Putyatin Island is markedly distinguished by its extraordinary beauty against the background of the remaining eleven islands located in the Gulf of Peter the Great. The bay has a huge area (9 thousand sq. Km) and is considered the largest in the Sea of Japan. Putyatin Island is popular with tourists who, as soon as possible, try to visit this beautiful corner of the Primorsky Territory of Russia. This is confirmed by many excursions.
Location
Peter the Great Bay consists of six small ones. In one of them - Strelok Bay - there is Putyatin Island. It is 50 kilometers southeast of Vladivostok. Cape Startseva on the island and Cape Strelok on the mainland is 1.5 kilometers. The length from north to south is 14 kilometers, and the land surface above land is 27.9 square meters. km In the southern part there is a rocky ridge, the so-called kekurs called “five fingers”, from which you can contemplate the neighboring island of Askold. The relief is represented mainly by mountains, among which in the north side stands the mountain of Startsev (353 m). Putyatin Island (Primorsky Territory) is a very picturesque place.
The coastline has a rugged shape, the landscape is diverse - the hills alternate with either ravines or valleys. There is a quartz layer in the composition of granites on the east coast, and granite with a hint of red on the south.
Historical excursion
In 1858, an island met on the way of a sail-screw clipper. The crew of the vessel made a description of it and entered it on the map. The island was named in honor of the Russian admiral Putyatin E.V.
Efim Vasilievich held high government posts, including a diplomat. In the 50s of the 19th century, he led an expedition with the participation of two frigates - “Pallas” and “Diana”, during which the eastern coast of the Primorsky Territory was investigated and described. The merits of this expedition include the discovery of such objects as the Rimsky-Korsakov archipelago, Olga and Posyet bays. In the 60s of the 19th century, another Russian expedition led by Lieutenant Colonel Babkin V.M. was engaged in the survey of Peter the Great Bay. The island of Putyatin was studied in detail. The bays were marked on the corresponding maps back in those days.
Island in the 90s of the XIX century
Before the island was discovered, there were no human settlements on it. With the arrival of warm summer days, fishermen from the mainland sailed here. Settlement of the island began in the 90s of the 19th century. It began with the fact that in the summer of 1891 the son of the famous Decembrist Bestuzhev, Alexei Startsev, visited and conducted his examination. At that time he was a merchant of the first guild. He was known as a talented and educated entrepreneur.
Subsequently, Startsev decided to rent the island for 99 years, after which he justified the Rodnoe estate on it, in which his family settled.
Entrepreneurship on the island
Possessing an extraordinary entrepreneurial grasp, Startsev soon expanded his business to its full potential. First, a brick factory appeared, where modern production equipment was installed at that time, and each brick was branded. The great demand for brick from the island can be evidenced by many buildings in Vladivostok. Since then, the island of Putyatin (Primorsky Territory) in the whole Far East has become very famous.
Not much time has passed since the day the brick factory was commissioned, as a porcelain factory grew nearby, the pride of Startsev, whose products were no worse than Chinese in quality. The next project that the entrepreneur tried to implement was the production of silk. For this purpose, a silkworm was specially delivered here, then it was also grown here. Soon, the ferry began to go to the island of Putyatin.
Another achievement of the descendant of the Decembrist is the breeding of a horse breed, which was obtained by crossing a Transbaikal horse and an English horse. The Transbaikal breed possessed endurance and unpretentiousness. Livestock farming on the island was gradually expanding. The farm bred Kholmogory cows, Yorkshire pigs, as well as ducks and geese of exceptionally well-known breeds.
In addition, a deer farm was built and a kennel for snakes was created. The inhabitants of the island were provided with honey and fruits thanks to the bee apiary organized here, the laid garden and vineyards, all the more so because favorable weather allowed to do all this. Putyatin Island flourished, residents were grateful to a talented entrepreneur for providing high-paying jobs.
At that time, there was a fairly developed infrastructure with good roads. The inexhaustible energy and hard work of Alexei Dmitrievich turned the once wild land into a blossoming island oasis. The efforts did not go unnoticed by the Fatherland, the medals for achievements in agriculture, participation in exhibitions became evidence of this.
End to prosperity
The island flourished as long as the owner was alive. However, after his sudden death in 1900, a gradual withering began. After the October Revolution of 1917, property was nationalized, followed by the creation of an animal farm on its basis.
The village and the southern part of the island are connected by a road, near which you can see a monument to Startsev - a man who breathed life into a deserted area. Grateful residents immortalized an outstanding entrepreneur in the fall of 1989.
Unfortunately, in the village there is a gradual decrease in the number of inhabitants. Now there are no more than 700 people. The house of Alexei Startsev stood for almost a hundred years.
The nature of Putyatin Island
The territory is covered with hardwood. Among the thickets of oak there are bushes of elderberry and wild rose, and from the trees there are linden, maple, and Manchuzhar walnut. This is a picturesque area with beautiful bays, cliffs and magnificent meadows. Berries and mushrooms are abundant on the island.
The relic plant, existing for almost 100 million years, can be considered a landmark of the island. Lotus grows on the lake Gusinom. According to a famous Buddhist legend, the bud of this flower became the birthplace of Buddha. Lotus flowers bloom every year after July 20. So the island of Putyatin was once a beautiful flower with a developed infrastructure, which soon closed its petals.