In the south-east of the Stavropol Territory there is a beautiful resort town of Mineralnye Vody, which is famous for its clean air, picturesque nature, magnificent parks and unique sights. The name of the city was due to the proximity to the deposit of the Caucasian mineral waters, although there are no sources in the city itself.
Most tourists come to Mineralnye Vody in the Stavropol Territory to improve their he alth, relax in the mountains and see local attractions.
Location
The city is located in the valley of the Kuma River, 172 km south of Stavropol. The city of Mineralnye Vody in the Stavropol Territory is located at the foot of Mount Zmeyka, which is mainly occupied by the Beshtaugorsk forest, and from the side of the city it is a cluster of rocks and quarries that are connected by a serpentine of roads.
History of the city
In the secondhalf of the 19th century, the construction of the Rostov-Vladikavkaz railway was completed. In 1875, the first trains were launched. The station "Sultanovskaya" was built on the site where the railway tracks go towards Kislovodsk. It got its name in honor of Sultan Giray, who allowed to take part of his land for the resettlement of workers who served the transport sector. At that time, there were about 500 of them.
Every year the population of this settlement increased. Craftsmen began to come here, who made and sold their goods. So the village of Sultanovsky arose, named so in 1878. A glass factory began operating on its territory in 1898. Naturally, this led to further population growth and expansion of the area of the village.
In 1906 it was renamed, calling Illarionovsky, in honor of Illarion Vorontsov-Dashkov, the Caucasian governor.
Soviet period of history
In 1922, the new authorities decided that the railway station, as well as the nearby village, should become one administrative unit. So on the map of the young republic a city with the name Mineralnye Vody appeared. As before, it remained the most important point of transport infrastructure in the south of our country.
Two years later, a decree was issued on the formation of the Mineralnye Vody region. The importance of the city increased even more in 1925, when an airport was built nearby. Over time, the industry developed - in the late 20s and early 30sindustrial enterprises for the extraction of non-metallic materials and their further processing by crushing were opened.
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, 18 thousand citizens, including volunteers, went to the front. Some city enterprises began to produce products for military orders. Women, old people and teenagers worked for them. In August 1942, the city was occupied by the Nazis, and the commandant's office was located in the station building. The transport hub played an important role in supplying the German units that were rushing to Vladikavkaz and Baku.
During the five months of occupation, the most important economic facilities, the depot and the station were destroyed in the city. Jews from all the resort towns of the Caucasus Mineral Waters were brought to Mineralnye Vody of the Stavropol Territory. The surroundings of the glass factory became the site of mass executions. The bodies of the dead were thrown into an anti-tank ditch. In total, more than 10 thousand people were killed.
The city was liberated in January 1943. More than 7 thousand residents of the city did not return from the war, more than 6 thousand people were awarded, 12 citizens were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Immediately after the liberation, Mineralnye Vody in the Stavropol Territory began to be restored, but it was possible to fully recover from the huge damage and begin to massively build housing and expand communications in the second half of the 50s. At the railway station, the building of the new station appeared in 1955.
The development of the city allowed it to become one of the largest cities of the Caucasian Mineralnye Vody in the Stavropol Territory. The city met the beginning of the 80s with a well-groomedand well-maintained - active construction of multi-storey buildings, including high-rise residential buildings, was underway. The development of a mining quarry, which lasted more than half a century, was completed in 1984, transport links continued to develop - a new highway was built between Mineralnye Vody of the Stavropol Territory and Kislovodsk.
Modern City
Today, Mineralnye Vody is still the largest city in the Stavropol Territory, an important transport hub. It occupies an area of 51.6 sq. km. The population has grown to 76 thousand inhabitants. Telephone code: +7 87922, the index of Mineralnye Vody of the Stavropol Territory is 357200.
This is a large industrial center with an excellent investment climate. About a thousand enterprises of various profiles successfully operate in the city - instrument making, food, light, woodworking, chemical and construction industries. There are two thousand entrepreneurs. Here they produce the famous and popular mineral water "Novoterskaya healing", which is mined at the Zmeykinskoye deposit, at a depth of about 1.5 thousand meters. All the vacancies of the Mineralnye Vody of the Stavropol Territory are collected in the city Employment Center. Working speci alties are most in demand, service and trade workers are required.
