From the very beginning, it should be noted that lakes in the Chelyabinsk and Novosibirsk regions and in Khakassia have the name Itkul. Common to them, apart from the name, is freshwater. Itkul is a toponym, that is, the name of a geographical object. There are 10 of them in Russia - villages, villages, a settlement, a railway station. There are also four lakes, one of which, Bolshoi Itkul, is located in the Chelyabinsk region. There are similar names that differ in only one letter, and also toponyms - in the Siberian Federal District there is a natural reservoir Utkul, and not Lake Itkul. The Altai Territory has two more villages, a river and a recreation center called Utkul, and is completely devoid of any geographical feature known as Itkul.
Homeland of tens of thousands of lakes
"Blue Land" - this is how the Southern Urals is often called because of its lakes, the number of which is 3170, and the area they occupy reaches 2100 square meters. km. 39 natural reservoirs are recognized as natural monuments of regional significance.
Among them, Itkul is a lake,which is one of the most beautiful places in the Chelyabinsk region, in the north of which it is located. The most beautiful reservoir occupies an area equal to approximately 30 square meters. km, it stretches for 7 km in length, 5 km in width. The lake is completely a security object with a total length of the border of 31.04 km, 21.53 of which pass through the territory of the Verkhneufaleisky urban district.
Main attraction
The well-known sights include the Shaitan-stone sung by P. P. Bazhov, a 10-meter rock-outlier, which is an independent monument of nature. Naturally, the picturesque rock has many legends, one of which is called the Golden Hair. According to the same legend, the Shaitan-stone was the dwelling of Poloz. After in 1973-1976. due to the activities of the pumping station built on the western shore to transfer the water of the lake to Chusovaya, the water level dropped by 2.5 m, a cave opened under the rock.
Geographic data
The deepest point of the reservoir reaches almost 17 m with an average depth of about 7. The total length of the coastline is 15 km. The height above sea level at which the lake is located is 273 meters. Itkul is a lake with a rocky and steep eastern shore and a more or less gentle southwestern shore. The opposite southeastern one has a rock section that is very interesting in terms of mineral composition - there are large crystals (up to 10 cm) of black hornblende.
Grenades and chrome spinel often come across. Particularly noteworthy are the beaches of the southeastern coast with white sand, in whichGlitter, sometimes quite large, pomegranate crystals, which is why they are called "garnet beaches". The lake is surrounded by mountains (the highest of them, Kapabaika, reaches 544 m above sea level) and beautiful dense forests. At the foot of the mountain runs a small river of the same name. Its name is translated from the Bashkir language as "black buy", or rich man. Itkul is a lake fed by water from many streams and streams, and only one flows out - Istok.
Sights of the Bashkir Lake
300 years the shores of the reservoir have been inhabited by the Bashkirs, the same number of years and the Bashkir village of the same name Itkul, located, like the village of Bautovo, on the northern shore of the lake. In this village there is a monument to the heroes of the war of 1812, the Bashkirs of the Tersyak tribe, who reached Paris as part of the Russian troops. Even near the village of Bautovo there is a hill with a recently cut down forest at the top. As a result, a beautiful view of Lake Itkul opens from here (photo attached). A group of boulders located closer to the middle and reminiscent of cows wandering into the water adds to the originality of the reservoir. This unnamed island, or simply "pebble", stretches 125 meters in length. In addition, there is also a coin beach, Korabliki rocks, the Altash stone ridge, at the exit from the village of the same name with the lake, there are the so-called Itkul gates - centuries-old poplars stand here, touching their crowns.
The lake sung by P. P. Bazhov
This wonderful corner of nature was described by P. P. Bazhov in his work "Demidov's Caftans", in which the singer of the Urals gives hisinterpretation of the name "Meat Lake". He writes that the water in the lake is of unusual clarity and transparency, but a little reddish, as if meat was rinsed in it. Others explain the name by the abundance of fish in the waters of the lake. Another "meat" story is connected with the breeder Demidov. For the disobedience and rebellion of the Bashkir population against the construction on the shore of the plant, Demidov wanted to poison the lake, ordering the chopped cow carcasses to be dumped into it. Allegedly, since then, the Sacred Lake has been called Meat Lake. This story was also told to the world by P. P. Bazhov.
Archaeological Treasury
They also call it "The Second Turgoyak with the banks of Arkaim". Turgoyak is also a large freshwater lake, located in the same area, near the city of Miass, and is also a natural monument. Arkaim is a major archaeological center.
