The Source Of The Dnieper river

Dnepr - one of the largest rivers of Europe - is of strategic importance for Russia. On its shores once formed the first Russian state, and to the IX century by the famous trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks". The Dnieper, and Volga, originates from the slopes of the Valdai hills.

This is a forest stream opened in one of the bogs of Sychevka district of Smolensk region, on the border with the Tver region. Nearest villages: Dudkino (2km) and Bocharova (5 km). The road to the source is routed directly through the swamp, previously to get through it even in the neighbouring villages was only possible in dry weather or on a tractor. The buses aren't running to Bocharovo, once a week a mobile shop comes, there are very few locals.

In the mid 1970s pines were planted and installed to road sign in the area of the source of the river. And since 2003 the source of the Dnieper was attributed to the category of monuments of nature of regional significance and organized a special protected area - a complex landscape reserve "The source of the Dnieper river". The area of the refuge - 32,3 thousand hectares within the reserve are Gavrilovskoe lake of glacial origin, Aksenovskaya and Lavrovsky peatlands that play a great role in nutrition of the Dnieper river in the upper course.

In Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, through whose territory flows the river Dnieper there is a new unofficial holiday – international day of the Dnieper, which is celebrated in all cities, facing the river, on the first Saturday of July.

With the assistance of the Slavic Fund of Vladimir the Great, in 2014-2015 at the source of the Dnieper was built by St. Vladimir's monastery: the Church in the name of the Holy Prince Vladimir the Great, the deanery, communal housing, sanitized area, erected a chapel over the source. All the buildings are made of wood and look organically in a pine forest. There are beautiful wooden walkways over the swamp to the source, not disturbing the creeping marsh.