Lake Onega Lake Onega Lake Onega (also known as Onego, ; or ; or ; or ) is a lake in the north-west European part of Russia, located on the territory of Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Oblast and Vologda Oblast. It belongs to the basin of the Baltic Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and is the second largest lake in Europe after Lake Ladoga. The lake is fed by about 50 rivers and is drained by the Svir River. There are about 1,650 islands on the lake. They include Kizhi, which hosts a historical complex of 89 orthodox wooden churches and other wooden constructions
Onega River Monastery on an island in the Lake Kozheozero. Some of the finest monuments of the northern wooden architecture are located in the basin of the Onega, including ensembles of Lyadiny, Saunino Pogost, Krasnaya Lyaga, and Bolzhaya Shalga. These monuments also suffer from the lack of protection and their number steadily diminishes. In fact, the majority of them have been lost. The river splits into the Big Onega and Little Onega Rivers from its estuary, but then these branches join again, forming a big flat island. It freezes up in late October - early December and stays under the ice until