The region of the Caucasian mineral waters is located on. Russian Resorts: Caucasian Mineral Waters

Even under Peter the Great, the healing properties of the mineral waters of the Stavropol Territory were highly appreciated. The nobility and the Moscow elite, tired of the gray Petersburg, went there for treatment and rest.

Pushkin and Lermontov chose the Caucasian Mineral Waters as a platform for their immortal plots, and the latter, often visiting the Caucasus, left us a unique "Lermontov" tourist route.

This is not the only attraction of Mineralnye Vody. Their location between two seas, surrounded by slopes Greater Caucasus on the one hand, and the forest-steppe, on the other, allowed them to acquire unique objects of ecological and cultural tourism.

These are the famous:

• Elbrus region;
• Dropper tract and Batalinskaya cave;
• Tambukan Lake;
• Laccolith mountains (17 dormant volcanoes over 10 million years old);
• Mountain Ring;
• Pyatigorsk failure (known to us from the work of Ilf and Petrov "Twelve Chairs"), etc.

The mild climate and the healing mountain air of Mineral Waters will brighten up any vacation. In summer, it is about 25-30 degrees Celsius, winters are mild - from -4 to -6 degrees. Autumn is usually dry and golden, fruiting - many healthy and tasty fruits ripen. This allows you to visit Mineralnye Vody of the Caucasus all year round.

The fresh air in summer is filled with the aroma of many steppe and mountain flowers, which give the taste of an unusually sweet and delicate Caucasian honey. An ordinary walk through the woods is already an adventure; hornbeams and oaks create especially picturesque and dense thickets, golden cherry plums and juicy pears ripen for gourmets.

Elbrus is in the top. From the article you will find out which are the cheapest ski resorts available in Eastern Europe and Russia. The article provides an overview of the most budget places for ski holiday where prices are 2-3 times cheaper than in the west.

Recovery on Mineralnye Vody

The main reason for going to the resorts of Mineralnye Vody is the long-standing (since the 18th century), confident practice of curing diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, respiratory system (including asthma), and the musculoskeletal system.

Long-term remissions occur in allergy sufferers, there is a beneficial effect on fertility in women and overall improvement in women's health.

It has many years of practice and experience in curative balneology, combined with the latest knowledge in medicine and the introduction of modern topical practices.

For example, about terrenkur - unhurried walks along special routes after drinking mineral water, - wrote Lermontov in his novel "A Hero of Our Time", and spa treatments using local mud are a novelty of our time.

Caucasian Mineral Waters is common name a small conglomerate of resort cities, about economical vacation in which we will tell in the article.

These are the cities:

• Essentuki;
• Pyatigorsk;
• Zheleznovodsk;
• Kislovodsk.

Recommendation: resort cities of Mineralnye Vody have their own health resort code - smoking on the streets and drinking alcohol is prohibited. This can lead to serious fines. Save money on them - give up bad habits in the oldest hospital in Russia!

Road

You can fly to Mineralnye Vody by plane or by train, then to resort towns by electric train, bus or taxi.

By plane:

• Moscow - Mineral waters from 7000 rubles. roundtrip. In summer, it is more expensive by about 3000 rubles. On the way 2 hours;
• St. Petersburg - Mineral waters from 12,000 rubles. The journey takes 3 hours.

By train to Mineralnye Vody:

• from Moscow from the Kursk railway station. A regular train takes 30 hours on the way, the cost of a reserved seat is from 1700 rubles, an express train - 24.5 hours on the way, the cost of a reserved seat is from 2500 rubles;
• from St. Petersburg by train 44 hours on the way. Ticket price - 2300 rubles.

Essentuki

This is a resort that has presented a series of medicinal mineral waters of the same name. The climate here is drier than in other cities of Mineralnye Vody: the summer is hot (up to 30 degrees), and the winter with thaws reaches above zero temperatures.

How to get from Mineralnye Vody to Essentuki:

• by electric train from the railway station in Mineralnye Vody, 1 hour on the way, 105 rubles;
• by bus # 133 from the railway station of Mineralnye Vody, the cost is more than 100 rubles, or by bus from the bus station;

Essentuki medicinal

The main tools in the fight against various diseases are healing mud and more than ten mineralogical springs.

Medical resorts Essentuki economy class (cost per day) and in the profile:

• "Healing Key" (from 1200 rubles per person. Specialization: digestive organs and metabolism);
• "Tsentrosoyuz" (from 1500 rubles per person. Specialization: diabetes mellitus, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, urology);
• "Victoria" (from 2000 rubles per person. Specialization: digestive organs, gynecology, respiratory organs);
• Voronezh (from 2000 rubles per person. Specialization: gynecology, infertility treatment);
• Shakhtar (from 2000 rubles per person. Specialization: diabetes mellitus, gastroenterology).

Essentuki cultural

If you go to Essentuki not for treatment, but for sights, magnificent nature and enjoying the local low-mountain climate, then it is recommended to visit:

• Weeping grottoes;
• Drinking "Five-thousander";
• Essen-Tuk Upland;
• Resort Park and Victory Park.

In Yessentuki there are many old, large-scale and attractive buildings of mud baths, mineral baths and galleries. Some of them resemble Greek baths, some are smaller copies of Victorian palaces.

The beauty of the buildings is interspersed with the beauty of mountains, waterfalls and caves, which attracted fans of ecological tourism.
You can inexpensively accommodate in mini-hotels, hostels and in the private sector, at a price of 800 rubles. per day:

• Hotel "Avantage";
• Hotel "Essentuki";
• Mini-hotel "House in the South";
• Gostiny Dvor "Eden";
• Hotel "Cascade".

Recommendation: since inexpensive mini-hotels and guest yards have a small number of rooms, then budget housing it is advisable to book in them in advance (at least a month before the intended trip), otherwise there is a risk of being left without inexpensive housing.

Pyatigorsk

This is a famous, thanks to Lermontov and Ilf and Petrov, a place where people happily recognize familiar places described in books. Lovers of the "Hero of Our Time" will recognize the Ring Mountain, lovers of Ostap Bender - the very Failure, about which the great strategist cared: "so as not to fail too much."

The climate in Pyatigorsk is cooler than in other resorts: in summer up to 25 degrees Celsius, in winter about -5, -8 degrees. Many sunny days adorn Pyatigorsk both in summer and in winter: a multi-purpose resort with an abundance of attractions is available for tourism all year round.

How to get from Mineralnye Vody to Pyatigorsk:

by electric train from the railway station in Mineralnye Vody, 40 minutes on the way, 70 rubles;

by bus from the railway or bus station of Mineralnye Vody, the cost is about 50 rubles;

taxi from the station, it is better not to contact private traders and find fellow travelers.

Pyatigorsk medical

Fifty springs of Pyatigorsk are at our service: these are thermal, subthermal waters, bitter laxative springs - Batalinskie waters, warm and cold narzan. It is after its consumption that the terrenkur is supposed to be - a walk along any of the six scenic routes, which allows you to properly assimilate healthy drinks and admire the views.

Inexpensive sanatoriums located in Pyatigorsk are listed below with prices for accommodation (per day) and a description of the profile area:

• "Pyatigorye" (from 1300 rubles per person. Specialization: endocrine system, digestive system, musculoskeletal system);
• "them. Lermontov "(from 1200 rubles per person. Specialization: diseases of the thyroid gland, rehabilitation after injuries, diseases of the musculoskeletal system);
• "Lesnaya Polyana" (from 1650 rubles per person. Specialization: rehabilitation therapy).

Pyatigorsk cultural

A visit to the city, where a few centuries ago cutesy ladies sheltered from the sun with lace umbrellas, walking their dogs, leaves a feeling of touching the fragile flow of time. In Pyatigorsk everything was confused: here is the place of Lermontov's last duel at the foot of Mashuk, and here is the mysterious grotto of Diana; here is an elegant pastry shop of the early 19th century, and here is an amusement park with attractions.

There are more than fifty significant and diverse attractions in Pyatigorsk, but the most famous of them are:

• Place of Lermontov's duel;
• Pyatigorsk Proval;
• Lake Tambukan;
• Observation deck Mashuk.

Accommodation in Pyatigorsk is inexpensive and you can get medical treatment from 800 rubles. per day in hotels:

• "Mask";
• "South";
• "Nautilus".

Recommendation: remember that the price of living in sanatoriums includes good nutrition and many medical procedures. Eating on your own on Mineralnye Vody is an abundance of Caucasian cuisine at a price of 500-700 rubles. per day per person.

Zheleznovodsk

This is the northernmost resort of Mineralnye Vody, where beech, hornbeam, coniferous forests create a unique air, useful for vacationers with respiratory diseases. The climate here is a little fresher than everywhere else: in summer up to 22 degrees, in winter up to -10 degrees. Sunny days are interspersed with foggy evenings.

Among the mountains surrounding Zheleznovodsk stands out Mount Zheleznaya, which gave the city its name. This is the most beautiful laccolith mountain, that is, a mountain that was going to become a volcano and did not become one. At its foot there are springs of warm and cold mineral water with a rusty color.

Among them there are those that have ended their existence - only closed pump rooms remained.

How to get from Mineralnye Vody to Zheleznovodsk:

by electric train from the railway station in Mineralnye Vody to the Beshtau stop, the cost is 40 rubles, on the way 25 minutes. Further from the station by minibus to Zheleznovodsk (10 minutes);

by bus # 107 from the railway station of Mineralnye Vody. Price 40 rubles.

Zheleznovodsk medical

The main specialization of the resort is the treatment of respiratory diseases, gynecological problems and diseases of the digestive tract.

Mud therapy is widespread, successfully relieving allergy sufferers from their skin problems. Girls and women, with the help of mud wraps and baths, restore and preserve the beauty of the skin.

