Russian side. But according to Sapunov and on 19th-century maps, it is still the Rubezhnik stream. The name itself indicates that it was here that the border of the Vitebsk land was located, which controlled the portages on the Daugava for a long time. This was economically beneficial for Vitebsk, — Denis Valeryevich said. — That year, the water level was lower than ever, and all the nuances that are indistinguishable at high water could be seen on the Daugava. And the Daugava knows how to surprise.
There are very interesting places. For example, between Ostrovskie and Kurino, the Daugava is wide and shallow. In the middle of the river, on an inflatable boat, for which a depth of ten centimeters seemed sufficient, one could run aground. Here are the Khatolskie shoals. As a result, we had to walk in the middle of the river and drag the boat…
Sapunov's book mentions numerous river weirs and rapids. Among them, for example, is the Sopen stone weir near the village of Perno, above Surazh, named after the steersman who wrecked his barge here. Unfortunately, this object did not impress much; we only saw a small island and scattered boulders.
Sapunov also mentions a huge stone called the Zhidovskaya Yarmolka on a section of the river before Surazh, and below the settlement, a large stone called Krupoder. Neither the one nor the other could be found anymore. Most likely, they, like numerous stone obstacles, were destroyed as a result of the Daugava being cleared by rivermen. Along the river, we observed many drilled stones, which led to the thought that they were trying to blow them up or split them. Later, we heard a version of why this was done and that it was done purposefully. In the wild 1990s, particularly enterprising people looked at river boulders as cheap material for making monuments. By the way, in the same years, several huge boulders, human-sized, disappeared at the mouth of the Luzhesnyanka...
On the Daugava, some obstacles and rocky islands have survived to this day. A real rock garden is Medvedok Island, located slightly above Surazh, between the confluences of the Kasplya and Usvyacha rivers into the Daugava. Sapunov described it. And it is still a beautiful place! The river is easy to cross. There is an excellent beach here... Of course, one of the largest islands on the river is near the village of Ostrovskiye; it is a real attraction. The beauty here is extraordinary... There is no doubt that this giant will remain even if the water level rises as a result of the construction of a hydroelectric power station. However, Kurino Island, slightly above the village of the same name, mentioned in documents from 1627 as a place "of beaver runs" (a particularly valuable place for hunting), does not impress with its appearance today. This is due to the active extraction of sand from the riverbed in the vicinity of the village. Before Kurino, we encountered a strong headwind. Due to the large waves, unlike any I have ever seen on the Daugava, the boat was being carried upstream. The oars were useless, and we even had to interrupt the rafting.
On the Western Dvina, there are peculiar places – rapids; within Vitebsk, the most famous are the Rubovskie. Sapunov names each of them separately in his book. It is very interesting to sail in this part, through the roaring water. The impressions are unforgettable. It is even a pity that the Rubovskie rapids will be flooded by the Vitebsk HPP...
Well, we hope that next summer we will travel along the river from Ruba to Polotsk and complete the initiated project "Sapunov's Daugava" (in the zone of construction of two power stations).
The first results are already available on the Internet and accessible to every curious person.
Prepared by Nataliya KRUPITSA, "Vitbichi"