This article is about a river in MoscowMoscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a...
, tributary of Moskva RiverThe Moskva River is a river that flows through the Moscow and Smolensk Oblasts in Russia, and is a tributary of the Oka River.-Etymology:Moskva and Moscow are two different renderings of the same Russian word Москва. The city is named after the river. The origin of the name is unknown, although...
. There are three other Yauza rivers in Central Russia, tributaries of LamaLama River is a river in the Moscow and Tver Oblasts in Russia, a tributary of the Shosha River. The length of the is 139 km. The area of its basin is 2330 km². The Lama River freezes up in November and stays under the ice until late March - early April. Historically, the river was a part of the...
, GzhatGzhat is a river in Smolensk Oblast, Russia. It is 113 km long, with a drainage basin of 2370 km². The town of Gagarin lies by the Gzhat River....
and Sestra.
The
Yauza is a river in
MoscowMoscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a...
and
MytishchiMytishchi , the fifth-largest city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, lies to the north-east of Russia's capital Moscow , on the Yauza River and the Moscow – Yaroslavl railroad...
,
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, a left tributary of
Moskva RiverThe Moskva River is a river that flows through the Moscow and Smolensk Oblasts in Russia, and is a tributary of the Oka River.-Etymology:Moskva and Moscow are two different renderings of the same Russian word Москва. The city is named after the river. The origin of the name is unknown, although...
. It originates in the
Losiny Ostrov National ParkLosiny Ostrov National Park 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.-Geography:...
north-east of Moscow, flows throw Mytishchi, enters the city of Moscow in Medvedkovo District and flows through the city in an irregular meandering pattern in general north-south direction. The Yauza joins Moskva River in Tagansky District just west of Tagansky Hill, now marked by
Kotelnicheskaya Embankment towerKotelnicheskaya Embankment is a street on the northern bank of Moskva River in central Tagansky District of Moscow, Russia. It spans from the mouth of Yauza River to the point one block west from Bolshoy Krashokholmsky Bridge , where it changes name to Goncharnaya Embankment.-Kotelnicheskaya...
. Valleys of the Yauza from
MKADMKAD is a ring road encircling the City of Moscow.The name is a transliteration of the Russian word МКАД, an acronym for Московская Кольцевая Автомобильная Дорога .The growth of vehicular traffic in and around Moscow in the 1950s made the city planners realize that Russia's largest...
beltway in the north to Moscow-
YaroslavlYaroslavl is a city in Russia, the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, located north-east of Moscow. The historical part of the city, a World Heritage Site, is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl Rivers. Population:...
railway west of
Sokolniki ParkSokolniki Park, named for the falcon hunt of the Grand Dukes of Muscovy formerly conducted there, is located in the eponymous Sokolniki District of Moscow. Sokolniki Park is not far from the center of the city, near Sokolnicheskaya Gate. The park gained its name from the Sokolnichya Quarter, the...
are protected as natural reserves.
The Yauza has been mentioned in Russian chronicles since 1156; exact origin of the name is unknown. Moscow crossed its former natural eastern boundary marked by the Yauza in the beginning of the 16th century. Banks of the Yauza within the
Garden RingThe Garden Ring, also known as the "B" Ring , is a circular avenue around the centre of Moscow, Russia. The Ring consists of seventeen individually named streets and fifteen squares. It has a circumference of sixteen kilometres. At its narrowest point, Krymsky Bridge, the Ring has six lanes; at...
were densely urbanized by the middle of the 17th century; upstream valleys housed suburban residences of the House of Romanov from Mikhail to
Catherine IICatherine II , also known as Catherine the Great, born . She was Empress of Russia from until . Under her direct auspices the Russian Empire expanded, improved its administration, and continued to modernize along Western European lines...
. Settlements along the Yauza (
German QuarterGerman Quarter, also known as the Kukuy Quarter was a neighborhood in the northeast of Moscow, located on the right bank of the Yauza River east of Kukuy Creek , within present-day Basmanny District of Moscow.Its boundaries were defined by present-day Dobroslobodskaya Street and Bolshoy Demidovsky...
