The Sura River is the "younger sister" of the Volga. Sura River (photo). Where does the river Sura flow, where does it flow? Where does the river flow

Sura, begins in the area of ​​​​Surskaya Shishka. This hill, giving rise to a turbulent river, is declared Just below the Surskaya Shishka, the Sura river crosses the eastern part of the Penza region, and then, after a sharp bend near the village of Sursky Ostrog, again

returns to the Ulyanovsk region. Flowing through a trapezoidal valley, the Sura gives life to eleven tributaries, including the large Barysh, and flows into the mighty Volga.

Sura is a stormy river. It is famous for its rapid current, sharp turns in the channel, long sandy spits and steep banks. The river is fed by melted snow, numerous small springs, and due to this, the water in the sources of the Sura is very clean and cold. The banks of the river were overgrown with tall golden pines, and in its floodplain and at the watersheds many small lakes and forest swamps formed. In the spring, Sura leaves its shores and overflows for two kilometers or more.

Before the revolution, this river was known for its fish - it was very tasty and valued much more than fish from the Volga. In those days, pike, chub, sterlet and smaller species such as roach were found in the river. Barbaric and uncontrolled capture depleted her wealth. Now the blue Sura is interesting mainly for tourists and athletes, because it is through it that one of the most picturesque kayaking routes in Russia runs. In the spring, during the flood, the river is “conquered” mainly by professional athletes, and novice tourists visit Sura in the summer, when the river calms down a bit.

The route starts in the village of Tyukhmenevo, passes by Chaadaevka, Penza, Alatyr and Shumerlya, and ends in Vasilsursk. The length of the Sura from Tyukhmenevo to Vasilsursk is 850 kilometers. The beginning of the route is always difficult, because at the source of the Sura River is especially obstinate. The brave ones who decide to go the route in early spring will have to kayak their way through the flooded bushes. Returns to its permanent after

At the source, the river bed is very narrow, in places its width does not exceed three meters. The Sura River becomes much wider after the Trueev tributary flows into it. The river calms down, its flow becomes slower, and the banks are covered with pine forests. However, the curves in Sura are still steep and make the route difficult. They become larger and smoother after the place where the Teshnjar flows into the river. Further, Sura becomes even wider, and small sands appear along its banks.

some beaches.

The twenty-kilometer Penza reservoir fed by Sura begins behind Kanaevka, and in front of Penza tourists are expected by numerous obstacles - sandy spits, islands and shoals. Beyond Penza, the banks of the river become gentle, and the Sura flows smoothly and calmly. Sura is especially good in the spring, near the village of Prokazna. There the river is surrounded by flowering gardens, and near Aleksandrovka it adorns itself with imposing limestone and chalk cliffs. Below the river is surrounded by rocky banks, it becomes deep and navigable. In the lower reaches of the river, the flow is calm, but fast.

Each flood changes the face of the river. It "acquires" new shoals, spits and oxbow lakes. Thanks to such changes, the route is not boring. Constantly renewing, the Sura River gives tourists new experiences every year.

Sura river.

The Sura River is an important river for us, Its bottom is silver, Steep banks are gilded. The old folk tale Sura (Chuv. - Syr) is a river, the right tributary of the Volga, one of its most significant tributaries within the Chuvash Volga region. The total length is 864 km, of which 2/3 of the Sura runs outside the borders of Chuvashia. Its beginning Sura takes in the Ulyanovsk region on the northern outskirts of the village of Surskiye Peaks. From there it flows west to Penza. Then it turns north and 4 km north of the settlement Sura again falls into the Ulyanovsk region. Further from the Ulyanovsk region, about with. Ivankovo-Lenino, enters the territory of the Alatyrsky district and flows from south to northwest through the Alatyrsky and Poretsky regions and along the western border of the Chuvash Republic for 230 km. Running through forests, wide collective farm fields and meadows, past apple orchards and suburban vegetable gardens, it slowly makes its way to the Volga, where it flows from the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod region near the city of Vasilsursk. The left slope of the river is moderately steep, reaches a height of 50-70 m, and in the area with. Stemasy of the Alatyrsky district, as well as near the village. Poretskoye, the villages of Ustinovka, Kozlovka of the Poretsky district are especially steep and precipitous. Throughout its length it is strongly crossed by ravines, rivers and streams, in many places it is covered with continuous forest or individual groves.

The floodplain is wide everywhere, up to 5-6 km, and between the settlements of Poretskoye-Shumerlya and the mouth of the Pyana - and more. It is composed of sandy and sandy loamy soils, in swampy areas - peat; rises above the low water level by 2-7 m, often breaks off to the river with a steep ledge. In the area of ​​the Princely and Krasny Yars, the height of the steep ledge reaches 15-20 m.

The floodplain is replete with lakes, the banks of which are covered with shrubs and trees. Only in the floodplain of the Sura within the Chuvash Republic, one can count about 500 lakes, of which Black is the largest, Dolgoe is the longest in Chuvashia. The floodplain of the Sura in its middle course is almost completely covered with forests, only within the Krasnochetaisky and Yadrinsky districts it is much less. Floodplain forests are oak forests or elm forests, confined to elevated places, depressions are occupied by aspen, and floodplain alder forests grow in the terraced part. In the tree layer there are many other broad-leaved species - alder, birch, linden, and spruce is also found.

