Presidential Library invites readers to virtual trip to Lake Baikal using ancient maps of the XVIII and XIX centuries

Ancient maps of Lake Baikal and its surroundings from 1772 and 1806 have been added to the collection of the Presidential Library.

The map of 1772 shows "the Baikal Sea, with parts of the Lena, Argun, Selenga, and Angara rivers, and nearby counties." The map of 1806 depicts settlements - provincial and county towns, monasteries, and other buildings, including the Nikolskaya pier at the mouth of the Angara River from Lake Baikal.

Baikal is the deepest and largest freshwater lake in the world. A brief description of the lake says that three hundred and thirty-six rivers and streams flow into it, like a tribute, while only one - the mighty Angara - flows out. Baikal is located in southern Eastern Siberia, on the border of the Irkutsk Region and the Republic of Buryatia. It is a land of pristine lakes, clear rivers, and beautiful waterfalls, and locals call it the "holy sea." Siberians say that those who have not seen Baikal have not truly visited Siberia. Songs, legends, and tales are all dedicated to this magnificent lake, and travelers admire the beauty of its nature and try to capture its splendor in photographs.

On the portal of the Presidential Library, in the collection Natural Wealth of Russia, in the section dedicated to the Baikal State Biosphere Reserve, readers can see postcards depicting this unique corner of protected Russia.

Biologist and photographer Mikhail Stepantsov accompanied his photos from Baikal Fantasies with the words: "Only by kneeling before the wildflowers of Lake Baikal, one can understand the ancient aphorism: 'In flowers, the sky settles on the ground.'"

Sunsets, sunrises, flowers, hiking trails, and other beauties were featured in postcards titled On Lake Baikal by photographer Alexey Freidberg. A video lecture by Irina Kozyr, deputy director for science at the Baikal Nature Reserve and candidate of biological sciences, is dedicated to "Reserved Baikal."

Among the new publications that have recently joined the Presidential Library's collection and relate to the history of Siberia, there is a map from 1770 which depicts part of "Mangazeya and Yakutsk Counties with the Mouths of the Yenisei and Lena Rivers". The map shows the borders of provinces, counties, settlements, winter quarters, monasteries, as well as a swamp in the interfluve of the Lower and Podkamennaya Tunguska Rivers, tundra vegetation, and a threshold in the upper reaches of the Kolyma River.

The map of 1772 also shows the Eastern part of Yakut District.

You can find more detailed information about these new additions on the Presidential Library portal.