,
LefortovoLefortovo could refer to a number of places or things in or around Moscow, Russia:*Lefortovo District, a district in South-Eastern Administrative Okrug*Lefortovo prison, a prison*Lefortovo tunnel, a road tunnel...
, Preobrazhenskoye) played a significant role in the history of Russia in 17th and 18th century.
Industrialization of the 19th and 20th century made the Yauza "the biggest gutter for waste in Moscow". In the 2000s ecology improved with closing or conversion of old factories and cleanup efforts by the city government. In 2007 Yauza waters were reclassified from former "dirty" to "polluted" status. but in 2008 the trend reversed and pollution in the Yauza exceeded its 2006 levels. As of 2008, Yauza water entering Moscow city boundary is rated as "polluted", and reaches "very dirty" level at the inlet. Untreated
surface runoffSurface runoff is the water flow which occurs when soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess water, from rain, snowmelt, or other sources flows over the land. This is a major component of the hydrologic cycle. Runoff that occurs on surfaces before reaching a channel is also called a nonpoint...
in Central Administrative District remains the main source of pollution.
Geography
Contemporary Yauza consists of three distinct parts:
| Upper Yauza flows naturally from the marshes of Losiny Ostrov (). Lakes surrounding the river () were formed in the 20th century on the abandoned peat Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter. Peat forms in wetlandbogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests...
mining sites. A 1995 study identified twelve beaverThe beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, Castor canadensis and Castor fiber . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
colonies in upper Yauza basin; large parts of it became a typical "beaver landscapeBeaver dams are created as a protection against predators, such as coyotes, wolves and bears, and to provide easy access to food during winter. Beavers always work at night and are prolific builders, carrying mud and stones with their fore-paws and timber between their teeth...
". |
After the river enters the city of Mytischi it flows through a chain of narrow natural valleys into Sokolniki ParkSokolniki Park, named for the falcon hunt of the Grand Dukes of Muscovy formerly conducted there, is located in the eponymous Sokolniki District of Moscow. Sokolniki Park is not far from the center of the city, near Sokolnicheskaya Gate. The park gained its name from the Sokolnichya Quarter, the...
deep inside Moscow (). Valleys of the Yauza, zoned as specially protected natural territories, are managed by city authorities as public parks. |
After Sokolniki the Yauza enters a heavily industrialized area; below Glebovsky Bridge () it flows in a man-made channel shaped by granite embankments with heavy traffic on both sides. |
The Yauza collects waters from many tributaries, most of them confined to underground sewers. The few that remain on surface, at least partially, are (north to south):
| Western (right bank) tributaries |
Eastern (left bank) tributaries |
|
Sukromka ()
Chermyanka (12 km, )
Likhoborka (16 km, )
Kamenka (7 km, )
Putyaev and Oleny brooks in Sokolniki Park |
Ichka (12 km, )
Budayka (4.4 km, )
Khapilovka (all confined to sewer, ) with tributaries Serebryanka (12 km) and Sosenka (9 km) running naturally through Izmailovo Park. This is the largest subsystem of the Yausa basin with its own drainage basin of 75 square kilometers.
The flow of the Yauza is regulated, particularly in winters, and is reinforced with water from
Volga RiverThe Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through western Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including its capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage basin...
that reaches the city through
Moscow CanalThe Moscow Canal , named the Moscow-Volga Canal until the year 1947, is a canal that connects the Moskva River with the main transportation artery of European Russia, the Volga River. It is located in Moscow itself and in the Moscow Oblast...
. 80 million cubic meters of Volga water is sourced each year from Khimki Reservoir in north-western Moscow and fed through underground pipes and an open channel to Golovinsky Ponds and further to Likhoborka River, a tributary of the Yauza. Water level in lower Yauza is regulated by Pererva Dam (
) on Moskva River, and by the
locksA lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber whose water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is the...
(
) on the Yauza itself east of
Kursky Rail TerminalKursky Rail Terminal is one of the nine rail terminals in Moscow. It was built in 1896.There are currently plans in the pipeline to completely rebuild or refurbish the Kursky Rail Terminal.-Destinations:-External links:***...
. Raised water levels in downtown portion of the Yauza basin led to long-term flooding and death of the trees deep inside Losiny Ostrov.
