Baikal lake, classified and protected within UNESCO heritage, is the lake of world records:
- The biggest reserve of fresh water on Earth with 23,000km3 to be compared to the 89km3 of Geneva lake (see below figure),
- The richest in term of animal and plant species with 3,500 species, including 2,500 animal ones (Timochkine, 1995), and a 82% endemism rate (Mazenova, 1995),
- The oldest with its 23 millions years,
- And the deepest reaching 1,637m at maximum.
Compared to Geneva lake (the biggest lake in Western Europe), Baikal is 5 times deeper, 54 times larger, and contains 258 times more water. Baikal’s volume equals the one of Baltic Sea.
Baikal lake is the sacred sea (“sviatoie morie”), known in the legend as the Father and his daughters representing the rivers connected to him. The legend says he had difficult relationships with his one daughter Angara and this is why it is the only one river flowing from Baikal lake, while all others flow into.
Baikal is also what saves and helps to escape Rawicz and his friends prisoners of a goulag near Yakoutsk. Going along the Lena river and planning to flew through Mongolia, he suggests: “Trouvons seulement l’extremite Nord du lac et sa long rive orientale nous menera presque au dehors de Siberie. Cette idee du Baikal comme guide naturel pour quitter ce pays de servage fut l’aiguillon qui nous fit poursuivre a marche forcee au cours des semaines suivantes”.
Finally, Baikal plays a major role in history. December 14th 1825, tsar Nicolai 1st stops the insurrection of officers and members of the intelligentsia in Saint-Petersbourg, the so called “insurrection decabriste”. Condamned to exil and forced work in Siberia, several dozens of these revolutionaries established in Irkoutsk. Nobles, educated and generous, they will give a new twist and dimension to the region. For example, lieutenant Mikhail K. Kioukhelbeker had taken part in expeditions to Artic Circle and was a knowledgeable marine and explorator. He developed in Bargouzine gulf at Baikal lake the first method of winter sondages from the banquise (Kolotilo, 1989). Famous poet Alexander Pouchkine had several of his good friends among the “Decabrists” and sent them the following “Missive en Siberie” in their honor:
En Siberie, au fond des mines,
Plein d’endurance et de fierte,
Sachez que votre oeuvre chemine
Vers l’ideal de liberte!
Fidele soeur de l’infortune,
L’esperance dans vos sous-sols
Maintient courage et foi commune,
L’heure attendue a pris son vol!
Et malgre toutes les serrures,
L’amour ainsi que l’amitie
Vont au fond des prisons obscures
Porter la voix de Liberte.
Quand tomberont vos lourdes chaines,
Vos freres rendront a vos bras
Le glaive, et terminant vos peines,
La Liberte vous attendra.
The beach
Overlooking
Winter
Ice
Crossing the lake
Baikal is also what saves and helps to escape Rawicz and his friends prisoners of a goulag near Yakoutsk. Going along the Lena river and planning to flew through Mongolia, he suggests: “Trouvons seulement l’extremite Nord du lac et sa long rive orientale nous menera presque au dehors de Siberie. Cette idee du Baikal comme guide naturel pour quitter ce pays de servage fut l’aiguillon qui nous fit poursuivre a marche forcee au cours des semaines suivantes”.
Finally, Baikal plays a major role in history. December 14th 1825, tsar Nicolai 1st stops the insurrection of officers and members of the intelligentsia in Saint-Petersbourg, the so called “insurrection decabriste”. Condamned to exil and forced work in Siberia, several dozens of these revolutionaries established in Irkoutsk. Nobles, educated and generous, they will give a new twist and dimension to the region. For example, lieutenant Mikhail K. Kioukhelbeker had taken part in expeditions to Artic Circle and was a knowledgeable marine and explorator. He developed in Bargouzine gulf at Baikal lake the first method of winter sondages from the banquise (Kolotilo, 1989). Famous poet Alexander Pouchkine had several of his good friends among the “Decabrists” and sent them the following “Missive en Siberie” in their honor:
En Siberie, au fond des mines,
Plein d’endurance et de fierte,
Sachez que votre oeuvre chemine
Vers l’ideal de liberte!
Fidele soeur de l’infortune,
L’esperance dans vos sous-sols
Maintient courage et foi commune,
L’heure attendue a pris son vol!
Et malgre toutes les serrures,
L’amour ainsi que l’amitie
Vont au fond des prisons obscures
Porter la voix de Liberte.
Quand tomberont vos lourdes chaines,
Vos freres rendront a vos bras
Le glaive, et terminant vos peines,
La Liberte vous attendra.
The beach
Overlooking
Winter
Ice
Crossing the lake
No comments:
Post a Comment