Ust-Koks (in the second word - emphasis on the first syllable) is the administrative center of the district of the same name located on the territory of the Altai Republic. The population is four and a half thousand people, most of whom are of Russian nationality. The name of the place was given along the river - Koks, near the mouth of which the first inhabitants settled.
History of settlements
The village was founded by Russified foreigners who came to this area at the beginning of the 19th century (1807) from the Kuznetsk lands, which follows from the Novosibirsk registry, which lists the settlements of Siberia from 1928. However, historians exploring Altai claim that the first settlers of the Altai nation were discovered in the town long before this time. By the way, the Russian population also appeared far from the beginning of the 19th century.
Geographical position
Ust-Koksa is located four hundred kilometers from the capital of the Altai Republic and the only city in it - Gorno-Altaysk. Geographically, the village is located at the base of the famous Uimon Valley , where the waters of Koksa and Katun merge. Coke exactly merges with Katun, the word "confluence" will not be entirely appropriate, since in the place of the "arrow" you can find an amazing difference, the characteristic of both water flows. Katun is famous for its bright turquoise waters, which are especially beautiful and saturated in the autumn period. Coke is distinguished by a deep, even languid, sapphire color. The strength of the stream of Katun is swift, the locals call it a mischievous, light river. Coke is distinguished by calm "manners", a certain dimension, languor, and caution. There are many rivers in the Altai Mountains, draining their waters together, but the arrow of Koksa and Katun is a truly spectacular sight! It is not without reason that thousands of tourists who come to Altai are striving at all costs to visit a unique place, to see with their own eyes this miracle of nature, a real attraction of Ust-Koksa. The passage to the "arrow" is through a suspended pedestrian bridge located near the village administration building.
Attractions
No less unique and visited place of Ust-Koksa is the eponymous grove - Koksinskaya. This is a completely unique and amazing neighborhood of larch and hawthorn, dotted with numerous lively keys, beating directly from the ground and striving to merge with the great Katun.
The N.K. Roerich Museum is located in neighboring Verkh-Uymon. In Ust-Koks itself a library is open for visitors, bearing the name of Elena Ivanovna Roerich, which has been operating since the end of the last century.
The three-domed church, called the Intercession of the Mother of God, contains modern icons made by masters of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and an icon with a 220-year history - the Iverskaya Mother of God.
The estate-reserve "Katunsky", which has absorbed rare species of flora and fauna and is protected by the state.
Modern population
To this day, descendants of the Old Believers who came through the regional center to Altai live in these places. Ust-Koks is famous for its preserved traditions, the old way of life, which the local population adheres to. Altai Old Believers live in the territories of neighboring villages.
Tourist orientation of rest in Ust-Koks
The unique place has become a center of attraction for tourists not only from Russia, but also from many countries near and far abroad. The proximity to the Multinsky, Akkemsky, Kucherlinsky, Shavlinsky lakes and the Katunsky ridge attracts vacationers. Getting to Koksinsky sights is not difficult, most often tourists come by bus. The village has a convenient location: 400 km from it - Gorno-Altaysk, in 537 - the capital of the Altai Territory, the city of Barnaul. Ust-Koksa is also famous for its proximity to the highest mountain in Altai - Belukha.