Within the city of Moscow the Yauza is spanned by 21 road bridges, five railroad bridges, one dedicated
tramA tram, tramcar, trolley, trolleycar, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a conventional train, designed for the transport of passengers within, close to, or between villages, towns and/or cities, on tracks running primarily on streets...
bridge, two
Moscow MetroThe Moscow Metro , which spans almost the entire Russian capital, is the world's second most heavily used rapid-transit system. Opened in 1935, it is well known for the ornate design of many of its stations, which contain outstanding examples of socialist realist art.-Description of the Metro:In...
bridges, numerous pedestrian bridges and the historical
Rostokino AqueductRostokinsky Aqueduct, also known as Millionny Bridge, is a stone aqueduct over Yauza river in Rostokino District of Moscow, Russia, built in 1780-1804. It is the only remaining aqueduct in Moscow, once a part of Mytishchi Water Supply, Moscow's first centralized water utility.-History:The Aqueduct...
. Spring floods due to low
clearanceA clearance can refer to:* in chess, A positional move, where a player moves a piece occupying a certain square away, replacing it with an allied piece that will strengthen the player's position....
s under old bridges were common, with four incidents in 1950s alone (1951, 1952, 1955, 1957), and practically disappeared when these bridges were rebuilt to modern standards. Most recent
flash floodA flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas - washes, rivers and streams. It is caused by heavy rain associated with a thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm. Flash floods can also occur after the collapse of an ice dam, or a human structure, such as a dam, for example, the...
on the Yauza was registered August 14, 2003 following a record-setting rainfall. The Yauza and its valleys are not particularly prone to
landslideA landslide is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rock falls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments...
s and
erosionErosion is a gravity driven process that moves solids in the natural environment or their source and deposits them elsewhere...
that are common to western and southern districts of Moscow. There were two minor landslides on the Yauza in 2008, compared to 40 on Chertanovka River and 33 on Gorodnya River.
There is no commercial or recreational shipping although the river is accessible to small motor boats up to Preobrazhenskaya Square (
).
Prehistory to Time of Troubles
First mention of the Yauza (as
Auza) in Russian chronicles is directly connected to the foundation of Moscow: according to the chronicles, in 1156 Yury Dolgoruky "founded Moscow at the estuary of Neglinnaya above the Yauza" on the site owned by Stepan Kuchka and known through another chronicle since 1147. There is no generally accepted
etymologyEtymology is the study of the history of words and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages, and texts about the languages, to gather knowledge about how words were used at earlier stages, and...
for
Yauza or
Auza. Similar
toponymsToponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The first part of the word is derived from the Greek tópos , place; followed by ónoma , meaning name. It is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
(
Auzas,
Auzes,
Auzi) exist in modern
LatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , and to the southeast by Belarus . Across the Baltic Sea to the west lies Sweden...
;
BalticThe Baltic languages are a group of related languages belonging to the Indo-European language family and spoken mainly in areas extending east and southeast of the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe...
origins of
Yauza are generally accepted but have not been proven.
Medieval Moscow grew from its
KremlinThe Moscow Kremlin otherwise known as the Russian Parliament , sometimes referred to as simply The Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River , Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square and the Alexander Garden...
primarily in north-eastern direction, towards the Yauza.
St. Andronik MonasterySt. Andronik Monastery, often transliterated as Andronikov Monastery is a former monastery on the left bank of the Yauza River in Moscow, consecrated to the Holy Image of Saviour Not Made by Hands and containing the oldest extant cathedral in Moscow.-Muscovite and Imperial period:The monastery was...
on the Yauza, established in 1357, formed the eastern defence arc together with Pokrovsky and
NovospasskyNovospassky Monastery is one of the fortified monasteries surrounding Moscow from south-east.It was the first monastery to be founded in the Moscow Kremlin in the early 14th century, affiliated with the Saviour church...
monasteries. The Yauza was used as a commerce waterway from Moscow to
VladimirVladimir is a city in Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway. It is the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast. Population: Vladimir was one of the medieval capitals of Russia, and two of its cathedrals are a World Heritage Site...
until the 16th century; boats that reached upper Yauza were
dragged over landPortage refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter....
to
Klyazma RiverThe 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 km. The area of its drainage basin is 42,500 km². The Klyazma River freezes up in November and stays under the ice until mid-April...
