Sestra (Gulf of Finland)
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Sestra Сестра, Rajajoki , Siestarjoki , Systerbäck |
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 The Sestra as a Finnish-Soviet border river in the 1920s |
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| Data | ||
| Water code | RU : 01040300512102000008416 | |
| location | Leningrad Oblast , Saint Petersburg ( Russia ) | |
| River system | Sestra | |
| Drain over | Sestra → Baltic Sea | |
| source | near the village (Possjolok) Lesnoje on the Karelian isthmus 60 ° 21 ′ 33 ″ N , 30 ° 4 ′ 24 ″ E |
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| muzzle | at Sestrorezk in the Gulf of Finland Coordinates: 60 ° 5 ′ 11 " N , 29 ° 55 ′ 45" E 60 ° 5 ′ 11 " N , 29 ° 55 ′ 45" E |
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| Mouth height |
0 m
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| length | 74 km | |
| Catchment area | 393 km² | |
| Left tributaries | Samenskaya, Serebrjany Rutschei | |
| Reservoirs flowed through | Sestrorezky Razliv | |
| Medium-sized cities | Sestroreetsk | |
| Communities | Beloostrov | |
The Sestra ( Russian Сестра ("sister"); Finnish Rajajoki ("border river"), Siestarjoki ; Swedish Systerbäck ("Schwesterbach")) is a river on the Karelian Isthmus in the Russian Oblast Leningrad and the Saint Petersburg area . It has a length of 74 km and a catchment area of 393 km².
The Sestra represents the historical border between the regions of Karelia and Ingermanland . In the Treaty of Nöteborg in 1323 the river was established as the border between Sweden and Russia. After Old Finland fell to Russia in 1721, it was the border river between the Russian governorates of Vyborg and Saint Petersburg , from 1812 to 1917 between Russia and the Grand Duchy of Finland , and from 1917 to 1940 and 1941 to 1944 between the Soviet Union and independent Finland .
Until the beginning of the 18th century the Sestra flowed into the Gulf of Finland . After 1714 it was dammed into a lake by building a dam to supply the ammunition factory in the newly established Sestrorezk with water. The resulting lake ( Sestrorezki Rasliw ) today has a size of 10.6 km² and is only about 2 m deep. It is separated from the sea by artificially raised sand dunes. The water level is regulated via a 4.8 km long channel to the sea.
