Losiny Ostrov National Park
Encyclopedia
Losiny Ostrov National Park ' onMouseout='HidePop("43904")' href="/topics/Moose">Moose
Island
) is the first national park
of Russia
, located in Moscow
and Moscow Oblast
. It is presumed to be the largest forest
in a city of comparable size.
s). Forest occupied 96.04 km² (83% of area) of the total, of which 30.77 km² (27%) fall within the boundaries of Moscow city. Other land types in the park include 1.69 km² (2%) of water and 5.74 km², or 5% of swamp
. An additional 66.45 km² is reserved for expansion of the park.
The park is divided into the three functional zones:
Geographically, the park occupies the joint of the Meshchera Lowlands
and Klin
-Dmitrov
chine
, which is the watershed of the Moskva River
and Klyazma River
. The relief of the territory is slightly undulating plain. The true altitudes of the locality vary from 146 m (floodlands of the Yauza River
) to 175 m above sea level. In the center part of the park relief is expressed weakly. The most picturesque locality is on the southwest of the park, where the above-floodplain terraces of Yauza River are clearly expressed with the sufficiently steep slopes to its floodlands.
On the territory of park are found the sources of rivers Yauza and Pekhorka. The natural river bed of the Yauza was practically destroyed in the course of peat
eries in 1950s-1970s; the river bed of the Pekhorki is vastly changed after the building of the Akulovsk hydro-electric station. The Yauza has several inflows here, the largest of which is the Ichka.
s and tsar
s. Its territory was declared reserved in 1799, the first forest management was established here in 1842, and the idea of the creation of national park was expressed as early as 1909.
This place is known from the 14th century, in particular, from the testaments of Russian princes - Ivan Kalita, Dmitri Donskoi
, Vladimir of Serpukhov and their descendants. In them are mentioned the plowed lands and the forests, located on the territory of the present national park. Later, this region became the place of tsarist hunting, and the land of the future park came under protection. During the Time of Troubles
, the economic activity here was abruptly reduced, the former plowed lands were overgrown with forest. The prosperity of the Losiny Ostrov as a hunting area is connected with tsar Aleksey.
After the transfer of the capital to Saint Petersburg
, this territory lost its value as a tsarist hunting ground, but the government property continued to be guarded by imperial edicts. Approximately at this time the territory finally became named Losiny Ostrov or Pogonny Losiny Ostrov. In 1798, these forests passed to the management of the newly formed forest department. In the middle of the 19th century, the Losinoostrovskaya lesnaya dacha was organized and the period of systematic forestry begins. In 1934, the Losiny Ostrov was included in the 50-kilometer greenbelt
of Moscow.
A large area of the forest was cut during World War II
. From this time on, the future national park has suffered from arbitrary seizures of the land for vegetable-gardens, intensive pasturing of cattle, and arbitrary, even, illegal cuttings. In the late 1950s, construction of Moscow Auto Beltway
split the forest to inner and outer (larger) sectors. In 1979, the united resolution of the Moscow urban and provincial Soviets of People’s Deputies organized the Losiny Ostrov as a natural park, and in 1983 the decision of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR formed the national park.
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
Island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
) is the first national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, located in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and Moscow Oblast
Moscow Oblast
Moscow Oblast , or Podmoskovye , is a federal subject of Russia . Its area, at , is relatively small compared to other federal subjects, but it is one of the most densely populated regions in the country and, with the 2010 population of 7,092,941, is the second most populous federal subject...
. It is presumed to be the largest forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
in a city of comparable size.
Geography
The total area of the national park in 2001 was 116.21 km², (28,717 acreAcre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s). Forest occupied 96.04 km² (83% of area) of the total, of which 30.77 km² (27%) fall within the boundaries of Moscow city. Other land types in the park include 1.69 km² (2%) of water and 5.74 km², or 5% of swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
. An additional 66.45 km² is reserved for expansion of the park.
The park is divided into the three functional zones:
- Especially protected, 53.94 km² (47%), closed to entry;
- For training and excursion, 31.30 km² (27%) is open for restricted visits along established routes;
- Recreational, 29.81 km² (26%), is open for mass entry.
Geographically, the park occupies the joint of the Meshchera Lowlands
Meshchera Lowlands
Meshchera Lowlands , also referred to as simply "Meshchera"/"Meshchyora" is a spacious lowland in the middle of the European Russia. It is named after the Finno-Ugric Meshchera tribe, which used to live there...
and Klin
Klin
Klin is a town and the administrative center of Klinsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located northwest of Moscow. The M10 highway connecting Moscow to St. Petersburg and the Moscow-Saint Petersburg Railway run through the town. It was home to Klin air base during the Cold War. ...
