2282 RUSSIA (Vologda Oblast) - A log windmill in 1909

A major component of the Volga-Baltic Waterway (formerly called the Mariinsk Canal System), linking Saint Petersburg (therefore the Baltic Sea) with the Volga River basin, is the Sheksna River, which drains the southeastern part of White Lake (Beloe ozero). The original length of the Sheksna was 395km, from White Lake to the Sheksna’s confluence with the Volga at the town of Rybinsk. The Sheksna is now largely hidden by vast reservoirs created in the mid-20th century that submerged the land along the river.

0843 RUSSIA (Republic of Karelia) - Railroad bridge across the Shuya River

Shuya (Suojoki in Finnish) is a small river (has only 194km in length) and flows out of Lake Suoyarvi through Lake Logmozero into Lake Onega. It freezes up in November - January and stays icebound until April - first half of May. In nowadays is a good rafting river for the beginners and families, and also for short trips. The wooden railroad bridge across the Shuya River shown in the postcard was probably build once with the Murmanskaya Railway (1914 -1916), which traversed Karelia, connecting Murmansk with major Russian cities, its goal being rather strategic than economic. This photo was taken in 1916 by Sergey Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky (1863-1944) as part of his work to document the Russian Empire in the period between 1904 and 1916. Probably that the pyramid structures that are seen at the level of the water were designed to hinder the ice floes to strike the bridge pillars.

About the stamps

The first stamp was issued on August 8, 2013, to celebrate the XIV World Championships in Athletics 2013, which held in Moscow between 10 and 18 August 2013. The stamp features competing athletes and the logo of these championships.