Voitsky Waterfall on the Lower Vyg River (sometimes called Voitsky Falling) is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Karelia. The word “Voitsty” means “Howl”. It is not as powerful as the Kivach Waterfall, but before the construction of the White Sea Canal, in the 20th century, its power was significantly greater.
Traveling through Karelia on the Kola highway, you have to make a short stop in the city of Nadvoitsy to see a bubbling waterfall with a color of water similar to Coca-Cola. However, this color of water can be seen in all rivers and lakes of Karelia. However, in a waterfall, this color of water looks especially impressive.
The first mention of the Voitsky waterfall appeared in written sources of the 16th century. Then it was significantly more powerful. The bed of the Lower Vyg River at this point was divided into three branches, so there were three waterfalls. They were called Mill, Middle Falling and Jostling. The height of these waterfalls reached 7 meters.
In the vicinity of the waterfall was a mine for the extraction of copper and gold. A mill was built over the Mill Falls in the 18th century, and a factory was built over the Jostling Falls, where the ore was crushed and washed. Local residents said that the roar of the waterfalls could be heard 20 kilometers away. The village, which was built next to the Voitsky waterfall, was named Nadvoitsy, which means: "Over" the "Howl".
There are records of famous people visiting this waterfall. Gavriil Derzhavin, having become the governor of the Olonets (Karelian) province, went on a trip around the province from his Palace in St. Petersburg. The writer Prishvin came here. In 1916, the famous photographer Prokudin-Gorsky visited the Voitsky Waterfall. Thanks to his photos, we can see how the Voitsky waterfall looked like in those years.
In 1931, the construction of the White Sea Canal from Lake Onega to the White Sea was started. It completely changed the appearance of the Voitsky waterfall. At the site of the Mill Waterfall, lock No. 10 is now located, and the channel of the Jostling arm has been drained.
Only the Middle Falling waterfall remained, but due to the change in the water level, it became much lower, no more than 3 meters. However, the change in the water level made the Voitsky waterfall more beautiful. Water the color of Coca-Cola, falling into a large granite bowl, boils violently.
