TheValdai Hills,[a] sometimes shortened toValdai,[b] are an upland region in the north-west of centralEuropean Russia running north–south, about midway betweenSaint Petersburg andMoscow, spanningLeningrad,Novgorod,Tver,Pskov, andSmolensk Oblasts.
The Valdai Hills are a populartourist destination, particularly for fishing. The towns ofOstashkov andValday are also known for their historical associations.
Valdaysky National Park was established in 1990 in the southern part of Novgorod Oblast to protect the landscapes of the highest part of the hills. The park includes Lake Valdayskoye and the northern section of Lake Seliger, as well as the town of Valday. Since 2004, the National Park has the status of aUNESCOBiosphere Reserve.[1]
The hills are a northward extension of theCentral Russian Upland. To the northwest stretches theVepsian Upland. The ridge is overlain by depositedglacial materials in the form of terminalmoraines and otherdetritus. The Valdai Hills reach their maximum height of 346.9 m (1,138 ft) nearVyshny Volochyok.[2][3][4]
TheVolga, theDaugava (the Western Dvina), theLovat, theMsta, theDnieper, theSyas, and other rivers originate in the Valdai Hills. The region thus is divided among thedrainage basins of theCaspian Sea (the Volga), theBlack Sea (the Dnieper), and theBaltic Sea (the Msta and the Lovat via theVolkhov, the Syas viaLake Ladoga and theNeva, and the Daugava).
It is a place of many lakes, among themLake Volgo,Lake Peno,Lake Seliger,Lake Brosno, andLake Valdayskoye.[5]
During thelast glacial period, the Valdai Hills with its hard rocks posed an obstacle to the glacier ice that advances from northwest, diverting the ice into the lowlands.[6]
Valdai Lake.
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