.
After the fire of 1494
Ivan III of RussiaIvan III Vasilevich , also known as Ivan the Great, was a Grand Prince of Moscow and "Grand Prince of all Russia" Sometimes referred to as the "gatherer of the Russian lands", he tripled the territory of his state, renovated the Moscow Kremlin, and laid the foundations of the Russian state...
set up his country residence on the western bank of the Yauza in Vorontsovo (
). In the same period potters, blacksmiths and other craftsmen who were deemed a fire hazard were evicted from Moscow proper onto the opposite, eastern bank of the Yauza (present-day area of
Taganka SquareTaganka Square or Taganskaya Square is a city square at the south-eastern corner of the Garden Ring in central Moscow, formed in 1963 by merging two historic squares, Upper Taganka and Lower Taganka. In 1813 the district of Taganka was reconstructed by Joseph Bové, who built a market there...
), thus beginning industrialization of the river.
17th and 18th centuries
SlobodaSloboda was a kind of settlement in the history of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The name is derived from the early Slavic word for "freedom" and may be vaguely translated as "free settlement". The status of "sloboda" varied over the time and territory. Initially the settlers of a sloboda were freed...
s of metalworkers'
guildA guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade.The earliest guilds were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel and a secret society...
s continuously expanded and in the 17th century Taganka became the most densely populated and at the same time the most remote area of the city. Lower Yauza was used by numerous
watermillA watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping...
s and public baths tending to the growing population.
Suburban valleys of the Yauza also flourished under early Romanovs: Mikhail of Russia established his country palace in Rubtsovo (
), his former rival
Dmitry PozharskyFor the ship of the same name, see Sverdlov class cruiserDmitry Mikhaylovich Pozharsky was a Rurikid prince, who led Russia's struggle for independence against Polish-Lithuanian invasion known as the Time of Troubles...
lived further out, in Medvedkovo on the Yauza (
).
Alexis I of RussiaAlexei Mikhailovich Romanov was the Tsar of Russia during some of the most eventful decades of the mid-17th century...
established a chain of country residencies in Preobrazhenskoye and Alekseevskoye (
) on the Yauza and
Izmaylovo EstateIzmaylovo Estate was a country residence of the House of Romanov built in the reign of Alexis I of Russia. Originally located 7 kilometers east of Moscow's city limits, it became part of the expanding city in the 20th century...
on its tributary Serebryanka. In 1653 Alexis gave way to the pressure of Orthodox clergy and expelled Catholics and Protestants from Moscow; they resettled into the
German QuarterGerman Quarter, also known as the Kukuy Quarter was a neighborhood in the northeast of Moscow, located on the right bank of the Yauza River east of Kukuy Creek , within present-day Basmanny District of Moscow.Its boundaries were defined by present-day Dobroslobodskaya Street and Bolshoy Demidovsky...
on the eastern bank of the Yauza, isolated from the city by the marshes around Kokuy and Chechora rivulets.
Peter IPeter I the Great or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov ruled Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his weak and sickly half-brother, Ivan V....
established his own headquarters in Preobrazhenskoye and was a regular guest at the German Quarter. He neglected his father's palaces, instead concentrating on the military (Preobrazhensky Lifeguard regiment, established 1687) and supporting industries that spread on both banks of the river.
Bartolomeo RastrelliFrancesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli was an Italian architect naturalized Russian. He developed an easily recognizable style of Late Baroque, both sumptuous and majestic...
erected
Annenhof, a summer residence for empress
Anna of RussiaAnna Ivanovna reigned as Duchess of Courland from 1711 to 1730 and as Empress of Russia from 1730 to 1740.-Accession to the throne:Anna was the daughter of Ivan V of Russia, as well as the niece of Peter the Great...
, in Lefortovo in 1731. Annenhof burnt down in 1746 and was eventually replaced by
CatherineCatherine II , also known as Catherine the Great, born . She was Empress of Russia from until . Under her direct auspices the Russian Empire expanded, improved its administration, and continued to modernize along Western European lines...