The rest of the floodplain, devoid of forest, is covered with meadows. Near the village of Mizherkasy, the floodplain is low-lying. Herb stands of meadow foxtail and marsh bluegrass predominate here. Upstream, meadows are found only in clearings. In the glades lying in the depths of the forest, where the soils are granular, almost purely cereal herbage prevails, where foxtail, bonfire, couch grass, meadow fescue, white bentgrass, marsh bluegrass grow together. In some clearings with granular soil, the herbage contains many legumes, as well as red and pink clover. Near

Alatyr, the central floodplain is elevated, and the meadows on it are partially plowed, partially preserved, but poor, reminiscent of dry valley meadows: a rare small-grass herbage with low drought-resistant forbs. They differ from ordinary upland meadows in their steppeness, the presence of fescue and thin-footed grass in the herbage. Above Alatyr, the floodplain drops again, and grass stands are developed on granular soils, and near Ivankovo-Lenino, foxtail meadows occupy a large space on silty-sandy layered soils. Grass harvest in the meadows located in the floodplain of the Sura is generally always good. It should be noted that floodplain meadows are annually flooded with flood water. The average breakup date (beginning of spring ice drift) in Sura is 12 April. There was a case when the spring ice drift began on March 30 (1937), and the late one - on April 24 (1952). Complete ice removal occurs more often at the beginning of the third decade of April. In the spring, due to the intensive melting of snow, the water level rises rapidly. The average rise in the water level in the area of ​​the village of Knyazhikha (Nizhny Novgorod region) reaches 8.4 m, and the maximum rise is 10.1 m (25.04.1963). The average date for the highest water level in the spring is April 17, the earliest - April 3 (1966), and the latest - May 1 (1952). Here we used data from a hydrological station located near the village of Knyazhikha, Nizhny Novgorod Region, where observations were made from 1930 to 1970. In the most high-water years, in a number of settlements located on the banks of the Sura, houses and streets of several settlements located in the right-bank floodplain are flooded.

The recession of the flood is slower than the rise, and lasts up to 1.5-2 months. With the end of the flood, a period of low water begins, which occurs in June-July. The lowest levels are set in August-September. At this time, the average width of the channel is 110-250 m. At this time, the channel is replete with shoals and rifts. There are especially many of them between the settlements of Alatyr - Poretskoye, as well as downstream to the city of Shumerlya. During water expeditions, we many times encountered islets and shallow areas in the riverbed between the indicated settlements. We saw how people crossed the Sura in the Alatyr region without any watercraft. The depth on the rifts is 0.7-1 m, on the reaches - 3-7 m. There are very deep places in the area of ​​the Princely and Krasny Yars, where the depth reaches 8-12 m. -0.8 m/s. Freeze-up on the Sura begins at the end of November, the latest deadline is the beginning of December. The thickness of the ice reaches 30-50 cm on the riffles, 50-70 cm on the stretches. The chemical composition of the waters of the Sura, above the inflow of the Pyana, is dominated by bicarbonates, i.e., acidic salts of carbonic acid, and below the inflow of the Pyana, sulfates, i.e., salts of sulfuric acid. The sura above the confluence of the Pyana belongs to the zone with moderately hard water, and below the confluence - hard (T.G. Galaktionova. Mineralization and general hardness of river waters // Collection of works of the Gorky Hydrometeorological Observatory. Gorky, 1964). Turbidity of the water Sura is about 230 g/m3. On average, it brings about 1.9 million tons of suspended matter into the Volga annually, that is, almost as much as the Oka, despite the fact that its catchment area is almost 4 times, and the annual runoff is 4.5 times less .

Of the more than four dozen tributaries in the Chuvash section of the Sura, the most significant are the left ones - Atratka (13 km), Karmala (22 km), Alatyr, Men (partially flowing through the territory of our republic), Kish, Medyan, Urga (flowing from the Nizhny Novgorod region); right - Abyss, Lyulya, Kirya, Algashka, Kumashka, Kumazhana, Urevka, Vyla, etc.

With the filling of the Cheboksary reservoir, the width, depth and regime of the river changed significantly. The water level at the mouth of the river after filling the reservoir rose by 11 m. In the Yadrinsky district, large floodplain areas were flooded, and many lakes disappeared.

Sura is navigable; passenger and freight transportation has long been carried out along it. This can be judged by the volume of trade that was carried out along the Sura. So, for 1857-1861. on average per year it was sent (in pounds): rye flour ~ 2,321,739, malt - 22,908, oats - 465,036, buckwheat - 111,006, wheat - 533,810, millet - 4,160, peas - 25,040, barley - 17,877, linseed - 86,470, hemp oil - 2,200, calcined potash - 91,463, lard - 107,813, alcohol (in buckets) - 51,791, rags - 3,000. All of them, with a few exceptions, were sent to the northern capital , and therefore the Sura caravan was also usually called "Petersburg".

In 1832, a steamship appeared on the Sura. But until the end of the last century, burlachism remained here. The number of ship workers on the river reached 10-13 thousand people. In one of the documents it was noted: “On the Sura, barbering has been more preserved; all ships, without exception, rafted into the Volga go to Rybinsk on a line, sail or delivery. Surek barge haulers were distinguished by a special skill in escorting ships, for the most part, peasants from low-income or crowded families went to barge haulers. The Kurmysh pier served as the main place for loading and unloading goods. Among the barge haulers, one could meet many of our fellow countrymen, residents of the Krasnochetai region.