Sanatoriums of Zheleznovodsk, where you can inexpensively and effectively put your health in order:

• "Elbrus" (from 1500 rubles per person per day. Specialization: gynecology, genitourinary system, respiratory system);
• Sanatorium of the 30th anniversary of Victory (from 2000 rubles per day. Specialization: urology and digestive system);
• "Plaza" from 3000 rubles. for 2 people per day. Specialization: cardiovascular system, nervous system).

Zheleznovodsk cultural

In addition to searching for Pushkin's flavor, here you can plunge into the distant history of mankind: there is an excellent museum of local lore, a cave of primitive man and a grotto of permafrost are displayed.

For lovers of species, a beautiful resort lake and a trip to the surrounding Zheleznovodsk mountains will be a pleasant find.

The main attraction is called the fabulously luxurious palace of the Emir of Bukhara. Stunning with artsy and graceful oriental style.

In addition to these places, in Zheleznovodsk tourists go to:

• Cascade staircase;
• Pushkin Gallery;
• Lermontovskiy source.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to stay close to attractions. Economically (from 500 rubles per day per person) you can stay in mini-hotels:

• "Pearl of the Caucasus";
• Hotel "Sport MUP";
• "City of Sun".

Recommendation: if the task of saving on housing is serious, then stay in the Alliance boarding house (room rates from 450 rubles per day). A clean, but very limited boarding house will cost even less if you purchase a course treatment.

Kislovodsk

Low mountain resort with a pleasant climate that protects from intense heat in summer, and from frost in winter. There are almost no fogs here, as well as strong winds - the city is protected by mountains.

Dry fresh air intoxicates residents of large cities accustomed to smog, and the beauties of nature can also turn your head!

The abundance of parks, lush blooms, fountains, wonderful alleys and romantic corners make a stay in Kislovodsk a fantastic experience for years to come.

There is a train from Moscow to Kislovodsk - the journey takes 25 and 31 hours, the cost is 2500 and 1700 rubles, respectively, and from St. Petersburg - 45 hours. Cost from 2400 rubles.

How to get to Kislovodsk from Mineralnye Vody:

• by electric train from the railway station in Mineralnye Vody, 1.5 hours on the way. The cost is 160 rubles;
• by bus from the Mineralnye Vody bus station. The cost is about 130 rubles;
• taxi from the station, it is better not to contact private traders and find fellow travelers.

Kislovodsk medical

Seven mineral springs of Kislovodsk successfully fight against heart diseases, eye diseases, asthma and disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

By the way, to cure diseases in Kislovodsk, there are many routes for medical and resort walking. People are healed not through suffering and stress, but through pleasant and memorable walks along decorated paths.

Inexpensive sanatoriums with a wealth of treatment experience:

• Sanatorium Dimitrova (from 1000 rubles per person. Specialization: respiratory organs, cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system);
• "Moscow" (from 1300 rubles per person. Specialization: the same);
• "Jinal" (from 1400 rubles per day. Specialization: digestive organs).

Kislovodsk cultural

A green and spacious resort park, a resort boulevard resembling blooming Italy in its views, the Valley of Roses is the largest rose garden in the Caucasus.

Beautiful landscapes, lots of greenery, bright colors, delightful aromas - walks in Kislovodsk are limited not only to this.

Places that a tourist seeks to get to in Kislovodsk:

• Ring-mountain;
• Colonnade;
• Bridge "Ladies' whim";
• Demon statue.

Check in at an inexpensive hotel or hotel from 800 rubles. per day and plunge into the seeming magical world blossoming city:

• "Krasnaya Polyana";
• “Living is simple”;
• "Olympus".

Recommendation: use public transport services. Taxi drivers charge up to 1,000 rubles for a trip of five kilometers. Distances in Kislovodsk are modest; a bus trip will not bring any inconvenience.

Healing you rest!

Kavkazskie Mineralnye Vody is a famous Russian brand that has been trusted by their health for many generations. Our fathers and mothers walked through the resort parks of the KMV, for sure there will be an old and funny photo from Pyatigorsk in the grandmother's album. The local resorts have preserved an amazing combination of natural beauties and exquisite architecture, the very delicate essence of the Caucasus, which captivated Lermontov, without getting tired of developing and adapting to the requirements of the time. It has everything from a conveniently located airport to cozy hotels and modern cinemas. And the hospitals of the resort conglomerate not only have not gone out of fashion, but continue to enjoy wild popularity (take a look at the prices!) And improve in the issues of ridding guests from all over Russia from hundreds of ailments. Welcome to KavMinVody!

Resorts KavMinVod

The resort towns of KMV are close neighbors, but different in essence. The first guests are met by Zheleznovodsk. Sometimes it seems that there are more tourists in this small town than locals. Stretched out along the only main street, it is clearly divided into a resort and a residential part. In the resort, from the station "Beshtau", there are eminent health resorts, the Kurortny park and attractions. Residential is no different from ordinary Russian panel-brick cities. It is worth going here to the market and supermarkets, the prices are lower than in the shops near the sanatoriums.

KMV health resorts have at their disposal more than 100 mineral springs and large reserves of curative mud extracted from the Tambukan and Lysogorsk lakes.

Important miraculous sights are the immature volcano of the Iron Mountain, the Permafrost Grotto of the Razvalka Mountain, the Ring Mountain near Kislovodsk, Hot Mountain and Mashuk.

Weather

The variety of relief creates noticeable differences in the climate of the resorts of the Caucasian Mineral Waters. In Pyatigorsk, summers are warm, winters are moderately mild (a third of winter days - with rains, thaws, fogs) and 98 clear days a year. Kislovodsk is famous for its winter climatic resort, the winter is clear and dry there, and the number of sunny days per year is 150. The resort is also distinguished by the constant atmospheric pressure, which has a beneficial effect on the healing process. The climate of Zheleznovodsk corresponds to the mountain-forest and moderately dry climate of the middle mountains of the Alps. There are 117 clear days a year. Essentuki are distinguished by contrast - summers are hot and dry, winters are frosty and rainy, the number of clear days a year is 112.

The medicinal area Caucasian Mineral Waters is located at a latitude of 44 degrees, in the very center North Caucasus, almost at the same distance between the Black and Caspian Seas. It is part of a vast plateau that stretches between mountain ranges and the Ciscaucasian plain, covers an area of ​​5828 square kilometers and is part of not only the Stavropol Territory, but also the Karachay-Cherkess and Kabardino-Balkarian Republics.

Two gently sloping terraces are visible in the terrain. The first, starting from the Kum and Stavropol steppes, rising above sea level by about 300 meters, gradually rises to the northwest. Reaching heights above 1000 meters, it drops abruptly, forming a series of ledges that are clearly visible near the city of Kislovodsk. The watershed between the gentle and steep slopes of this terrace, on the left bank of the Podkumok river, is called the Dar'insky ridge, with heights of up to 1500 meters above sea level, and on the right bank - the Dzhinalsky ridge. Its highest points are the Upper Dzhinal (1539 m) and the Big Saddle (1409 m).

From the foot of the steep slope of the first terrace, the terrain begins to gradually rise again in the southwest direction, forming a gentle sloping surface of the second terrace. Its southern border is the grandiose cliffs crowning the slopes of the valleys of the Eshkakon, Malka and Khasaut rivers.

Directly above one of these cliffs is the highest point of the terrace - Mount Bermamyt (2643 m). From it, as well as from other nearby heights above the cliffs, a majestic and rare in beauty view of the mountain range of the Main Caucasian ridge and Mount Elbrus, the highest point in Europe, an extinct volcano, opens. Its two-headed summit (western - 5642 m and eastern - 5621 m), always covered with snow and ice, on clear days shines with dazzling whiteness against a blue background of the sky. And looking at this cold hulk, you feel the icy calm of the Caucasian colossus, disturbed only by snow blizzards. It is difficult to imagine that once he spewed fire from his bowels, and clouds of ash and smoke rose above its top. Eight million years ago, volcanic activity raged here.

Much earlier in the region of the Caucasian Mineral Waters, magmatic activity intensified, as a result of which 17 mountains-laccoliths, that is, "failed volcanoes", were formed. The scientist GV Abikh poetically called them "an archipelago of rocky islands".

Numerous streams and rivers flow through the territory of the Caucasian Mineral Waters. And the largest of the rivers are Kuma and Podkumok.

The landscapes of the Caucasian Mineral Waters are beautiful. Here, among the hills and steppes, breaking their monotony and monotony, freakish mountains rise. They are located either completely isolated from each other, or in the form of small groups. Their silhouettes and picturesque forest-covered slopes attract attention and leave an unforgettable picture in the memory. Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov in the poem "Ishmael-Bey" very accurately described the traveler's impressions of the panorama that opens before him:

Round and round, left and right

As if the remains of the pyramids,

Ascending majestically to the sky,

The mountain looks out from behind the mountain;

And far off their five-headed king,

Foggy, gray-blue,

Frightens with a wonderful height.

"Tsar" is the highest of the mountains - Beshtau, five peaks of which represent an extremely beautiful combination, especially if you look at them from the Essentuki side.

Average, most high peak Beshtau, has an altitude of 1400 meters above sea level. To the north of Beshtau is Mount Zheleznaya (851 m), on the southern slopes of which the town of Zheleznovodsk is nestled, and even to the north rises Mount Razvalka (930 m).

Seen from the east, its silhouette remarkably resembles a sleeping lion.

To the west of Beshtau and Zheleznaya, four small mountain ranges stretch out in one line: Sheludivaya (873 m), Ostraya (880 m), Tupaya (Kaban) (772 m) and Medovaya (721 m). Even further, but somewhat to the side, rise the Byk (821 m) and Camel (902 m) mountains.

