A city at the foot of Mashuk Mountain. Sights of Pyatigorsk

Africa

The glorious city of Pyatigorsk stands out among others resort places, it is a precious pearl of the Caucasian Mineral Waters. One of the most majestic and amazing sights of the city is Mount Mashuk in Pyatigorsk.

It belongs to the list of mountains in the region of the Caucasian mineral waters, which were formed as a result of volcanic processes. This article will cover all interesting facts associated with Mount Mashuk, which is a natural landscape monument city of Pyatigorsk.

Every year, the resort town is visited by a huge number of tourists, who, first of all, are attracted by the healing properties of mountain air and mineral waters. It carefully protects and multiplies historical and cultural sights. In a word, in Pyatigorsk there is something to admire.

Having been in this city, you should definitely visit the unique attraction Mount Mashuk. How many related important historical events, and which interesting legends they talk about its formation ... To begin with, it is worth retelling interesting and unique legends that reveal the meaning of the name not only of Mount Mashuk, but also of other mountains in the Caucasian mineral waters region.

Legends about Mashuk

In folk art, there are several legends that talk about the history of the origin of the name Mashuk. It is worth telling the most common and interesting.

According to one version, Mount Mashuk got its name from the words "mash", which means millet, and "ko" - that is, a place for sowing millet. These words are of Kabardian origin. Another version says that this mountain was named after the courageous horseman Mashuko. This legendary story is about how in ancient times there was a clash and a bloody struggle in the Kabardian lands.

Suddenly, the Khan of the Golden Horde with his army attacked civilians. They mercilessly robbed and killed civilians. The courageous, strong and fearless Mashuko came to their defense, hot Dzhigit blood played in him. He lost his bride, she was killed by the Khan's soldiers. And the brave guy wanted to take revenge on the Horde. But the forces were not equal, and Mashuk, not wanting to surrender to the enemy, jumped down the mountain.

Another legend tells a different story about the origin of the name of the mountain. In ancient times, Khubiev Mechuka, a Karachai, who was a talented weapon-maker, moved to the vicinity of modern Pyatigorsk. Mount Mashuk was named after him.

The most interesting and widespread is the legend about the love and misfortune of two lovers, the beautiful girl Mashuk and the brave hero Beshtau. In folk art there are several variants of stories of this legendary history. Let's try to convey its main storyline.

Thousands of years ago, when in place of modern Caucasus mountains there was a fruitful plain, legendary horsemen lived there. They engaged in the fact that they attacked the surrounding villages and mercilessly robbed and ruined them. Their leader was an old warrior named Elbrus. He had a son Beshtau, a courageous, strong and fearless hero.

His life passed without worries, in daily campaigns and raids, as well as in merry feasts with his friends. He was very smart and resourceful. Beshtau perfectly understood the language of animals, and four animals always participated in his endless campaigns:

Cunning and Silent Snake
Fearless and strong Ox
Hardy and patient Camel
king of beasts lion

Not far from this village, where Elbrus ruled, lived a beautiful girl named Mashuk. Poems and songs were written about her beauty. She loved spring walks and solitude with nature. Her head was always decorated with wildflowers and greenery. Against the backdrop of blooming nature, Mashuk was like a queen of the field. And then one day, an incredible event happened. The mighty conqueror, the son of the ruthless Elbrus, fell in love with this beautiful girl.

He could not live a day without her magical eyes and charming smile. Mashuk could not resist this courageous handsome hero. A strong, fiery and all-consuming love ensued between them. They wanted to get married, and Beshtau immediately asked permission from his father.

The news of the imminent wedding of a young horseman and a beautiful girl spread throughout the Caucasus. This event was magnificently and cheerfully celebrated for three days. But then grief came from where the newlyweds did not expect at all. The gray-haired lord of the mountains, the father of the hero, fell in love with his son's wife. He wished her for himself, and made a terrible plan for how to separate the lovers.

Immediately after the wedding festivities, Elbrus called his son and instructed him to go on a raid on the village, where fierce nonhumans lived, who cruelly ate the living. Everyone knew that few people returned alive from there. Young Beshtau did not dare to go against the order of his father, although he did not want to leave his beloved young wife.

But, he gathered his army and set off on this dangerous campaign. Some time later, the old man Elbrus spread rumors about the death of his son and his subjects. He forcibly married the heartbroken Mashuka, who resisted with all her might, for which the hated husband imprisoned the poor girl in a sakla.

But, as it turned out, the young and brave hero did not die, and one late evening he returned to his native places with his army. With him he carried rich booty, which spoke of the success of the campaign, and of victory. But, not having time to get to his house, he learns from his faithful friends about the terrible deeds of his father.

Without thinking twice, a hot horseman rushes to free his beloved from captivity. Creeping up to the rock, he finds her exhausted and crying. Seeing her beloved alive, the beautiful Mashuk immediately comes to life. The poor lovers decide to run away from the ruthless father who separated them. On the same night, they set off on a long journey, wanting to start a new life. True friends volunteered to accompany them.

In the morning, the old man Elbrus, having learned about the absence of the beauty, rushes with his army to catch up with the young lovers. Beshtau and Mashuk could not escape, the Elbrus army overtook them on the site of the modern mountains of Pyatigorsk.

The battle between the troops of father and son was sharpened for a long time. And so, on Mount Mashuk, there was a bloody duel between father and son. It was a very bloody massacre. But the young could not resist the strength and skills of the old warrior. The father cut his son's head into five pieces, and the young dzhigit fell down dead. Elbrus itself did not survive in this duel.

The hero also cut his father's head into two parts. And the young girl Mashuk could not bear this terrible and horrific loss of her beloved. Bending over him, she pulled a dagger from her beloved's belt and stuck it right in her heart.

And the ground trembled beneath them. She could not endure this terrifying battle. From the bloody spectacle, warriors - horsemen turned into huge snow stones, which today are the mountains of the region of the Caucasian mineral waters and the Caucasus.

And nearby you can see a powerful two-headed. And to this day, poor Masha lies with a wound in her chest, where her hot and innocent blood still oozes. Beauty Mashuk turned into a snowy mountain with a hole in the heart.

This is the sad ending to this tragic legend. It describes one of the options for how Mount Mashuk was formed, and why it has such a name.

The value of Mount Mashuk as a landscape attraction

Mount Mashuk is unique place, on top of which you can admire the glorious city of Pyatigorsk. Archaeological treasures have been found on this mountain at different times. ancient eras. The main attractions of Mashuk include:

Failure - a cave with an underground natural lake;
TV tower;
Rock image of V. I. Lenin;
A historical monument at the place where the famous Russian writer and poet M. Lermontov was killed in a duel, more details in the article ""
Church of Saint Lawrence;
Majestic sculpture of an eagle;
Monument to the famous topographer A. Pastukhov;
On this mountain there are rare zones where permafrost reigns.

Everyone is very surprised by the fact that in a relatively small area of the mountain, springs of mineral and healing waters of five types were discovered. All these varieties of Mashuk waters are now used by sanatoriums in the city of Pyatigorsk for the complex treatment of various chronic diseases.

Also, at the very foot of the mountain, traces of stone mining remain visible, which were left by the first inhabitants of Pyatigorsk when mining stone for the construction of houses. Several buildings built of white stone can be seen today on the streets of the city, they are also sights of ancient times. To this day, almost centuries-old trees have been preserved, which the first inhabitants of Pyatigorsk planted to decorate the mountain.

At the end of the 10th century, people began to understand that Mount Mashuk is a truly valuable attraction that needs to be protected and cherished. At that time, a special nursery was created, in which they began to grow a variety of rare plants to decorate and improve the health effect of those staying at the resort.

Today, this territory contains plants of various species from all over the world, unique and healing trees, shrubs and flowers of which there are about a thousand.