In the XVII-XVIII centuries. Sura remained the main water artery of the Kurmysh district. It carried all the main cargo transportation. In the questionnaire of the gentry cadet corps, compiled for the Kurmysh voivodeship for November 6 - January 30, 1761, it is indicated: “Ordinary plows with bread, with salt and with state forests and with wine only in the spring, when it is the most a large spillway, and those ships along the Sura with bread go from the cities of Penza and Alatyr, with salt from Saratov, with state forests cut down near the city of Kurmysh, loaded from piers near the cities, with wine from factories in the Penza and Alatyr districts, to various upland cities. This indicates the level of development of navigation on this river in the distant past. Cities and large settlements served as marinas. The Vylsko-Zavodskaya (the mouth of the Vyla) and Alatyrskaya piers were especially famous, from which grain and timber were exported in large quantities.

Back in the recent past, in the 50-80s. XX century, one could see how ships and barges loaded with various cargo and goods pass up and down the Sura. At the same time, passengers were transported by flat-bottomed high-speed vessels of the Zarnitsa type, which could land on the shore anywhere. At present, due to the rise in the water level, the possibilities of navigation have increased, but for various reasons, cargo transportation has been much reduced, and regular passenger transportation above Yadrin is not carried out at all.

Sura was famous for its rich ichthyofauna, back in the 1940s-1960s. more than 100 centners of excellent river fish were caught here annually.

In case No. 228 “Information of the Yadrinsky district marshal of the nobility on the state of state property in the district for 1865” it is said: “In Sura there is a sterlet, which, according to its taste, has an advantage over the Volga, bream, pike perch, and in the lakes: perch, crucian carp, path and other small fish. And in the newspaper "Russian Diary" (dated June 4, 1859), which was published in St. Petersburg, in the article "Kurmysh Chuvash" it is noted: "The Chuvash are not at all engaged in fishing, desmans and minks, of which there are a lot." A footnote to the article contains a disclaimer: “There were a lot of beavers on the Sura, and they died out no more than 50 years ago.” Currently, due to the deterioration of the ecological state of the river, the process of reducing the species and number of fish is underway. Valuable sturgeon species, in particular sterlet, have almost disappeared. The largest fish living in Sura is the catfish. There was a case that an amateur fisherman in the Krasny Yar area caught a catfish weighing 56 kg.

The picturesque nature of Sura is of great recreational importance. These places are a great place for recreation and tourism of the inhabitants of the republic. On the banks of the Sura there are children's summer health camps, rest houses, and in the Yadrinsky district there is a well-known tourist base "Sursky Dawns". In order to attract tourists from other regions and countries, it is necessary to develop an appropriate recreational economy here, taking into account the peculiarities of the history, culture, life, and traditions of the peoples living in this region. Sura, in addition, provides water to the cities and villages located on its banks, and itself is in dire need of protection from industrial and domestic pollution.

The Sura River is one of the four longest tributaries of the Volga. She is also known for the population of moor frogs. The fact is that her males become bright blue in the mating season. Also, it was on this water stream that the suryak was born in 1801 - a wooden barge that was built exclusively in Penza. She was distinguished by the fact that no one pulled her - she moved perfectly by herself. Today the Sura pool is a place of rest.

general description

The length of the Sura River is 841 kilometers. Its pool is 67,500 sq. km. The maximum width is in the area of ​​the reservoir (3 kilometers). The average value is 160 m. The depth is from 0.3 m (on rifts) to 4 m. The river flows through the Ulyanovsk, Penza and Nizhny Novgorod regions, and then through the autonomies of Mordovia, Chuvashia and Mari El. The direction is north-north-west. The route is very difficult. Water consumption - 260 cubic meters per second. Meals are mixed, with a predominance of snow. There are 73 tributaries (excluding streams). The most notable (by size or historical significance) are Barysh, Inza, Alatyr, Pyana, Uza and Urga. The water flow is opened already at the end of March. High water: April-May. Sura is connected with 2.5 thousand lakes and marshy extensions (small "seas").

The Sura River appeared in the era of the final formation of the relief of the Volga Upland, that is, by the beginning of the Oligocene (34 million years ago). Since the Stone Age, people have lived throughout the Western Volga region. They also went through the glaciation. However, in the Bronze and Iron Ages, they were scattered around the world by 3 Indo-European waves. At the turn of the Christian era, Savromats-Aorses (from the south) and the ancestors of the Mari (from the north, they were relatives of the Komi and Udmurts) appeared here. The former quickly mingled with the related Aryan population. The second behaved hostilely. In the 2nd century, the Mordovians turn out to be here (not yet divided into 2 tribal unions). But the first Russian description of the Sura River already documented 2 ethnic communities - Erzya and Moksha. And both lived on the reservoir in question. Of all the Finno-Ugric peoples, the Mokshans turned out to be the most militarized. They adequately repulsed the countless Turkic hordes.

