The Blue Lakes of the KBR are considered the deepest karst lakes in the world. Many myths and legends are associated with these amazingly beautiful places.
Location
The blue lakes of the KBR are located in the unique Cherek gorge, located on the territory of the region of the same name. It is considered the most densely populated in Kabardino-Balkaria, and it also has a large area. Mostly mountains are located here: five of the seven peaks of the Caucasus, the height of which reaches 5 km. It is here that the longest European glacier is located. These amazing places also have one of the oldest mountaineering camps "Bezengi", it was in it that the foundations of Soviet mountaineering were laid.
Natural Monument
The blue lakes of the KBR are considered a unique natural monument. Chirik-Kol is the second deepest karst source in the world. It is a karst aquifer, which has sheer walls. The maximum width on the surface of the lake is 130 meters, the length is 235 meters. There is an extension in the upper part, so the depth difference is determined from 0 to 40 meters. Chirik-Kol has no tributaries, a smallriver.
Temperature conditions
The weather on the Blue Lakes of the CBD is determined by the time of year, but the water temperature is unchanged and is 9 degrees. This lake is absolutely transparent, in good weather visibility is about 30-50 meters.
Research history
For the first time, the Blue Lakes of the KBR were described by the geographer I. Dinnik in his work "Trip to Balkaria in 1887-1890". The author emphasized the beauty and pristine nature of these unique places, described the climate of the KBR, Blue Lakes.
How to get to this natural monument? This question interests many tourists. At the beginning of the last century, serious geographical research in this region was carried out by I. Shchukin. In the thirties of the last century, Ivan Kuznetsov was engaged in the study of the Blue Lakes. It was he who was awarded the Russian Geographical Society for the unique results obtained during the experiments, with a nominal silver medal. He managed to find out that the reservoir of this lake is a deep well, the steep walls of which are lined with layered limestones. Water comes here from below under strong pressure.
In the summer of 1980, the expedition of the Geographical Institute named after A. I. Vakhushti Bagrationi, belonging to the Georgian Academy of Sciences. G. Gigineishvili, Doctor of Geographical Sciences, became the head of the research group. The expedition confirmed the information about the depth of the lake, and in the course of the work, new data on the chemical composition of the water were revealed. It turned out that they live in thesein places only algae, no living creatures, and mineral s alts in the Blue Lake are present in minimal quantities.
Legends of Blue Lake
The history of the appearance of the dive center on the Blue Lake begins in the summer of 1982. In June, Roma Prokhorov, a Moscow student, appeared on the shore of the lake. In addition to a huge number of trunks, he had oxygen tanks, as well as diving equipment.
It was he who later became the record holder of the Russian Federation in deep diving, founded the Blue Lakes camp. KBR is famous all over the world for its dive center founded by Prokhorov. Now the buildings, built with the assistance of the government of Kabardino-Balkaria, have two tiers. The lower one is carved directly into the rock, there is an exit to the descent platform. There are showers, changing rooms, rooms for storing equipment, as well as a pressure chamber.
How to get there
Did you decide to visit the Blue Lakes of the CBD? How to get to these amazing places? First, get to Nalchik. From Moscow, you can get here by rail, as well as along the M-4 highway. Up the gorge behind the Blue Lake are the Cherek tunnels, part of the old road has been preserved. A narrow path to the reservoir starts at a small waterfall and winds along a cliff, the height of which is about one hundred and fifty meters.
A bewitching view opens up on the way to the Blue Lakes. After driving a few kilometers, you can get to the village of Upper Balkaria. The highlight of this town isa unique suspension bridge leading to the old settlement. It was destroyed during the resettlement of the Balkars by order of Stalin. But the foundations and remains of the walls still survived, looking at them you can imagine the narrow winding streets where the inhabitants of the ancient mountain village once walked. The Abai-Kala tower surrounded by apricot trees is also unique in its beauty. On a solid stone, the height of which is ten meters, to the left of Abai-Kala, there is a watchtower.
Visitor reviews
According to the reviews of those who managed to visit these picturesque lands, in addition to the Blue Lake, there are many other attractions in the CBD.
Fifteen kilometers from Chirik-Kol there is a mineral hot spring Aushiger. It was discovered in the middle of the last century during an expedition searching for oil deposits in these parts. The depth of this source is 4 km! Philologists are sure that its name indicates that in the old days the Kabardians professed Christianity: in translation, "Aushiger" sounds like "Saint George".
When you are in Kabardino-Balkaria, you will definitely hear interesting legends and mysterious stories about the Blue Lake. The most common is the myth that it is here, at the bottom of the reservoir, that either the cavalry of Alexander the Great, or the army of Tamerlane, is resting, of course, in full uniform, richly decorated with silver, gold, and precious stones. There is a legend that deposits of Romanian and German military equipment are stored in the waters of the mysterious lake, as well as a statue of Stalin, which allegedly fell there duringthaw.
Perhaps the funniest tale is about the port wine truck that sank in Blue Lake.
Conclusion
The nature of Kabardino-Balkaria is unique. Tourists come to these parts to enjoy the picturesque mountains, healing mineral springs, to be alone with nature. During the existence of the Soviet Union, it was Kabardino-Balkaria that was considered a unique place where many people underwent treatment and restored their he alth. Near Nalchik there were sanatoriums where Soviet citizens rested. Every inhabitant of the once mighty power went to the Blue Lakes to understand, to feel to the depths of the soul all the beauty and hospitality of the Kabardian region.