Mount Mashuk attracts tourists with its architectural monuments. At the beginning of the 10th century, well-known figures in the field of architecture and construction built an unusual musical pavilion on a mountain cliff. In its middle was installed musical instrument, which made amazingly beautiful sounds.

Unfortunately, the harp has not survived to this day. But, in the warm seasons, everyone can visit the musical pavilion and enjoy the music that is already produced by modern audio equipment.

Also, Mount Mashuk is known throughout the world for the fact that on its top is the highest television tower, which was built in the middle of the last century. The tower looks especially amazing at night, as hundreds of beams of bright spotlights are directed at it. Its height above sea level reaches a height of 112 meters.

For a long time, this tower has been considered not only a device for transmitting television and radio waves, but also the most delightful and aesthetically beautiful attraction of the Caucasian mineral waters.

Mount Mashuk is also famous for its amazing nature reserve, in the area of \u200b\u200bwhich is located in more detail, you can read in the article - Pyatigorsk underground lake "Failure". A lake appeared in a cave in the south of the mountain under the influence of the natural forces of nature. The failure has the form of a triangular well with a rare mineral water. Its depth at some points reaches 11 meters.

Back in the middle of the 10th century, thanks to the hard work of the builders, it became possible to approach the lake through a tunnel. In ancient times, visitors could not only take a closer look at the sight, but could even swim in this clean and warm lake. Today, tourists can only admire this amazing beauty; swimming in this cave lake is prohibited.

On top of Mount Mashuk, it is also worth visiting the place where the monument is located famous researcher and topographer Pastukhov A. This is the only person at that time who was able to climb the tops of most of the mountains of the Caucasus. His last dying will was the desire to be buried on Mashuk.

Another attraction, which is impossible not to mention, is the majestic sculpture of an eagle holding a snake in its paws. It was installed in 1901 on a hot mountain near the foot of Mashuk, as a symbol of the healing power of nature and springs. The eagle is a prototype of the winner who overcomes the snake, which also symbolizes illness.

How to get to the top of Mount Mashuk?

Today, climbing to the top of the mountain is not a problem. The very first road, laid back in the 10th century, is a footpath. It is possible to climb the mountain even today, but you need to take into account that in some places it is slightly damaged.

Later, a wide road was laid, along which it was possible to quickly reach the top of the mountain on a horse-drawn carriage. At the beginning of the last century, they built road, along which, until today, visitors get to the top of the mountain using vehicles, or on foot.

The most convenient and popular way to get to the top of Mashuk is cable car. It was built in the early 70s of the last century. You can get to the highest point of the mountain by cable car in just three minutes. The trailer of this amazing transport can accommodate up to twenty people.

It doesn't matter how you get there. In any case, there is an opportunity to contemplate all the beauty of natural and historical memorable places. Having reached the very top of Mashuk, you can look from afar at the majestic and beautiful Mount Elbrus, which is located somewhere 148 kilometers from Pyatigorsk.

Especially large influx of visitors in warm and clear weather. Here you can find very different people. Someone is looking for peace of mind here in communion with nature, someone decided to just admire the beautiful sights of the view of Pyatigorsk from a height, someone is interested in historical sights ...

It does not matter for what purpose you are heading there, the main thing is that Mount Mashuk is really a place that is worthy of attention, it has not left anyone indifferent.

Having been in resort town, it is simply impossible not to visit Mount Mashuk, because this is a landscape and historically valuable attraction that conceals thousand years of history and secrets of Caucasian mineral waters.

Basic moments

Mashuk is distinguished by a cone-shaped shape with a truncated top, the diameter of the cone is 4 km. It is surrounded by even smaller "growth", but the same majestic neighbors - the mountains Hot and Kazachka, as well as the Mikhailovsky spur. 558-meter Hot, being a spur of the southern slope of Mashuk, is a historically significant place, because it was from it that the city of Pyatigorsk began. Also next to it is Mount Britaya, which became famous thanks to Lake Proval.

Mount Mashuk is a property not only of Pyatigorsk, but of the whole of Russia. In the 19th century, springs of five types of mineral water were found on its slopes. After that, the people began to call her "the giver of healing waters", with which the aristocracy rushed to be treated. Numerous sanatoriums subsequently opened at the foot of Mashuk, in which everyone has the opportunity to improve their health. Vacationers and tourists walk with pleasure in the parks, also located along the foot of the mountain, getting a huge boost of energy and vivacity.

At one time, Mashuk was chosen by fans hiking ascents, since then this hobby has remained one of the most popular among tourists. There is something to see here: on the slopes, including satellite mountains, there are caves and grottoes, places with found remains prehistoric settlements and ancient plants turned to stone, not to mention churches, galleries, pavilions and cemeteries. In order to capture the attention of all this natural, historical and cultural heritage, you will need more than one day.

Flora and fauna

In the Mashuk forest park - it, as if hugging, encircles the foot of the mountain and connects with the Beshtaugorsky forest park - mainly ash and oak grow. On the north side is the Perkalsky dendrological nursery, where a very large and valuable collection is collected. rare plants from different parts of the world. In total, over 80 species grow in the nursery, and many of them are endangered plants. There are also such rare ones as the Mashuk hawk, narrow-leaved snowdrop, Pyatigorsk hawk, dwarf euonymus and rocky spurge. 25 species of plants are considered reference, as they were discovered here for the first time.

Some 100 years ago, the slopes of Mount Mashuk were literally “overpopulated” - it was noisy from the singing of birds and the cries of animals. However, civilization did not have the best effect on the local fauna. Birds, animals and reptiles are becoming less and less here. You will no longer see badgers and graceful wild forest cats, bats are on the verge of extinction. Hares, foxes and hedgehogs are rare.

Recreation and entertainment

Tourists are well aware of the local cable car, which bears the name of the mountain itself - "Mashuk". However, this is not surprising, because it has existed since 1971. Its length is 964 m, two trailers with a capacity of up to 20 people each move along it. They move at a speed of 8 m per second, which is quite comfortable. You can reach the top of the mountain in less than 3 minutes. The cable car operates according to the schedule: the movement starts at 10 am, the last landing is at 17:30.

For those who are fond of mountain biking - this is an independent type of mountain biking - there is a separate track on the slopes. Every year, fans of downhill (bike racing), as well as fans of freeride - descents from natural hills, hone their skills here.

Sights of Mount Mashuk

Viewpoint Mount Mashuk is one of the most popular places, it gives vacationers the opportunity to admire the surroundings of the city from a height and look at Beshtau. In clear weather, when the tops of the massifs are not hidden under a veil of fog, you can see part of the plains Stavropol Territory, Caucasian Range and even the famous Elbrus.

The Pyatigorsk people are proud of the TV tower. It can be safely entered into the Guinness Book of Records as the highest located in Europe. When viewed from afar, it resembles an arrow, giving the impression that the mountain, like a space rocket, rushes far into the sky. The TV tower itself is not high, its “height” is only 113 m. But since it is not on the ground, but on the top of Mashuk, it de facto rises above sea level by as much as 1069 m. “Our Eiffel Tower” is what they call it locals. There is a similarity with the Parisian celebrity, it is especially noticeable at the moment when evening twilight begins to thicken over the TV tower.

At the end of the 18th century, a vertical 41-meter funnel-shaped cave was discovered on the slope of Mashuk, at the bottom of which there is a whole karst lake. It turned out to be quite large: in diameter - 15 m, depth - 11 m. Due to such an unusual location, the reservoir was called Proval. In its bright blue water, the temperature of which varies between +26 ... +41 ° C, hydrogen sulfide was found and bacteria live. In the middle of the 19th century, Prince Golitsyn instructed to break through a 58-meter tunnel there, the entrance to it was laid out with a stone and provided a descent down to Proval. Then the tunnel was consecrated, and in a niche near the water they placed the icon of the Mother of God, which was replaced several decades later with the image of the Great Martyr Panteleimon.