The Turks did not conquer moksha. Rather, they were gradually assimilated in the 5th century. It was then when the multinational empire of Suvar was formed. It was formed by a mixture of Sauromatians and Huns (Siberians, Savirs, Suvars, Simbirs - they had many names). In the era of the Khazar Khaganate, Suvar was its most autonomous and strongest province. Under the Volga Bulgars, the Sura River is in the hands of the same Suvar officials. After the clash with the Khazars (on whose side the Mari loyal to the kagan acted), there were very few newcomers-Bulgars left. They did not conquer Suvar, liberated from the Khazar garrison, but simply "asked to go inside." This "melting pot" has become one more nation. But it was the latter who was able to rise above all ethnic differences and lead the former Khazar autonomy. After all, now it was necessary to stand against the Turkic Khaganate. As a result, over time, the kingdom was called the Great Bolgar. It is within the framework of this state that the most active transport use of the Sura River begins. The river appears in the chronicles in connection with the Russian-Bulgarian skirmishes, and later with diplomatic relations of the pre-Horde period. In some manuscripts, we find that part of the Pechenegs also "fit" well into Bulgaria, and part became robbers and hunted on Khopra. Let's go back to the river. The hydronym is Moksha, but the local population got it from a common Mordovian ancestor. Once it sounded like "shura" - "smooth bend", "loop". The 13th century was marked here not only by the Mongol Yoke, but also by the separation of the Chuvash into a separate people. Of the autonomies of the Bolgar, the Chuvash and the Bulgars themselves were against cooperation with the Genghisides, but the Mari and the remnants of the Pechenegs were the first to take the side of the conquerors. The Asian Turks who came along with the Mongols chose Bolgar for themselves. He became the Kazan Khanate during the collapse of the Horde. A small part of the riverbed passed to the new Nizhny Novgorod principality - the "fruit" of the agreement with the Erzya. At the end of the 16th century, Kazan itself came to an end. Sura becomes completely Russian. The places where it flows become quiet Russian provinces.

Here, the main ones are the extraction of forests and berries, leatherworking and the cultivation of bread. During the Civil War, these areas did not play a significant role, but during the Great Patriotic War, the Sursky Frontier of Defense was organized, which was never useful to the Red Army. The Penza River flowed into "our" body of water until 1945. Sura broke through the Kurilovsky dam. That is, it began to flow along the channel of Penza. Therefore, in the year of the Victory, she also had something to brag about. As a result, since the designated time, Penza has also been called the “city on the Sura”. At the same time, a group of water bodies has been preserved in the former Sura "body". Their hydronym is Old Sura. They are a popular recreation point. As well as a reserve and several reserves created under the USSR. In the 1970s, it became impossible to go by ship to the mouth of the Sura River from the segment connected with the city of Penza. Because at the end of 1978 the Penza (Surskoye) reservoir was built. With 7 locks. Moreover, the regional center was right between them.

Source and mouth of the Sura River

The source of the Sura River lies in the western section of the Volga Upland. These large hills are called Sursky Heights (height 150 - 300 meters above sea level). Administratively, the source of the Sura River belongs to the Ulyanovsk region. It is a 0.5-meter-wide hydrological feature that collects water from streams into a small elongated pond. We are talking about Rucheleika, Chernaya Rechka and Tarasov Creek. The point is marked with a small house. Residential buildings grew up around it - the village of Surskiye Heights. The location is also surrounded by floodplain mixed forest and agricultural land.

The mouth of the Sura River is an exit to the Volga, having a width of 2.5 kilometers. The ferry Lysaya Gora - Vasilsursk just passes along the conditional line of the girl. Both villages belong to the Vorotynsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region. The shores are lightly wooded. Both have a rather narrow lower terrace and very high pits - outcrops of clayey rocks.

Sura river basin

From the “start”, the Sura river gradually descends to the plain (to the Sura “sea”), having weakly pronounced rapids and rifts, and absorbing the water of minor tributaries. Strongly meandering, it also has straight sections of the channel. It falls into the indicated water bowl, already having a diameter of 100 meters. Plots of dense mixed forest all the time alternate with fields and meadows (this trend remains everywhere). The right bank of the root, steep (remains so until the "finish"). From Penza, the stream "receives" many beams on the slopes. The further course of the Sura River is connected with filling first with the middle ones and in the middle of the way with the largest tributaries. The channel is straight and wide. The orientation is strictly north. With a deep eastern approach to the very municipality of Surskoe. Then the course of the Sura River quickly gains an average distance between the edges. 160 meters. In the Nizhny Novgorod region, Chuvashia and Mari El, it often gives way to noticeably winding sections. In the relief of the sides, mobile ridges of various sizes are presented. The lower basin of the Sura River boasts a very gentle canyon 250-300 meters wide, and at the end - the expansion of the main channel into meandering channels. Of course, there are also river islands. The stream is clamped by lakes and marshes of a transitional type, some of which have now been turned into reserves and sanctuaries.

Sights of the Sura River

Reserve Privolzhskaya Forest-Steppe

It makes sense to organize the first parking lots on the Sura River opposite the cluster mentioned in the top line of the reserve. After all, you can be kicked out of the tracts themselves. The GZ is famous for its pine forest (about 300 ha) and sphagnum bogs (100 ha). Quite a rare game has been preserved in them. Another feature of it from other reserves is dozens of feather grasses, fingerheads and irises. This refers to an isolated section of the steppe among the forest-steppe. Relic set of insects. You can look at the panorama from the other side. Really stand up with tents on the outskirts of Inderka and First Tarlakovo. Everything is seen.

City of Sursk

Just not far from the reservoir, the flow of the Sura River leads travelers to the town named after it. Located on both sides. 3 km from Alekseevskaya station. It was founded in 1849 on the site of a colorful castle. The founder (landowner Astafiev) called it Nikolsky Khutor. The Bolshevik cartographers renamed the village. The sights of the 3-kilometer municipality are a convenient sandy beach, a foundry and a mechanical plant, a “review” on Gora (this is how the whole urban area is called), Kazan and Pokrovskaya churches, a local history museum and a large system of man-made ponds on the north coast. The brand is the majestic futuristic building of the Drama Theatre. By the way, a large pine-birch forest stretches to the west, where you can set up a bivouac. And, it seems, it has already been organized there more than once, trials by bonfires.

