For some reason, it is believed that in search of adventure, you must definitely go somewhere in Asia or the Caribbean, where you can scuba dive, looking out for flooded cities in the clear ocean waters. But we have for you 5 Russian cities under water, no less interesting and mysterious than their foreign counterparts. Any of them can claim the honorary title of "Russian Atlantis".
Mologa
Why do large, prosperous cities and small villages suddenly find themselves under the water column? If there were no cataclysms, then, with a high degree of probability, people themselves contributed to their going under the water.
So it happened with Mologa - an old Russian city, which was built in the middle of the 12th century at the confluence of two rivers - the Mologa and the Volga. There was a time when the city of Mologa was the capital of the principality of the same name, which speaks of its wealth and importance.
And Mologa would have survived to this day if the Soviet government in 1935 had not decided to build the Rybinsk reservoir. According to the plans, Mologa ended up in the flooded zone. In 1936, local residents were ordered to leave their homes - it took 5 years to get ready. In 1941, the city lost all its inhabitants and turned into a ghost. Over the next few years, the sacred buildings of the city were destroyed so that nothing would interfere with the free passage of ships. They say that the Epiphany Cathedral of Mologa was blown up 4 times, and he stubbornly resisted the destruction.
Nowadays, the level of the Rybinsk reservoir sometimes drops, exposing the flooded Mologa. Then excursions are organized to the underwater city. Tourists can see:
- Afanasyevsky monastery of the 15th century;
- partly a cemetery with surviving monuments;
- streets paved with stones;
- the remains of the foundations of residential buildings;
- forged fences.
Korcheva
Korcheva can be called the second Mologa. This ancient Russian city was destined for the same fate as Mologa: during the construction of the Moscow-Volga canal, all unnecessary things had to be swept off the face of the Earth. And Korcheva turned out to be superfluous.
Only part of Korcheva was flooded, but people were still evicted from the city, and their houses and public buildings were destroyed. Korcheva was deprived of city status in 1937.
Until now, on the bank of the canal, you can see the remains of the former Korcheva. This is a city necropolis, the foundation of the Kazan temple, hidden in dense thickets, and a one-story mansion that previously belonged to the Rozhdestvensky merchants.
Kalyazin
Kalyazin, founded in the XII century, still exists. During the construction of the Uglich hydroelectric power station, only part of it was under water. This happened in 1939-1940.
The slender bell tower of St. Nicholas Cathedral, which stands on a small artificial island, serves as a reminder that residential areas are flooded in the Uglich reservoir. This is all that remains of the old Kalyazin.
The bell tower, dating from 1800, survived the destruction of the cathedral. They decided to convert it into a lighthouse. The fact is that it is almost impossible to walk along the coast without any landmarks and not run aground at the same time. The captains of the ships began to use the bell tower as a noticeable sign marking the fairway.
Nowadays, the bell tower is a symbol of Kalyazin and its main attraction. Thousands of tourists come here every year to look at the belfry from the shore or drive up to it on a pleasure boat.
The islet around the bell tower was built in the 1980s. Previously, she just towered above the water.
In 2014, in Kalyazin, the water level in the reservoir dropped so much that the bottom was exposed, and it was possible to approach the bell tower by land.
Vesyegonsk
Vesyegonsk, which in the 16th century was called Vesya Egonskaya and consisted of only a few courtyards, by the middle of the 18th century was already a trade center. Gogol wrote about this town in Dead Souls and Platov in The Archipelago of Disappearing Islands.
Vesyegonsk was more fortunate than Mologa. During the construction of the Rybinsk reservoir, it was flooded only partially. All residential buildings that were supposed to go under water were dismantled and moved to a new location. Churches, streets, some public buildings are now at the bottom.
A piece of old Vesyegonsk has been preserved on land to this day. This is a dilapidated Kazan temple and several city arteries. They should be found north of the city center.
Kitezh
There are many rumors about the legendary Kitezh-grad. It is believed that the city independently went under the water of Lake Svetloyar in the Nizhny Novgorod region before the invasion of the Mongols led by Batu. But in which part of the reservoir to look for the flooded Kitezh, no one knows.
In the evenings, when nothing disturbs the calmness of the lake, people hear bells ringing from under the water. Sometimes quiet singing floats over the lake.
There is a legend that the road to Kitezh can be found. To do this, you need to have pure thoughts and not plan anything bad.
