When a person encounters something amazing and beautiful, he wants it to stay with him forever. Most often this is impossible, but not in the case of the pristine nature of Altai, the pearl of which is Chemal. The sights of this place are its nature, which constantly surprises. Apparently, this is why every year strings of buses and cars with tourists eager to get in touch with her stretch here.
History of Chemal
Each settlement has its own biography, which indicates how it was created, how it developed and even how it disappeared from the face of the Earth, if this happened. The history of the village of Chemal, whose sights are today included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, began in the late 18th century with fugitive peasants who were looking for a better life.
Now it is not known how well they lived, but they definitely chose a place to build their housesunique. When missionaries and their families settled here in 1849, a new life began near the village. The unique properties of its air became widely known, and by the end of the 19th century, celebrities, scientists and creative intelligentsia began to visit this distant land. At one time P. N. Krylov, V. Ya. Shishkov, G. N. Potanin and other famous people.
Thanks to the missionaries, temples and churches were erected here, some of which have been restored and are operating today. The Church of St. John the Evangelist, for example, was built in 1850, but then moved from the village to the island of Patmos in 1915, and in 2001 it was completely restored.
The first sanatorium for tuberculosis patients was built in 1905 with the money of Bishop Macarius and with his blessing. In the 30s of the 20th century, the sanatorium became a government one, and M. Kalinin's wife Ekaterina was appointed its director. By this time, a bathhouse, a bakery and workshops were already operating in the village.
Today, in order to get to a sanatorium or one of the Chemal camp sites, you should book places in advance, this place has become so popular.
Nature
If you list the natural attractions of Chemal, then the first on the list will be its air. There are several reasons for its uniqueness:
- Firstly, the climate in these places is strikingly different from that characteristic of the Altai Republic. There is almost no snow here, and the winter temperature rarely drops below -8 degrees, while it reaches -25 just 10-15 km from the village. In summer it is warm and sunny here, which is also not typical for other areas. By the number of solardays it can be compared with the Crimean coast.
- Secondly, the air is filled not only with ozone, but also with essential oils. This is due to the relic pine forest growing nearby, the trees of which emit these same oils.
- Thirdly, the moderate dryness of the air, which is facilitated by the absence of swamps. Many travelers who have been here know everything about Chemal, its sights, but they are not aware of one amazing phenomenon. There are no mosquitoes here, which is completely uncharacteristic of places near water and forests.
- Fourthly, the mountains surrounding the village with their alpine meadows contribute to the purity and ozonation of the air.
The nature of Chemal has become the main reason for such popularity among tourists.
Church of St. John the Theologian
If you make a list of the best sights in Chemal created by human hands, then the Church of St. John the Evangelist will take first place in it.
The name of the island has its own interesting story. When the temple still stood on the banks of the Katun River, the monks chose this piece of land as a place for solitary prayers. Nameless at that time, the island rose majestically almost in the middle of the river. This was the reason that in 1855 it was illuminated by Bishop Parthenius and named after him Patmos in the Mediterranean Sea, on which John the Theologian was given a revelation of the Lord. In his knowledge, the prophet saw not only the apocalypse, but also two islands hovering over the water with temples on them. That is why the temple was later transferred to the illuminated island from the bank of the Katun.
In Soviet times, the temple was destroyed, but today it stands again revived, and a convent was built on the banks of the Katun, which is connected to the island by a suspension bridge. If someone is interested in the question of what to see in Chemal, then it is worth going over a shaky bridge for the sake of two icons. One of them miraculously restored itself, and the other began to stream myrrh after the illumination of the renovated temple. There is evidence that they are miraculous.
Chemal HPP
As was customary in Soviet times, the first hydroelectric power station in Siberia was built by prisoners. It worked for a long time, but today it is a museum and a place of entertainment. Entrance for an adult is 450 rubles, and for children - 250 rubles.
You can visit the territory of the former hydroelectric power station:
- in a cafe;
- in souvenir shops;
- at the water park;
- in the shooting range and on the playground;
- visit the attraction "Adrenaline";
- jump off the dam into the water and more.
Here you can get the most interesting and exciting entertainment experience that Chemal has to offer. The attractions of the HPP are suitable for both children and their parents.