's Palace (
), designed by
Giacomo QuarenghiGiacomo Quarenghi was the foremost and most prolific practitioner of Palladian architecture in Imperial Russia, particularly in Saint Petersburg.- Career in Italy :...
; the palace how houses a military academy, former palace gardens are a public park.
Elizabeth of RussiaElizaveta Petrovna , also known as Yelisavet and Elizabeth, was the Empress of Russia who took the country into the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War...
built her country palace in Rubtsovo, on site of Mikhail's former residence (
), in 1735-1743.
Old BelieversIn the context of Russian Orthodox church history, the Old Believers became separated after 1666-1667 from the official Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon...
, a persecuted religious minority, were allowed to practice their confessions in two isolated communities east of the Yauza (
Rogozhskoye CemeteryRogozhskoe cemetery in Moscow, Russia, is the spiritual and administrative center of the largest Old Believers denomination, called the Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church. Historically, the name cemetery was applied to the whole Old Believer community, with living quarters, cathedral, almshouses,...
and
Preobrazhenskoye CemeteryPreobrazhenka Cemetery is a cemetery in the northern part of Moscow long associated with Old Believers. It was inaugurated by a Fedoseevtsy merchant in 1777 as a plague quarantine disguising the Bespopovtsy monastery...
) since 1770s.
EdinoverieEdinoverie is an arrangement between certain Russian Old Believer communities and the official Russian Orthodox State Church, whereby the communities are treated as a part of the normative Orthodox Church system, while maintaining their own traditional rites...
, a moderate branch of Old Believers in
communionThe term Communion is derived from Latin communio . The corresponding term in Greek is κοινωνία, which is often translated as "fellowship". In Christianity, the basic meaning of the term communion is an especially close relationship of Christians, as individuals or as a Church, with God and with...
with official Orthodox Church, built a large church complex on a high eastern bank of Yauza in Lefortovo (
).
In 1779
Catherine IICatherine II , also known as Catherine the Great, born . She was Empress of Russia from until . Under her direct auspices the Russian Empire expanded, improved its administration, and continued to modernize along Western European lines...
authorized construction of Moscow's first
water supply networkA water supply system or water supply network is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components which provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes:...
. Water from underground aquifers in upper Yauza basin flowed naturally to downtown Moscow throw underground pipes, surface canals and
an aqueductRostokinsky Aqueduct, also known as Millionny Bridge, is a stone aqueduct over Yauza river in Rostokino District of Moscow, Russia, built in 1780-1804. It is the only remaining aqueduct in Moscow, once a part of Mytishchi Water Supply, Moscow's first centralized water utility.-History:The Aqueduct...
crossing Yauza valley in Rostokino. After numerous delays and setbacks the system was commissioned in 1804 and operated into the 20th century; Yauza aquifers are still used by the city of
MytishchiMytishchi , the fifth-largest city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, lies to the north-east of Russia's capital Moscow , on the Yauza River and the Moscow – Yaroslavl railroad...
.
Capitalist industrialization
State-run factories established by Peter I on the Yauza provided a seed for a chain of private factories; by the end of 18th century significant industrial clusters emerged in Lefortovo and former German Quarter (then practically devoid of Western European influence). In 1846 pollution from these satanic mills prompted Moscow governor Aleksey Shcherbatov to survey the banks of the Yauza and enforce administrative action against the offenders.
Industrialization of the Yauza outside of
Garden RingThe Garden Ring, also known as the "B" Ring , is a circular avenue around the centre of Moscow, Russia. The Ring consists of seventeen individually named streets and fifteen squares. It has a circumference of sixteen kilometres. At its narrowest point, Krymsky Bridge, the Ring has six lanes; at...
limits increased with the advent of railroads; within the Ring, banks of the Yauza was the only heavily industrialized area. A major hub of three railway stations emerged north from the Yauza in the third quarter of the 19th century. Dense rail network helped establish the eastern perimeter of Moscow (
BasmannyBasmanny District is a district of Central Administrative Okrug of Moscow, Russia. The district extends north-east from Kitai-gorod, within the radial boundaries of Vorontsovo Pole Street and Yauza River in the south and Myasnitskaya Street and Novaya Basmannaya Street in the north...
