There, where the Turk river flows into the great Baikal, surrounded by picturesque banks, along the Barguzinsky tract, 169 km from the city of Ulan-Ude, there is a small village of the same name. In Turku, tourists often attract tourists who are attracted by the extraordinary beauty of these places. Once it was an ordinary village on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal, today Turku is part of the special tourist and recreation zone “Baikal Harbor”, on the territory of which mass construction of resorts and the necessary infrastructure for a comfortable stay are planned.
Global construction footprints
At the moment, traces of global construction are really noticeable in Turk: a huge embankment appeared near the village where you can stroll in the evenings. In addition, one of the first modern ports on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal was built here. Everything looks unusually beautiful, but still the village is striking in its emptiness and deserts. According to their reviews, the local holidaymakers have the impression that the construction work that was successfully started after about 30% of the work was abandoned was due to the fact that the builders apparently simply ran out of money. Perhaps someday, as planned, this village will indeed become one of the magnificent recreation centers in the SEZ "Baikal Harbor", today Turku is just a small village near the beautiful and spacious embankment along which, alas, almost no one does not walk.
SEZ "Baikal Harbor" will certainly become a mecca for tourists
According to journalists, the very soon frozen construction of the SEZ, with which today the future of Turks and other villages on the shores of the sacred lake are so inextricably loved by tourists, will indeed turn into one of the main centers of attraction for travelers and a real tidbit for investors. According to media reports, the tourist zone in the Pribaikalsky district of Buryatia has experienced a difficult period in its history. Today, the Baikal Harbor SEZ is gaining a second chance: last year it was returned to its special economic status, which has now begun several years ago and recently stopped construction is being revived. Over the next three years, it is planned to invest about 840 million rubles in the development of a large-scale project. According to media reports, the authorities of the republic and the leadership of the Baikal Harbor decided to get rid of residents who did not fulfill the conditions of the agreements signed with them and to attract more successful new ones.
Zone Creation History
“Baikal harbor” is a special economic zone of tourist-recreational type, created by the decree of the Government of the Russian Federation in 2007. The main goal of creating the “Baikal Harbor” was to form a modern center of international tourism in eastern Russia and increase the competitiveness of the spa and tourist product through the use of a unique natural object, which is Lake Baikal.
Geography
The territory of the zone is located within the boundaries of the municipality "Pribaikalsky District" (the central part of Buryatia) on the eastern coast of Lake Baikal. The coastline of the great lake stretches along the SEZ for about 60 km - from the village of Gremyachinsk to Cape Katkova on the border with the Barguzinsky district. The total area of the Baikal Harbor is 3283 ha.
From the south, the SEZ adjoins the valley of the Chaim River, which stretches in these places. On the territory of the tourist zone are Lake Kokotel and - south - Mount Bull. The settlements located within the zone are Gremyachinsk, Goryachinsk, Turk, Istok, Cheryomushka, Yartsi, Kokotel.
Specialization
The specialization of the SEZ TRT “Baikal Harbor” was to be the development of ski tourism, family vacations, spa, treatment with Eastern medicine, the organization of cruises on Lake Baikal. Today the zone includes five objects: Turk, Goryachinsk, Sands, Mount Bychya, Bezymyannaya Bay. They planned to build:
- in Turku - the shopping and entertainment center "Fishing Village"; a yacht club with a marina serving the infrastructure;
- in Sands - a tourist and recreational complex consisting of several areas of entertainment and recreation;
- on Mount Bychye - an all-season ski resort;
- in Bezymyannaya Bay - a center for family recreation;
- in Goryachinsk - spa resort.
Construction
The first stone in the construction of the SEZ was laid in July 2009. The ceremony was attended by A. Kudrin, Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation, V. Nagovitsyn, President of the Republic of Buryatia, A. Alpatov, head of the RusSEZ, as well as resident companies. At the end of 2010, the first phase of the tourist zone infrastructure was put into operation: the embankment, power supply facilities, domestic sewage, and on-site water supply networks. In February 2011, the work of treatment facilities and electrical substations began. The Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation concluded an agreement on the development of a tourist zone with nine residents of the SEZ. It was planned to attract investment in the amount of 36 billion rubles.
Problems
The further history of the Baikal Harbor is fraught with several scandals. In 2014, it became clear that the construction was failed, because after 7 years of the more than 20 billion budget funds invested in it, only one fifth was mastered, and despite the considerable amount of money spent on the development of the zone, tourists who came to the lake continue to rest "Savages" or rent houses in villages where the infrastructure is completely lacking.
Rebirth
It seemed that the construction of the SEZ could put an end to. But everything changed with the change of leadership of the republic and the advent of the general director of the tourist zone A. Togoshiev. Currently, the SEZ is being transferred to republican ownership. The issue of attracting new effective residents and terminating agreements that violate deadlines is also being addressed. At two sites - in Turk and Sands - the infrastructure necessary to start work has already been built. It is planned to complete the construction of the Baikal Harbor by 2021. Currently, over 22 billion rubles have been attracted to the project. state and over 47 billion rubles. private investment.
Future key water tourism center
Today, although Turka is not yet a particularly promoted and attractive place to relax, many tourists believe that you should visit it without fail - at least just stopping along the road. Climb the lighthouse, walk along the promenade, swim in the river of the same name - the water in it is much warmer than in the open lake. The weather in Turka is quite consistent with the mild climate, which allows strawberries and raspberries to be grown in local farms without warming. In the vicinity of the village there are extensive plantations of mushrooms and berries: blueberries, lingonberries, cranberries.
The port in Turku was the first facility from which the construction of the Baikal Harbor SEZ began. Someday, as planned, a real water tourism center with a hotel complex, a cottage village, a yacht club and much more will certainly grow here. In the meantime, in this village with about 1,400 residents, vacationers have to be content with guest houses of various levels: from institutions with simple and uncomfortable rooms to hotels with luxury rooms.
Today, there are ten guest houses in Turku: “Baikal Harbor”, “Sun”, “At the Pestovs”, “Mayak”, “7 Feet” (hostel), etc. The cost varies depending on the chosen hotel and room category: from 500 up to 3 thousand rubles
People come to Turku mainly for a measured and calm rest, for the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the surrounding nature, go fishing or some extreme sport, for example, rafting on the river. Beautiful mountains, rich in grasses and berries of the forest, clean air and endless desert sandy beaches will not let a real connoisseur get bored.