Sestra, river

Categories / City Topography/Waterways and Currents/Rivers
SESTRA, a river in the north-west of St. Petersburg, which flows through Sestroretsky District and Kurortny District. The Novgorod Pistsovye Books (Property Registers) of the 15th century record the river as Sestreya (from Finnish word meaning black-currant). In the 17th century it was known as Sestr, whereas the Russian version of the word, Sestra, became more common later on. Running a windy course, the river flows through waterlogged forests of the southern Karelian Isthmus. With the headwaters springing from the southern slopes of the Lembolovo Hills, the Sestra River flows into Lake Sestroretstky Razliv; it used to flow directly into the Gulf of Finland until part of the river was dammed, forming Lake Sestroretsky Razliv. The river is 74 kilometres long, with the width varying from 2-5 metres in the upper reaches to 15-30 metres near Beloostrov. The river depth reaches three metres. The area of the basin of the Sestra River is 393 km2. The stream velocity of the river amounts to 0.1 - 0.2 metres per second in the middle course of the Sestra, where horticultural facilities are situated. The lower course of the river is extremely bogged. A number of railway bridges and highway bridges span the Sestra. The river is used both for water-supply and for the purposes of recreation. The lower reaches of the river accommodate the town of Sestroretsk and the village of Beloostrov. The waters of the Sestra drain the resort of Sestroretsk and the parks of the town. From 1918 to 1940, the Sestra River was the state border between Finland and the USSR; it was also the boundary where a stable front line was set during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-44; in this capacity the river was marked with the Sestra Memorial, which is included into the Green Belt of Glory.

Y. P. Seliverstov. Sestra River/Saint Petersburg, city
The Green Belt of Glory