Sanatorium Chemala
It is surprising that in the village most of the local curiosities are the only ones, if not in the world, then in the whole of Eastern Siberia. Many patients of the local sanatorium have already had the opportunity to improve their he alth and explore what sights Chemal has prepared for them. Reviews of the treatment and conditions of detention indicate that not only the climate is good in the surroundings,but the atmosphere in the sanatorium is very friendly and just as healing.
Active life in the sanatorium began when Ekaterina Kalinina became its director. Initially, it was a resort for improving the he alth of members of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, which also received many prominent figures of art and literature. Only in 1957 it was re-profiled into a mountain-climatic he alth resort for tuberculosis patients with varying degrees of complexity of the disease.
To get into it, you need a referral from doctors to get a ticket. Those who have already been treated here note the extraordinary impact of local air and its help in recovery.
Ornygu Cultural Center
For those who decide to relax and improve their he alth in Altai, it will be interesting to know what sights to see in Chemal, related to local traditions and people. One of these facilities is the Ornygu cultural center.
It consists of 4 yurts, each of which highlights the life and customs of the Altaians:
- the first yurt is dedicated to national clothes and household items;
- the second provides information about the elders of the clans, about whom materials and photographs are collected;
- the third is a yurt for reflection on peace, religion and friendship, here are the attributes of faith;
- fourth tells about the nomadic life of the Altai people.
The museum is young, but more than 12,000 people have already visited it, whichspeaks of people's interest in the history of Altai and its inhabitants.
Attractions
For active people, Chemal prepared sights located at some distance from the village:
- Taldin caves, which are located near the village of Izvestkovoe on the left bank of the Katun.
- Kamyshlinsky waterfall, formed at the confluence of the river Kamyshla and Katun.
- If you look at the sights of Chemal in late autumn, interesting places are located on the Blue Lakes. They appear only in autumn, when the Katun becomes shallow. Their distinguishing feature is the stunning blue water. Locals claim that she treats eye diseases.
Sights of Chemal are its natural monuments, which Altai has been so generously awarded with.
Legends of Chemal
As is often the case, legends are born in the place of real facts. So it happened with the story of the love of a great man for a woman. A. V. Anokhin was a well-known personality in Altai, the local population composed songs about him and called him the name of the mountain and the lake. His love for a girl named Agnia became the basis of the legend.
When Anokhin's beloved fell ill with consumption, he, knowing the healing properties of Chemal's air, brought her to this region. They rode a lot, walked in the surrounding forests, and everything was fine until an accident happened. During one of the walks, the girl fell into the water and drowned.
Her body was found on the shore near a nameless rock. The most surprising thing was that nothing had previouslya remarkable sheer hill suddenly became wet, as if from tears. Since then, people began to call her Lament-Mountain in honor of the deceased girl.
As the legend says, Anokhin buried his beloved in Chemal - a place where they felt so good together. He put a beautiful monument with angels on her grave, and locals say that the man swore never to marry anyone and kept his promise.
Unfortunately, in Soviet times, the monument and the grave were destroyed, and in the memory of the people about this story, only Lament-Mountain remained, which lovers visit to ask the deceased girl for help in love.
Mountain Spirit Castles
Another popular place visited by all tourists in Chemal is an amazing creation of nature, popularly called Castles of Mountain Spirits. The sight seen is truly mesmerizing: vertical jagged rocks stand on a flat plateau, reminiscent of castle towers from afar.
These rocks have long inspired mystical horror to the local population. They said that spirits live in them, making sounds that can kill a person. And these legends were confirmed by cases when dead travelers were found near the rocks without traces of violent death, who decided to stay here for the night.
Scientists have found that the rocks are located in such a way that the wind created sounds of a certain frequency in them, and they killed people with their vibration. Some of the rocks were blown up, the sounds disappeared, but the interest and fear of the natural miracle remained. Therefore, tourists are constantly brought here.
Campas
Modern camp sites in the village appeared recently, but they also offer guests to improve their he alth, and not just enjoy the appearance of the region. Each of them organizes not only a comfortable life, but also rich excursion programs in the surroundings.
Many of them are located near the beaches on the Katun River in picturesque places, but whatever the sights of Chemal, the description cannot convey all the beauty and unique charm of this place. It is better to come and check everything personally, having experienced the healing air of Altai and the goodwill of its inhabitants.
