Oka (river)

The Oka is a major river located in central Russia. It serves as the largest right tributary of the Volga River. A tributary is a stream that flows into a larger main river. The Oka flows through several different Russian regions. These include Oryol, Tula, Kaluga, Moscow, Ryazan, Vladimir, and Nizhny Novgorod. Much of its length is navigable for boats. This water travel is possible as far upstream as the town of Kaluga.

The river has a very complex system of tributaries. These smaller rivers feed into the Oka from both sides. From the source to the mouth, the right-side tributaries include the Zusha, Upa, Besputa, Osyotr, Vozha, Pronya, Para, Moksha, Tyosha, Kishma, and the large Volga tributary itself. The left-side tributaries include the Zhizdra, Ugra, Protva, Nara, Lopasnya, Moskva, Pra, Gus, Ushna, and Klyazma. The Moskva is particularly important because it flows through Moscow. The Russian capital actually sits on this tributary. Some people believe the name Moscow is derived from the Moskva river.

History shows that many different cultures have used the Oka. The river was the original homeland of the Eastern Slavic Vyatichi tribe. By the 5th century, various Slavic tribes inhabited the land around the river. The Baltic tribe known as the Galindians lived in the western part of the Oka basin. Turkic tribes also lived in the area. Even Vikings from Scandinavia used the Oka–Volga route for travel.

For centuries, the Oka acted as a vital defensive line. From the Mongol conquest until roughly 1633, it was the last line of defense against steppe raiders. Later, a chain of fortifications called the Zasechnaya cherta was created. This line protected the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the later Tsardom of Russia from Crimean-Nogai Raids. This defensive line was located south of the original Oka line. In 1221, Grand Duke Yuri II of Vladimir founded the city of Nizhny Novgorod. He built it to protect the confluence where the Oka meets the Volga.

Before modern technology, the Oka was a primary transportation route. It connected Moscow to the Volga before the mid-19th century railways were built. It also served this purpose before the Moscow Canal was built in the 1930s. However, the river is very winding and meanders through the land. This makes travel quite slow. In 1703, Cornelis de Bruijn took about 10 days to sail from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod. Traveling upstream was even more difficult. In those times, workers called burlaks had to pull the boats along the river.

The river banks are filled with significant cultural and historical landmarks. You can find medieval monasteries in the city of Murom. In Kasimov, there are mosques and minarets. The cities of Kolomna and Serpukhov feature fortified kremlins. There are also memorial houses for Vasily Polenov and Sergey Yesenin. Visitors can see the excavated ruins of Old Ryazan and the Oka Shukhov Tower.

Nature also thrives along the Oka's path. The Prioksko-Terrasny Biosphere Reserve sits on the left bank. This reserve is located opposite the town of Pushchino. It is well known as a breeding nursery for the wisent. This is a large type of wild cattle. The river even appears in famous music. In 1943, Leon Pasternak wrote a popular military field song about the river. The song was written for the Polish 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division. The unit was founded near the river and fought all the way to Berlin. The song compares the Oka to the Vistula river in Poland.