Surskoye reservoir and the city of Penza

On this fragment of the Sura River, fishing is unforgettable. In 15 kilometers of the further course (in the spring you will pass them in just 2 hours), a man-made "sea" awaits you. The reservoir is 32 kilometers long, and its largest diameter is 3 kilometers. It has the shape of an angle (Sura turns to the north). The shores are quite elevated, partly overgrown with mixed forest. The resource, in addition to Sura, is filled with Uza, Koldais, Medvedevka and Yaksarka (Old and New). And a few more nameless streams, giving birth to an intricate estuary in the northeast. As a result, the reservoir holds a volume of 560 cubic meters. Its depths are from 4 to 17 meters. The entire upper slope is fixed with reinforced concrete slabs. The giant pool was filled in 1978. Infrastructure - 5 settlements, 3 "folk" beaches, several fishing platforms, a hydroelectric dam 290 m long. Yachts and other small vessels go by sea.

Behind the reservoir, Zasechnoye is found - a southwestern suburb of the regional center of Penza.

Together with it, the agglomeration reaches 26 km in the largest diameter. Penza is named after a body of water that crosses the western half of the only Prisursky metropolis. "Born" in 1663, and in 1719 suddenly became the "capital" of the Kazan Empire. Only under Alexander the First did it again turn into an ordinary town - this time in the Saratov province. In 1858, a fire destroyed half of the buildings. So this agglomeration is still filled with secrets. They can only be opened in the local history museum. It was possible to save the Tambov Zastava. By the way, it was only in 1874 that a railway line was carried through the city. It was on the Penza shores that the original settlement was located. Only then did the Sura and 7 of its channels reach the quarter. Moreover, the old channel of the Sura in the eastern half. It is broken into fragments, but still holds water. This is the beach area. As for the center, the most popular (in the literal sense) streets are Moskovskaya, Kirova, Kalinin, Kuibyshev and Lunacharsky (the latter has all the stations, the Bolshoi Sursky Bridge and strategic sidings). Speaking about the middle of the city, it remains to mention the monument to the First Settlers, the Spassky and Trinity Cathedrals, the botanical garden (named after Sprygin) and Belinsky Park. He is the main one here - with attractions for people of different ages and hobbies. Opposite the "heart" of the regional center is the island microdistrict Peski. It is connected by a bridge with Uritskogo street. The Zasur half of the city is also beautiful - Staraya Sura and reserved forestry with 2 recreation parks (historical and again botanical). In general, the recreation is extremely green, water, transport accessible.

Strawberry Forest along the Inza River

On the border of the Penza, Ulyanovsk and Nizhny Novgorod regions, we again stop rafting on the Sura River. This is the mouth of the Inza River. As many strawberries as you collect in Inzen thickets, you will not find anywhere else in the country. Or maybe in the world. The array goes from the village of Sura to the Ezhikha nature reserve and the Mordovian Forest in one direction (the village of Inza, Ulyanovsk region). And to the Dubrava tract in the other direction (the same area). Yes, and with mushrooms here it is somehow unusual - all their existing varieties have gathered in dense needles. Carefully. It's quite easy to get lost.

Piana river

The protection of the Sura River (or rather, the integrity of its banks) in this location is still relevant. However, we will talk about something else. About the mouth of the Pyana (hydronym hints at the inconstancy of the river course). Using this “the most winding river in Russia”, it is easy to get to Ichalkovsky Bor (we are already talking about the Nizhny Novgorod region). And the forest just named is famous for caves-failures, which may be of interest to speleologists. What can we say about the boron itself! Berries, mushrooms, picturesque padi. Wow...

Sursky reserve and Prisursky reserve

Tent camps on the Sura River are ideal for this recreation. The Sursky reserve protects the populations of the boreal owl and the gray owl. Elk migration also passes through this region. The boundaries of the OPT are the Sura itself and its largest tributary, the Barysh. In terms of landscape, this interfluve is mixed and coniferous forests with areas of "transitional" swamps (lake-bogs). Many animals have found shelter here.

The Prisursky Reserve overlooks the river as a buffer zone that does not have a strict regime. This is a segment from the mouth of the Lyulya River (several kilometers). However, it is still impossible to burn fires and hunt here. And what about the PA itself? The conversation turned to the Lyulya River, Staraya Staritsa, the Staritsko-Bazarskaya lake group and the archaeological site Zayachy Gorodok. There are 2 more steppe tracts, where the employees of the State Protection Agency save the marmot population. And the described forests protect the lesser white-tailed goose, the merlin falcon, the white-tailed eagle and the red-footed falcon. In total, 150 species of fauna live here.

City of Alatyr

Expanding up to 200 meters, the Sura River ends up in Chuvashia - in the authentic 16th century town of Alatyr. Its architecture was reconstructed specifically to attract tourists. To show what the corner was like in that same 1552 - a victorious year for Russia. At first it was called Alatar, being a Chuvash settlement. After all, they, as you know, used the Turkic language. Over time, the toponym was turned into a Russian conversational apparatus. The Holy Trinity Monastery and the Church of the Virgin, the railway station and the local history exposition - everything brings us back to the glorious times of Moscow's campaigns against the Kazan Khanate, the liberation of the Volga peoples from the greedy Tatar nobility, wooden churches that diluted colorful mosques. Even the car entrance is decorated with a restored fragment of the fortress wall. It remains to be added that the town is extended in its largest diameter by more than 8.5 kilometers. Its promenade has a tiny beach. It looks very provincial and cozy. And beyond its northwestern outskirts (industrial zone and cottage-gas station settlements) there is Chuvarleysky Bor - a place for your camp. The main stop is the Post Office.

