The concept of "cave" for many is associated exclusively with mountainous terrain. But these beautiful natural objects are found outside the mountains. So, on the territory of the plain Nizhny Novgorod region there are Bornukovsky caves - a great place for a short rest. We will tell you about them in our article.
Bornukovo village: where is it and how to get there?
Bornukovsky caves are located near the village of the same name. The small village of Bornukovo (about 500 inhabitants) is located on the left bank of the Piany River, in the Buturlinsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region. The name, most likely, comes from the name of the first settler - Mordvin Bornuk. By the way, the village is quite old. According to one version, it was founded in the XVII century.
The village is famous in the region and country for two objects. The first is Bornukovsky caves, and the second is a stone-cutting factory with the same name. It is known that the local soft stone (gypsum and anhydrite) was once delivered to Moscow and St. Petersburg for the decoration of royal palaces and residences.
You can get to the village by regular buses that depart from the Nizhny Novgorod bus station located on Lyadov Square. You should look for flights to Bornukovo, Gagino or Bolshoy Boldino. You can also get there by car. True, it is worth considering that the road here is far from in perfect condition. Therefore, the journey from Nizhny Novgorod to Bornukovo takes at least three hours (at a distance of 150 kilometers).
GPS location coordinates: 55.374000, 44.777465.
Bornukovskaya cave (Nizhny Novgorod region): general information about the attraction
The surroundings of the village of Bornukovo have long been famous for their deposits of soft stone (primarily limestone, gypsum and anhydrite). Once, on the slope of a local quarry, a wide entrance to a huge underground cavity formed. "Abyssal abyss" - this is how the famous geographer and local historian Peter-Simon Pallas once described this place.
Bornukovsky caves are located on the high right bank of Piany, just one kilometer from the village. They are a series of separate grottoes spiraling underground. The total length of the cave passages is insignificant - only 200 meters.
The quarry and caves in Bornukovo today are a popular sightseeing site in the Nizhny Novgorod region. It should be noted that independent penetration into the caves (without an experienced instructor) is a rather dangerous undertaking, which is fraught with serious injuries. Also, do not forget that the air temperature is constant throughout the year and is +11 degrees.
Tourist and scientific value of the object
Bornukovsky caves are a unique natural formation for this region. Indeed, to see a huge underground grotto in the completely flat Nizhny Novgorod region, the walls of which are covered with a layer of ice all year round - this is already exotic. Therefore, it is very difficult to overestimate the tourist significance of this attraction.
From the point of view of geology, the caves near the village of Bornukovo are a complex of spacious halls and cavities connected to each other by narrow passages (cavers call them “skaters”). Getting into some rooms is quite difficult - you can only do this by crawling. The caves were examined in detail by Moscow cavers in the early 1960s. It turned out that their walls were composed of gypsum, marl, as well as light gray limestone with layers of clay and anhydrite.
It is important to recall that the descent into the ground is always associated with a certain risk to the life and health of the tourist. Therefore, to go to the caves without appropriate training and the necessary equipment is simply silly. Moving inside should only be a group and with great care.
Stone-cutting factory “Bornukovskaya cave”
Even if you do not consider yourself an extreme, to go down to the cave, it is still worth coming to the village of Bornukovo. At least in order to visit one of the oldest stone processing factories in the country.
The first stone products made by the inhabitants of this village date back to the late 19th century. These were countertops, vases, sinks, figures of people and animals. The modern stone-cutting factory was organized in 1930 by P. L. Shalnov. In 1937, its products were already exhibited at the Paris World Exhibition and received several awards at once.
After the Second World War, the products of the Bornukovsky factory won worldwide recognition. Residents of many Western countries with great pleasure purchased them for their collections. Since the mid-50s, the factory began to use stone raw materials imported from other regions, since the local quarry was destroyed by an unsuccessful explosion.
Products of the Bornukov factory
A new stage in the life of the Bornukovskaya Cave factory began in 2007. The ancient stone-cutting industry owed its revival to the patron Victor Lavrov, who invested a lot of personal funds and energy in this business.
Today, the factory is actively working in the tourism sector: it conducts excursions and master classes. Every tourist will be able to purchase a stone souvenir here - an ashtray, a plate, a casket or a cute figurine. In total, the company produces about 70 types of products. All products of the factory in Bornukovo are of high quality and beautiful decoration.