With a fortified settlement of the Middle Bronze Age, located in the same Chelyabinsk region, Itkul is related by archaeological finds found in many places on the coastline. According to them, one can judge that blacksmithing, pottery and other types of crafts already flourished here in the III millennium BC. And man lived on these shores in the 7th millennium BC. Not a single archaeological expedition returned empty-handed, the most valuable finds were always brought, and numerous traces of ancient settlements remained on the shore.
Tourist Paradise
Itkul is a lake that attracts thousands of tourists. Forests and hills, beaches and crystal clear waters, an abundance of fish and a wonderfulair - such beauty could not go unnoticed, and people were drawn here. At first, residents of the city of Verkhny Ufaley, located 20 km away, came to rest, now the reservoir has turned into a tourist attraction. Without even describing the achievements in the field of servicing vacationers, it can be argued that Itkul is a lake, the rest on which is guaranteed to be unforgettable. The object is a nature reserve, and not all places are available for wild recreation.
It should be noted that the entrance to the territory is paid (350 rubles), and any person crossing the border of the reserve is given a garbage bag. But there are many more places for those who like to relax in a tent, which Lake Itkul is rich in. A recreation center or a sanatorium can provide a high level of civilized and cultural pastime. They are located in large numbers on the west coast. The most popular of them are Itkul, Uralelement, Depot, Vagonnik, Railwayman, Metelitsa. It should be noted the high level of amenities and service of recreation areas.
Pearls of Khakassia
As noted above, there are several similar toponyms in Siberia - Itkul. The lake, (Khakassia has its own reservoir with a similar name), which has an oval shape and stretches from northwest to southeast, is the first largest freshwater reservoir in Khakassia. It belongs to the Shirinsky district. This administrative-territorial unit got its name from the legendary meromictic closed lake Shira. Itkul is located three kilometers to the east from it. Meromictic is a termdenoting deep chemically stratified two-layer lakes in which there is a complete absence of water circulation between the layers. Examples - Black Sea, lake. Mogilnoye on Kildin Island in the Barents Sea and Lake Shira. The water in it is bitter-s alty in taste. This reservoir is located 100 meters below the Itkul reservoir. The lake (Khakassia has 500 large natural reservoirs with a water surface area of more than 10 hectares, and more than 100 of them are s alty), is located higher in relief and provides fresh water to the Lake Shira resort and the village of Kolodezny.
Some information about the lake
The surface area of the lake is 23.5 square meters. km, the depth reaches 16 meters, the height above sea level is 456 m. Three rivers flow into it, the largest of them is Kartysh. The shores in the area of confluence and outflow of streams are swampy (western and southwestern). Here you can also find small s alty Spirin lakes in the amount of 5 pieces. Unlike them, Itkul is a freshwater lake, with clean and transparent (absolute transparency reaches 9 meters) water.
Fed it, in addition to rivers, 50 underground sources. A significant part of its territory, namely 6.2 sq. km, located in the south, belongs to the reserve of federal significance "Khakassky". On one of the hills surrounding the reservoir there is an observation deck, which offers a magnificent view of Lake Itkul. The photo is attached and fully confirms what was said.
Places of civilized recreation
Of course, there are civilized places of rest here - separate cottages forrent, comfortable houses of the private sector, sanatoriums and hotels. Much of what is meant by the concept of modern cultural recreation is fully possessed by Lake Itkul. The recreation center of the Siberian Society of Hunters and Fishermen (any of the five - "Mnogoozernoye", "Lake Petrovskoye", "Gordeaka", "Klepikovo", "Utkul") can serve as an indicator and a visiting card of a holiday on this magnificent lake. Therefore, residents come here to rest not only from nearby settlements, but also from everywhere, because the rest on such a reservoir as Lake Itkul has the most positive reviews.
Modern source of information
Naturally, in our time advertising plays a huge role, and any institution for recreation, and not only, in order to attract visitors, has its own website, from where you can get all the information of interest, which describes in detail what Itkul is. The lake on which you are going to spend your vacation is widely known, there is comprehensive information about it.
There is information about the sights of the lake itself and its surrounding area, there are recommendations on how best and by what mode of transport to get to the object, you can find out the approximate cost of the proposed trip, everything about the history of the lake, about flora and fauna. So the only thing left for tourists to do is to choose the right option. And the selection is more than good.