,
LefortovoLefortovo could refer to a number of places or things in or around Moscow, Russia:*Lefortovo District, a district in South-Eastern Administrative Okrug*Lefortovo prison, a prison*Lefortovo tunnel, a road tunnel...
,
RogozhskoyeRogozhskoe cemetery in Moscow, Russia, is the spiritual and administrative center of the largest Old Believers denomination, called the Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church. Historically, the name cemetery was applied to the whole Old Believer community, with living quarters, cathedral, almshouses,...
and
SokolnikiSokolniki may refer to:*Sokolniki District, a district of Eastern Administrative Okrug, Moscow, Russia*Sokolniki, Tula Oblast, a town in Tula Oblast, Russia*Sokolniki, name of several rural localities in Russia...
) as "the fastest growing and the most variegated area, holding dozens of textile and garment factories but also machinery enterprises and Moscow's one
steel millA steel mill is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process...
."
Railroad infrastructure in
Krasnoselsky DistrictKrasnoselsky District may refer to:*Krasnoselsky District, Moscow, a district in Central Administrative Okrug of Moscow, Russia*Krasnoselsky District, Saint Petersburg, a district of Saint Petersburg, Russia...
, a steady source of municipal revenue, was threatened by regular floods on numerous tributaries of the Yauza. This risk, along with the drive to free up land for development, led to first modern
flood controlIn communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
measures in the Yauza basin. Red Pond (
), connected to the Yauza with Chechora river, was drained and converted to municipal rail yards in 1900–1911. In the same period, the Chechora was locked into an underground sewer and the Yauza was spanned by new bridges.
Higher education on the Yauza goes back to the Imperial Technical College, established in 1830 and now known as
Moscow State Technical UniversityThe Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Bauman MSTU , sometimes colloquially referred to as the Bauman School or Baumanka is a public university located in Moscow, Russia. Bauman MSTU is one of the oldest and largest Russian technical university offering B.S., M.S. and Ph.D...
. Present-day college community around MSTU includes
Moscow Power Engineering InstituteMoscow Power Engineering Institute is one of the largest and leading technical universities in Russia in the area of power engineering, electronics and IT...
, Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics and Military University in Lefortovo and Moscow State University of Geodesy and Cartography, State University Of Land Use Planning, Moscow State Pedagogical University and others in Basmanny District.
20th century
TSAGITsAGI is a transliteration of the Russian abbreviation for Центра́льный аэрогидродинами́ческий институ́т or "Tsentralniy Aerogidrodinamicheskiy Institut", the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute....
, established in 1918 in the former German Quarter (
) became a seed for one of two aircraft industry clusters in Moscow. An aircraft engine plant (present-day NPO Salyut), was established on the opposite bank in 1926. Andrey Tupolev's design firm moved out of TSAGI into his own premises on the Yauza (
) in 1936; by 1945
TupolevTupolev is a Russian aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Moscow. Officially known as Public Stock Company Tupolev, it is the successor of the famed Tupolev OKB or Tupolev Design Bureau headed by the renowned Soviet aerospace engineer A.N. Tupolev...
staff reached 5,226. Post-war period added
Mil Moscow Helicopter PlantMil Helicopters is the short name of the Soviet Russian helicopter producer Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant , named after the constructor Mikhail Mil. Mil participates in the Euromil joint venture with Eurocopter....
in Sokolniki and
Lyulka Lyul'ka was a USSR aero-engine design bureau / manufacturer from 1938 to the 1990s, when manufacturing and design elements were integrated as NPO Saturn based at Rybinsk...
rocket design bureau (now
NPO SaturnNPO Saturn is a Russian aircraft engine manufacturer, formed from the mergers of Rybinsk and Lyul'ka-Saturn . Saturn's engines power many former Eastern Bloc aircraft, such as the Tupolev Tu-154. Saturn holds a 50% stake in the PowerJet joint venture with Snecma...
) in Babushkinsky District.
Joseph StalinJoseph Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee from 1922 until his death in 1953...