Another attraction of Mashuk - the sculpture "Eagle" - is considered a symbol of the Caucasian mineral waters. A visit to this huge stone bird, holding a snake in its claws, symbolizing the ailments that it conquers, is included in all excursion programs. This unusual sculptural composition was discovered in 1901, and since then interest in it has not dried up.

Legend of Mashuk

Do you know that for a very long time there were no Caucasus Mountains and the area under them was occupied by fertile plains? So, at least, says one of local legends. Narts lived in these parts - mighty heroes, whose leader was Prince Elbrus. His son Beshtau fell in love with a beauty named Mashuko and decided to marry her. But the prince himself was in love with her and decided to interfere with the wedding by sending his son on a campaign. To lead Mashuko down the aisle, he started a rumor about the death of Beshtau. The girl was very sad, but Elbrus forced her to marry him and decided to imprison her in the tower. However, the son, alive and unharmed, returned from the campaign and, having stolen his chosen one, fled with her. The prince and his retinue set out in pursuit and soon overtook the fugitives.

The young prince and his comrades resisted as best they could, but the prince's warriors were stronger. As a result, everyone died, except for Elbrus and Beshtau. And so they got into a duel. Beshtau waved his sword and cut his father's head in half. Before expiring, the prince found the strength to swing and cut his son's head into five parts. Crying Mashuko, in front of whom her beloved died, grabbed his dagger, plunged it into her chest, and then threw it away. The grief of the dead girl was so great and deep that everything around turned to stone. The soldiers who died in battle and Mashuko herself turned into mountains ...

Those who watched the comedy "The Twelve Chairs" or read the novel by Ilf and Petrov probably remember the episode in which Ostap Bender tried to raise money supposedly for the repair of the Pyatigorsk Proval. Subsequently, it was decided to perpetuate the image of the Great Combinator here - a sculpture of a Turkish citizen, who was embodied on the screen at different times by such outstanding actors as Andrei Mironov, Archil Gomiashvili and Sergei Yursky, was installed right at the entrance to Proval. Each visitor can take a picture with Ostap and even sit on one of the chairs from Kisa Vorobyaninov's set.

Mount Mashuk is closely connected with the name of Mikhail Lermontov. It was at its foot that on July 15, 1841, a duel took place between the 26-year-old poet and Major Martynov, who mortally wounded him. Where the tragic duel took place, a monument was erected, to which fans of Lermontov's immortal work come. By the way, Mikhail Yurievich was first buried in Pyatigorsk, not far from the place where he shot himself. But a year later he was reburied next to his mother's grave in his ancestral village of Tarkhanovo.

How to get there

Mount Mashuk is a symbol of Pyatigorsk, and to see it in all its glory, you need to come to this wonderful city in the Stavropol region.

There is no airport in Pyatigorsk itself, the nearest air harbor is located 25 km away, in Mineralnye Vody. It accepts aircraft from Aeroflot, Ural Airlines”, “Russia”, “Taimyr”, “Donavia”, “Siberia”, “Red Wings”, “Nordstar” and “UTair”.

The cost of a ticket from Moscow to Mineralnye Vody is about 4 thousand rubles. Flights to Mineral water are carried out from all airports of the capital of Russia.

About the beautiful girl Mashuko, crying about the groom Tau, who was killed by the old Elbrus.

There is an explanation of the origin of the name from the Kabardian Mashuko, where " mash" - millet and " to"- a valley, that is, a valley where millet was sown. The surname Mashukovs is still common among Kabardians.

In some sources, the mountain is described under the name Mashukha .

Geological structure

It was formed by gradual uplift or tectonic extrusion through the thickness of sedimentary deposits of viscous, cooling lava. Volcanic bodies are still cooling down in our time. It has the shape of a truncated cone with a diameter of 4 km, flattened at the foot. The flattened top is composed of Upper Cretaceous limestones and marls, and the slopes are composed of Paleogene clayey rocks, marls, less often sandstones. At depths of 1300-1400 m, boreholes uncovered the body of beshtaunites, the introduction of which led to the formation of a dome and a ring fault encircling the mountain. In the annular fault, travertines are common, composing on the southern, eastern and northern slopes three large arcuate bodies up to 500 wide and up to 70 m thick, forming a picturesque hot mountain, Inner ridge and Percale rocks(in the north), with absolute heights of 610-650 m. The old houses of Pyatigorsk were built from them. In travertines, you can find petrified leaves and branches of trees that grew thousands of years ago. Bones of southern, forest and trogontherian elephants were found in the lower layers of travertines, and bones of aurochs, bison and deer were found in the higher layers.

Satellite mountains, spurs and slopes

slopes Mikhailovsky spur - exit from the northeast side (from Inner ridge) from the main cone of Mashuk; The Mikhailovsky slopes run parallel to and above (to the north of) Mount Goryachaya, the western direction (from east to west) is replaced by a small turn to the northwest, resembling a coil of a spiral arc. Both of these spurs form a narrow valley-gorge (hollow), which in the past was called Goryachevodskaya. The valley was inhabited in the first half of the 19th century, before the construction of the Pushkin (Sabaneevsky) baths. On the site of the Sabaneevsky baths was the house of E. A. Khastatova (Lermontov’s grandmother’s sister), where in 1825 M. Lermontov (a ten-year-old boy) came with his grandmother to Hot Waters. On Mikhailovskaya Hill stretches the Emmanuel Park with the Mikhailovskaya Gallery (c); located aeolian hill(614 m), on which the Aeolian harp rises, and a little lower under it - Lermontov's grotto. The upper parts of the Goryachevodsk and Mikhailovsky spurs are, as it were, connected architectural ensemble- Academic Gallery. The Lermontov's House Museum is located on the southern slope of Mikhailovskaya Hill (Lermontov Street).

Slide Shaved(see below Failure) and Percale rocks(see above)

satellite mountains

The spur "Mountain Hot", as well as the Mikhailovsky spur, and the mountain Cossack located directly at the foot of Mashuk, in its upper belt. Dubrovka(690 m), Fast(555 m) and Picket(565.3 m) - respectively, a little further away, in the lower zone (in the lower city).

Mountain Cossack(633 m) is located between the northern side of the Mikhailovsky slope and the southwestern slope of Mount Mashuk. Around Mount Cossacks there are: Memorial Military Glory (old cemetery), Lazarevskaya church, general resort House culture, sanatorium "Lenin rocks", nearby - the lower station of the Cableway, a little higher, on the slopes of Mashuk - "Gate Sun" (viewing platform).

All other mountains, hills, spurs, slopes, rocks within Pyatigorsk are little mentioned in the literature and guidebooks, they are unfamiliar to the townsfolk and (in fact) are not considered mountains. Therefore, most often the conversation about mountains is about these “five mountains”.
Mashuk itself is a satellite mountain of the five-domed Beshtau, which, in turn, also has four satellites (see Mountains Pyatigorye).

