In the end
of March my older son had a short vacation at school and I thought it was a
good idea not to spend this time in the dirty city, but to go somewhere where
there’s fresh air, beautiful nature and lots of opportunities to spend time
outside. I was thinking of Altai mountains, Chemal District, but my
mom offered another idea, which sounded even better, besides, I’ve never been
in that place before. So we went to Belokurikha, a famous balneotherapeutic health
resort. Actually it is in Altai mountains as well, at the beginning of
Cherginsky Range.
People have
known of the healing properties of this place since ancient times. Many
centuries ago the place was inhabited by Altai people for whom it was sacred.
But after several centuries of living there they left. In the middle of the 19th century Russian peasants
from a village located about 20 km to the north who came to the hills
to get wood for their dwellings noticed that it was much easier to breath there
than in their village. Several families decided to move there. They did it and
founded a settlement, which they called Belokurikha. It is still not known why this name
was chosen. After some time of living there one peasant had some problems
with his eyes. He did not know what to do until one nice summer day he heard
his wife talking to her friends that it was much easier to wash the linen in a
brook which formed small ponds along it. Besides, according to the women, small
wounds on the hands got healed very quickly there and the face skin, if cleaned
with the water from the brook, looked healthy and youthful. The peasant got
curious and one night he went there to treat his eyes with the wholesome water.
He was repeating the procedure for a while and after several weeks his eyes were in
the perfect condition again! The man shared the story with his friends and soon
another peasant got rid of pains in his arm after he bathed in the brook for
some time.
The two
friends decided to start their business. They got a wooden barrel of the water
from the pond and took it to the market in the town Biysk. It seemed a crazy
idea but one merchant from Biysk tasted the water, got interested and after a
while he came to Belokurikha personally. He got convinced that the place was
really a special one, besides, the landscape was very nice, and he founded the
first health resort! He built a wooden house, arranged a heating system there
and installed two wooden bathtubs. The idea seemed strange again, but it was a
success! After a while rich merchants from Biysk and even Barnaul started to
turn up with their wives. Moreover, people also noticed that couples who could not have a baby for a long time, solved the problem very fast if they visited Belokurikha. Unfortunately the resort did not exist for a long time, because it
burnt down in the fire. There was another try, which finished in the same way,
and then 1917 came and health issues were no longer urgent. However, people did
not forget about the unusual and healthy properties of Belokurikha and in
already in the beginning of 1920-ies the resort was founded again, though it
was in the possession of the state now, and people were sent there by the state
doctors from different cities and towns in Russia. At that time it was already
known what was so special about the water and the air there. The latter
contains light aero ions, and the water contains radon, nitrogen, silicon oxide
and various microelements. Besides, the landscape is very good for easy hiking.
During the II World War thousand soldiers were sent there for quick recovery,
and after the war the resort started to develop very fast. New sanatoriums were
built. Before the perestroika they were state-owned, and after Russia turned to
the market economics a lot of smaller private sanatoriums and guest houses were
built, as well as a very good ski resort. Several lifts were built, as well as
numerous restaurants, cafes, playgrounds for children and other elements of
infrastructure. Currently Belokurikha can welcome approximately 5000 guests at
one time. It is located in a very favorable condition about 70 km from
Biysk, 220 km from Barnaul and about 430 km from Novosibirsk. If you arrive by
plane, you should fly to Novosibirsk, Kemerovo or Barnaul and then by
bus/car/taxi. If you arrive by train, you get to Biysk and then by
bus/car/taxi.
As
Belokurikha is a health resort of the federal significance, it is very
well-known and very expensive. A stay in a double room with an extra bed (with
a shower, toilet, TV and Wi-Fi, but rather small!) with full board
(breakfast, lunch, snack for kids, dinner and yoghurt late in the evening)
costs about 100 Euros a day! All extra services are very expensive, too. A
two-way ride in the ski lift is 300 rubles (about 8 Euros) per person. 2 hours
in the swimming pool with several saunas of different types are about 20 Euros
per person. All restaurants and cafes are more expensive than average,
too.
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| Sanatorium Katun |
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| Sanatorium Siberia (we stayed in this one) |
Belokurikha
offers nearly unlimited opportunities for hiking, with short and easy paths
suitable for children and elderly people, and demanding 10-15 km treks for
those who are fit and well-prepared. There are shields with indications of the
main sights and distances along the paths.
Skiing
opportunities are offered to beginners and professionals. Many sanatoriums offer
concerts and exhibitions, and there are several markets offering a wide variety
of hand-made souvenirs, honey, honey wine, herbs and loads of other products.
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| A view from the top of Tserkovka Mountain |
We enjoyed
the 6 days there very much! My kids loved the playgrounds and swimming pools, I
liked the treks and the sights, and all three of us (my husband could not go
with us this time) loved the food!
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| Here the first mineral well was discovered. |
If you are
thinking of spending a longer time in Siberia and wish to have a comfortable
vacation in a nice place, Belokurikha can be a right choice for you. If you
need further advice or need some kind of assistance there, feel free to contact
me!
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