-Dmitrov
Dmitrov
Dmitrov is a town and the administrative center of Dmitrovsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located to the north of Moscow on the Yakhroma River and the Moscow Canal. Population: -History:...
chine
Chine
A chine is a steep-sided river valley where the river flows through coastal cliffs to the sea. Typically these are soft eroding cliffs such as sandstone or clays. The word chine originates from the Saxon "Cinan" meaning a gap or yawn....
, which is the watershed of the Moskva River
Moskva River
The Moskva River is a river that flows through the Moscow and Smolensk Oblasts in Russia, and is a tributary of the Oka River.-Etymology:...
and Klyazma River
Klyazma River
The Klyazma River is a river in the Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Ivanovo and Vladimir Oblasts in Russia, a left tributary of the Oka River. The length of the river is 686 kilometres. The area of its drainage basin is 42,500 km². The Klyazma River freezes up in November and stays under the ice...
. The relief of the territory is slightly undulating plain. The true altitudes of the locality vary from 146 m (floodlands of the Yauza River
Yauza River
This article is about a river in Moscow, a tributary of the Moskva River. There are three other Yauza rivers in Central Russia: tributaries of the Lama, Gzhat and Sestra....
) to 175 m above sea level. In the center part of the park relief is expressed weakly. The most picturesque locality is on the southwest of the park, where the above-floodplain terraces of Yauza River are clearly expressed with the sufficiently steep slopes to its floodlands.
On the territory of park are found the sources of rivers Yauza and Pekhorka. The natural river bed of the Yauza was practically destroyed in the course of peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
eries in 1950s-1970s; the river bed of the Pekhorki is vastly changed after the building of the Akulovsk hydro-electric station. The Yauza has several inflows here, the largest of which is the Ichka.
History
Losiny Ostrov National Park was created in 1983 on the land which since ancient times served as the strictly guarded hunting area of Russian Grand PrinceGrand Prince
The title grand prince or great prince ranked in honour below emperor and tsar and above a sovereign prince .Grand duke is the usual and established, though not literal, translation of these terms in English and Romance languages, which do not normally use separate words for a "prince" who reigns...
s and tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
s. Its territory was declared reserved in 1799, the first forest management was established here in 1842, and the idea of the creation of national park was expressed as early as 1909.
This place is known from the 14th century, in particular, from the testaments of Russian princes - Ivan Kalita, Dmitri Donskoi
Dmitri Donskoi
Saint Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy , or Dmitry of the Don, sometimes referred to as Dmitry I , son of Ivan II the Meek of Moscow , reigned as the Prince of Moscow from 1359 and Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1363 to his death. He was the first prince of Moscow to openly challenge Mongol authority in...
, Vladimir of Serpukhov and their descendants. In them are mentioned the plowed lands and the forests, located on the territory of the present national park. Later, this region became the place of tsarist hunting, and the land of the future park came under protection. During the Time of Troubles
Time of Troubles
The Time of Troubles was a period of Russian history comprising the years of interregnum between the death of the last Russian Tsar of the Rurik Dynasty, Feodor Ivanovich, in 1598, and the establishment of the Romanov Dynasty in 1613. In 1601-1603, Russia suffered a famine that killed one-third...
, the economic activity here was abruptly reduced, the former plowed lands were overgrown with forest. The prosperity of the Losiny Ostrov as a hunting area is connected with tsar Aleksey.
After the transfer of the capital to Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, this territory lost its value as a tsarist hunting ground, but the government property continued to be guarded by imperial edicts. Approximately at this time the territory finally became named Losiny Ostrov or Pogonny Losiny Ostrov. In 1798, these forests passed to the management of the newly formed forest department. In the middle of the 19th century, the Losinoostrovskaya lesnaya dacha was organized and the period of systematic forestry begins. In 1934, the Losiny Ostrov was included in the 50-kilometer greenbelt
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
of Moscow.
A large area of the forest was cut during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. From this time on, the future national park has suffered from arbitrary seizures of the land for vegetable-gardens, intensive pasturing of cattle, and arbitrary, even, illegal cuttings. In the late 1950s, construction of Moscow Auto Beltway
MKAD
MKAD is a ring road encircling the City of Moscow.The acronym is a transliteration of the Russian МКАД, for Московская Кольцевая Автомобильная Дорога .The growth of traffic in and around Moscow in the 1950s made the city planners realise Russia's largest metropolis...
split the forest to inner and outer (larger) sectors. In 1979, the united resolution of the Moscow urban and provincial Soviets of People’s Deputies organized the Losiny Ostrov as a natural park, and in 1983 the decision of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR formed the national park.