's 1935 Moscow Reconstruction Plan called for creation of an innner ring of navigable waterways in Northern Moscow. Proposed Northern Shipping Canal connecting Khimki Reservoir with the Yauza would have made the latter navigable up to Sviblovo; Yauza valley north from Sviblovo would have been flooded into a wide reservoir. A system of four sets of locks would gradually reduce water level, and the river itself was to be deepened and widened in a proper navigable canal with
graniteGranite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite has a medium to coarse texture, occasionally with some individual crystals larger than the groundmass forming a rock known as porphyry. Granites can be pink to dark gray or even black, depending on their...
embankments and wide riverside highways. Further industrialization of Yauza was prohibited; embankments of the Moskva and the Yauza were
zonedZoning is a device of land use regulation used by local governments in most developed countries . The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
for high-profile public and residential buildings.
Northern Canal, initially planned for completion in 1939, was never built; instead, water level in Yauza was reinforced through a low-cost water pipe connecting Khimki Reservoir with Likhoborka River, right-side tributary of the Yauza. A single set of locks (instead of four) designed by Georgy Golts was built in 1940. The river was widened and flanked with embankments according to the plan although at a slower pace.
Social and zoning assumptions made in 1935 were soon discarded and industrialization of Yauza drainage basin continued unchecked through the Soviet period, particularly in the "reviled south-east quadrant" not obstructed by park and forest reserves. Territory immediately east and south-east of the Yauza became "the city's worst rust and smokestack belt". The "problem child of the first Five Year Plan" continued to grow until the economic collapse of early 1990s and the river itself became "a reeking porridge of raw wastes from eighty-two manufacturing plants."
In the 1990s manufacturing along the Yauza declined, and by 2009 many former industrial sites have been converted or rebuilt into offices and housing.
Ecology
Industrialization of the Soviet period polluted Yauza drainage basin to a point where "an oil-soaked tributary of Yauza burst into flame in 1971" and Yauza itself "was called a river only by force of habit... the biggest gutter for waste in Moscow" causing a prominent surge in Moskva River pollution below Yauza inlet. By 2005 this surge disappeared although pollution levels in lower Yauza remained 2-3 times higher than in Moskva just below Yauza inlet.
Untreated filthy
surface runoffSurface runoff is the water flow which occurs when soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess water, from rain, snowmelt, or other sources flows over the land. This is a major component of the hydrologic cycle. Runoff that occurs on surfaces before reaching a channel is also called a nonpoint...
was (and still remains as of 2008) the main source of pollution; in 1980s it contributed 1 to 8 times more
petrochemicalPetrochemicals are chemical products made from raw materials of petroleum or other hydrocarbon origin. Although some of the chemical compounds that originate from petroleum may also be derived from coal and natural gas, petroleum is the major source...
waste than direct
industrial wasteIndustrial waste is a type of waste produced by industrial activity, such as that of factories, mills and mines. It has existed since the outset of the industrial revolution....
. As of 2008, nearly 80% of surface runoff in Central Administrative District is still flushed into Moskva and Yauza untreated. Until 2000, the river was used in winters as a dump for the snow collected from the streets, adding
chlorideThe chloride ion is formed when the element chlorine picks up one electron to form an anion Cl
−...
s,
sootSoot is a general term that refers to impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of a hydrocarbon. It is more properly restricted to the product of the gas-phase combustion process but is commonly extended to include the residual pyrolyzed fuel particles such as cenospheres,...
, rubbish and more oil into the mix. This practice is now banned; the city now employs a network of snow melting dumps that feed polluted water into treatment facilities.
Pollution levels gradually reduced in 1990s and 2000s as riverside factories were closed and converted or completely rebuilt into offices and housing; by 2008 industry contributed less than 10% of the city's wastewaters. Historical Kristall distillery (
) in Lefortovo remains the last major industrial pollutant on the Yauza.
Between 2001 and 2007 the city drained the lower stretches of the Yauza, swept poisonous sediments off its bottom and plugged hundreds of illegal sewage outlets City commissioner's report for 2007 registered a significant decrease in pollution levels between 2006 and 2007 alone (a similar decrease was recorded in 2005), and reclassified state of Yauza waters from "dirty" (pollution index of 4..6) to "polluted" (index barely below 4), specifically mentioning high levels of
ironIron is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a group 8 and period 4 element and is therefore classified as a transition metal. Iron and iron alloys are by far the most common metals and the most common ferromagnetic materials in everyday use...
and
manganeseManganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
.
