The blue lakes of the CBD are considered the deepest karst lakes in the world . Many myths and legends are associated with these amazingly beautiful places.
Location
Blue lakes of the KBR are located in the unique Chereksky Gorge, located in the same region. It is considered the most densely populated in Kabardino-Balkaria, moreover, it has a large area. Mostly there are mountains: five of the seven peaks of the Caucasus, whose height reaches 5 km. It is here that the longest European glacier is located. There is one of the oldest Bezengi camps in these amazing places, and it was in it that the foundations of Soviet mountaineering were laid.
Natural monument
The blue lakes of the CBD are considered a unique natural monument. Chirik-Köl is the second largest karst spring in the world. It is a karst aquifer that has sheer walls. The maximum width on the surface of the lake is 130 meters, length - 235 meters. In the upper part there is an extension, so a difference in depth from 0 to 40 meters is determined. Chirik-Köl has no tributaries; a small river flows from it.
Temperature mode
The weather on the Blue Lakes of the KBR is determined by the time of year, but the water temperature is unchanged at 9 degrees. This lake is absolutely transparent, in good weather, visibility persists on the order of 30-50 meters.
Research history
For the first time, the Blue Lakes of the KBR were described by the geographer I. Dinnik in his work “A Trip to the Balkaria in 1887-1890”. The author emphasized the beauty and pristine nature of these unique places, described the climate features of the CBD, Blue Lakes.
How to get to this natural monument? This question interests many tourists. At the beginning of the last century, serious geographical research in this region was carried out by I. Schukin. In the thirties of the last century, Ivan Kuznetsov was engaged in the study of the Blue Lakes . It was he who was awarded the Russian Geographical Society for the unique results obtained in the course of the experiments, a personalized silver medal. He managed to find out that the reservoir of this lake is a deep well, the sheer walls of which are lined with layered limestones. Water comes here from below under high pressure.
In the summer of 1980, the expedition of the Geographical Institute named after Ch. Vahushti Bagrationi, owned by the Georgian Academy of Sciences. The head of the research team was Dr. G. Gigineishvili. The expedition confirmed the information about the depth of the lake, and in the course of the work, new data on the chemical composition of water were revealed. It turned out that only algae live in these places, there is no living creature, and mineral salts in the Blue Lake are present in minimal quantities.
Legends of the Blue Lake
The story of the appearance of the dive center on the Blue Lake begins in the summer of 1982. In June, Roma Prokhorov, a Moscow student, appeared on the lake. In addition to a huge number of trunks, he had oxygen tanks, as well as diving equipment.
It was he who later became the champion of the Russian Federation in deep diving, founded the camp "Blue Lakes". The CBD is famous all over the world for its dive center, founded by Prokhorov. Now the buildings, built with the assistance of the government of Kabardino-Balkaria, have two tiers. The lower one is cut down directly in the rock, there is access to the launch pad. There are showers, changing rooms, equipment storage rooms, as well as a pressure chamber.
How to get there
Decided to visit the CBD Blue Lakes? How to get to these amazing places? First get to Nalchik. You can get here from Moscow by rail, as well as by the M-4 highway. The Cherek tunnels are located up the gorge upstream of the Blue Lake, a part of the old road has been preserved. The narrow path to the reservoir begins at a small waterfall and winds along a cliff, the height of which is about one hundred and fifty meters.
A fascinating view opens on the way to the Blue Lakes. After driving a few kilometers, you can get into the village of Upper Balkaria. The attraction of this village is a unique suspension bridge leading to the old settlement. It was destroyed during the resettlement of the Balkars by order of Stalin. But the foundations and the remains of the walls are still preserved, when you look at them you can imagine the narrow winding streets where the inhabitants of the ancient mountain village once walked. Unique in its beauty is the Abai Kala Tower, surrounded by apricot trees. On a solid stone, whose height is ten meters, to the left of Abai Kala, there is a watchtower.
Visitors reviews
According to reviews of those who managed to visit these picturesque places, in addition to the Blue Lake, there are many other attractions in the CBD.
Fifteen kilometers from Chirik-Köl there is the Aushiger mineral hot spring. It was discovered in the middle of the last century during an expedition engaged in the search for oil fields in these parts. The depth of this source is 4 km! Philologists are sure that his name suggests that in the old days Kabardinians professed Christianity: in the translation “Aushiger” sounds like “St. George”.
Once in Kabardino-Balkaria, you will certainly hear interesting legends and mysterious stories relating to the Blue Lake. The most widespread myth is that it is here, at the bottom of the reservoir, that the cavalry of Alexander the Great or the army of Tamerlane rests, of course, in full uniform, richly decorated with silver, gold, precious stones. There is a legend that in the waters of a mysterious lake deposits of Romanian and German military equipment are stored, as well as a statue of Stalin, who allegedly fell there during the thaw.
Perhaps the funniest tale can be considered information about a truck with a port that sank in Blue Lake.
Conclusion
The nature of Kabardino-Balkaria is unique. Tourists come to these parts to enjoy the picturesque mountains, healing mineral springs, to be alone with nature. During the existence of the Soviet Union, it was Kabardino-Balkaria that was considered a unique place where many underwent treatment and restored their health. Near Nalchik there were sanatoriums in which Soviet citizens rested. Each resident of the once powerful country must go to the Blue Lakes in order to understand, to feel to the depths of his soul all the beauty and hospitality of the Kabarda Territory.