Famous "Mother Volga" Statue in Astrakhan
| Volga History |
"Mother Volga" of Russia
Volga is one of the greatest rivers of the World and a symbol of Russia. "Mother Volga" or "Mother river" symbolized huge open spaces of the country, its image unseparably merged with concepts of freedom and will.
It is from the banks of Volga the brave explorer Athanasius Nikitin set off for the "Journey Beyond Three Seas". He was one of the first Europeans to travel to and document his visit to India. And in 1611 in the Volga city of Nizhni Novgorod Kozma Minin and prince Dmitry Pozharsky had created a national guard and stirred up all country on fight against foreign hordes.
Volga has its source from a small spring, which makes the way through the earth in the Valdai woods, not far from Tver, in the heart of Russia. It opens a great journey of three thousand six hundred ninety kilometres. Volga, which three hundred inflows feed the extensive fertile earths, falls into to huge Caspian sea.
Banks of this powerful river were occupied in the ancient time by Scythians and Khazars, Mongols and Slavs. Up to nowadays in the Volga cities and villages peacefully live Russian, Tatars, Chuvashs, Bashkirs, Maris and other representatives of different nationalities, cultures and religions.
Since olden times golden domes of churches and monasteries were beacons for Volga travelers. Monasteries often served as a refuge to simple people, and sometimes became unapproachable fortresses for conquerors. And, famous for architectural ensembles Volga cities, on the right bank were given male name — Yaroslavl, Nizhni Novgorod, Simbirsk, and on the left — female:Kostroma, Kazan, Astrakhan.