The town of Shumerlya and a section of the Sursky Defense Line

In fact, this is already the lower basin of the Sura River. Once upon a time there was nothing here but swampy swamps, ravines, lakes and dense southern taiga chasing the traveler. And only with the advent of the Moscow-Kazan railway in 1916, a station suddenly appeared. Why here? There was just no oak forest around. Yes, there is a river nearby. At first, a village, and then a town with the status of a regional center, "grew" onto the railway platform. And immediately ducks and geese began to disappear from the lakes. And from the river waters a sterlet. The infrastructure developed rapidly. In the 50s, even such a rarity as an evening technical school appeared. In Chuvash "shemertlekh" - "a place overgrown with bird cherry." And besides these fragrant bushes, you will see a beautiful train station, modern residential areas and the beach.

The Sursky Frontier of Defense is a collection of separate fortified areas in the space from the regions of the Central Federal District to the western part of the Volga Federal District. The defensive massif was erected as part of the measures for the Defense of Moscow in 1941-1942. Most of the structures were on the banks of the Sura or not far from it. Hence the conditional name of this line. Today's Sumerlinians are more reverent than others about preserving the memory of the labor feat of the builders of the 380-kilometer Frontier. Imagine: these courageous people dug, built, equipped, installed anti-tank hedgehogs in frost (down to minus 40 degrees) ... We had to have time to do everything in 45 days. We did. The section of this object has been reconstructed. In fairness, we note that there is something similar in the village of Zeleny near Alatyr.

Swamps of Urgun and Kumashkinsky reserve

Farewell to Chuvashia - reserve "Bolota Urgun". A tiny space inhabited by a strange species of moor frog. We described its feature in the first paragraph. The location is "pressed" against the settlement of Podbornoye (south of Shumerli). Lakes 5.

And now rafting on the Sura River is already at the very last stage. Where Sura simply splashes all the water over hundreds of oxbow lakes, swamps and lakes. And she often scatters into ducts. The border of Chuvashia and Nizhny Novgorod coincides with the southern border of the Kumashkinsky reserve. It is popular among the scientific community with dozens of populations at once, which have already been discussed in the review. The protected area is stretched to the Atnacharsky forestry of the Yadrinsky district. So it's better to sail without stopping to the very Krasny Yar. There is an excellent forest with firewood.

Tourism and recreation on the Sura River

The Sura River is located entirely in the temperate zone. That is, the warm season here lasts at least six months. The presence of forests suggests the need for camping trips, fishing, hunting and berry and mushroom fishing. And the presence of the same amount of open spaces hints at successful horse rides and jeep safari in the summer. As well as snowmobile racing in winter. There are small hills - this is extreme.

There are no airports in Sura cities. And there are enough railways in Penza, Chaadaevka and Alatyr. In terms of road transport, the Sura River is accessible via the following roads:

• M-5 ("Ural" - entrance from Kuznetsk);
• Kondol-Nikolsk;
• R-178 (Ulyanovsk-Saransk);
• Surskoye-Alatyr-Shumerlya;
• M-7 ("Volga") on the section E-22.

Speleological and mountain trekking holidays on the Sura River await you only in two places - on the small mountains of the Surskiye Peaks (trekking) and in Ichalkovsky Bor, Nizhny Novgorod Region, which you will get to along the Pyan branch (there are caves).

Event (and at the same time agrarian and equestrian) recreation on the Sura River is represented by trips to the "ethnographic" places of the Penza region and Chuvashia. As for the first of these regions: there are horse-tourist bases in Penza and near Sursk. You can ride around the whole area. As for festivals, they are held annually in Sursk (“Sursky Yar”), Alatyr (“Alatyr”), Yadrin (milk festival), as well as in Penza (Interregional Comedy Festival Stand-up Show “Pliz Stand-up” and others).

Beach leisure is ideal in the Sura floodplain almost everywhere. There are enough sandy banks on all stretches. But there are points where the infrastructure or beauty is amazing. Let's call them:

• Surskoe (Penza) reservoir;
• embankment "Sputnik" in Penza;
• Old Sura;
• Ruseevsky;
• city ​​"bath" of the city of Sursk;
• Birch Grove;
• Azure Coast;
• river loops 3.5 kilometers from Mordovskiy Davydovo (3 sandy recreations);
• Big Berezniki (2 beaches);
• Baryshskaya Sloboda;
• the mouth of the river Abyss (Alatyr);
• city ​​beach of Alatyr;
• Yazykovo;
• "baths" of the city of Shumerlya;
• beach of a holiday home in the village of Vasilsursk (spit of the Volga and Sura).

Rafting on the Sura River is a pleasant water fun that does not threaten you. As a rule, they start it from Nikolskaya Gora, where the width of the stream is quite decent. The riffles going all the way to Sursk are pretty and not at all dangerous. Categories will not achieve. But on a water trip you can take small children or the elderly. It's nice to go downstream as well. Many people like to catch the old Alatyr in the frame from the water. Lie on the beaches. Spring here is not too full-flowing - so the boat will not turn much. And one more thing for those in the upper reaches. The opposite side of the reservoir is forbidden.