Near the town of Mineralnye Vody, Mount Zmeyka (994 m) is located separately, the slopes of which are cut by deep snake-like ravines and hollows. And on the left bank of the Kuma River, near the village of Kangly, the not very steep Dagger Mountain (507 m) rises, behind last years half cut due to industrial stone mining. Not far from it there is another hilly upland, in its external outlines little similar to other laccoliths, but, nevertheless, having a common origin with them. This is the Kokurtly plateau (401 m).

To the southeast of Beshtau is Mount Mashuk (998 m), which looks like an irregular, somewhat elongated dome with a rounded top. Between them, the most Big city Caucasian Mineral Waters - Pyatigorsk.

To the south of Mashuk, on the right bank of the Podkumok River, there are three more laccoliths: Yutsa (973 m), Dzhutsa (1200 m) and a little to the side - Golden Kurgan (884 m).

Finally, to the east of Pyatigorsk, Mount Lysaya (739 m) rises alone.

To the south, on the horizon, about 80 kilometers from Pyatigorsk, Elbrus proudly and majestically flaunts, various views of it open from the tops of almost all laccoliths.

Scientists believe that violent volcanic activity took place in the Elbrus region not so long ago. These terrible phenomena have now subsided, but the magma that once flowed out here has not completely cooled down. Convincing evidence of this is the numerous tremors, which are recorded by seismologists of the Caucasian Mineral Waters, and the emergence of many hot and warm carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide mineral springs on the surface.

The mountain ranges of the Main Caucasian ridge, the laccoliths of the Caucasian Mineral Waters played an important role in the formation of various types of mineral springs - underground medicine. The formation of mineral waters is a very complex and lengthy process. The ancient thinker Aristotle believed that what are the soils, so are the waters through which they pass.

But modern scientists have come to the conclusion that the chemical and gas composition of natural mineral waters, and therefore their medicinal properties, are formed under the influence of a complex of natural factors. This is the geological history of the development of the basin, that is, the change of the sea by land, which took place millions of years ago, and the composition of the rocks, and the time of manifestation of volcanic activity, as well as the climate and relief, water exchange and the intensity of modern tectonic movements, the thermal, gravitational and electromagnetic fields of the earth. The role of various physicochemical and biochemical processes taking place in the bowels of the earth is also important.

Despite the significant successes of scientists and specialists in solving issues related to the formation of natural mineral waters, disputes about their origin do not stop.

It would seem that in a relatively small area in relatively similar geological conditions, there should be similar mineral water... However, at present about 40 types of medicinal natural springs have been identified in the Caucasian Mineral Waters, but it is likely that there may be more.

Most natural scientists and hydrogeologists agree on one assumption: rain and melt snow waters, as well as magmatic carbon dioxide, take part in the formation of carbonic mineral waters prevailing in the Caucasian Mineral Waters.

Schematically, it looks like this: rain and melted snow water penetrates through the pores, voids and cracks of rocks into the bowels of the earth, where they are saturated with carbon dioxide coming along large faults from great depths of the earth's crust. For a very long time, under conditions of various temperatures and pressures, a complex process of enrichment of rain and melt waters with gases, organics, biologically active microelements (iron, copper, iodine, boron, bromine, arsenic, cobalt, fluorine and others) takes place, their transformation into natural medicine used in the KMV resorts.

Underground mineral waters, unlike mineral deposits, are renewable. They can be replenished and exist indefinitely if used wisely.

The ecological purity of healing waters depends entirely on our common culture, our relationship to nature. Unreasonable economic activities of a person, pollution of territories will certainly affect their composition. This should be remembered.

It is no coincidence that the region of the Caucasian Mineral Waters is assigned to the only specially protected ecological-resort territory in Russia so far.

The wealth of nature and the bowels of the CMS is a gift from God. To preserve it and use the resorts so that they serve for the good of Russia for a long time is the main task of today.

Climate is a healer

The Main Caucasian ridge and the laccolithic mountains play an important role in the formation of the microclimate of the Caucasian Mineral Waters. In addition, it is influenced by local reasons peculiar only to this region: the foothill location, the proximity of arid steppes and semi-deserts of the Caspian region. To the north and east, the territory of the KMV is open, and from there, in the winter months, cold waves invade, sharply reducing the air temperature. It is they in general that determine the continental climatic features.

The climate of the Caucasian Mineral Waters region has long been highly appreciated by specialists and is generally recognized as one of the most important means of resort treatment. It has a beneficial effect on the most important human organs, thanks to increased solar radiation, low oxygen pressure, high transparency and air purity. The climate at KMV is successfully used as a healing factor.

In Kislovodsk, it is used in the treatment of cardiovascular, neurological diseases, nonspecific respiratory diseases. In Yessentuki, Zheleznovodsk, Pyatigorsk - for indications of patients with chronic diseases of the digestive system: gastritis, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer, cholecystitis, colitis, functional disorders of the intestine, nervous system, metabolic disorders (obesity, mild diabetes mellitus), diseases skin (psoriasis, urticaria, eczema), chronic urological and gynecological diseases, not accompanied by frequent exacerbations.

Despite the fact that the resort cities are located next to each other, the climatic conditions of the health-improving zones differ from each other. This is due to their different altitude position and dissection of the terrain, the degree of landscape closure and the presence of forest vegetation.

Quite often, those who come to the Caucasian Mineral Waters in the summer notice a change in the weather when moving from the city of Mineralnye Vody to the city of Kislovodsk on a 60-kilometer stretch of the road. If, for example, in Zheleznovodsk, Pyatigorsk and Yessentuki the weather is cloudy or rainy, then in Kislovodsk it is a bright sunny day. And in winter it can be warm and sunny, and in Essentuki and Pyatigorsk - fog and ice. For these reasons, two zones can be conditionally distinguished: southern and northern.

In the southern zone is the city of Kislovodsk and its environs. This is due to the location of the city in a natural basin closed by the Main Caucasian ridge and the ridges of the Dzhinalsky and Darinsky mountain ranges. From the north, they prevent the penetration of cold winds, bringing cloudy rainy weather, and from the south-west, the proximity of the subtropical zones of the Black Sea coast affects.

Kislovodsk is one of the best climatic resorts in Europe.

It stands out among other cities of the KMV with an abundance of sunny days. The city has over 300 sunny days a year. Even during the winter months, the sun shines an average of four or more hours a day. In summer, there is no sweltering heat here, and in the evenings it is always cool. It is especially good in Kislovodsk in autumn and winter: sunny, warm, dry, calm.

In the northern zone of the Caucasian Mineral Waters there are other resorts - Essentuki, Pyatigorsk, Zheleznovodsk and the Kumogorsk medical area.

Common to them is approximately the same amount of annual precipitation (550-590 mm), the average annual temperature is 10-12 degrees and the number of days with precipitation is 120-160.

Essentuki are located at an altitude of 600-630 meters above sea level, in the valley of the Podkumok River. They are open on all sides, well ventilated. In summer it is very hot here, it becomes cooler only towards morning, and only the park vegetation somewhat softens the force of the winds and the heat.

Pyatigorsk is located at an altitude of 500-600 meters above sea level, on the southwestern slope of Mount Mashuk. Therefore, it is somewhat warmer here than in Essentuki and Zheleznovodsk. Winds from the southeast and west soften the heat in summer and resort area with rich arboreal and shrub vegetation, it is felt even less. Due to the proximity of Mount Mashuk, it is cool here in the evening and at night, as in Kislovodsk. In summer, after thunderstorms and rains, it quickly becomes dry. The best weather is September – October, when it is still warm and there is little rainfall.

Zheleznovodsk is located mainly on the southern slope of Mount Zheleznaya, at an altitude of 580-640 meters above sea level, among a dense deciduous forest. The city offers a picturesque view of the Beshtau peaks. Its climatic characteristics are close to those of Pyatigorsk. It is also dominated by westerly and easterly winds, which bring cold weather in winter. Lush forest-park vegetation softens the force of winds, delays the surface runoff of precipitation, increases the amount of evaporation, as a result of which the air is more humid here during the daytime in summer compared to other cities in the northern zone of the KMW.

The Kumogorsk health-improving area is located 12 kilometers north-west of the city of Mineralnye Vody, at an altitude of 470-550 meters above sea level. Its peculiar territory is notable for its rich steppe herbs. There is also one of the oldest dendrological parks of the Stavropol Territory with an area of ​​about 50 hectares.

The climate in Kumogorsk is temperate continental. Spring is rainy and cool. Summers are very warm with many fine days. And the hottest month is July. Autumn is dry and warm. Only at the end of October, as in resort cities, the first frosts appear. Winter is moderately mild.

As a rule, it rains at the beginning of summer, and it is much less than in the rest of the territory of the KMW. East and west winds prevail.

Due to the variety of climatic zones, Caucasian Mineral Waters is a unique area for applying climatotherapy

Wealth of subsoil

Due to the various geological conditions in the bowels of the Caucasian Mineral Waters, a unique variety of mineral waters has formed - about 40 different types.

Kislovodsk narzans, carbonic waters of the type "Essentuki No. 4", "Essentuki No. 17", "Essentuki novaia", "Essentuki healing", hot Pyatigorsk and cold carbonic waters of the type "Mashuk No. 1" and "Mashuk No. 19", Zheleznovodsk thermal "Slavyanovskaya", "Smirnovskaya", "Novoterskaya healing", "Slavyanskaya", "Beshtau", carbonic-hydrogen sulfide waters, bitter-salty, hydrogen sulfide, soda - analogues of "Borzhomi", siliceous, iodine-bromine, boric and radon waters ...

With the development of the resort business, the number of new types of mineral waters used in practice is constantly increasing.

Mineral waters are called natural waters, which have a therapeutic effect on the human body, due to their chemical composition and specific properties.

According to their balneological effect during drinking treatment, they are divided into three types: drinking, medical-table and medical.

Drinking waters are considered to have a mineralization of no more than 1 gram per 1 liter, medical and table waters - up to 10 grams, medicinal - more than 10 grams per liter.

