Mednyy Zavod on Mednozavodskoy Razliv

• Mednozavodskoy Razliv lies on the outskirts of Mednyy Zavod.
• The water is dark and peaty, yet clean; water conditions can vary.
• Several sandy beaches, shallow water by the shore, and deep water in the river channel are among the lake’s features.
• A dam on the Chernaya created the artificial lake; a copper works was built on the riverbank.

Several sandy beaches characterize Mednozavodskoy Razliv. The water also shifts between being shallow by the shore and deep in the river channel. Both the shape of the shoreline and the varying water depths are important to the landscape. The water is described as dark and peaty, but clean; conditions can vary. Water color, cleanliness, and shoreline profile are therefore distinct aspects of the lake.

A copper works was built on the bank of the Chernaya; a dam created the artificial Mednozavodskoy Razliv there. The lake’s landscape and history are closely connected. The wider region of Leningrad Oblast also has a long history of water storage: from 1723 to 1863, a cascade of three reservoirs was built on the Chernaya and Sestra rivers to meet the water needs of the Sestroretsk works. These included Mednozavodskoye and reservoirs in Dranishniki and Grafskaya, now Pesochny. The first two reservoirs have survived to this day.

The Vepssky Forest Nature Park lies in the far east of the wider destination of Leningrad Oblast. It comprises seven nature reserves with particularly strict conservation rules and numerous lakes. Its largest lake is Lake Lerinskoye, in the reserve of the same name. The park’s special features include well-preserved old spruce and pine forests. They are important to many organisms that can survive only in forests undisturbed by economic activity. Brown bears are found in greater numbers in the park; the wolverine, extremely rare in the region, has also been spotted there. An encounter with these animals is not guaranteed.

The Veps, a small people of Russia with their own culture and traditions, have traditionally lived in Vepssky Forest Nature Park. Another cultural attraction in Leningrad Oblast is Koporye Fortress, a museum and monument to Old Russian stone architecture. It has been preserved in its present form since the 16th century, while parts of its masonry date back to the 13th century. Climbing on the walls and towers is prohibited because of their poor condition. A visit without a guide is possible using a multimedia guide; check availability as you plan.

The Ladva Trail is also in the wider destination of Leningrad Oblast. It passes through glacially shaped terrain and middle-taiga vegetation, and through the Veps village of Ladva; it also leads to Lake Ladva in Podporozhye District. These examples highlight different regional attractions without replacing the landscape and history of the lake near Mednyy Zavod.

If you’d like to compare more destinations, you can also add Luppolovo, Voyeykovo, Kokkorevo and Razmetelevo to your selection.

How did Mednozavodskoy Razliv form?

A copper works was built on the bank of the Chernaya. A dam created the artificial lake there.

What are the lake’s water like?

It is dark and peaty, yet clean. The water is shallow by the shore and deep in the river channel; conditions can vary.

What should you keep in mind when visiting Koporye Fortress?

A visit without a guide is possible using a multimedia guide; check availability before planning your visit. Climbing on the walls and towers is prohibited because of their poor condition.

For the wider travel overview: Vsevolozhskiy rayon.