In 2008, however, the trend reversed and pollution in the Yauza exceeded its 2006 levels. Petrochemical content in the Yauza exceeded national limit threefold (2008: 0.93 mg/l vs. 0.3), suspended particles fivefold (2008: 56 mg/l vs. 10.25). Iron, manganese,
formaldehydeFormaldehyde is a chemical compound with the formula CH2O. It is the simplest aldehyde. Formaldehyde also exists as the cyclic trimer trioxane and the polymer paraformaldehyde. It exists in water as the hydrate H2C2. Aqueous solutions of formaldehyde are referred...
,
chemical oxygen demandIn environmental chemistry, the chemical oxygen demand test is commonly used to indirectly measure the amount of organic compounds in water. Most applications of COD determine the amount of organic pollutants found in surface water , making COD a useful measure of water quality...
and
biochemical oxygen demandBiochemical oxygen demand or BOD is a chemical procedure for determining the rate of uptake of dissolved oxygen by the rate biological organisms in a body of water use up oxygen. It is not a precise quantitative test, although it is widely used as an indication of the quality of water.BOD can be...
(BOD
5) also exceed maximum allowed limits. Tributaries of the Yauza (with a single healthy exception of Ichka river) are still rated as either "dirty" or "very dirty" (pollution index 6..10). The city, as of 2008, planned rehabilitation of Yauza tributaries Chermyanka and Likhoborka that is threatened by shortage of funds in the wake of 2008 Russian financial crisis.
Upper, cleaner stretch of the Yauza is home to around 20 species of fish, predominantly
burbotThe burbot is the only freshwater gadiform fish. It is also known as the lawyer, and eelpout, and closely related to the common ling and the cusk. It is the only member of the genus Lota....
,
perchPerca is the genus of fish referred to as perch or, sometimes, yellow perch, a group of freshwater fish belonging to the family Percidae...
,
crucian carpThe Crucian Carp is a member of the family Cyprinidae, which includes many other fish such as the common carp, or the smaller minnows. They inhabit lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers throughout Europe and Asia. The crucian is a medium-sized cyprinid, which rarely exceeds a weight of over 3.3...
and
gobioGobio is the genus of typical gudgeons, ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family.It contains the following species:* White-Finned Gudgeon * Gobio benacensis* Gobio gobio* Gobio elimeius...
but even lower Yauza has its population of hardy fish.
PerchPerca is the genus of fish referred to as perch or, sometimes, yellow perch, a group of freshwater fish belonging to the family Percidae...
caught near Yauza inlet in 1990s contained over 250 times the maximum allowed amount of petrochemical substances. Abundance of
crucian carpThe Crucian Carp is a member of the family Cyprinidae, which includes many other fish such as the common carp, or the smaller minnows. They inhabit lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers throughout Europe and Asia. The crucian is a medium-sized cyprinid, which rarely exceeds a weight of over 3.3...
became public in April 2008, when an accidental release of hot water from a powerplant killed over a hundred fishes found dead near
Rostokino AqueductRostokinsky Aqueduct, also known as Millionny Bridge, is a stone aqueduct over Yauza river in Rostokino District of Moscow, Russia, built in 1780-1804. It is the only remaining aqueduct in Moscow, once a part of Mytishchi Water Supply, Moscow's first centralized water utility.-History:The Aqueduct...
.
Gobio albipinnatusThe White-finned Gudgeon is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family.It is found in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovakia, and Ukraine.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. . ...
, a fish that was believed to be extinct in the whole
Moscow OblastMoscow Oblast , or Podmoskovye is a federal subject of Russia . Its area, at 45,900 km², is relatively small comparing to other federal subjects, but it is one of the most densely populated regions in the country and the second most populous federal subject —only surpassed by...
, was rediscovered in the Yauza and in
Setun RiverThe Setun is a river in the west of Moscow and the largest tributary of the Moskva River in Moscow. The length of the river is , of which is in Moscow itself. Its basin has an area of . The Setun River originates in the village of Salariyevo in Moscow Oblast and flows into the Moskva River near...
in 1993.