Belyana

Volga Travel Poster - 1932

Belyana, 1931

Photograph: Kostin Brothers

Belyana was a type of large disposable ship used for timber rafting along the

rivers Volga and Kama from the end of the 16th century until the middle of the 20th century. Belyanas were among the largest wooden ships ever built, with the largest ones being more than 100 meters long with a load capacity up to 10,000 tons.

Belyanas were built in the Upper Volga region of Russia without any special tools or plans; the vessels had no engines or sails and could only float down the river. Each year in the 18th and 19th centuries hundreds of belyanas were built and floated to Astrakhan, where they were entirely dismantled and sold. With the development of railroads in the Soviet Union, belyanas became too complex and too expensive; the last belyana was built in 1939.