Lake Proval

On the southern (southeastern) slope of the mountain is the famous Pyatigorsk Failure- a deep natural well-cave with an underground lake (of karst-tectonic origin; also known as karst cave"Big Failure"), a kind of creation of nature, which appeared during the formation of Mount Mashuk as a result of the impact of ground and subsoil waters on calcareous rocks. It has a [total] depth of 42 m and a diameter of up to 15 m. Its bottom part is occupied by a lake of warm (26-42 ° C) mineral hydrogen sulfide water with an area of 190 m² and a depth of about 8 m.
Proval was first explored in 1793 by Academician P.S. Pallas (the first attempts to study the lake were made as early as 1773 by Guldenstedt). In 1837, a wooden hanging platform was built above the funnel-well with a special mechanism for descending to the lake in a specially equipped basket. Wishing swam in the lake in floating bath, and on the site on a wooden platform, young people arranged dances. Batalin (in the middle of the 19th century) for the first time scientifically examined the underground lake Proval, descending to a depth of 26 m. Interest arose again in using the lake, in 1858, at the expense of the Moscow merchant P. A. Lazarik, a horizontal tunnel about 58 m long was laid to it, and a road was drawn to it from the Mikhailovsky Gallery.
The level and composition of the waters of the lake fluctuate in accordance with the change in the regime of underground mineral waters of the Kavminvod hydrological basin. According to observations since 1830, they are influenced by the change of seasons, the amount of precipitation, earthquakes and human activities. Therefore, Provalnoye Lake is used as an important natural indicator of the state of underground mineral waters in the resorts of KavMinVod. The water in it has medicinal properties, and until 1859 (when the tunnel was broken) they descended into it for swimming and taking baths on a rope in a special basket. Bathing [internal] was stopped only in 1880. In the story of M. Yu. Lermontov "Princess Mary" about the Failure, it is said that "according to the local scientists, this failure is nothing more than an extinct crater."

The plot is connected with the Failure, widely known from the novel by I. Ilf and E. Petrov "The Twelve Chairs".

Next to the Failure, directly above it, at the top of the well is Britaya hill(690 m). Its appearance resembles an earthen rampart (parapet), as if poured from an allegedly artificially dug cave (Failure). Britaya Hill, together with Proval, is actually located on the Mikhailovsky slope.
Also, route No. 3 of the health path passes to Proval [along blvd. Gagarin, Mashukogorsky ring highway] with a length of about 3 km.

cable car

In 1.5-2 minutes, an all-metal wagon with organic glass windows covers a distance of 964 meters to the upper station on the top of the mountain (exceeding 369 m).

Ecology

Concerns of environmentalists and citizens

The development of the mountain can harm the underground mineral springs of the resort.
Plants, animals and birds may die, including rare ones listed in the Red Book.
The development will forever change the landscape and appearance of the mountain.
The appearance of a complex of cottages will not have a positive effect on the transport problem.
Activation of exogenous geological processes is possible.
The very legitimacy of the deal to sell the land raises doubts.

Mount Mashuk was recognized as a natural monument back in 1961, in 1972 - a state reserve, and in 2004 the Ministry of Culture of the Stavropol Territory gave it the status of a state historical and cultural reserve.

Sale of land

In 2005, a 37.5-hectare site of a walnut grove on the western slope of Mount Mashuk, located in the 1st and 2nd nature protection zones, was excluded from the boundaries of a natural monument of regional significance and transferred from the category of forest lands to non-forest lands, and then privatized by LLC "Kavminekotsentr" on the basis of the decision of the Arbitration Court of the Stavropol Territory. The land went to the buyer for 346 thousand 890 rubles, that is, at a price of about 90 rubles per hundred square meters. Territory from st. Kuchury do Polyana songs was subsequently resold and divided into small plots, which began to be sold in parts. In 2009, the "General Plan for the Development of Pyatigorsk until 2030" was published, developed by CJSC Kurortproekt, Pyatigorsk, according to which all land sold was scheduled for " … construction of high-tech sanatorium-resort complexes with a limited number of storeys of 3-5 floors for 2.4 thousand vacationers". It is worth noting that this master plan ran counter to the development concept developed in the Soviet years, and, in fact, legitimized all decisions by the city administration on the sale and re-profiling of protected areas, taken without an environmental impact assessment and comprehensive studies on the possible consequences for the resort from changes in anthropogenic load and construction in the zone of formation of mineral springs.

Start of development

The first attempt to start developing the site was made in 2010, when the city administration was negotiating with Chinese investors about the construction of the Sana complex, but the project stalled. The second attempt to start construction on another part of the territory with an area of 5.29 hectares was carried out in April 2011, when, at the initiative of the developer, a project for developing the territory in the area of ul. Kuchury. By August, geodetic measurements and marking of the land began, and already in September, cutting down of vegetation began. By November 2011, 162 trees and 83 shrubs had been cleared and the area had been fenced off with concrete blocks.

Society reaction

At the end of September 2011, public figures and environmentalists of Pyatigorsk demanded to stop any work on Mashuk, having collected more than 100 signatures under an appeal to the head of the city. At the suggestion of the initiative group "Solar Patrol" in social networks the action "Stop sawing Mashuk!" in defense of the natural monument. At the first stage, collective official requests were initiated through the Democrator system to various departments. Appeals to the prosecutor's office and supervisory authorities were supported by more than 600 people. Deputies' requests were also formed. The problem was supported by other environmental organizations of the Stavropol Territory.

The next step of the activists was a rally in front of the administration building on November 27, 2011. The notice of the rally was submitted to the Pyatigorsk administration on November 15 within the time period established by law, but the city administration, having violated the law and, despite the court decision in favor of civil activists, tried to prevent it holding. Nevertheless, on November 27, 2011, according to various estimates, from 200 to 500 people gathered in front of the city administration, since the police, at the direction of the administration, prevented the rally from taking place, the action took place in the form of a meeting of citizens. It began collecting signatures in defense of Mashuk. The action did not go unnoticed by TV channels and the press .

After the rally, the collection of signatures continued. Activists and environmentalists of Pyatigorsk took to the streets every week, coordinating actions in social networks. In just a month, more than 4,500 signatures from Pyatigorsk residents and resort guests were collected, under an appeal to Medvedev, Putin and Khloponin. .

Reaction of departments

In January 2012, the Stavropol Environmental Prosecutor's Office responded to public concerns and found violations in the developer's activities. According to the results of his consideration of the case, 2 employees of Kavzhilstroy LLC were brought to disciplinary responsibility. The prosecutor's office also ordered the developer "Kavzhilstroy" to pay the cost of cut down trees in the amount of 350,750 rubles, and the municipal unitary enterprise of the city of Pyatigorsk "Gorzelenstroy" to carry out work to restore green spaces in the city of Pyatigorsk.

In February 2012, the response to an appeal to Plenipotentiary Khloponin was forwarded to higher authorities: the Prosecutor General's Office for the North Caucasus Federal District and Rosprirodnadzor for the North Caucasus Federal District. There was also a response to an appeal from the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, in which it is reported that the appeal of citizens was sent for investigation to the Prosecutor General's Office.

On February 20, the Pyatigorsk prosecutor's office filed a protest against the construction of a boarding house on Mount Mashuk. According to the supervisory authority, the administration of Pyatigorsk violated the requirements of the Town Planning Code of Russia - it issued Kavzhilstroy LLC a permit for the construction of a boarding house near Kuchura Street in the absence of a positive conclusion from the state environmental review, which, as noted, has not yet been completed.

Mineral water

In the travertine ring of Mashuk, in the past, about 40 sources of mineral waters self-flowed, near which the famous Lermontov, Pirogov, Pushkin, Ermolovsky, Narodny and Teplosulphuric baths, Academic and Mikhailovskaya drinking galleries were built. Currently, medicinal waters are taken from wells and adits. They are divided into four main balneological types:

carbonic warm, hot and cold (Pyatigorsk narzans), which are used for drinking;
carbon dioxide hydrogen sulfide with a complex ionic composition, with a temperature of 42-48 ° C (the second Pyatigorsk type), are used for baths, less often for drinking;
radon waters with radon concentration up to 274 nCi/l are used for baths;
hydrochloric-alkaline carbonic and carbonic-hydrogen sulfide (Essentuki type) are used for drinking treatment.
In addition, nitrogen-carbonate and methane waters with a high content of iodine and bromine and weakly carbonic chloride-sodium waters of the "Arzni" type are used to a limited extent.