Natural mineral waters should be transparent, without foreign inclusions (a slight sediment of mineral salts is allowed), with a taste and smell of a complex of substances dissolved in water, safe from a sanitary and bacteriological point of view.

Due to the deep bedding, high temperature conditions, all natural drinking mineral waters of the deposits of the Caucasian Mineral Waters are ecologically and sanitary-bacteriological.

“Selecting and prescribing the necessary water for a patient is not an easy task, it requires familiarity with the waters, knowledge of the disease state for which water is prescribed,” noted Professor S. A. Smirnov.

When selecting criteria for evaluating underground mineral waters from a significant number of indicators of their chemical composition and physical properties, balneologists, chemists and hydrogeologists selected the most important ones that determine the physiological and, consequently, the therapeutic effect of waters on a living organism.

These features include water salinity, ionic composition, content of active microcomponents in waters, gas composition, radioactivity, active reaction and temperature.

Mineralization of water is a combination of mineral and organic substances dissolved in it, which is expressed in grams per liter. It can vary widely from 1 to 650 grams per liter.

Medicinal mineral waters with a mineralization of more than 10 grams per liter, with rare exceptions, are used only in the form of baths or bathing in pools.

The study of natural mineral waters includes the determination of their origin, a comprehensive assessment of the chemical composition and medicinal properties, analysis of the effectiveness in experiments on animals, followed by clinical testing and the issuance of recommendations for use in practice.

How much, when and what kind of mineral water to drink? The answer to this question can be found in the opinion of the French physician Deltau, expressed by him in 1896: "Treatment with mineral waters is useful insofar as the instructions of the doctor who supervise it are correct".

Natural drinking, medicinal table and medicinal waters of KMV are famous not only for their amazing variety and quantity, but also for their quality, which allows them to be bottled for a long time.

At prestigious international exhibitions in Berlin, Cologne and Dubai in 1997, in Paris, Cairo and Spain in 1998, the healing waters of the Caucasian Mineral Waters were awarded gold medals.

Therapeutic mud of Lake Tambukan

In the health resorts of the Caucasian Mineral Waters, the mud of Lake Tambukan is used for treatment along with mineral waters.

The lake is located 12 km southeast of the city of Pyatigorsk, on the road to Kabardino-Balkaria, in the area of ​​the distribution of thick marine deposits of the Tertiary period, rich in salts.

For the first time Lake Tambukan was described by the scientist-traveler I.A. In those days, mud therapy was not used in the same way as it is now, but special baths were arranged, where the mud was diluted with mineral water.

In 1893 in Zheleznovodsk, in the new building of mineral baths, four cabins for mud therapy were arranged.

Tambukan was located on lands belonging to the Cossacks and Kabardians, from whom the Department of the Caucasian Mineral Waters was forced to rent the lake, which created many difficulties and inconveniences.

Since 1903, thanks to the Decree of Emperor Nicholas II, the lake was transferred to the permanent use of the Caucasian Mineral Waters.

The increase in profits from the sale of bottled mineral water at the beginning of the 20th century allowed the Directorate of Waters to build new special buildings for mud therapy, which significantly increased the use of therapeutic mud in Pyatigorsk and Essentuki.

The largest in the Caucasian Mineral Waters was the mud baths, opened in Zheleznovodsk in 1971.

According to the Pyatigorsk State Research Institute of Balneology, for almost two centuries, the composition of the Tambukan mud and its medicinal value have practically not changed.

Now the lake is a shallow, closed, oval-shaped closed reservoir. Its length is two kilometers, its width is about one, the current depth is from two to three meters, the area of ​​the water surface is about 175 hectares and may vary slightly depending on climatic indicators.

The lake is nourished by spring runoff, runoff of rain and melted snow waters, and also partly by underground mineralized waters.

The healing mud of Tambukan is a black, shiny, oily, plastic, uniform and heavy mass. These are the bottom sediments of the lake. The formation of dirt occurs under the influence of complex chemical and biological processes.

The ionic composition of brine (mud) has hardly changed since 1872 and remains chloride-sulfate magnesium-sodium, but its mineralization has dropped: from 369 grams per liter in 1872 to 30-40 in 2002.

The main effect of mud on the human body is thermal, chemical and mechanical. In the course of treatment, the corresponding receptors of the skin are irritated, a complex humoral and reflex effect is exerted, an active balneotherapeutic effect is created.

Mud procedures are used in the form of general mud baths, mud applications, tampons, electro-mud therapy, galvanic mud therapy and others.

About 15 preparations, extracts, filtrates, extracts and salts are currently produced from the therapeutic mud of the Tambukan Lake.

Mud therapy in the health resorts of the Caucasian Mineral Waters is used in the treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal, nervous systems, peripheral vessels, gynecological diseases, diseases of the digestive system and skin diseases.

The types of procedures are prescribed by the attending physician for each patient individually. He also monitors the patient's condition after the adoption of the procedures.

Mud is extracted from the bottom of the lake with special floating scoops, then in special containers it is sent to mud baths and sanatoriums in resort cities of KMV.

DO NOT ROTATE THE GLOBE: YOU WILL NOT FIND SUCH BEAUTY ANYWHERE!

Caucasian Mineral Waters are located between the Black and Caspian Seas, 90 km from Elbrus. V good weather its characteristic outlines are visible at a glance.

The region occupies the southern part of the Stavropol Territory, the heart of the North Caucasus, the northern slopes of the Main Caucasian ridge, is located on the same latitude with the resorts French Riviera France and the Italian Adriatic.

The nature of the North Caucasus is picturesque and unique. For just a few tens of kilometers from north to south, the steppe plain smoothly turns into a mountain landscape, and feather grass steppes into gorgeous deciduous and pine forests, over which alpine meadows stretch. All this splendor is crowned by the majestic two-headed Elbrus.

The height of the resorts above sea level is from 600 to 1000 meters. The Main Caucasian ridge retains the humid air of the Black Sea, creating a favorable healthy climate, warm, but not hot summers, mild winters.

Caucasian Mineral Waters is a mountain resort, balneotherapy, mud and climatic, specially protected, ecological region Russian Federation, a single artesian basin of various types and richest in resources of mineral waters. The area of ​​formation of these waters is located on the territory of three subjects of the Federation: Stavropol Territory, Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria.

The uniqueness of the region lies in the exceptional concentration of numerous mineral waters of various composition, as well as therapeutic muds, exotic landscapes that create favorable climatic conditions, and resort complexes with developed infrastructures. structure.

The resort region includes five resort cities: Pyatigorsk, Kislovodsk, Essentuki, Zheleznovodsk and Mineralnye Vody themselves.

The climate, one of the healing factors of the region, is diverse and is formed under the influence of several factors. The continentality of the climate is determined by the piedmont nature and the proximity of the snowy peaks of the Main Caucasian ridge on the one hand, and the proximity of arid steppes and semi-deserts of the Caspian coast on the other. Research by bioclimatologists of the Pyatigorsk State Research Institute of Balneology has clearly proved that the air of resorts is distinguished by high transparency, moderate natural hypoxia, high natural ionization with a low coefficient of unipolarity of ions. With a favorable solar radiation regime, this combination allows all types of climatotherapy. The surrounding mountain alpine meadows and resort parks cleanse the air from pollution and enrich the air with healing volatile phytoorganic substances.

The most favorable, according to medical climatology, is the southern zone of the KMV. The climate of Kislovodsk and its environs is distinguished by a very large number of sunny days, an almost complete absence of wind, low atmospheric pressure, especially in the upper part of the park, partial pressure of oxygen and water vapor, and increased solar radiation. There is only 37 days a year without sun. The area of ​​the rest of the KMV cities belongs to the climatic zone with a large amount of heat and moderate rainfall. Cloudy foggy days with frost are observed mainly in the autumn-winter period, which creates a contrast with Kislovodsk, where it is extremely rarely cloudy at this time.

Curative factors of CMV

1. Mineral waters of various composition.

   In terms of richness and diversity, the KMV group of mineral springs is a rare phenomenon: narzans in Kislovodsk with its "cold boiling water" seething from carbon dioxide, hot waters of Pyatigorsk and Zheleznovodsk, radon waters in Pyatigorsk, hydrocarbonate-chloride-sodium in Essentuki and others. In a relatively small area, there are currently over 130 mineral springs, 90 of which are used for medicinal purposes.

2. Favorable climate in the southwestern part of the region

   This climate is used for climatotherapy, especially in the Kislovodsk resort, throughout the year, and in other resorts - mainly during the warm period.

3. Mud of the Tambukan lake.

   Mud is used for mud therapy at all resorts in the region.

   Lake Tambukanskoe is located 12 km southeast of Pyatigorsk, on the border between the Stavropol Territory and Kabardino-Balkaria. It is small, only 180 hectares, but the reserves of mud amount to more than 2 million tons, which meets the needs of the curative mud resorts of the Caucasian Mineral Waters for many years and even centuries. The water in the lake is bitter-salty - brine of sulfate-chloride-sodium composition with high mineralization.

   The tambukan has always been mysterious and a little eerie, always amazed by its uniqueness. Its surface looks black even in calm, windless weather, the layer of that healing mud lying at the bottom is so clearly visible through the water column. For the first time, the lake was scientifically described in 1773 by I. Güldsnstedt. He called it "Tambi", which in translation from the ancient Turkic means "bad, bad smell": when approaching the lake, a strong smell of hydrogen sulfide hits the nose. Since ancient times, Kabardians knew everything about the healing properties of the mineral waters and muds of Tambukan. This is evidenced by the remaining traces of baths carved into stones near the springs, and the remains of primitive wooden and stone bathing devices from the early Bronze Age.

   The mud and brine of the lake have a pronounced bactericidal effect, therefore no one is found in the lake, except for brine crustaceans. Black plastic sulphide mud has a high content of organic matter, hydrogen sulphide, methane, etc. It consists of fine clay and sand.

