There are many legends and traditions associated with caves, abandoned mines and quarries. Lipetsk region was no exception, where today several dozen natural and man-made dungeons have survived. LG on Thursday has already written about the secrets of underground Lipetsk. We continue the story about the numerous caves located in the region.
Yelets fortress
In Yelets, legends have long been circulating about the secret underground communications of the Yelets fortress and Yelets temples, which appeared during the invasion of Tamerlane. These strategic structures were built and modernized from the 14th to the 17th century, when the fortress in Yelets was of great defensive importance, protecting the borders of the Moscow state. In the “History of the Russian people” by Nikolai Polevoy, published in 1829, the underground passage of Yelets is described as follows: “During the siege of this city, Tamerlane was dug and made to collect water. The underground passage to the Sosna River begins, where now there is a ditch, below the Church of the Transfiguration, another, the same one from the tower, which stands below the cathedral, began in the same ditch."
The Russian merchant, one of the builders of the Ascension Cathedral, Ivan Uklein, in his local history notes, reports that during the construction of the foundation pit, a well-preserved underground passage was discovered from Red Square to the Trinity Monastery on Koshkin Hill, in which there were underground fortifications and an underground passage to the Sosna River. Old-timers claim that it existed until the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.
At the end of the 60s of the XX century, when laying a drainage system on Kommunarov Street, at a depth of more than two meters, a log frame of an underground passage was discovered, which led from Red Square to the site of the western Livensky gate of the Yelets fortress. One of the exits was located on the very outskirts of the city on the banks of the Elchik River. Next to it, according to an ancient legend, a cache of robber's treasures is buried. Today almost all the underground passages in Yelets are filled up, and, alas, it is impossible to check the old legends.
"Wolf pit" and UFO
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Several caves of natural origin are located on the territory of the Galichya Gora nature reserve, for example, on the Vorgolskiye Rocks in the Yeletsky District. They say that in the 19th century here, in the "Smoked Stone" cave, peasants found an old Scandinavian silver clasp, a fibula from the mythical "treasures of Tamerlane", which is now kept in the Hermitage.
In the vicinity of Yelets, in the former possessions of the merchant Khodov, in the so-called “Chodovsky forest”, not far from the ruins of a ceramic factory and a merchant's house, there is a karst cave with the eerie name “Wolf pit”. Several years ago, speleological enthusiasts conducted a study. The depth of the multi-tiered cave is about 25 meters, its passages are very narrow and long. Inside, it is almost always very damp, and the clay bottom slips treacherously underfoot, blockages prevent us from moving far forward. Locals believe that from the caves of the Chodovsky forest, passages led to the Ascension Cathedral, the Nativity Church and the Znamensky Monastery.
Karst sinkholes and depressions, by the way, are not uncommon in the Yeletsky, Dankovsky, Dobrovsky, Lipetsk regions. In 2003, a sudden sinkhole in the middle of a field near the village of Krutoye, Dobrovsky District, caused a lot of noise. A hole narrowing to the bottom in the correct heart shape with a diameter of 12 meters and a depth of about eight was taken even for the trace of a UFO landing, but everything turned out to be much more prosaic.
Lebedyanskoe metro
No less ancient stories are associated with the Lebedyan dungeons. Allegedly, the legendary founder of the city, the Don Ataman Tyapka, built a five-tiered gallery cut in limestone on the banks of the Don. Other legends claim that legendary folklore character-robber Kudeyar kept countless treasures in mythical galleries. Those who found the entrance to the dungeons never found their way back. Local historians are skeptical about such non-documented stories. There are unverified legends about the three underground passages laid out in stone under the Trinity Monastery, diverging in different directions.
At the beginning of this century, fragments of an underground structure were discovered in an old crushed stone quarry on the right bank of the Lebedyanka River near the Pokrovo-Cossack settlement. It was investigated by local historian Kirill Nadov. Torch marks are visible on the walls of the quarry's three winding tunnels. Extensive underground communications, diverging in several directions, were almost completely destroyed during the extraction of limestone in an open pit mine. Experts believe that the cast bronze icon of St. Nicholas Mozhaisky, found by Nadov in the right adit, allows the construction of the building to be dated to the 17th - 18th centuries. Some historians believe that the walls and temples of the Lebedyan Donskoy Monastery were probably built from the stone quarried here in the first half of the 17th century.
Speaking of underground Lebedyan, one cannot fail to mention the construction of the most unusual underground in the world by Leonid Mulyarchik. Since 1984, the enthusiast began to build a private metro tunnel on the banks of the Don, dreaming of connecting his native Cheryomushki district with the railway station. Mularchik became a local celebrity; Russian and foreign journalists made stories about him and his unprecedented project. The tunnel is almost two hundred long and 1.7 meters high and runs at a depth of two and a half meters. Leonid Mulyarchik gave his beloved child almost half his life and all the means, including a modest pension. Skeptics thought he had just stumbled upon an old quarry. In 2011, he was gone, relatives considered the metro to be eccentric and hung a lock at the entrance. It's a pity that such a unique tourist attraction would certainly have attracted many guests to Lebedyan.