Flora and fauna

Most of the slopes are occupied by natural ash-hornbeam sudubrava, which is part of the Mashuksky forest park (connects with the Beshtaugorsky forest park). The glades are covered with rich meadow vegetation, with changing phytocenoses from meadow-like steppe to subalpine meadows. The flora includes more than 80 species of rare and endangered plants, of which 25 were first described on Mashuk and are reference. Extremely rare are: dwarf spindle tree, Mashuk and Pyatigorsk hawksbill, Pushkinia, proleskovidnaya, poppy bracts, snowdrop, narrow-leaved, as well as a number of xerophytes on limestone slopes - asphodelina, Crimean, Euphorbia, rocky, lamira blackhead, drooping symphiandra. 29 plant species are listed in the Red Books of Russia and the Stavropol Territory.

On the northern slope, 42 hectares are occupied by the Perkalsky dendrological nursery (1830s, 1879) with an ecological and botanical station - 11.5 hectares. On their territory there is a unique botanical collection, consisting of (550) over 800 species of shrubs and trees and about 700 herbaceous plants; the flora is represented not only in the CMS region and the North Caucasus, but also in different parts of the world - Transcaucasia, Europe, Central and Central Asia, the Far East and North America. They include about 100 species of medicinal and 120 species of rare and endangered plants.

Near the forest nursery there is Komsomolskaya glade (north-eastern slope), on the western slope of Mashuk there is a Walnut grove and a Glade of Songs. The arboretum, together with the Mashuk forest park, are monuments of nature (see Specially Protected Natural Territories of Russia).

Monuments of archeology, history and culture

There are numerous archeological monuments on Mashuk dating back to the Neolithic, IV millennium BC. e., Koban and Scythian cultures of the VIII-V centuries. BC e., the beginning of our era and the Middle Ages. There are especially many cultural layers on travertine ledges and terraces on hot grief, Perkalsky rocks, Komsomolskaya glade, in the area of the meat processing plant (a plateau above the Konstantinovsky highway).

On the Mashuk southeastern slope, which gradually turns into a plateau, these Mounds on Konstantinovsky plateau (good review- from the ring road Mineralnye Vody - Nalchik - highways M29"Caucasus"). Dozens of centuries ago, one of the busiest roads ran through the Konstantinovsky plateau, along which nomadic tribes passed - Scythians, Polovtsy, Khazars. In those mounds that were explored in the second half of the 19th century and in our time (late 20th - early 21st centuries), ancient burials, weapons, household and religious items were found. Finds made on the Konstantinovsky Plateau are kept in the Pyatigorsk Regional Museum and in the museums of the Stavropol Territory, Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Nearby on the eastern slope along the Mashukogorsk ring road (it is also a health path-ring - route No. 1 "around Mashuk" [about 10 km long]: Gagarina boulevard - Proval - Komsomolskaya glade - Perkalsky arboretum - to the place of Lermontov's duel and the Pesen glade) behind A failure, higher above these Kurgans, is the Obelisk on the Common grave of the victims of the fascist occupation.

There are many monuments of history and culture on the mountain, of which Lermontov's places are a true national shrine: "Lermontov's House" (in urban areas, in upper city), place duel (a monument at the place of death - on the northwestern slope) and the initial burial (Military Memorial cemetery), a monument to the poet (city square [Lermontovsky (?)] between Oktyabrskaya and Krasnoarmeyskaya streets), Lermontov's grotto, Eolian harp.

On the top of the mountain, from an observation deck a few tens of meters down the southern slope [according to the will - with a view of Elbrus], there is an obelisk monument at the burial site of the military topographer A. V. Pastukhov.

In terms of significance and value of natural, historical and cultural sites, Mount Mashuk meets the criteria of a world heritage site.

Attractions

The mountain is a regional complex (landscape, geological and geomorphological) monument of nature - a complex object of natural and historical and cultural heritage, combined with monuments of archeology, architecture, as well as with Lermontov places (Resolution of the Bureau of the Stavropol Regional Committee of the CPSU and the Executive Committee of the Regional Council of Workers' Deputies dated September 15 .1961, No. 676 "On measures for the protection of nature in the region").

nature management

A cable car with a length of 964 meters leads to the top; located at the very top one hundred and twelve-meter television and radio broadcasting tower with a radio relay node (with base stations of operators mobile communications; the tower is also a topographic landmark, a reference point of a geodetic network) and an observation deck.
Length walking route to Mount Mashuk (one way, to the top) - about 4 kilometers. There are several "savage" trails: from Mount Kazachka upwards, or from the medical campus (city hospital No. 1) and the Student Town (Kuchura St.) passing through the Walnut Grove, through the "Gate of the Sun" and directly along the western slope; two beaten paths from the Mass grave along the eastern gentle slope; from Proval along the southeastern slope - the shortest, but also the steepest ascent. It is also possible to climb along the old wheeled road, which runs along the northern side of the mountain (from Komsomolskaya Polyana, camp "Rainbow"). Terrenkur route number 2: st. Lermontov - Gagarin Boulevard - in front of the Upper radon baths up to the right - the "Gate of the Sun" and the Forester's House - and further along the serpentine - we go up to the top of Mashuk, from where an amazing panorama of Pyatigorye opens - the length of the route is about 7 km.
A car serpentine road with a length of up to 10 km leads to the top of the mountain - a popular wedding route. Entrance to the automobile Mashukogorsk ring highway (to Gagarin Boulevard) from the center - from Lermontov, Pastukhov, etc. [from the south-west] and to the Upper radon clinic (along the route of the above-described health path), you can also climb from the side of the meat processing plant - the street Factory [southeast], Teplosernaya [from the south past People's baths] and again to the hospital, or from Kalinin Avenue at the northern entrance to the city - Arch (pylons) by the road to the duel site [from the northwest], bypassing the duel site Lermontov. All of them lead to the "Gate of the Sun" and to the cherished peak.

Sport events

A 3.5-kilometer mountain bike trail runs along Mashuk. Every year, the Russian championships in freeride (free descent), downhill (downhill) and biker cross are held here.

In art

The song "Golden Autumn Conjures" performed by Gennady Belov. Words by A. Trilisov, music by Y. Turnyansky.

In titles

Events Industrial enterprises Medical institutions, hotels, travel companies media

TV company "Mashuk-TV"

sports teams

Mashuk mountains - satellite mountains, spurs and slopes

slopes Mikhailovsky spur - out of the north Eastern sides (of Inner ridge) from the main cone of Mashuk; The Mikhailovsky slopes run parallel to and above (to the north of) Mount Goryachaya, the western direction (from east to west) is replaced by a small turn to the northwest, resembling a coil of a spiral arc. Both of these spurs form a narrow valley-gorge (hollow), which in the past was called Goryachevodskaya. The valley was inhabited in the first half of the 19th century, before the construction of the Pushkin (Sabaneevsky) baths. On the site of the Sabaneevsky baths was the house of E. A. Khastatova (Lermontov's grandmother's sister), where in 1825 M. Lermontov (a ten-year-old boy) came with his grandmother to Hot Waters. On Mikhailovskaya Hill stretches the Emmanuel Park with the Mikhailovskaya Gallery (c); located aeolian hill(614 m), on which the Aeolian harp rises, and a little lower under it - Lermontov's grotto. The upper parts of the Goryachevodsky and Mikhailovsky spurs are, as it were, connected by an architectural ensemble - the Academic Gallery. Museum "Lermontov's House" is located on the southern slope of Mikhailovskaya Hill (Lermontov Street).

slide Shaved(see below Failure) and Percale rocks(see above)

satellite mountains Dubrovka(690 m), Cossack(633 m), Fast(555 m) and Picket(565.3 m).
The spur "Mountain Hot", as well as the Mikhailovsky spur, and the mountain Cossack located directly at the foot of Mashuk, in its upper belt. Dubrovka, Fast and Picket- respectively, a little further away, in the lower zone (in the lower city). All four mountains with Mashuk make up a kind of backbone - " Five Mountains". All other mountains, hills, spurs, slopes, rocks within Pyatigorsk are little mentioned in the literature and guidebooks, they are unfamiliar to the townsfolk and (in fact) are not considered mountains. Therefore, most often the conversation about mountains is about these “five mountains”.
Mashuk itself is a satellite mountain of the five-domed Beshtau, which, in turn, also has four satellites (see Pyatigorye Mountains).