The main indications for the treatment of diseases

The first official information about one of the oldest regions of Russia and its mineral springs contained in the 1717 accounts of Dr. Schober. By the highest decree of Peter I, he was sent to the region of the North Caucasus in search of "spring waters". The indications for the treatment of diseases evolved as the sources were discovered. Today KMV is the most versatile resort in the world.

Pyatigorsk. In terms of composition, 50 springs represent almost all types of mineral waters in the region. A successful combination of carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, radon sources and mud of Lake Tambukan, a favorable climate and a wonderful natural landscape makes the city the most versatile resort in Russia. Here all diseases are treated in a complex: the peripheral nervous system, musculoskeletal system, digestive organs, skin, peripheral vessels, gynecological and andrological diseases, occupational diseases.

Essentuki. The waters of this resort are often compared to European resorts. It is worth noting, however, that the treatment of patients with diseases of the digestive system has long allowed Essentuki to be recognized as one of the best world resorts of this profile.

Zheleznovodsk. City sanatoriums specialize in the treatment of diseases of the digestive system, kidneys and urinary tract.

Kislovodsk. Carbonic mineral waters, the climate of the middle mountains make this resort a unique place for the treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system, as well as the respiratory tract.

Kavminvody- the name speaks for itself. Famous resort places, the all-Russian balneoclimatic resort Caucasian Mineral Waters - these are four cities with their own characteristic features, cozy and attractive.

The healing power of the local mineral springs has long been familiar to the local population. Legends tell about this, where truth is bizarrely intertwined with poetic fiction. An echo of this legend is contained in the name of one of the popular local mineral waters - Narzan. In Russian, this word can be translated as "heroic drink", "water of heroes". Narzan was considered the source of strength of the Narts, a tribe that once allegedly lived in the North Caucasus.

The first historical information about the "hot waters" of Pyatigorye dates back to the XIV century and belongs to the Arab traveler Ibn Batut. A scientific interest in them was shown by Peter I, who sent an expedition to study. However, the information received was soon forgotten. Interest in them revived again at the end of the 18th century, when the first Russian settlement appeared in these places - the Constantinogorsk fortress, erected near Mount Mashuk in 1780.

The date of birth of the resort is considered to be 1803, when the state significance of the Caucasian mineral waters was recognized and the study of their medicinal properties began. Settlements appear near the springs. The first such settlement was Goryachevodsk at the foot of Mashuk. In 1830 it was renamed Pyatigorsk after the nearby five-domed mountain Beshtau. Then Kislovodsk, Essentuki, Zheleznovodsk arose.

The poetic discovery of the Caucasus belongs to the great Pushkin. The first time he saw the Caucasus was on the waters, where in 1820 he arrived with the Raevskys, heading for exile. And this meeting left an indelible mark on Pushkin's poetry. He himself wrote about this in a dedication to N. Raevsky to the poem "Prisoner of the Caucasus":

Caucasus...
Where is the gloomy Beshtau, the majestic hermit,
The five-headed ruler of auls and fields,
Parnassus was new to me.

There have been many outstanding people on the waters. Such great names are associated with the Caucasian Mineral Waters: Odoevsky A.I., Ogarev N.P., Glinka M.I., Rachmaninov S.V., Balakirev M.A., S.I. Taneev, L.V. Sobinov, Chaliapin F.I., Gorky A.M., Mayakovsky V.V., Yesenin S.A., Repin I.E., Yaroshenko N.A., Tolstoy L.N. But a special place among them belongs to M.Yu. Lermontov.

Lermontov was on the waters several times, first as a child, then during his exile to the Caucasus in the army. He knew the Caucasus perfectly, knew the society that gathered on the waters. The novel "Princess Mary" was written based on the impressions of life on the waters. It is fully recognizable cities and their surroundings, characters and types. A gifted painter, Lermontov was one of the first to create the romantic landscape of the Caucasus as well. In Pyatigorsk, in the 27th year, Lermontov's life was cut short, he was killed in a duel. A memorial to M. Lermontov was created at the resorts. And in the center of Pyatigorsk, a monument to M. Lermontov was erected in 1889, created by the sculptor A. Opekushin with funds raised by subscription.

Today the Caucasian Mineral Waters is a recognized balneo-climatic resort. Every year, at least a million people are treated and rest here. The main wealth of the resort is its unique in diversity and healing properties mineral springs, supplemented by deposits of therapeutic mud. Treatment at the resort is strictly scientific. Each of the resort towns, depending on the composition of the springs and the microclimate, specializes in the treatment of various diseases. And all together they bring health and joy to people. In the cities of Kavminvod, health resorts with a high level of service have been created, much is being done here for the convenience of those who come to receive treatment and just relax.

Kavkazskie Mineralnye Vody is located in the middle of the seven-hundred-kilometer isthmus between the Black and Caspian Seas on the northern slopes of the Main Caucasian Range, only 90 km from the highest mountain in Europe - Elbrus, the two-headed summit of which is clearly visible almost throughout the region. Occupying an area of ​​about 6 thousand square meters. km, the region is distinguished by great contrasts of natural conditions.

In the south, in the foothills of Elbrus, there are the valleys of the Khasaut and Malka rivers, in the west - the upper reaches of the Eshkakona and Podkumka rivers, in the north, beyond the town of Mineralnye Vody, there are steppe expanses. The region of the Caucasian Mineral Waters occupies the southern part of the Stavropol Territory. It borders in the south-west and west with the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, and in the south with the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic.

In the vicinity of the Caucasian Mineral Waters, there are many wonderful places that attract with the beauty of nature, interesting tourist routes. People are attracted to these places by the proximity of mountain peaks, amazingly beautiful intermontane valleys with elegant vegetation, fresh alpine meadows, noisy azure-blue waterfalls, rapid transparent rivers, an abundance of mineral springs, exceptionally clean, always cool air, saturated with phytoncides with a tart smell of resin and needles. Organized to these localities bus excursions- to Teberda, Dombay, Arkhyz, Baksan gorge, Chegem gorge, to the foot of Elbrus, Blue Lakes.

Relief

The region is a sloping plateau that slopes gently from south to north. By the nature of the relief, the region is divided into two parts: the northeastern part, where the laccolithic mountains rise against the background of the plain, and the southwestern part with the characteristic features of the mountain landscape.

On the territory of the region, four types of landscapes can be distinguished, belonging to the transitional type - from plain to mountainous:

1. Pyatigorsk low-mountain intrusive (with quasilaccoliths) on a foothill sloping alluvial terraced plain with steppes, forest-steppe, deciduous forests, xerophytic mountain meadows on chernozem, mountain-forest and mountain-meadow soils. It occupies almost half of the territory of the Caucasian Mineral Waters. The plain is cut by the valleys of the Kuma and Podkumok rivers, tributaries of the Bugunta, Yutsa, and Dzhutsa. Three levels of Pleiotocene terraces are well developed here - Goryachevodskaya (100-110 m), Dzhamgatskaya (55-75 m), Pyatigorskaya (24-30 m).

The terraces form extensive interfluvial surfaces and are covered with cover pebbles. 17 picturesque island domed mountains rise above the plain, which are shallow Miocene-Pliocene intrusive massifs: Beshtau (1399.8 m), Dzhutsa (1198 m), Zmeika (994 m) Mashuk (993 m), Yutsa (972 m), Razvalka (930 m), Camel (885 m), Golden Kurgan (884 m), Ostraya (881 m), Sheludivaya (875 m), Iron (859.4 m), Bull (821 m), Kabanka (Tupaya, 772 m) , Lysaya (740 m), Medovaya (721 m), Dagger (practically destroyed), Kokurtly (406 m). The mountains of the Pyatigorsk landscape are unusual geological and geomorphological formations. In the depths of the mountains, there are rare mineral parageneses containing compounds of uranium, boron and rare earths, including a unique hydrous phosphate of calcium, cesium and uranium, called lermontovite.

In the Quaternary time, in a number of places in the Pyatigorsk landscape, thick strata (up to 70 m) of travertines were formed as a result of the release of carbon dioxide springs (Goryachaya town). In travertines and limestones, karst is observed in the form of craters, caves, niches, ponors (for example, the Failure on Mount Mashuk).

Mineral water deposits are formed here in the original hydrogeological structure. The water-bearing complex of monoclinal salt-rich Mesozoic-Cenozoic marine sediments is combined in it with a zone of permeable magma-conducting faults. The laccolithic mountains are the main pharmaceutical laboratories in this system. Mineralized stratal-pore and fractured vadose waters, getting into streams of hot solutions and gases rising from their depths, are saturated with them, and then rush upward along annular and radial faults and, mixing in countless cracks, give a variety of healing mixtures. The cities of Pyatigorsk, Zheleznovodsk, Lermontov, Essentuki, Mineralnye Vody and other settlements are located on the territory of the Pyatigorsk landscape.

2. Kislovodsk mountain-hollow in the intercutaneous dissected erosion-tectonic depression with meadow-steppes on mountain chernozems and alluvial soils of river floodplains. It begins with a rocky ridge, uniform in relief, from which the Bermamyt plateau slopes gently towards Kislovodsk with flat peaks of the Bolshoi (2643 m) and Maly (2592 m) Bermamyt, Shadzhatmaz (2070 m) mountains, located near Mount Elbrus (5642 m). To the north-east of the Bermamyt plateau, the Pasture Range stretches, divided into two parts by the Podkumok River. One part is called the Djinal ridge (the highest point is Maly Dzhinal mountain, 1584 m above sea level), the other is called the Darya Heights (with the highest elevation of 1419 m above sea level). The Borgustan plateau slopes gently from the Darjinsky heights to the northeast.

