There are many islands in Peter the Great Bay. They are sparsely populated, have beautiful, but gloomy landscapes. One of these islands in Primorsky Krai is Reinecke. Only about twenty people live here. Romantic tourists visit these places quite actively. About the mysterious island of Reinecke and will be discussed in today's article.
Geographic location
Reinecke Island is 25 kilometers away from Vladivostok. Its area is only 4.6 square meters. km. From east to west, the length of the island is 3.5 km, from south to north - 3 km. The relief here is predominantly low-mountainous. The highest peak is 140 meters above sea level. There are many steep cliffs to the sea and coastal areas with lagoons. Picturesque rocky shores, small bays, a variety of wild vegetation - this is what attracts tourists to Reinecke Island. In the photos located in the article, you can appreciate the beauty of local landscapes. In addition, there is a small recreation center, which is described below.
First studies
The island was discovered by French and English sailors in the fifties of the XIX century. And after 20 yearsthe island was explored by a Russian expedition led by Captain Babkin. But it cannot be said that at the beginning of the 19th century Reinecke Island was completely uninhabited. Local historians believe that the Manchus lived here in ancient times, and later the Honghuzi - Manchurian pirates. And then the island was called differently. Namely, Sarbachou-tun.
Reinecke Island attracted special attention of the Russian authorities at the end of the 19th century. Then it got its modern name. What is known about the person the island is named after?
Mikhail Reinecke
The island in question in today's article is Russian. However, it is named after a person with a German surname. This is not surprising, because before the revolution in our country, there were much more people of German and French origin in power than Russian.
Mikhail Reinecke came from an old Saxon family. Born in the Liflyadna province, that is, in the B altic states. Educated in St. Petersburg. In 1814, Mikhail Reinecke entered the cadet corps, a year later he became a midshipman.
He devoted many years to the service and study of the sea. For hydrographic research conducted in the early thirties, Reinecke was awarded a high salary, and in 1832 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander. Mikhail Reinecke studied the waters of the B altic Sea for six years, but his biographers say nothing about the exploration of Peter the Great Bay.
The scientist and naval officer passed away in 1851, in Frankfurt am Main, as director of the Hydrographic Department. The island is named after him in 1862year.
Menard Enterprise
At the end of the 19th century, the island was leased to a Vladivostok merchant of French origin. August Menard organized a dairy farm here, a spotted deer nursery, and the extraction of natural granite. The entrepreneur was doing well. Over time, the farm and the nursery were inherited by the merchant's son. However, after the revolution, all this was nationalized. However, Menard Jr. continued to work on the island and even wrote a small work based on his own experience of observing deer. The book is called Antler Farming.
Menard, of course, did not have to do what he loved until the end of his days. In 1937 he was arrested and shot as an enemy of the people. The construction of a landfill has begun on the island. Most of the deer were exterminated by the military.
Reineke Village
A fish factory was built on the island in the thirties, which employed about three thousand people. At the same time, a village appeared here with a school, a kindergarten, a hospital and a club. Fishing for herring, flounder, crabs, and scallops was actively carried out on the island. Algae was also mined here, which was used to make agar-agar.
After the end of the Great Patriotic War, the island was inhabited mainly by captured Japanese. It is noteworthy that they moved around the territory of Reinecke quite freely. The Japanese worked at a fish factory, in quarries, fished, picked mushrooms - they led a full-fledged lifestyle. It was impossible to leave the island.
Factory closedin the seventies. The barbaric fishery led to the fact that its stocks were significantly reduced. Local residents were out of work, they had to move to the mainland.
Only ruins remained from the building of the fish factory. From the military training ground, which was founded in the early fifties, is the ruined base, which tourists call the "Mumiy Troll's house". Probably in honor of the founder of the famous group, Ilya Lagutenko, who often visited here.
Flora of the island
The nature here is virgin, wild. The island attracts many tourists, especially in summer. Meadow flowers of rhododendron and wild rose grow here. The steppe vegetation is perfectly combined with red rocks and the remains of a sunken ship, once thrown ashore by the waves. This ship was called "Peresvet" and for many years served as a target for military bombardments.
Sights of Reinecke Island include the gorge Devil's House, Stone Pillars, a grotto with a strange name "Sea corps de ballet". Here you can find quite rare plants. For example, Amur linden, Mongolian oak, heart-leaved hornbeam. Dense thickets of thyme look peculiar. Not so long ago, scientists expressed their desire to create a cultural and tourist center on the island, the purpose of which would be to protect and restore the unique nature of the island.
Recreation center "Reineke Island"
Excellent conditions are created here for tourists. The recreation center can accommodate up to 50 guests. Each of the wooden housesdesigned for 4 people. The beach is only 200 meters away. On the territory of the recreation center there are barbecue facilities, gazebos. On the island, vacationers sunbathe on the sandy beach, fish, take boat trips.