Fishing and hunting on the Sura River

The fisherman also likes the Sura River. Fishing introduces him to such underwater inhabitants - pike, perch, crucian carp, roach and ruff. As well as sabrefish, asp, pike perch, bream and ide. In some places - top melter, carp and burbot. Well, where can we get away from tyulka, white-eyed bream and white-eye. But in quiet backwaters (very deep) you can run into catfish. On the Sura River, fishing is not recommended only in a few water protection zones - at hydroelectric facilities and in areas of various protected areas. In addition, during the spawning season, you should avoid "birth" pits. It remains to add that the Red Book of all the administrative units mentioned above includes sturgeon, beluga, sterlet, lamprey and sculpin.

Having told what happiness the water expanses of the Sura River bring to the tourist, we will finish describing the fishing. After all, we still have a hunt. Special areas have been created for this event, adored by men. Ulyanovsk bases "Razdolie", "Forest Byl" and "Oktan-Resource". 9 public hunting grounds in the Penza region. Nizhny Novgorod LLC Akruks-N. Mordovian clubs "Hunter", "Bear" and "Prisurie". Chuvash user organizations "Rezon", "Centre-Avto", "Middle Volga", "Promtractor", "Chuvashohotryblovsoyuz", "Kedr" and "Chapaev Stud Farm". The large Mari farm "Dubrava" is on the same list. The lands are separated from each other or divided into protected areas. As well as a large number of reserves. You can shoot a goose, duck, capercaillie, black grouse, partridge, woodcock. From mammals - wild boar, bear, elk (limited), squirrel. As well as a hare, a fox, a polecat and a wolf. In some places, the beaver is also available to the fisherman. Mink (exception - Chuvashia), marten (exception - Chuvashia), flying squirrel, bats, manul and all deer were everywhere in the Red Book. And among the birds - predators, owls, cranes, swans, herons and storks. In Chuvashia, breeders of hunting dogs are actively supported. Hunting with cops, greyhounds, hounds and spaniels is widespread in this region. In the dense Nizhny Novgorod region there is also a badger and a lynx!

In the Penza region, a fashion appeared to hunt on horseback and in a hunting suit of the 19th century. In the 73rd region, you can still get roe deer (however, shooting is very limited). All populations are stable here. In Mordovia, the main problem is poachers, who quickly hide on snowmobiles. Of the entire European part of Russia, this autonomy is the leader in illegal fishermen - lovers of shooting without a license, “black” woodcutters and “net fishermen”. However, the region is also criminalized in many other aspects. It is even fashionable to call him "Morder". The investigative book Section Six is ​​now breaking records.

Sura river protection

Today, the entire protection of the Sura River should be focused on the modernization of water treatment systems. Both on industrial drains, and on sewer. Because the Sura water pollution index is very sad. He refers this resource to the class of "heavily polluted". The problem concerns such cities as Penza (in the region of the same name they are also struggling with coastal garbage) and Alatyr. Part of the Kuznetsk agglomeration adds problems (the city itself lies on a tributary of the Truev), as well as the towns of Sursk and Shumerlya. The heads of regional governments achieved a common decision and money from the federal budget in the early 2000s. However, the ecological situation in the floodplain remains difficult. In terms of bank protection, the protection of the Sura River is still required in the most picturesque settlements of the Penza region - Penza, Serdobsky and Nizhnelomovsky. There are not enough observation posts. The management of the organization that owns the Penza dams is trying to regulate the discharge. Recently, even the forces of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Mordovia have been concerned about the situation. Many houses "floated away". The rate of erosion of the coast is 2 meters per year. After all, the catchment area is composed of soft limestones, clay, sands and marls. And the speed of the current in some places is high.

Our description of the Sura River shows what you can do on this little-known water "artery" of the Western Volga region. It also introduces her history and serious troubles.

The Sura River (Chuvash. Sar, Gornomar. Shur) is the right tributary of the river. Volga, length 828 km, basin area 67.5 thousand km². It originates on the Volga Upland and flows along it first to the west, then mainly to the north. It flows through the Ulyanovsk, Penza regions, Mari El, Mordovia, Chuvashia, Tatarstan.

The source of the Sura River was approved as a natural monument (PA) by the decision of the Ulyanovsk Regional Executive Committee No. 204 of May 8, 1988. The Sura is the second largest river in the Ulyanovsk region. Its characteristic features are a rapid current, a winding channel, sandy spits and steep banks. All this can be seen in miniature and close to its source, where the river has flowed for a long time under the protection of the forest. It is known from archival materials that as early as the end of the last century, the Sura River originated near the village of Sursky Peaks (otherwise Big Surki), which then belonged to the Syzran district of the Simbirsk province (now it is the Baryshsky district of the Ulyanovsk region). The river then flowed from two springs, and then the stream flowed 500-600 meters through the land of this village in the direction from north to south and then entered the Timoshkinskaya forest dacha, along the eastern border of which flowed about 10 km. The main sources of the Sura River in this dacha were the "Seven Springs" and the Karmola River, at the confluence of which the Sura acquired the character of a deep river.