The Kislovodsk landscape is one of the rare in the North Caucasus and extremely picturesque. It covers the bottoms and slopes of the intramountain erosional-tectonic depression and the adjacent parts of the Podkumok River valley. Relatively low altitudes (800-1500 m above sea level), orographic isolation create here a special healing climate with clear calm weather. The presence of carbon dioxide mineral springs of the Kislovodsk deposit gives additional value to the landscape in recreational terms. The Kislovodsk structural-erosional depression was developed by the Podkumok River and its tributaries at the site of the outcropping of chalk sandy-clayey sediments. The Podkumok River with its tributaries Eshkakon, Alikonovka, Berezovka flows along the middle part of the landscape. The foothills of the Dzhinalsky ridge have been turned into a resort park with a variety of local and introduced species of trees, shrubs, terrenkurs, recreational facilities, and recreational infrastructure. Square resort park is 1340 hectares. The park is the pearl of the resort. Shady groves, cozy meadows and alleys have become not only a favorite vacation spot for holidaymakers, but also a kind of museum of flora in the Caucasus. More than 250 species of trees and shrubs are collected here, including Amur velvet, noble chestnut, red oak, black walnut, Manchurian walnut, Sosnovsky pine, Crimean pine, walnut others. There is even a rare relict tree - kinkgo. Special attention is paid to the decorative design of the park. Many flowers are planted in the park, which decorate it before late autumn... The length of the terrainkur is more than 70 km.

Sandy and chalk mountains surrounding Kislovodsk are very beautiful and form numerous terraces with deep caves and grottoes. Individual blocks of red sandstones, weathered, took on the most bizarre shape. Krasnye Kamni became such a memorable place in the Kislovodsk park. In the Kislovodsk region there are picturesque natural areas and natural objects - Ring Mountain, Berezovka Gorge, Honey Waterfalls, Charm Valley, Lermontovsky Waterfall, Lermontovskaya Rock, Red stones, White stones, Blue stones, Big and Small Saddle, Temple of Air, Red Sun and a lot others.

3. Borgustan structural-denudation mid-mountain karst on Cretaceous monoclinal structures with mountain meadows, steppes and meadow-steppes on mountain-meadow chernozem-like soils and on leached and mountain chernozems. The Borgustan mid-mountain landscape covers the western part of the territory of the Caucasian Mineral Waters. The southern slope of the Borgustan ridge drops abruptly to the valley of the Podkumok River with several scarps of structural terraces composed of Upper Cretaceous sandstones, tuff sandstones, marly limestones, silicified shales, marls and carbonate clays of the Upper Cretaceous. The northern slope slopes gently towards the valley of the Kuma River. The vegetation is represented by steppes and meadow-steppes. A rare xerophilous flora has been preserved on the southern slopes.

4. Dzhinalskiy the monoclinal landscape enters the KMV territory with its north - western part. The southwestern slopes of the Dzhinal Range are steep with structural terraces, the northeastern slopes are gentle, cut by river valleys and gullies. The upper parts of the landscape are occupied by subalpine forb meadows; oak, hornbeam, and ash forests with hazel grow along the slopes on the slopes.

Climate

The climate of the region is diverse and is influenced by a number of factors. The foothill nature of the terrain and the proximity of the snowy peaks of the Main Caucasian ridge on the one hand, and on the other, the proximity of arid steppes and semi-deserts of the Caspian coast determine the continental features of the climate of this region.

In the formation of the climate of the region, a decisive role is played by its southern location, which provides a large supply of solar energy, the peculiarities of atmospheric circulation in the south of temperate latitudes, the relief and height of the area above sea level, which create climatic differences in parts of the area. The pasture ridge (Dzhinalsky and Borgustansky) divides the territory under consideration into two unequal parts: the southern part - the Kislovodsk region with features of the moderate continental climate of low and middle mountains and the northern part - Essentuki, Pyatigorsk, Zheleznovodsk with typical features of the steppe zone. The degree of continentality of the climate, which characterizes the variability of air temperature and humidity throughout the year, in a given territory decreases with an increase in the altitude of the area above sea level from northeast to west. So, in Pyatigorsk (576 m) the climate is sharply continental, in Kislovodsk (890 m) - continental, on Dzhinal - slightly continental, and on Bermamyt (2586 m) - transitional.

The most favorable, according to medical climatology, is the southern zone. The climate of Kislovodsk and its environs is distinguished by a large number of clear days, low wind speeds, low atmospheric pressure, partial pressure of oxygen and water vapor. The air is clean and transparent. The average annual air temperature in January is 3.7 °. On some days in winter, the air temperature can drop to 33 ° C, or rise to 20 ° C. In the daytime, on more than 50% of winter days, the air temperature is positive during the day. Summer is usually comfortable. Average monthly temperature in July is 19 °. The intensity of solar radiation is increased. During the year, the number of hours of sunshine reaches 2147 hours. There is only 37 days a year without sun. Snow cover lasts 40-45 days. Autumn is long, warm and sunny. Spring is long, cool, rainy.

The area of ​​the resorts Essentuki, Pyatigorsk, Zheleznovodsk is a climatic zone with a lot of heat and moderate precipitation. The average temperature in July is 22 °, in January 4.5 °. The average annual amount of atmospheric precipitation falls within 600 mm, mainly in spring and early summer. Compared to the southern zone, the average annual air temperature is higher here, the relative humidity is at the level of 65-71%, the number of days with fog and without the sun is 85-120, days with precipitation 120-160, and frosty about 90. Cloudy days with fog and frost are mainly in the autumn-winter period, which creates a contrast with Kislovodsk, where it is mostly sunny at this time. The duration of the frost-free period decreases from northeast to southwest from 190 in the area of ​​the town of Mineralnye Vody (300 m above sea level) to 80 days a year on Mount Shatzhatmaz (2070 m above sea level).

Rivers and lakes

The Darya Upland is a feeding zone for the sources of the Darya, Kuma, Bogunta rivers. On the slopes of the Darya Upland, the Essentuchok reserve is located. The area is composed of sedimentary rocks: limestones and dolomites of the Lower Cretaceous in combination with sandstones and marls. From above, these rocks are covered by a cover of Quaternary sediments, but in places almost completely washed away.

The dismemberment of the territory is significant. Deep valleys and gorges of medium and small rivers and streams, as well as dry gullies flowing into them, dissect the relief of the territory so that the impression of a typical mountainous country is created, although the absolute heights do not exceed 800-1200 m above sea level.

Limestone deposits are fractured, permeated with numerous voids and are easily permeable to atmospheric precipitation, being the aquifers of the Kavminvod springs recharge zone. The water-resistant horizons, dipping obliquely to the northeast, are clays of the Lower Cretaceous, clays of the Maikop stage, and dense metamorphosed shales of the Paleozoic basement.

The floodplain ecosystem of the rivers is represented by willow-poplar cenosis, including Greek mountain ash, beautiful and Tatar maples, relict (tertiary) species - light maple, Glagolen mountain ash, about 19 species of willow, white poplar, black poplar, Sosnovsky, common hazel, forest grapes. In swampy areas, narrowish rdes, cereal and plantain ditches grow, as well as cereals - southern reed, rhizome bent, ground reed, forest bluegrass, flattened, swampy, false-sharp sedge, coastal, barley-row.

Caucasian Mineral Waters is a unique region in terms of the richness of resort resources and, first of all, deposits of mineral waters. There are deposits of mineral waters of various chemical and gas composition with a total flow rate of 14.5 m3 / day. Among them are the famous Slavyanovsky and Smirnovsky springs, the Kislovodsky narzans and the mineral waters of Essentuki 4 and 17; Pyatigorsk sulfide and radon waters, Nagutsk waters of Essentuki 4 and 17 type, Borjomi, Arzni and others. Among the most valuable deposits of carbonic mineral waters are the Kumskoye and Nagutskoye, the exploration and exploitation of which led to an uninterrupted supply of valuable carbonic water to the Kislovodsk resort and the prospects for a significant increase in the bottling of mineral waters such as Essentuki 4 and 17.

But there are few natural lakes in the region. These are the salty Lysogorsk lakes and Lake Karras. Lake Tambukan is of great balneological importance; it produces curative mud, which is rated as one of the best. It is silt fine-structured mud containing organic and inorganic acids, gases, and antiseptic properties. The healing mud of Lake Tambukan is used not only at all the resorts of Kavminvod, but also in Nalchik.

Flora

On the Pyatigorye mountains, one can trace unique island ecosystems with altitudinal zoning. In a relatively small area, more than 1300 plant species grow, forming a rare gene pool in terms of diversity. According to the ecological-botanical station of the Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, several dozen relict and endemic plants and more than a hundred medicinal plants grow on the mountains of Pyatigorye. Of particular interest is the Beshtaugorsky forest with plantations of oriental beech, edible chestnut, Norway maple, linden, willow, willow, alder, hazel, hawthorn, euonymus, elderberry, blackthorn, dogwood, barberry, oak-ash and birch ash, mountain ash-tree unusually picturesque subalpine meadows, as well as forests with rare and endangered plant species on Mount Lysaya. From the second half of March, steppe valleys and lower mountain slopes come to life and are covered with flowers. In the forests, violets, primrose bloom in a continuous cover, in the steppe - saffron, hyacinths, yellow adonis. In the virgin island steppes to the west to Essentuki and in the east beyond Mashuk, on the high left bank of the Podkumok River, fiery-red adonis flare in the fields, wild irises, white anemones, and pinkish rose hips on the mountain slopes. Azaleas, yellow lilies, Mytnik Wilhelms delight the eye on the top of Mount Beshtau. And on the steppe foothills of Beshtau, gigantic poppies are sometimes found. On the northern slope of Mashuk, large-flowered pollen heads, green-flowered lubka, grow. On the northern slope of the Golden Mound, you can see an ordinary nesting site.

