In the Leningrad region in the Volkhov district there is the village of Staraya Ladoga, which is called the ancient capital of Northern Russia. There are many attractions that attract tourists. Some of the most interesting are the artificial caves used to mine quartz sand. Tourists visit two of them - Staroladozhskaya and Tanechkina. The article will tell about the latter.
How Tanechkina Cave appeared
Staraya Ladoga attracts lovers of dungeons and adventures, as here they can visit the mysterious cave with a labyrinth of galleries and an underground lake - Tanechkina.
This is a man-made quarry that originated in the late 19th century when white quartz sandstone was mined for glass production. Mining was carried out by the room-and-pillar method, with the formation of numerous extensive cavities - columns. Pillars - columns - were left between them to maintain the vault (this helped to avoid collapses).
Today, work is not carried out here due to the depletion of mineral reserves, the Tanechkin cave has long been abandoned. Over the years, nature has worked on it: streams made their way into the dungeon, limestone deposits formed on the walls, the embryos of future stalactites and stalagmites appeared. The cave itself has become a popular tourist attraction.
Description
As mentioned above, the extraction of quartz sand in the quarries of Staraya Ladoga was carried out using the room-and-pillar method. Thanks to this, the Tanechkina cave acquired a fabulous look: numerous galleries and underground halls, the vaults of which are supported by majestic columns, resemble a magical palace. The walls are decorated with bizarre patterns from multi-colored layers of rocks. Their height almost everywhere does not exceed 1.2 meters.
Also picturesque to the underworld gives a large lake, the depth of which reaches half a meter. When the heat sets in above, the lake dries up, leaving only a few puddles separated from each other. During the spring floods, this underground reservoir fills again to the brim.
Tanechkina cave - the longest in the Leningrad region. According to official data, its length is more than 7.5 kilometers (this is taking into account the fact that some of the galleries have collapsed). Locals claim that its real length exceeds 40 kilometers, and underground passages lead to the ancient fortress in Staraya Ladoga.
Tanechkina Cave: how to get there
This quarry is located at the foot of Malysheva Mountain, which is close to Staroladozhskayafortresses.
To easily find the cave, you must first get to Staraya Ladoga:
- on the highway Novaya Ladoga-Zuevo or St. Petersburg-Petrozavodsk;
- by train in the direction of St. Petersburg-Murmansk, Petrozavodsk or Vologda; get off at Staraya Ladoga station;
- from St. Petersburg by train from the Moscow railway station to the Volkhovstroy stop, then by bus number 23.
Then drive / walk 1.5 kilometers from the village along the highway No. A115, then turn to the river bank and walk along it for another 600 meters to the cave itself. The entrance to it is almost imperceptible, so it is better to have the place shown by locals or guides.
Old Ladoga burial mounds can also serve as a reference point, from which Tanechkin's cave is located about a kilometer away.
Attention! This is dangerous
Many tourists are attracted by the Tanechkina Cave. An excursion with an experienced guide leaves an unforgettable impression on everyone. But fans of extreme sports are trying to get into the quarry alone. A walk through the underground labyrinths of narrow grottoes, intricate passages between spacious halls and woven stiles can end in failure. Firstly, you can easily get lost, secondly, fall under landslides, which are not uncommon here, and thirdly, experience the attack of bats that live under the arches of the cave, which is very unpleasant.
Tourists should know that visiting the Tanya cave alone is very dangerous!
Interesting facts
Why Tanechkin's cave, where is thiscute name? There are no official documents explaining the origin of such a name, so it can be argued that this is how the people christened the cave. Local residents say that many decades ago, a man lived in Staraya Ladoga, who alone raised his daughter Tanechka. They lived very friendly, his father worked in a quarry, and his daughter brought him lunch every day. One day the girl did not return from the cave. They searched for her throughout the village for several days. Father did not find a place for himself from grief. But on the 4th day of the search, Tanechka was found - she was frightened, exhausted, but safe and sound. Since then, this place has been called Tanechkin's Cave.
There is a place in the cave where the same temperature is always kept - +6 °C. Speleologists are studying this phenomenon.
The Tanechkin Cave was declared a protected area due to the fact that several colonies of bats settled in it - water and pond bats, northern leather bats, ear-flaps and Brandt's bats. In total, more than 400 individuals of these animals live here.
In winter, during high water and during heavy rains, the entrance to the cave is closed.
Walking through the cave can be on foot or by boat on the underground lake.