Cossack is located between the northern side of the Mikhailovsky slope and the southwestern slope of Mount Mashuk. Around Mount Cossacks are: the Memorial of Military Glory (old cemetery), Lazarevskaya Church, the general resort House of Culture, the sanatorium "Lenin Rocks", next to it is the lower station of the Cable Car, a little higher, on the slopes of Mashuk - "Gate of the Sun" (viewing platform).

Failure

On the southern (south-eastern) slope of the mountain is the famous Pyatigorsk Proval - a deep natural well-cave with an underground lake (of karst-tectonic origin; also known as Karst cave "Big Proval"), a kind of creation of nature, which appeared during the formation of Mount Mashuk as a result of the impact of ground and subsoil waters on calcareous rocks. It has a [total] depth of 42 m and a diameter of up to 15 m. Its bottom part is occupied by a lake of warm (26-42 ° C) mineral hydrogen sulfide water with an area of 190 m² and a depth of about 8 m.
Proval was first explored in 1793 by Academician P.S. Pallas (the first attempts to study the lake were made as early as 1773 by Guldenstedt). In 1837, a wooden hanging platform with a special mechanism for descending to the lake in a specially equipped basket was arranged above the funnel-well. Wishing swam in the lake in floating bath, and on the site on a wooden platform, young people arranged dances. Batalin (in the middle of the 19th century) for the first time scientifically examined the underground lake Proval, descending to a depth of 26 m. Interest arose again in using the lake, in 1858, at the expense of the Moscow merchant P. A. Lazarik, a horizontal tunnel about 58 m long was laid to it, and a road was drawn to it from the Mikhailovsky Gallery.
The level and composition of the waters of the lake fluctuate in accordance with the change in the regime of underground mineral waters of the Kavminvod hydrological basin. According to observations since 1830, they are influenced by the change of seasons, the amount of precipitation, earthquakes and human activities. Therefore, Provalnoye Lake is used as an important natural indicator of the state of underground mineral waters in the resorts of KavMinVod. The water in it has healing properties, and until 1859 (when the tunnel was made), people descended into it for swimming and bathing on a rope in a special basket. Bathing [internal] was stopped only in 1880. In the story by M.Yu. Lermontov's "Princess Mary" about the Failure says that "according to the local scientists, this failure is nothing more than an extinct crater."

A plot is connected with Failure, widely known from the novel by I. Ilf and E. Petrov "The Twelve Chairs".

Next to the Failure, directly above it, at the top of the well is Britaya hill(690 m). Its appearance resembles an earthen rampart (parapet), as if poured from an allegedly artificially dug cave (Dip). Britaya Hill, together with Proval, is actually located on the Mikhailovsky slope.
Also, route No. 3 of the health path passes to Proval [along blvd. Gagarin, Mashukogorsky ring highway] with a length of about 3 km.

Ecology

Concerns of environmentalists and citizens

The development of the mountain can harm the underground mineral springs of the resort.
Plants, animals and birds may die, including rare ones listed in the Red Book.
The development will forever change the landscape and appearance of the mountain.
The appearance of a complex of cottages will not have a positive effect on the transport problem.
Possible activation of exogenous geological processes
The very legitimacy of the deal to sell the land raises doubts.

Sale of land

In 2005, a 37.5-hectare site of a walnut grove on the western slope of Mount Mashuk, located in the 1st and 2nd nature protection zones, was excluded from the boundaries of a natural monument of regional significance and transferred from the category of forest lands to non-forest lands, and then privatized by LLC "Kavminekotsentr" on the basis of the decision of the Arbitration Court of the Stavropol Territory. The land went to the buyer for 346 thousand 890 rubles, that is, at a price of about 90 rubles per hundred square meters. Territory from st. Kuchury do Polyana songs was subsequently resold and divided into small plots, which began to be sold in parts. In 2009, the "General Plan for the Development of Pyatigorsk until 2030" was published, developed by CJSC Kurortproekt, Pyatigorsk, according to which all land sold was scheduled for " … construction of high-tech sanatorium-resort complexes with a limited number of storeys of 3-5 floors for 2.4 thousand vacationers". It is worth noting that this master plan was at odds with the development concept developed in the Soviet years, and in fact, legitimized all decisions by the city administration on the sale and re-profiling of protected areas, taken without an environmental impact assessment and comprehensive studies on possible consequences for the resort from changes in anthropogenic load and construction in the zone of formation of mineral springs.

Start of development

Society reaction

Symbolism of the protest action

At the end of September 2011, public figures and environmentalists of Pyatigorsk demanded to stop any work on Mashuk, having collected more than 100 signatures under an appeal to the head of the city. With the filing of the initiative group "Solar Patrol" in social networks, the action "Stop sawing Mashuk!" in defense of the natural monument. At the first stage, collective official requests were initiated through the Democrator system to various departments. Appeals to the prosecutor's office and supervisory authorities were supported by more than 600 people. Deputies' requests were also formed. The problem was supported by other environmental organizations of the Stavropol Territory.

Reaction of departments

On February 7, the head of the city, Lev Travnev, communicated with the townspeople in a direct line. Questions were received by phone, e-mail and mail, and a number of questions related to the clearing of the western slope of Mashuk.

On February 20, the Pyatigorsk prosecutor's office filed a protest against the construction of a boarding house on Mount Mashuk. According to the supervisory authority, the administration of Pyatigorsk violated the requirements of the Russian Urban Planning Code - it issued Kavzhilstroy LLC a permit to build a boarding house near Kuchura Street in the absence of a positive conclusion from the state environmental review, which, as noted, has not yet been completed.

Mineral water

carbonic warm, hot and cold (Pyatigorsk narzans), which are used for drinking;
carbon dioxide hydrogen sulfide with a complex ionic composition, with a temperature of 42-48 ° C (the second Pyatigorsk type), are used for baths, less often for drinking;
radon waters with radon concentration up to 274 nCi/l are used for baths;
hydrochloric-alkaline carbonic and carbonic-hydrogen sulfide (Essentuki type) are used for drinking treatment.
In addition, nitrogen-carbonate and methane waters with a high content of iodine and bromine and weakly carbonic chloride-sodium waters of the "Arzni" type are used to a limited extent.

Vegetable world

Most of the slopes are occupied by natural ash-hornbeam sudubrava, which is part of the Mashuksky forest park (connects with the Beshtaugorsky forest park). The glades are covered with rich meadow vegetation, with changing phytocenoses from meadow-like steppe to subalpine meadows. The flora includes more than 80 species of rare and endangered plants, of which 25 were first described on Mashuk and are reference. The extremely rare ones include: dwarf euonymus, Mashuk and Pyatigorsk hawksbill, proleskovidnaya Pushkinia, bract-shaped poppy, narrow-leaved snowdrop, as well as a number of xerophytes on limestone slopes - Crimean asphodelina, rocky spurge, blackheaded lamira, drooping symphiandra. 29 plant species are listed in the Red Books of Russia and the Stavropol Territory.

Near the nursery there is Komsomolskaya glade (north-eastern slope), on the western slope of Mashuk there is a Nut grove and a Glade of Songs. The arboretum together with the Mashuk forest park are natural monuments.

Monuments of archeology, history and culture

There are numerous archeological monuments on Mashuk dating back to the Neolithic, IV millennium BC. e., Koban and Scythian cultures of the VIII-V centuries. BC e., the beginning of our era and the Middle Ages. There are especially many cultural layers on travertine ledges and terraces on Goryachaya Gora, Perkalsky rocks, Komsomolskaya glade, in the area of the meat-packing plant (a plateau above the Konstantinovsky highway).