The ornamental and orchard and fruit vegetation is rich and varied. The Walnut Grove on the western slope of Mashuk has become one of the sights of the Caucasian Mineral Waters region. The area abounds in orchards, vineyards, berries, vegetable gardens, rich park vegetation. The Perkal Arboretum Nursery, located on the northeastern slope of Mashuk Mountain, is legally considered to be living flora museums. Botanical Garden Pyatigorsk Pharmaceutical Academy.
The natural attractions of the Pyatigorsk landscape include shale mountains with steppe, forest and mountain-meadow vegetation and picturesque rocks, Goryachaya travertine mountain, Perkal rock with bone remains of extinct animals, Mashuksky and Lysogorsky Gaps, island permafrost and Selitryanka cave on Mount Razval and Goat rocks, Monastic glade on Mount Beshtau.

The forbs of meadows create a unique flavor - tartar katran, rough burdock, Siberian and poster crumbs, gray and Caucasian cinquefoil, apothecary burdock, common meadowsweet, many legumes, blood-red geranium, Siberian mound, bluehead gigantea, Siberian gorse-grass, boreal , geneva tenacious, spear-leaved skullcap, purple mullein, woodruff erect, tenacious bedstraw, double-pinnate scabiosa, coarse-wrap rose, bell very tall, sour sorrel, meat-red buckwheat, cereal asterisk, polycarpous diva, 40 narrow-leaved peony species of Compositae, more than thirty species of cereals and many others. Steppe ecosystems are distributed mainly on the southern slopes of medium steepness. In mature steppe cenoses, dense perennial grasses dominate: feather grass, feathery and hairy, Walese fescue, white-grass, soddy pike, grass crop, asphodoline thin, mouse hyacinth, Husson's birdhouse, pseudo-yellow and whitish onions, ), early sedge and blackhead, spring adonis.

On subalpine meadows, there are Steven's dandelion, Caucasian dryad, Fisher's cornflower, hairy feather grass, beautiful feather grass, saxifrage, glacial foxtail, dotted areas of hedgehog lamira, drooping bell.

This area is dominated by complex multi-tiered deciduous forests with a developed shrub layer. Among the trees are common beech, olive, elm, hazel, maple, rosaceous and other families, pedunculate and chalky oaks, common ash, hornbeam elms, rough, Caucasian hornbeam, common hazel, gray alder, gray and Tatar maples, naked apple carp, , Caucasian pear, plum, sometimes oriental beech.

Shrubs are mainly represented by honeysuckle, euonymus, olive, rosaceous: black elderberry, southern svidina, common viburnum, privet, warty and European euonymus, mountain ash and Greek. On forest edges and clearings, fruit-bearing vegetation is found: dog rose, Caucasian blackberry, raspberry, mountain ash.
In this area, you can often find rare and endangered plant species: feather grass, feather grass, beautiful and Caucasian, thin asphodeline, Caucasian snowdrop, fake and forked iris, net saffron, meat-red orchis, katrans and others.

Fauna

In the forests and steppes, there are many foxes, badgers, weasels, hares, hares, hamsters, hedgehogs, steppe ferrets, field mice, jerboas. In rare cases, snakes and large lizards can be seen on the mountain slopes. On the steppe areas, you can occasionally see a hare and a jerboa, a gray hamster, a hedgehog. Vole mice live here. Mounds of land, lined up in a row, testify to the underground work of the common mole rat. Of the predators in these places, the steppe ferret, weasel, fox, and occasionally wolf hunt. Squirrels have taken root well in city alleys and resort parks. Red fluffy animals have settled down here, they are not afraid of people, they take nuts and seeds from their hands.

The world of birds is unusually rich. Beshtau is home to bald eagles, hawks, falcons, kites, fawn, titmice, blackbirds, woodpeckers, warblers, nightjars, jays, black buzzards, and zoryanka. In the steppe there are many larks, quails, buntings, wheats, chasing, meadow and field harriers, rolling rollers, kestrels, burial eagles. In the river floodplains, pheasants, warblers, yellow wagtails, sandpipers, and ducks are found. Of the migratory birds in summer, starlings, pigeons, hoopoes, owls, swallows, and golden bee-eaters nest on Kavminvody. Crows, rooks, jackdaws roam in large flocks. The shrub thickets are inhabited by Warblers, Greenfinches, Blackbirds, Millets, Goldfinches, Warblers, Shrikes. In the parks you can see orioles, nightingales, hoopoes. Woodcocks arrive in spring and autumn. The city is inhabited by starlings, swallows, sparrows, pigeons, pheasants, white-fronted thrushes, mountain swallows, and crows. Near Beshtau there are warblers, waders, corncrake, yellow partridges, black swifts. Black swifts, alpine jackdaws, eagles, falcons, griffon vultures, stone partridges nest on mountain cliffs. In the shallow and fast Podkumka there are many small fish: minnows, roach, barbel.

HEALING WATERS OF THE CAUCASUS
RAIN DROP JOURNEY

“Once the elders of one of the Sahara tribes got on an excursion to Niagara Falls. .. "

Filling their glass with sparkling moisture at the source, hardly anyone realizes that they are drinking ... the rain that fell 100, and maybe even more years ago, on the northern spurs of the Caucasus - the Dzhinalsky ridge.
Here are the doors to the natural "kitchen", in which the well-known "Narzan", "Essentuki", "Mashuk" and "Slavyanovskaya" are prepared. Composed of thick layers of sedimentary rocks (marls, limestones, sandstones), Dzhinal lowers its slopes to the north, passing under the resort cities, skirting the Beshtau and Mashuk, Zheleznaya and Zmeika mountains. And if the ridge itself is a mineral water supply zone, then its underground slopes are their transport system.

Not far from Kislovodsk to Pyatigorsk or Zheleznovodsk, only a few tens of kilometers. But rainwater travels this way for an agonizingly long time. After all, the speed of its movement along the huge "biscuit" of sedimentary rocks is only about 40 meters per year! On this path, the water has time to be enriched with various salts of sedimentary rocks. But this is not yet mineral water, it is still its "semi-finished product". And the future "Slavyanovskaya" or "Essentuki" flows through different layers of the "pie", at different speeds, at different temperatures, with its own labyrinths known only to her. It will become mineral water in the "unloading zone" - in the Kavminvod region.

The birth of the healing waters of each resort has its own characteristics. But the "kitchen" is one for all.

It has been operating for many millennia at a depth of several tens of kilometers, where huge blocks of the earth's crust collide with their "heads".

Here is a zone of abnormally high pressures and temperatures. Everything is possible in this underground laboratory. Ordinary limestone can become noble marble, and loose marl can become the strongest granite. And the by-product of these transformations is carbon dioxide. Through a system of faults and cracks, it tends to the surface. In the places of underground meeting of the former rainwater and carbon dioxide, mineral water is born. Weighty evidence of the "weakness" of the earth's crust in the region of the Caucasian Mineral Waters is the famous local mountains of the Laccoliths. They did not become volcanoes like Elbrus. And they just lifted the cover of sedimentary rocks and created new, so-called calcic faults, along which mineral water came out to people.

The role of a kind of elevator, raising water to the surface, is played by the same carbon dioxide. Geologists call this phenomenon - "gas lift". Now it is clear that the faster and from greater depths mineral water rises to the surface, the hotter it is and the more carbon dioxide it contains, and vice versa.

Well, what happens to the water, which passed the network of faults and did not come to the surface. Where does the river flowing from the underground streams of the Dzhinal ridge?

Along the "flaky cake" of sedimentary rocks, it gradually descends to a depth of several kilometers and flows into a huge, very salty sea lying under the Tersko-Caspian lowland. But not all water is lost forever. Part of it, colliding with a wall of impermeable rocks in the area of ​​the Nagutskaya station, rises almost to the surface and, as if offended by the inhospitable reception, flows back, making its way to the sun in the area of ​​Essentuki. This water has been in the underground "kitchen" longer, and therefore more saturated with salts.

Concluding the story of the deep journey of a small raindrop, one thing is worth mentioning unique location... Hydrogeologists named it the Nagutskoye field.

Here Jinal's salty pie smashed against a wall of solid rock. And in this jumble of cracks and faults one can find all the mineral waters of the Caucasus: "Slavyanovskaya" and "Smirnovskaya", "Narzan" and "Essentuki", "Mashuk" and "Borjomi". These riches will still serve the health of people!

Thousands of years will pass ... But while rain is falling from the sky and fire is burning in the underground smithy, Caucasian Mineral Waters will remain what they are - the eighth miracle of the world!

The story of hydrogeologists L.A. Skok and
M.A.Samotey recorded S.P. Prokopov.
Zheleznovodsk.

Caucasian Mineral Waters (Kavminvody, KMV) is a group of federal resorts in Stavropol Territory, which includes the resort towns of Zheleznovodsk, Essentuki, Kislovodsk, Pyatigorsk, and, of course, the city of Mineralnye Vody itself. KMV is a specially protected ecological resort region of the Russian Federation. The region is located in the south of the European part of Russia, almost at the same distance from the Black and Caspian Seas.

In terms of the variety of mineral waters, the region of the Caucasian Mineral Waters has no equal not only in Russia, but throughout the world. On the territory of the Caucasian Mineral Waters, over 130 sources of 30 types of mineral waters have been identified. By the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of January 17, 2006 No. 14, the cities of Essentuki, Zheleznovodsk, Kislovodsk and Pyatigorsk were assigned the status of resort cities of federal significance. More than 700 thousand people are treated and rest at the resorts of the Caucasian Mineral Waters every year.

Mineralnye Vody city

The town of Mineralnye Vody is a small cozy town in the Stavropol Territory. Despite the name, in the very administrative center There are no healing springs in the Mineralovodsk district, all of them are located in neighboring Zheleznovodsk, Lermontov, Pyatigorsk, Essentuki and Kislovodsk. The city serves as a kind of gateway, annually allowing hundreds of thousands of tourists to the resorts of the Caucasian Mineral Waters. It is here that the largest transport hub in the region is located - an international airport, a railway junction and a federal highway.

