Slavgorod, being the administrative center of the homonymous district, is a relatively small city in the Mogilev region. The population is a little less than 8000 people. Nevertheless, tourists often come here to see historical and cultural monuments.
As part of the routes of many sightseeing tours, travelers visit a postal station built in the mid-nineteenth century, a temple erected in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin and dating from the eighteenth century, a memorial chapel in the village of Lesnaya, founded at the beginning of the millennium, a beautiful private garden park in Svensk, etc. However, Slavgorod is famous not only for these attractions. There is a unique natural pearl on its territory, which every Belarusian knows about. Moreover, all those who come to Belarus try to come here to get to know their monuments more closely. This is the Blue Krynitsa in Slavgorod.
How can I get to?
People come here all year, and in the summer, the number of those who want to plunge into this holy spring can be measured by tens of thousands. And this is not surprising. After all, the Blue Krinitsa in Slavgorod, the photo and description of which is given in this article, is considered the largest source of the ascending type in all of Eastern Europe. The water in it is literally saturated with such useful compounds as potassium, calcium, sodium, etc.
How to get to the Blue Krinitsa, every local will say. But even despite such a huge popularity, the road can hardly be called landscaped. From Slavgorod to this natural pearl, you need to travel southeast along the dirt road P140, and then cross the Goluba river via the pontoon bridge and, after passing one kilometer, turn left. The distance from the city to the source is 2.5 kilometers. If you go from the other side, then, reaching the village of Dubno, you should drive another 4.0 kilometers.
Popular fame
Moving to the surface of the earth, water passing through the chalky layers of rocks, gets an incredibly bright and beautiful emerald color. The source gained incredible fame, both in Belarus itself and far beyond its borders. To collect healing water, which, according to legend, is life-giving, many can spend hours waiting in line for Lake Blue Krinitsa. How to get to it, will show any resident of the surrounding villages.
Description
The Blue Krinitsa in Slavgorod is listed simultaneously in the register of springs and in the list of lakes. However, experts consider the latter to be incorrect, since the water in it is not standing. She is constantly moving at a fairly high speed in this pond. Moreover, the waters of the Blue Krynitsa flow into the small rivulet of the Blue - a tributary of the Sozh.
Actually, the source is a kind of well, mine vertically extending to a depth of 150-200 meters. The volume of water leaving it is about five thousand cubic meters per day, or sixty liters per second. As a result, the source forms a huge spring bath measuring 20x12 meters. Due to the circulation of water, in the thickness of the chalk, the Blue Krinitsa has a bluish-emerald color.
The flow rate is due to a powerful pressure. Water from the mine from the bottom of the spring breaks out very rapidly. Eyewitnesses say that if you look closely, you can see how the key beats. There are legends that in the old days the Blue Krinitsa (Slavgorod district) was somewhat different: here three fountains reaching up to human growth were knocked out at once.
Uniqueness
The water in this natural monument is invariably cold: regardless of the time of the year, the thermometer always shows 5 ° C. Moreover, the Blue Krinitsa is so transparent that if you wish, you can see every grain of sand at the bottom. There are practically no harmful microbes, radionuclides and pesticides in water, no heavy metals and the like. Apparently, this is why the Slavgorod Blue Krinitsa is considered a real standard of clean source. Passing the way from the bowels of the earth and passing on its way through many natural filters from chalk, silicon and clay, water is purified and enriched with minerals. Moreover, it has a very high level of mineralization, reaching up to 197 milligrams in 1 dm 3 . For comparison, we can say that in mineral water, which is sold in grocery stores, it is only 10 mg / dm 3 .
The turquoise Blue Krinitsa is not characteristic of fresh sources. However, experts have proven that it gets such a shade due to the high content of calcium. The water in the lake is very tasty, besides it does not get a musty smell and does not deteriorate.
Legend
The uniqueness of the Blue Krinitsa people explains in their own way, more poetically. There is a legend that, once upon a time, the Sozh River was wide and incredibly deep. On its shores inhabited by people equipped with heroic power. Among them stood out Marco - a courageous and gloomy warrior, as well as a beautiful, noble and always cheerful Stepan. Katerina fell in love with the latter. And Stepan stuck with his soul to the beauty. However, Marco loved Katerina, moreover, he sent matchmakers to her.