Mineralnye Vody in the Stavropol Territory (Russia): attractions
Today it is one of the most popular resorts of the KMV, although there are no mineral springs in the city. But thousands of tourists come here every year for vacation. The city has many interesting places and architectural, historicalattractions.
Mount Snake
This is one of the most majestic sights of Mineralnye Vody in the Stavropol Territory. Mount Zmeyka is officially recognized as a national natural monument, which is under state protection. The flora of the mountain is represented by rare species of shrubs and trees: Caucasian ash, Oriental beech, Georgian lily. Of the animals, roe deer, wild boars, lizards, snakes, frogs should be distinguished.
Guests enjoy visiting interesting places located on the territory of the mountain - the Holy Spring, Devil's Finger.
Mount Sheludivaya
Mountain with a height of 874 meters is located in the south of the city of Lermontov, which is located very close to Mineralnye Vody. It got its unusual name because of its appearance - its slopes are covered with random boulders and rock formations. Locals claim that it once had the shape of a pyramid. Now the slope of the mountain has been cut off, as stones were mined here for construction in 1970.
Climbing to the top, vacationers have the opportunity to see a stunning panorama of the resort towns (Lermontov and Pyatigorsk).
Chegem Gorge
This amazing place is located 100 km from Mineralnye Vody on the mountain river Chegem. This area has many different waterfalls. For some, the water flows down in small droplets, for others it falls in a huge wide jet at high speed. The most powerful of them is the Maiden Scythe.
This area is impressive in winter,when large ice pillars resembling stalactites line up in the gorge. This is an amazing sight that is worth seeing with your own eyes. And in the summer, tourists like to visit the open-air museum in the village of Verkhniy Chegem. Walking along the gorge, do not forget that wild animals live here, which you may meet on the way - foxes, wolves, lynxes. Other animals also live here - deer and roe deer, hares and martens.
Pokrovsky Cathedral
The most visited architectural structure in Mineralnye Vody. The construction of the temple began in 1992 and lasted 5 years. The facade of the building is decorated with figured brickwork. The temple is crowned with several steel domes. On its territory there are cells for pilgrims, an administrative building, service rooms.
Church of St. Nicholas
The temple is located near the city park of culture. The construction of the complex was completed in 1950. At that time, it was consecrated in the name of the Intercession of the Virgin. A few years later, the church was renamed at the insistence of the Metropolitan of Stavropol, in honor of Nicholas the Wonderworker. The shrine of the church is the ancient Athos icon.
The church has a rather simple architecture. In addition to the main building, there is a bell tower on the territory of the church. A red brick wall encloses the entire area of the temple.
Fire of Eternal Glory
The grand opening of this memorial complex took place in 1976. In this placeprocessions, rallies, solemn city events are held every year. The monument is a composition of figures, as if rising above the surface, and stone columns.
At the base of the pylons is a recess lined with marble with stones and a star. An eternal flame bursts out of the star. A beautiful square is laid out on the territory of the memorial complex, on both sides of which trees and flowers are planted.
Monument to tankmen
22 years after the liberation of the city from the fascist invaders (1943), the Monument to the dead tankmen was opened in Mineralnye Vody. The names of the warring heroes are carved on the marble plaque. There are always fresh flowers here - the townspeople are kind to the memory of the fallen heroes.
Reviews from vacationers
According to vacationers, Mineralnye Vody is somewhat inferior to Zheleznovodsk, Kislovodsk and Pyatigorsk, located 20-40 kilometers from the city. There are no such number of he alth resorts and medical bases. But there is some special charm in this city - shady boulevards with chestnut trees, lanterns, benches and cozy little cafes - many interesting and memorable places. That is why you can have a great time here.
It's pretty hot in summer, and already in June the grass is scorched. It is comfortable in Mineralnye Vody in September-October. Picturesque places, beautiful mountains that are located near the city, fresh and clean air and a favorable climate - all this is conducive to a relaxing family vacation.
