| Verman | |
| Image Alt: | Verman River |
| Source1 Location: | Southern slopes of Mount Repotunturi |
| Mouth: | Lake Tolvand |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 66.9183°N 31.2098°W |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Russia |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Murmansk Oblast |
| Progression: | Lake Tolvand→ Tolvand→ Lake Kovdozero→ |
| Length: | 38km (24miles) |
| Source1 Elevation: | 250m (820feet) |
| Mouth Elevation: | 97m (318feet) |
| Basin Size: | 291km2 |
The Verman (Russian: Верман, Finnish: Vermanjoki) is a river in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. For much of the Arctic Campaign of World War II stretches of it formed the front line, and much fighting occurred there.
The river is located in the southwestern part of Murmansk Oblast. It is called the Lower, Middle, and Upper Verman respectively in its lower, middle and upper reaches. Its source is on the southern slopes of Mount Repotunturi, northeast of the village of Alakurtti. From there the river flows eastward and then, skirting Pogranichnuju Hill, it turns south and empties into the southwestern part of Lake Tolvand. It is long, and has a drainage basin of . It has a width of 20m–37mm (70feet–121feetm), a depth of up to 2m (07feet), and a flow rate of 0.3m/s1m/s.
The river flows through a hilly terrain covered with forests of pine, fir, and (in the upper reaches) birch, with the trees up to 12m–15mm (39feet–49feetm) tall. In some places the river flows through swamps more than 2m (07feet) deep. The height of the surrounding hills reaches 400m–560mm (1,300feet–1,840feetm) in the upper reaches and 320m (1,050feet) at the mouth. The highest hills on the Lower Verman are Vojta (409.4m (1,343.2feet)), Kruglaja (342m (1,122feet)), Pogranichnaja (366m (1,201feet)), Vojanvara (562m (1,844feet)), and Repotunturi (480m (1,580feet)).
There are heavy rapids in places. Immediately before the mouth is a 1m (03feet) waterfall. There are several small unnamed islands in the river, and several relatively small tributaries, not shown on most maps.
There are a few small settlements on the river. In several places there are rail lines and roads, including some all–weather roads. The Murman Railway crosses the Verman just above the mouth. From the late 1940s until 1971 a railway station was located 1miles east of the river. A small 18m (59feet) 8–ton capacity bridge is located at the mouth of the river, and just north of there the Alakurtti–Kandalaksha highway crosses the river. At this point there is also a 20m (70feet) 40–ton capacity wooden bridge. Several all–weather roads cross the river upstream, at fords. On the slopes of Pogranichnaja there is a ruined bridge.
In the northernmost sector of the Continuation War, the part of the river in the area around Kandalaksha defined the front line from September 17, 1941 until September 1944.[1] On both banks of the river there are numerous ruins of military installations, fortifications, trenches, and fences left over from this war.
On the left bank of the river near the highway bridge is a monument in the form of a black obelisk. The obelisk bears the inscription "Soviet soldiers – victors of the Verman Front" and displays the names of the dead and maps of military operations. A little east of the river on the road to Kandalaksha there is a mass grave.