On the Mashuk southeastern slope, which gradually turns into a plateau, these Mounds on the Konstantinovsky Plateau(good view - from the ring road Mineralnye Vody - Nalchik - the highway "Kavkaz"). Dozens of centuries ago, one of the busiest roads ran through the Konstantinovsky Plateau, along which nomadic tribes passed - Scythians, Polovtsy, Khazars. In those mounds that were explored in the second half of the 19th century and in our time (late 20th - early 21st centuries), ancient burials, weapons, household and religious items were found. Finds made on the Konstantinovsky Plateau are kept in the Pyatigorsk Regional Museum and in the museums of the Stavropol Territory, Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Nearby on the eastern slope along the Mashukogorsk ring road (it is also a health path-ring - route No. 1 "around Mashuk" [about 10 km long]: Gagarina boulevard - Proval - Komsomolskaya glade - Perkalsky arboretum - to the place of Lermontov's duel and the Pesen glade) behind A failure, higher above these mounds is the Obelisk on the mass grave of the victims of the Nazi occupation.

There are many monuments of history and culture on the mountain, of which Lermontov’s places are a true national shrine: “Lermontov’s House” (in urban development, in the upper city), a place of a duel (a monument at the place of death - on the northwestern slope) and an initial burial place (Military Memorial Cemetery), a monument to the poet (city square [Lermontovsky (?)] between Oktyabrskaya and Krasnoarmeyskaya streets), Lermontov's grotto, Aeolian harp.

In terms of significance and value of natural, historical and cultural sites, Mount Mashuk meets the criteria of a world heritage site.

nature management

A cable car with a length of 964 meters leads to the top; located at the very top one hundred and twelve– a meter-long TV and radio broadcasting tower with a radio relay node (with base stations of mobile operators; the tower is also a topographical landmark) and an observation deck.
The length of the hiking route to Mount Mashuk (one way, to the top) is about 4 kilometers. There are several "savage" trails: from Mount Kazachka upwards, or from the medical campus (city hospital No. 1) and the Student Town (Kuchura St.) passing through the Walnut Grove, through the "Gate of the Sun" and directly along the western slope; two beaten paths from the Mass grave along the eastern gentle slope; from Proval along the southeastern slope - the shortest, but also the steepest ascent. It is also possible to climb along the old wheeled road, which runs along the northern side of the mountain (from Komsomolskaya Polyana, camp "Rainbow"). Terrenkur route number 2: st. Lermontov - Gagarin Boulevard - in front of the Upper Radon Baths up to the right - "Gate of the Sun" and the Forester's House - and further along the serpentine - we go up to the top of Mashuk, from where an amazing panorama of Pyatigorye opens - the length of the route is about 7 km.
A car serpentine road with a length of up to 10 km leads to the top of the mountain - a popular wedding route. Entrance to the automobile Mashukogorsk ring highway (to Gagarin Boulevard) from the center - from Lermontov, Pastukhov, etc. streets. [from the southwest] and to the Upper radon clinic (along the route of the above-described health path), you can also climb from the side of the meat processing plant - Fabrichnaya [southeast], Teplosernaya [from the south past People's baths] and again to the hospital, or from the avenue Kalinin at the northern entrance to the city - Arch (pylons) at the road to the duel site [from the northwest], bypassing the place of Lermontov's duel. All of them lead to the "Gate of the Sun" and to the cherished peak.

Attractions

The mountain is a regional complex [landscape, geological and geomorphological] monument of nature - a complex object of natural and historical and cultural heritage, combined with monuments of archeology, architecture, as well as with Lermontov places (Resolution of the Bureau of the Stavropol Regional Committee of the CPSU and the Executive Committee of the Regional Council of Workers' Deputies dated September 15 .1961, No. 676 "On measures for the protection of nature in the region").

Sport events

A 3.5-kilometer mountain bike trail runs along Mashuk. Every year, the Russian championships in freeride (free descent), downhill (downhill) and biker cross are held here.

Notes

Caucasian Mineralnye Vody. federal resorts Russia. 2nd edition, anniversary, bookstore. 2003 . ISBN 5-87777-019-5 (EAN 4-607023-490182). page 26.
More precisely, they clearly originate almost in the same place (as described below, in Hot) - from the Pirogov baths.
in fact - from the Proval area, below the source No. 24, from the descent [at the Center of prof. Mishagin] on Konstantinovskoe highway [st. Factory], on the right (lower) side of the descent; above, on the left side of the descent (going down), there are rocks of the Mikhailovsky spur
: Karst cave "Big failure"
City of Pyatigorsk. Kovalenko A. N. Stavropol chronograph for 2005. Stavropol, 2005. S. 209-226.
All health path routes start from the pump room of the source number 1 on the street. Lermontov.
Dying Mashuk
Pyatigorskaya Pravda (No. 28 of 03/21/2009)
News of Pyatigorsk Pravda
News of Pyatigorsk Pravda
Development and cutting down still threaten Mashuk - Aif-North Caucasus
Caucasian Knot | Residents of Pyatigorsk demand to stop construction work on Mashuk
Destruction of a section of the nature protection zone on Mashuk - Demokrator
In Pyatigorsk, participants in the action "Stop sawing Mashuk!" will picket the City Hall building - Caucasian Knot
Stop sawing Mashuk! / Pyatigorsk echo / Portal blogs / North Caucasus Federal District - Portal of the North Caucasian Federal District
Enough Sawing Mashuk (Vesti Rossiya 1, Pyatigorsk) - YouTube
Environmental activists ask Dmitry Medvedev to stop deforestation and construction on Mount Mashuk - Ecoprogress
Ringing all the bells
Stop sawing Mashuk! (No. 3 (110) dated January 24, 2012)

The mountains of the Caucasus are shrouded in legends, these silent witnesses remember everything - from antiquity to the present. The vegetation on their slopes gradually changed, only fragments of household items remained from the first settlers, and now thousands of travelers are climbing the trails in order to take stunning photos as a keepsake. One of the "magnets for tourists" is Mount Mashuk, on the slopes of which the resort is located Pyatigorsk.
The symbol of the city was formed as a result of volcanic processes, its height is 994 meters. The observation deck of the mountain gives tourists a unique opportunity - to admire the surroundings of the city, to see Mount Beshtau. AT good weather, when the fog does not envelop the tops of the massifs, you can consider the Caucasus Range and Elbrus, part of the plains of the Stavropol Territory.
On the gentle slopes, even travelers unprepared for heights can climb to the top. Deciduous forests during the walk are replaced by small glades, where southern herbs grow. Along the way, you can look into a small grotto or cave. Mountain It has the shape of a cone with a truncated top, surrounded by the mountains of Kazachka and the Hot, Mikhailovsky spur, next to it is Britaya Hill with the famous Failure.

Mineral springs

The unofficial name of Mashuk is "the giver of healing jets", it was from this mountain that local health resorts began their history. Initially, about 40 mineral springs were discovered on the slopes (radon, carbonic, hot thermal springs were found). The waters from them were actively used for taking health baths and as an additive to the daily diet. For the "elite" segments of the population in the 19th century, drinking galleries and small baths were equipped; people with a low level of income could not afford to visit them. The problem was solved with the advent of inexpensive Soldier's baths. They functioned for a short time, they were demolished, later a new place carved into the mountainside became popular - "shameless baths". The non-trivial name is due to the lack of separation of areas for men and women, they bathed in thermal water all at the same time. The authorities, in an attempt to maintain the chastity of society, filled up the pits with thermal springs, new ones quickly appeared in their place. At the beginning of the 20th century, Folk Baths were opened, the entrance to which was free.

