Msta River
In the early 18th century, Peter the Great ordered the resettlement of peasants from the Msta River to the current location of Podporozhye to organize navigation along the Svir River, known for its nearly impassable rapids. In the late 19th century, these minor settlements next to the Svir rapids (Sigovets and Medvedets) received the name of Podporozhye (literally, "under the rapids"). By the beginning of the 20th century, Podporozhye was a village and a part of Lodeynopolsky Uyezd in Olonets Governorate. In 1922, Olonets Governorate was abolished and Lodeynopolsky Uyezd was transferred to Petrograd Governorate (later Leningrad Oblast).