Syana caves near Moscow

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Not all Muscovites know that some twelve kilometers from their city there is a large system of caves. This fact may seem unexpected, but it has a logical explanation. These caves - Syany - were made by human hands and for a reason. In Syany, limestone was mined for the construction of white-stone Moscow.

A bit of history

These moves have the longest length of moves in the Moscow region. And in Russia they occupy the 5th line. The total length of underground passages is 19 km, and these are only known and proven. There is a possibility that the Syany caves near Moscow may turn out to be more extended. At the same time, their position in the ranking of the caves will rise.

Large caves in the suburbs began to be created in the XIII century. The fastest increase in underground passages was in the 15th century, when limestone construction was actively developing. Peasants mined it in adits only in winter. There are two reasons for this:

During the rest of the year, the peasant people worked on the land, growing bread andraising livestock.
In winter, the risk of tunnel collapse was reduced. In the past, people did not yet have sufficient experience and means to ensure the safety and support of the vaults. In winter, the ground froze through from severe frosts, and the moving sections froze.

Stones were mined in these adits until the 20th century. Work underground completely ceased in 1917. In the thirties of the last century, a number of stones were extracted from the caves in order to strengthen the runway at Domodedovo Airport. Since that time, limestone rocks were no longer taken out of Xian. During the Great Patriotic War, a hospital for wounded soldiers was set up in the dungeon.

14 years of silence

Speleologists became interested in these caves already in the 1960s. And there are a lot of them here. Caves began to live a second life. A few years later, the government decided to wall up all entrances and exits for security reasons. The dungeons were empty for 14 years, after which the activists opened one of the exits. In 2007, it was brought back to normal, concrete rings were lowered and a staircase was made. This did not diminish the extremeness.

Syana Caves are not considered an ennobled place for tourists. Visitors are required to follow the recommendations for behavior in the caves, there are regular excursions here, and some even celebrate holidays. For example, celebrating the arrival of the New Year in the dungeon is not so commonplace.

Life underground

Make firesis strictly prohibited by the established rules of conduct, because other speleologists may suffer from the released carbon monoxide. Some visitors stay in the cave for more than one day and are forced to cook food and boil water on gas and alcohol. These features of being underground give a certain zest to such trips. It may surprise you, but there are people who may not come to the surface at all for a number of days. You can lie down and sleep in special extensions of the passages. Underground sometimes organize performances of artists and dances.

Syany cave attracts many tourists. Unfortunately, not all lovers of extreme recreation know how to get there.

Dungeon Conditions

The conditions in the cave do not change all year round. It is stable from 7 to 10 degrees above zero, and the humidity is about 80 percent. If you have warm and comfortable clothes, then you will not experience discomfort. This is if you are not claustrophobic. Ceiling heights can range from 0.3 to 2.5 meters. The passage width is about 1.5 meters.

All the passages studied by speleologists are in special maps, which will help tourists not to get lost. All passages and halls are named in the cave. In addition, when traveling through the adits, you can meet professional speleologists who are always ready to help or give advice. Every tourist will be enchanted by the caves of Siana. Photos obtained in these places are mysterious and mystical.

Interesting places and rules of conduct

Once you get down toSyany through the current entrance (it is still one) called "Cat's hole", you will notice a notebook. This is an impromptu visitor log. Everyone who enters and leaves must necessarily make an appropriate entry in this notebook. It was created to help rescue teams in the event of an emergency quickly and accurately have data on how many people are currently in the dungeon.

It should be borne in mind that, when meeting underground, regular guests of the dungeons greet each other with the phrase: "Good". Without the usual ending in the form of time of day, because there is no way to determine what is really now. There is no need to shine each other in the face, especially strangers. It's unpleasant, which is why it's a common practice in Xiang.

The Underworld looks like another reality. Walking, you can get into the hall, called "Aristarkh". A human skeleton has long been found in this place. Now Aristarchus, who is considered a local deity, is hung on metal fetters. There is a legend that in order to receive protection from a deity, gifts should be left. For this reason, the entire hall is littered with things of guests and worshipers of the deity. In Syan, you can not scatter and leave behind any garbage. This simple rule is strictly observed by everyone without exception, even though its implementation is not controlled.

In the system of passages of the Xian caves, you can stumble upon an interesting grotto, called the "Milky Way". For simplicity, it is called briefly: "Milky". The vault is formed by amazing rocks, which, in response to the beam of a lantern, play with millions of lights. Reminds me of a starry sky. When the light is turned off, it will continue to shine with phosphorescent lights for some time. What you see will be remembered for a lifetime.

There is another interesting place in the system - Pike hole. It has a very small height and width, but its length is decent. "Pike" will give you an adrenaline rush, if, of course, you overcome the natural fear of confined spaces.

How to get to the cave?

Six kilometers away from Gorki Leninskie you need to go along the main road towards Yam. After the bridge, turn left to the village of Novlyanskoye. At the end of this settlement, you need to cross the Pakhra River, there is a platinum. Further, we keep the path along the river to the left. The entrance to the caves is located in the second ravine on the right, there is a bus stop nearby.

Syana caves are most visited during the New Year holidays and winter time in general. In summer, there are much fewer people here, because there are some difficulties. Not everyone decides to plunge into the underground coolness almost naked after a strong heat.

There are practically no dangers in the caves, especially if you are well prepared. You can go on a tour with family or friends. This vacation will be remembered for a long time. Be sure to visit the Siana Caves. How to get there, now you know too.