The Crimean peninsula is the place where all the natural benefits for visiting tourists have successfully combined: clean and healing air, the azure coast of the Black Sea, majestic mountains. Here you can not only relax, gain strength and energy, but also thanks to a large number of health centers, heal.
Useful vacation spot
A favorite place for vacationers who decide to improve their well-being is a salt lake. There are several such reservoirs in Crimea and each of them has its own unique properties. The dirt and sludge contained in them is very useful for health and preventive measures and has a beneficial effect on the human body. The water in them is brine with a very large number of minerals.
So, one of the famous is Moinak Lake in Yevpatoriya, located in the western part of the city. It has an elongated shape, its length is about two kilometers, and its width does not exceed 900 m. The deepest place reaches one meter, and along the coast - up to 50 centimeters.
It was formed several millennia ago on the site of the sea bay, which in the process of natural changes was separated from the main part of the sea by a sand embankment, the width of which is about 300 meters. Therefore, we can confidently say that this is a lake of estuary type.
In hot summer weather, a large evaporation of moisture occurs, but the replenishment of water from salty springs, due to precipitation and the crime of sea water through the sand, does not allow it to completely dry out. The water level in the estuary is almost 30 centimeters below the sea.
Historical knowledge
Local residents tell myths that in ancient times Moynak Lake hosted the famous Hercules on its beaches, as evidenced by the exhibits stored in one of the historical museums of Yevpatoriya. A few millennia ago, the ancient Greeks lived here. Then in this area there were impassable forests and swamps with high thickets of reeds.
Even in antiquity, the lake in the Crimea became famous for its unique healing properties.
In the 18th century a tribe of nomads settled here, who called themselves Moynak. It was from there that the name of this estuary went. The doctors of those times, having studied the therapeutic effect of mud, already then used it for recreational purposes.
In our time, all the ancient knowledge about the healing properties of silt has gone far into history, so first they were engaged in the extraction of salt on the lake. One of the watchmen decided to improve his health by smearing himself with mud. The result was just a grand discovery, fame spread very quickly throughout the country.
Only then did one of the owners of the salt industry decide to retrain his business and build a hospital on the lake. There were no conditions there, everything was simple and primitive, but the desire of wealthy people to recover, rejuvenate and heal takes precedence.
The first boarding houses
And only in 1886 Moinak Lake was ennobled by the construction of a high-level dispensary. Here, all the benefits of civilization for recreation were created: the division into male and female buildings, comfortable rooms. Prices are more than affordable, therefore not only wealthy people, but also simple workers sought here. Also, one of the most famous people in the world, strongman Ivan Poddubny, came to Moinak Lake to improve his well-being.
During the Great Patriotic War, the health resort received significant damage and large stocks of therapeutic mud were removed. After the end of hostilities, the government very responsibly approached the restoration of mud baths. And nowadays, you can use the unique healing method for free.
Therapeutic mud
The estuary has a rocky bottom, which is completely enveloped in muddy mud, the thickness of the formed layer up to 80 centimeters. The dirt is not very pleasant in appearance and is a viscous oily mass of dark blue or black color with a very specific smell - hydrogen sulfide.
But, despite this, its useful properties are very large. Over the years, as a result of complex chemical and biological processes, a unique composition has been formed.
Moinaki Lake is very famous due to the unique composition of its mud. In addition to the healing salts and microelements present in it, it also has radioactivity. It also increases the protective functions of the body to various diseases and contains bactericidal and anti-inflammatory functions.
It is worth noting that under the upper black layer there is a silt of blue color, which is used more for cosmetic purposes. It is very difficult to get it, since water does not allow you to dive, pushing it to the surface.
Wellness mud
A very wide range of uses of dirt in medicine, for the treatment of diseases of the central nervous system and musculoskeletal system, many types of skin infections, reproductive system, and rehabilitation after injuries. It is also used to improve the organs of the nasopharynx.
Doctors advise smearing silt in problem areas, and then soak up the sun for no more than 15 minutes. After you need to wash it off in the estuary. With such direct contact with the skin, dirt has a very beneficial effect: the processes of the most important systems in the human body are activated, blood flow increases, pulse increases and breathing quickens. All this gives strength in the fight against the disease.
It is also worth warning that the mud treatment process is individual. It belongs to a very active method of influencing the body, so here you need to go through all the procedures under the supervision of a doctor.
Moynak Lake is very popular in Yevpatoriya, which is why many hospitals were built on its shores. Directly there you can get professional medical advice on the proper use of dirt.
Healing properties of water
Natural phenomena created in the estuary a brine unique in composition, which has an unpleasant pungent smell of hydrogen sulfide and a yellow color. In its structure, it is very concentrated, has a high content of salts, organic substances, so its density is ten times higher than sea water. Moinak Lake has a very gentle eastern slope, which provides easy access to water for vacationers.
Rapa contains a large number of chemical elements and trace elements such as arsenic, silver, manganese, gold, sulphurous iron and radioactive strontium. Most of it about 80% is potassium chloride, or, more simply, table salt.
Thanks to this unique composition, it has its healing properties. It is used as a prophylaxis and treatment of osteochondrosis, neuritis and infertility.
You should know it!
You can arrange a mud therapy session right on the estuary. Moinaki Lake provides you with a good combination: healing mud, sunbathing. All this together will significantly increase the effectiveness of therapy.
It is also necessary to remember that it is necessary to carry out all activities in the afternoon, when the water in the estuary warms up well. It is allowed to swim in the sea one day in the morning, and in the lake after lunch. Small crustaceans live in the reservoir, while bathing they slightly bite the body, but it will not bring any harm.
Climatic conditions
In direct contact with water there is a feeling of light tingling of the skin, and if you try to completely plunge, then because of the high concentration of salts you can feel what a feeling of weightlessness is.
The local climate has a unique healing effect, due to the high content of iodine in it. Inhaling such air is very beneficial for the lungs and for the body as a whole. Near the estuary you can see spring springs, in many of them the water is brackish, but in some it is almost fresh.
The main influx of people who want to improve their health begins from the second half of May until the end of September, all of which is favored by warm weather. In the cold season, you can use the services of dispensaries.
The road to healing waters
If you decide to improve your health or just carry out preventive maintenance, then the salt lake in Crimea is exactly what you need. For visitors, hotel complexes with medical institutions located on their territory are provided here. It is also worth noting that the estuary is located within the city, which will allow you to admire the historical beauty of the area between the procedures.
Now it’s worth sorting out, being in Yevpatoriya, how to get to Moinak Lake. Those who arrived by personal transport should use the navigator and enter the location coordinates into it, and then move according to the laid map. Having chosen public transport, take a minibus from the central bus or railway station to the Beach stop.
It is this lake in Crimea that makes the peninsula not only a cultural center for tourists, but also one of the popular open-air health resorts.