Multiple studies of the sources of Sura since 1970 confirmed that indeed its source was in the southeastern outskirts of the village. Sursky Peaks, but now it is actually not there. This is explained by the fact that the forests around are heavily exterminated, and the remaining forests are severely thinned and have lost their water protection value. In the very log, where the springs were located, there used to be a lot of willows, willows grew, which were largely cut down. But, most importantly, a dam was created in the log and a reservoir appeared, as a result, all the springs turned out to be silted up. Later, the dam broke through, but even after that the situation changed little. The springs have only slightly broken through, and now only a weak, barely noticeable stream flows through the log, and in some places there are hollows with almost stagnant water, overgrown with duckweed. This cannot be considered the true source of the river. And only 1.5-2 km from the former source, where the forest begins, you can see a real forest river, hidden by thickets of willow, bird cherry, black currant, and large leaves of an ostrich fern hang over the water. Water was measured here (E.A. Chasovnikova took part in studies on water consumption in the sources of rivers). It turned out to be equal to 10 liters per second. This site can now be considered the actual source of the Sura, which is in a relatively safe condition. Here, on the slopes of the watersheds and on the watersheds themselves, on Paleogene deposits rich in groundwater, good tall pine forests of green moss grow, which are of great water conservation importance. On the slopes in many places, springs break through, which feed the upper reaches of the Sura, and in one place a stream flows into the main channel, flowing from a forest swamp fed by underground waters. After that, the main channel becomes much wider. Everywhere the water in the upper reaches of the Sura is very clean.

However, the most important task should be considered the restoration of the original source of the Sura near the village. Sur Peaks. To do this, it is necessary to clear the silty springs and plant moisture-loving shrubs and trees around - various types of willows and black alder. It is also necessary to afforest the adjacent slopes of the watersheds, and on the watershed itself to create denser and more complex pine forests that could more effectively fulfill the role of water protection.

Coordinates: N53° 23.560" E46° 56.574"

In the European part of Russia, in the Ulyanovsk, Penza, Nizhny Novgorod regions, the Republics of Mordovia, Chuvashia and Mari El. The Sura is the second right tributary of the Volga in terms of water content.

In the Chuvash language Sura means "big river".

Until the 16th century the border of the Moscow principality passed along the Sura.

Sura originates on the Volga Upland in the Ulyanovsk region near the village. Sur Peaks. The prevailing heights of the basin are 150–300 m. The catchment area is composed of limestones, clays, marls, and sands. Developed karst. In the upper reaches it has a western, and then mostly northern direction. The Sura basin is asymmetric: the area of ​​the left bank is almost twice as large as the right bank. The length of the river is 841 km, the area of ​​the basin is 67.5 thousand km 2 - the 3rd in terms of the basin area (after the Kama and Oka) and the 4th in length tributary of the Volga. The largest tributaries of the Sura: Barysh and Inza (right), Pyana, Alatyr and Uza (left). There are more than 2.5 thousand lakes and reservoirs in the Sura basin. The largest reservoir is the Surskoe (Penza) reservoir (filled in 1978).

The climate in the Sura basin is temperate continental. The average temperature in January is about -12°С, and in July +19°С. On average, up to 680 mm of precipitation falls per year. Under conditions of sufficient moisture, the watershed is occupied by forest, forest-steppe and steppe vegetation. The basin's forest cover is about 40%. Broad-leaved and pine forests predominate in the northern part of the basin, while steppes dominate in the southern part. Gray podzolized or gray forest soils form under the forests. Chernozems are distributed over 65% of the basin area. The plowed area is 25%.

Sura drains the territory of the Volga Upland. Before the Sursky reservoir, the river forms meanders, alternating with straight sections along the right steep root bank. The left slope of the Sura valley is gentle. There are many ravines on the slopes of the valley. The coast erosion rate is up to 2 m/year. The river bed is sandy. Downstream of Penza, a relatively rectilinear wide floodplain channel prevails, only occasionally replaced by sections of a meandering channel. The width of the channel in the lower reaches of the river is 250–300 m. The channel relief includes mobile ridges of various sizes.

The average long-term water consumption at the village. Knyazhikha (watershed area 54.4 thousand km 2) is 215 m 3 / s. On the border between the Republics of Chuvashia and Mari El (65.5 thousand km 2), the average annual water discharge is 251 m 3 / s, the flow volume is 7.922 km 3. The food of the river is mixed, mainly snow.

The river belongs to the Eastern European type of water regime. The main phase is the spring flood (April–May). The maximum flow rate of Sura water is 2650 m 3 /s. In winter low water flow rates decrease to 44.4 m 3 /s. Freezing lasts from November–December to the end of March–April.

The average annual turbidity of the river varies from 0.24 kg/m 3 in the upper reaches to 0.31 kg/m 3 in the lower reaches. According to its chemical composition, water belongs to the hydrocarbonate class and the calcium group with an average mineralization in low water of 320–350 mg/l. Toward the mouth, the chemical composition of the water corresponds to the sulfate class (average mineralization 500–550 mg/l). The waters of the river are heavily polluted.

The water resources of Sura are used for drinking and industrial water supply of the city of Alatyr and other settlements. The water resources of the Sursky reservoir provide water abstraction for irrigation purposes. The small HPP of the reservoir has an installed capacity of 0.2 MW. Sura is a sewage receiver. The river is navigable for the lower 394 km. Sand and gravel are mined from the channel quarries.

Attractive object for water tourism. Sura is famous for its picturesque shores and fishing. Carp, zander, pike spawn in Sura. Other objects of fishing: catfish, bream, asp, sabrefish, crucian carp, roach, silver bream, white-eye, perch, ruff, sprat, bleak. In former times, the river was known for the Sura sterlet.

On the banks of the Sura are the cities of Sursk, Penza, Alatyr and Yadrin.

N.I. Alekseevsky, K.F. Reteum