Legend of Mashuk

For many years, local residents have been passing by word of mouth a beautiful and dramatic legend that sheds light on the origin of the name. For a long time, in the place of the Caucasus Mountains, there were endless fertile plains, on which lived wise and fearless Narts, led by Prince Elbrus. He had a son, Beshtau, who chose the beautiful Mashuko as his wife. A pompous wedding was a joyless event only for the prince, who himself fell madly in love with his son's chosen one.
He sent his son on a princely campaign, soon after that a rumor spread through the Caucasian lands about his death. He took Mashuko as his wife and imprisoned her in a high tower, by force putting a wedding ring on his finger. When Beshtau returned home and found out what had happened, he stole his beloved. The fugitives did not manage to go far, the princely retinue caught up with them and in an unequal battle all the friends of the young guy died. The son managed to cut his father's head into two equal parts, but the dying prince gathered all the remaining strength and cut it into five parts. Mad with grief, the girl grabbed a sharp dagger and plunged it into her heart, and then threw it away from her.
From the universal sorrow that nature could not endure, everything around turned to stone, all the fallen warriors turned into mountains. And so Elbrus appeared with two peaks, the five-peaked Beshtau, not far from which there is Mashuk with a deep failure - a wound in the heart of a beauty from a dagger.

Ways to get to the top

The most popular mountain trail starts from the Resort Exhibition on Gagarin Boulevard, starting from Proval and descending to the Academic Gallery. The 3 km long zigzag road can be covered at a leisurely pace in about 45 minutes.
Climbing the southern slope is much more difficult, tourists often choose the path from the north side of the Perkalskaya glade - one of the most scenic spots. On its territory there is a dendrological nursery in which grows a large number of subtropical plants, including a relict tree - ginkgo biloba. In summer you can see magnolias blooming.
The mountain is wrapped in a spiral by a narrow automobile road, about 10 km long. You need to use transport with caution, the track is also a health path (the method of treatment of the same name is practiced, consisting in dosed physical exertion) for vacationers in numerous sanatoriums in Pyatigorye.
The most popular method of climbing to the top of the laccolith is the legendary cable car. The plying air tram is fully glazed so that the traveler is protected from wind and rain (the "cable car" works in any weather). You can overcome the path to the top in a few minutes, having managed to do unique photos opening panorama. Opening hours: daily from 10.00 to 18.00, boarding is carried out at the lower station near the Radon baths (from the railway station there is a bus No. 1). The cost of ascent / descent: adult 360 rubles, children 100 rubles.
On the slopes there is a separate track for those who are engaged in mountain biking (a kind of mountain biking). Masters of freeride (descent from natural hills) and downhill (bike race) hone their skills here every year.

Attractions located on Mount Mashuk

TV tower

The pride of the city, the creation of which was completed in 1959. From a distance, it looks like an arrow, giving the impression that the mountain is rushing up. Openwork type metal structure, reminiscent of the Parisian attraction "Tour Eiffel". Pyatigorsk residents call it "our Eiffel Tower", especially when the TV tower is shrouded in evening twilight. Illumination by powerful spotlights creates an ephemeral aura, woven from lilac-golden and white-blue rays. In winter, metal patterns are covered with an ice crust, it shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow.
The TV tower is a kind of beacon, it is visible within a radius of more than 40 km from Pyatigorsk. The height of the structure is 113 m, together with the mountain (596 m) it is more than 1000 m above sea level. Compared to this symbol, the health resorts of the Eiffel (325 m) and Ostankino (540 m) towers lose at least in height.

Lake Proval

How to get there: walk from the Lermontov Grotto and the Academic Gallery, bus number 1 (exit at the final stop).
This is a 41 m deep cave, which was discovered at the end of the 18th century on the southern slope of the mountain. At its bottom there is a karst lake with bright blue water, but not everyone will want to swim in it. The shade is due to the presence of a huge amount of bacteria and hydrogen sulfide, so the smell inside the cave is, to put it mildly, unpleasant. Spending more than a few minutes there is very difficult for the human body.
In the middle of the 9th century, at the behest of Prince Golitsyn, a tunnel 58 m long was pierced, the descent to the lake was landscaped, and the entrance was lined with stone. Later, a niche was made in the stone wall and the icon of the Mother of God was placed in it. Now in its place is the face of the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon.
A whole chapter in the immortal novel by Ilf and Petrov "The Twelve Chairs" is devoted to the famous Failure. It was for its repair that Ostap Bender organized the collection of money. At the entrance there is a sculpture of the Great Combinator, you can capture yourself against its background or sit down to rest on a chair.

Sculpture "Eagle"

The monument is located on one of the spurs of Mashuk - Mount Hot. The sculpture was installed in 1901, it has become a symbol not only of this area, but of the entire region of the Caucasus Mineral Waters. The stone was originally embodied in the urban legend of an eagle that received a deadly snakebite. On the mountain, he drank healing water from one source and was cured. In the claws of a huge bird is a snake - a symbol of the victory of the Caucasians.
The first viewers of the monument gave it a different assessment, some of the figure seemed too ugly (the first "eagle" with an open beak and a huge wingspan looked predatory and mercilessly at the snake with its left eye, its head turned to the right). Already in the evening, a red Bengal fire was lit near the sculpture. Later it was planned to create an illumination, but the lion's share of the city budget went to maintain the colorful image of the Flower Garden park.
During civil war the head of the bird disappeared and the wings became smaller, and after the restoration, the turn of the head was already to the left. During the Second World War, the authorities saw in the monument a resemblance to the winged symbol of the Third Reich and almost completely destroyed it. After the fighting, the bird gained modern look- closed beak, reduced wings with moderate plumage, the head is lowered down and looks at the snake in its claws.

Definitely worth a look:

- Grotto of Diana - a cave located on the northern slope of the Hot, artificial type, was discovered in 1831. The name was given in honor of the goddess-huntress, who loved to rest in the midday heat in the shade of grottoes.
- Monument to the military topographer A.V. Pastukhov , here is his grave (the will indicated the wish that the remains rest on top).
- Aeolian harp - a place for walks of romantics and pragmatists on the Mikhailovsky spur. This is a classic arbor with white stone columns. According to legend, the wind used to play on the weightless strings of harps at this place, creating marvelous music. Even now, in windy weather, unusual sounds can be heard there, amplified by acoustics.
- academic gallery - adorns the white-stone miracle of the upper part of the Flower Garden park. In the 19th century, this place was the Elizabethan Gallery. The architecture of the building belongs to the authorship of the Bernardazzi brothers. Initially, it was a modest building made of wood, the walls of which were covered with fabric. Later it was demolished and a beautiful stone building was built on the site. mineral spring inside has number 16.
- metal panel - located on one of the retaining walls in the forest. Depicts a Red Army soldier, the sun, a beautiful star with a hammer and sickle inside. The wall around is painted with various inscriptions, however, it is not recommended for a particularly impressionable person to read some of them in order to avoid culture shock.
- Gate of the Sun (Love) - located on one of the sites on the slope of Mashuk, a 15-minute walk from the Kanatka cafe. A stone-concrete structure in the form of an arch meets wedding corteges, according to legend, the groom must pass his bride through them several times so that the seed bonds are strong and the marriage is long and happy. Before the city day in September, stone boulders are covered with gray paint due to the constantly appearing inscriptions, which does not at all prevent modern lovers from writing themselves with spray paint into history again in just a few days.
- Lenin rocks - got their name after the artist N.K. Shuklin created a portrait of Lenin. timed rock painting to the first meeting of the Terek Cossacks. The restoration of the image was made in 1960. Nearby is the sanatorium "Lenin Rocks" - a young health resort that accepts adults and children for treatment all year round.
- Place duel Lermontov - a clearing on the northwestern slope, marked by an obelisk, on which the great poet and prose writer died on July 15, 1841. At first, he was buried near the place of the duel with Major Martynov, later the remains were reburied in the village of Tarkhanovo next to the grave of his mother.