The climate of the city is relatively dry, humid air masses from the Black Sea do not reach here, they are retained by the Main Caucasian ridge. The city of Mineralnye Vody is located mainly in the steppe zone. One of the most interesting natural attractions is the magmatic mountain Snake. It attracts tourists not only with beautiful mountain landscapes and unique flora and fauna. On the slopes there are several holy springs and monuments of the Great Patriotic War, as well as adits and quarries. You can often meet amateurs active rest with climbing equipment. There are several temples and cathedrals in Mineralnye Vody, which will be of interest to believers and those who want to get acquainted with the history, culture and architecture of the city. The main religious attraction is the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. Among its shrines are the relics of the Monk Theodosius of the Caucasus, the patron saint of these places.

Kislovodsk

Do you want to get to the “city of 365 sunny days a year”? Then head to Kislovodsk. It is an amazingly sunny city surrounded by picturesque slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, which protect it from strong winds. The famous source of acidic mineral water "Narzan" is located here. Hence the "sour" name of the city - Kislovodsk. It is worth coming to Kislovodsk for the sake of one resort park! This is not just a park, it is a whole amazing planet with beautiful rocks, seething waterfalls, green meadows and countless numbers of all kinds of plants and animals. The uniqueness of Kislovodsk is not only in the healing mineral springs and beautiful park areas.

At one time, the most talented people who made our country famous rested and worked here: Pushkin, Lermontov, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Mayakovsky, Gorky, Chaliapin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Glinka, Rachmaninov and others. This is probably why the culture is developed here no worse than in St. Petersburg.

Mount Ring is a favorite place for tourists. It got this name thanks to the hole that was formed in it by the winds. A magnificent panorama of Kislovodsk opens from the mountain. Honey waterfalls in the Alikon Gorge are no less popular. The waterfalls got such a tasty name thanks to the herbs-melliferous plants that bloom all summer in this valley. And old-timers say that the main contribution to the sweet name of the waterfalls was made by hardworking bees, who opened their "factory" for the production of honey right in the mountain crevices. The famous Lermontovskaya rock is located in Kislovodsk. At its top there is a platform that ends with a steep cliff. It was this site that was the site of the duel between Pechorin and Grushnitsky in the famous "Hero of Our Time". I believe that you have no doubts and you will certainly visit this wonderful city!

Pyatigorsk

The largest city is the resort of the Caucasian Mineral Waters region - Pyatigorsk. It was founded after Alexander I signed the famous rescript in 1803. Pyatigorsk lies at the foot of Mount Mashuk at an altitude of 520 meters above sea level. The city is the oldest Russian balneological resort. The emergence of the city of Pyatigorsk is a kind of commercial project. High society from year to year traveled "to the waters" abroad, taking away from the country a lot of money. As soon as the Caucasian springs were recognized as curative, it was decided to found a balneological resort in the Russian territory, and this project was successfully implemented.

The best way to go on your first trip to Pyatigorsk is by tram. Not for the sake of economy, of course, but because the Pyatigorsk tram is an attraction in itself! This is the first electric tram in the territory modern Russia... Pyatigorsk is a treasure trove of attractions that will not leave you indifferent.

One of them is Lermontov's House. It’s not even one house, it’s a whole block of old buildings of the early 19th century, “mothballed” in time and perfectly preserved to this day. Looking at them, one can imagine what Pyatigorsk looked like almost 200 years ago. In one of these very thatched houses, in the estate of Major Chilayev, Mikhail Lermontov settled in 1841. In fact, the poet lived in the "Lermontov's house" for only two months - the last in his life. You can honor the memory of the poet by visiting the place of his duel, located on the opposite slope of Mashuk. The monument to Lermontov was erected entirely with public money - they were collected by subscription for several years. The next attraction is the Aeolian Harp gazebo. This is an antique-style stone gazebo on the steep, rocky Mashuk ledge. At all times, there were observation posts of troops on this site, since the approaches to Pyatigorsk are clearly visible from here. Its builders were the architects brothers Giuseppe and Giovanni Bernardazzi.

The location turned out to be so successful, and the views of the city and its environs opening up from it are so charming that this modest-sized gazebo constantly attracted a lot of visitors. The pavilion is named after the ancient Greek god Aeolus, the lord of the winds. Another of the outstanding places is the building of the Pirogovskie Baths hospital, which was built in 1914 on the site of a wooden barrack soldier's hospital. The outstanding Russian surgeon Nikolai Pirogov demonstrated to the doctors of the Caucasian Corps the technique of using ether anesthesia for anesthesia during surgery in the field. It was in the Caucasus that, for the first time in the history of medicine, Nikolai Pirogov began to operate on the wounded with ether anesthesia in the field. The hospital changed its name three times. In Pyatigorsk, there are still a huge number of places worth visiting. I hope you find it interesting and you will definitely want to see them yourself.

Essentuki

In the steppe valley of the Podkumok River, the world-famous balneological resort of Essentuki is located. This is the youngest among the resorts of the Caucasian Mineral Waters. Nature has generously endowed this land with amazing healing springs of mineral water that cure diseases of the digestive system, endocrine system, gynecological diseases, diseases of the nervous system, organs of the musculoskeletal system. Thousands of people come here to improve their health and enjoy the beauty of this land. The waters of the healing salt-alkaline springs "Essentuki-4" and "Essentuki-17" are used for drinking treatment, baths, inhalations, irrigation. Here they also recover with the help of sulphide silt mud of the Tambukan Lake.

Among the most beautiful buildings in the city are the Upper Mineral Baths, made in the Russian Empire style with baroque elements. The building of the mud baths is also a real architectural monument. It is decorated with massive columns, sculptures of ancient healing gods and lions, beautiful bas-reliefs. The inside of the mud baths is spacious, light, and also many decorations and mythological sculptures.

The building of mechanotherapy, now the Zander Institute, is more than a century old. A beautiful, light, graceful brown-pink structure with small turrets and domes on the roof, with wooden carvings and a huge vase above the main entrance - just real fabulous tower... Another interesting place Essentukov is a three-storey former cottage of I. G. Zimin in the Art Nouveau style. Towers of 2 and 4 floors adjoin its façade. The many windows of different sizes and the warm light yellow color give the massive structure a very welcoming look.

You can also see the dacha-museum of the famous surgeon Razumovsky, the estate of the itinerant artist Nikolai Yaroshenko and the dacha of Fyodor Chaliapin. As you can see, you won't be bored here! On this amazing, welcoming land, you can perfectly improve your health, recharge with vivacity, energy and new impressions, as well as simply relax in the greenery and flowers of the most wonderful parks.

Zheleznovodsk

Zheleznovodsk is the smallest of the listed resorts. There are no other reasons to belittle his dignity. On the contrary, Zheleznovodsk is unique in many respects, since it is a well-known balneological resort of the Caucasian Mineral Waters, located at the foot of Mount Zheleznaya, at an altitude of 570-650 m above sea level, in the valley of the small rivers Dzhemuk and Kuchuk. On the territory of the resort there are over 20 carbonic sulphate-hydrocarbonate calcium-sodium mineral springs (Slavyanovskiy, Smirnovskiy), which are actively used in the treatment of diseases associated with the digestive and genitourinary systems.

Zheleznovodsk - ideal resort for those who suffer from kidney and urinary tract diseases; this is the spa's specialization - the main treatment profile. More precisely, one of them. The main treatment profiles of the Zheleznovodsk resort include urological diseases and diseases of the nervous system. Associated profiles - diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, metabolic disorders, ENT diseases, gynecological, pulmonological and dermatological. In addition, in Zheleznovodsk there are several sanatoriums where they undertake to treat diabetes mellitus, but - pay attention! - only at an early stage, when sugar-reducing drugs are not yet needed.

Naturally, they are treated in Zheleznovodsk with mineral water. It is used for oral administration, inhalation, baths and others. water treatments... Local waters are also bottled - they are produced under the brands "Smirnovskaya" and "Slavyanovskaya", according to the names of the springs. These minerals are very popular and are even exported, but few people know that they are bottled in Zheleznovodsk. The Smirnovsky spring is named after Dr. Semyon Alekseevich Smirnov, chairman of the Russian Balneological Society: he cleared this source, long known to local residents, and studied its properties. A rather large pump room has now been erected over the Smirnovsky spring. The Slavyanovsk spring is named after its discoverer, outstanding hydrologist and mining engineer Nikolai Nikolaevich Slavyanov. Above Slavyanovskiy there is also a classic-style pump room.

The oldest source of Zheleznovodsk is Lermontovsky. It was opened in 1810 by Dr. Fyodor Petrovich Gaaz, and this event began the history of the city. Lermontov really came to this spring, which was practically not equipped yet. As for Dr. Gaaz, Zheleznovodsk owes him more than just “a lot” - without Gaaz there would be no resort.

Zheleznovodsk also owes its name, which is not very romantic and resort-like, to Gaaz, or rather, to one of his delusions. The reddish-rusty sediment that the doctor noticed around the springs was attributed to the presence of a high concentration of iron in the water. In fact, this is a mistake, and there is relatively little hardware here. But the name stuck, and a cute resort town with unique “ treatment factors"Remained with a name that conjures up thoughts more about a mine in the Urals than about rest and treatment. Iron became not only the waters and the city, but also the mountain on the slopes of which Zheleznovodsk stands.

It is here that the only natural forest park on the Caucasian Mineral Waters is located, in which plants of the steppe, forest and subalpine belts grow. The climate in Zheleznovodsk is mountain-steppe, moderately dry. Clean ionized air and dense oak, hornbeam and beech forests protect this resort from the sweltering summer heat. There are many active and excursion routes that introduce you to the unique sights of the Caucasus.