Don conversations
On the outskirts of the village of Kon-Kolodez, Khlevensky district, on the left bank of the Don, limestone rocks about twenty meters high have been preserved. This place is called Stone Mountain, there are several caves inside it. Apparently, stone for construction was mined here a couple of centuries ago. One of the surviving passages leads to a dry and spacious hall with a Gothic domed vault. Corridors leave in different directions. The air here is surprisingly clean and fresh. On the surface of the mountain there are many funnels and holes in the adits, so you should be especially careful and careful when visiting. Not far from the caves of Kamennaya Gora there is a park with relict plants. This rare beauty natural monument is a must-see.
Another attraction on the banks of the Don is no less picturesque - the natural monument "Donskiye Talks" near the village of Kamenka, Zadonsk region. Seven large rocks - the most famous of which are the Big Stone and the Fox Stone - were formed during the Devonian geological period 350 million years ago. According to legend, in ancient times, there was a pagan sanctuary in a cave under the Big Stone, in which bloody sacrifices were arranged on a "stone table". And supposedly, a narrow underground passage leading from the cave connects with the cave near the Tikhonov monastery.
Stalker from Malye Borok
The catacombs in the village of Malye Borki, Terbunsky District, have long been shrouded in mystery. Rumor has it that this is an anomalous zone, a special place of power. To get into them, now you need to walk several hundred meters across a snow-covered field on the outskirts of the village in the direction of the right bank of the Olym River. Efforts to overcome virgin snow are worth the result. The vaults of the cave are decorated, like diamonds, with ice crystals on large stones, the underground palaces amaze with their strict winter beauty. Narrow passages stretch far into the depths …
At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, limestone was mined here, underground, which was used for the construction of noble estates, in particular for the castle of Nikolai II's cousin, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich Romanov in Borki. Local residents hid in abandoned quarries during the Civil and Patriotic War, then the dungeons were filled up. There were legends among the villagers that the underground adits at a depth of 5-7 meters, in which the peasants who were guilty before the master worked, stretched far in different directions and even connected with the basements of the estate in Borki. In the summer of 2012, on the steep bank of the Olym River, a fuel tanker wheel fell into the ground. A resident of Malye Borok, Gennady Puzanov, recalling the ancient legends, began excavating the cave at the scene.
- We used to climb it as boys, - Gennady Vitalievich shows us the passages and arches going deep into the depths, - the administration helped, gave an excavator, but inside the quarries I dug manually. The fact that the caves were inhabited is one hundred percent. I found a hearth made of stones, drawings in black soot on the vaults, and some small antiques. They say that we have five such caves in total. It would be great to unearth all of them, for sure there is something interesting, but I alone cannot cope with such a volume of work, and there are no more enthusiasts.
Not so long ago, the Department of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Lipetsk Region assigned the Maloborkovsky limestone caves on the banks of the Olym to the status of a specially protected natural area. It is classified as a Protected Landscape and covers an area of about half a hectare. Local historians hope that this will help preserve the unique monument.
- We are going to equip the caves in accordance with safety requirements and to drive organized groups of tourists there, - the head of the tourist information center of the Terbunsky district Tatyana Seryogina shares her plans. - Interest in our sights is already shown not only by residents of Lipetsk, but also by guests from other regions.
We asked scientists to comment on the stories about the Lipetsk caves.
President of the scientific public organization "Archeologist", Associate Professor of the Department of National and General History of the Leningrad State Pedagogical University named after P. P. Semyonova-Tyan-Shanskiy, Alexander Bessudnov:?
- The legendary archaeologist Vsevolod Levenok also examined the Don conversations, caves near the village of Novonikolskoye, Dankovskiy district, and other similar objects to identify signs of Paleolithic sites. Alas, in the course of extensive searches, no artifacts or other traces of ancient people were found. These are just legends. But the territory of the Lipetsk region has not yet been fully explored by archaeologists and it is possible that we will face the most interesting finds. Of particular interest for researchers are anthropogenic undergrounds, places of limestone mining, complex excavations of which have not yet been undertaken by anyone. Surely, in them you can find the remains of tools and other evidence of the activities of our ancestors.
Deputy Director for Research of the Lipetsk Regional Museum of Nature, candidate of biological sciences Vladimir Sarychev:?
- For our flat land, caves are rare, uncharacteristic and deserving of the most careful treatment. Natural caves, in particular those located on the territory of the Galichya Gora reserve, are interesting not only as unique geological formations (they are usually formed by Devonian limestones, which are 300-350 million years old and can stretch up to a hundred meters), but also as a place of compact habitat of rare species of animals, such as bats. The unique ecosystem of Lipetsk caves must be preserved and studied. But no less valuable are the man-made dungeons of the 18th-19th centuries. Each of them is covered with many legends. I am sure that the catacombs in Malye Borki and Kon-Kolodez can be turned into an attractive tourist attraction and a place of environmental education. If served correctly, visitors will be able to learn a lot of interesting things about the geology of the region,minerals, historical past and other fascinating things. Dungeons can become a bright Lipetsk "feature". Tourism organizers in the districts should definitely play on this.