The girl did not dare to refuse a strong warrior, and therefore came up with a tricky test for her grooms. She chose a small stone for Stepan, and a huge boulder for Marco, and then invited them to throw them across the river. Whose further flies away, he will get it. Stones flew, so much so that the earth trembled. But Marco was stronger and threw his boulder much further. Katerina understood that she had lost, but didn’t want to give up. She climbed this very boulder and rushed into the river Sozh. The waters parted, and from under the ground a spring clogged - blue, the color of Katerina's eyes. So, according to legend, the Blue Krinitsa appeared. The boulder that was cast by Marco, and today lies in the same place a few tens of meters from the source. They say that the stone retained the warrior's strength and health of the warrior, therefore, he shares it with those who touch and well ask him.
Cult source
Archaeological research carried out at the beginning of the 2000s in these places showed that the Blue Well (as the Blue Krynitsa was called in former times) was the main sanctuary of Radimichi. This is an ancient tribe that lived in the southeastern lands of present-day Belarus. Here were discovered statues of pagan gods, which our ancestors worshiped. Nevertheless, the Blue Krinitsa is considered a Christian holy source, in which the very first rites of the Radimichi baptism were performed. According to legend, this happened after their defeat in a battle on the river Pishchan. It was then that the Radimichi failed in the battle with the army of Prince Vladimir.
Holiday "Macavier"
Since that time, Orthodox Christians from all the surrounding Slavic lands annually come to this place on Honey Spas on August 14. At the same time, another Orthodox holiday is celebrated in memory of the seven holy martyrs of the Maccabees, which the Slavgorodites call Makavie. On this day, people come to the Blue Krinitsa to pray. Then, having crossed themselves, they cross the stream three times back and forth. Those pilgrims who, for whatever reason, are not capable of this, simply take three sips from the source, washing the face of spring water and asking for health. When leaving, many take with them some life-giving moisture to sprinkle the house with it. The remaining water is stored behind the icon in case someone from the family gets sick.
This rite strongly resembles the feast of Orthodox Baptism, which takes place on January 19. However, Macavier, associated with the Blue Krinitsa, is noted only on a local scale, although in recent years he has gained a large number of adherents not only in Belarus, but also abroad.
Interesting information
The tradition of celebrating Makavia among residents of the Prisogsk region has existed for many centuries. They did not stop celebrating it even during the years of church persecution. Another thing is interesting. The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant seriously damaged Slavgorod. Moreover, the village of Kliny, in the immediate vicinity of which the Blue Krynitsa is located, was also in the zone of increased radiation. From there all people were resettled, and houses were razed to the ground.
Today, nothing reminds of the settlement that existed on this site for several centuries. But a miracle happened: the Blue Krinitsa in Slavgorod did not suffer from radiation. Periodically performed measurements indicate that the external gamma radiation in it is 0.19 microsievert / hour, with a norm of up to one. Researchers' reports conclude that the water of this hydrological reserve is quite suitable for drinking, and the area is suitable for a person to stay in it.
Intangible Cultural Heritage
In 2013, the Makavye rite was recognized as unique. He was attributed to the cultural intangible heritage of the people of Belarus. However, it is definitely difficult to say whether this decision benefited the cult source. Of course, the place glorified Slavgorod, because only in 2016 about twenty thousand pilgrims, tourists, etc. came here. For the eight-thousandth city, these are quite serious figures. On the occasion of the holidays, Honey Spas and Makavye on the same day in Slavgorod began to hold a fair where they sell honey. Pavilions are installed near the source.
Environmental Concerns
Every day, a large line is built on the bridge upstream of the source. People with buckets and a large container collect water from the Blue Krynitsa and draw healing clay. Gradually, the purest turquoise surface turns into a muddy gray liquid. Of course, by the evening it is restored, and the water becomes crystal clear again, however, environmentalists are concerned about nature.
You do not need to be a serious scientist to realize that the Blue Well is depleted. They say that over the past ten years, it has noticeably narrowed, it has become smaller and weaker. Experts say that the natural balance is upset. Back in 2011, local authorities made attempts to improve the surrounding area in order to develop tourism. But today they also stood up for the defense and restoration of the source, so glorified Slavgorod.
Blue Krinitsa: reviews
Those who have already managed to visit the spring, say that this is an incredibly beautiful place where you do not want to leave. And although the water is icy, people enter it. Of course, there are daredevils who bathe in the source of the Blue Krinitsa. No photograph can reflect the indescribable color of water that opens to the eyes. This small lake is painted in turquoise color. Interestingly, many tell how the source water helped them. Here you can also hear a beautiful legend about the unfortunate Katerina. In a word, those who have not been here before can safely add the Blue Krinitsa to the list of places that you definitely need to see.