Kivach
The Kivach State Nature Reserve is one of the oldest nature reserves in Russia, created in 1931 on an area of 109 km2. The basis for the reserve was the famous Kivach waterfall of the same name.
There are several versions of the origin of the name of the waterfall. According to one of them, the name arose from the Finnish word “kiivas”, which means powerful, according to another “kiwas” translated from Karelian as snow mountain. For centuries, the area has attracted vacationers and others. During the war with Sweden, ships were needed, and centuries-old pine trees were used to build them, and wood was also needed to remelt metal. Since then, numerous pits for burning coal have still been preserved in the forests.
More than 85% of the reserve's territory is covered with forest, many trees are over a hundred years old, in some areas almost 500 years old. There are 13 lakes and more than 50 small swamps in the Kivach Nature Reserve. Any activity is prohibited here without permission from the reserve administration, and you will have to pay a fine for any damage to nature. Picking berries and mushrooms is allowed only in the buffer zone; hunting is prohibited. Animals and plants are resettled from the reserve in order to restore their populations in neighboring areas.
Kivach Waterfall
The waterfall is located on the Suna River and is the main and most famous attraction of the reserve and all of Karelia. A nature museum was built next to the waterfall, and there is also an arboretum. The Kivach waterfall cascades over a section of 170 meters. The total height of the fall is 10.7 meters, and the main ledge is 8 meters. In terms of its height, it is the fourth among the flat waterfalls in Europe. According to one of the legends, the sister rivers Shuya and Suna flowed quietly side by side, but she was tired and lay down to rest; when she woke up, she did not see Shuya and quickly rushed in search of her, breaking through mountains and forming the Kivach waterfall.
Nowadays, the power of the waterfall has weakened significantly. In 1837, they dug a diversion for rafting logs, since the waterfall significantly damaged them during rafting. Also, the power of the waterfall was significantly influenced by the Girvas Dam. Although there is much less water flowing, it still has not lost its splendor.
