At the end of the 19th century, doctors who sent patients to Crimea and advised them to rely on the healing power of nature meant the sun, air, sea bathing and mud therapy. And for treatment with the use of mineral waters, doctors mainly recommended Pyatigorsk or, for the wealthy, Baden-Baden. The problem was poor knowledge and poor production of mineral water.
But even then, travelers noted in the Crimea numerous springs with capturing (catchment) - here they were called fountains, with the purest cool water. Local residents regularly visited the springs that were considered healing or miraculous. For example, as in the Armenian monastery Surb-Khach. Or the water of the Savlykh-su spring (translated from the Crimean Tatar as "healthy water") at the Kozmodemyan monastery near Alushta. Studies have shown that it has earned its name for a reason: it contains silver ions.
Mineral water with a medal
In those same years, the Russian economist Vladimir Svyatlovsky compared Yalta with Nice and came to the following conclusion: “For some reason, travelers avoid mountain water, which is abundant in good fountains, and prefer rotten mineral products to it, which, moreover, are sold no less than 20 cop. for a bottle. The entire South Coast does not know "Narzan", I found it only in Yalta in drugstores (18 kopecks. Bottle) and in the hotel "Russia" (30 kopecks)."
True, just a few years later, it was "Narzan" in large quantities that was nevertheless taken to the South Coast - which to some extent slowed down the advance of local mineral waters, but did not stop it.
The first Crimean mineral spring, which received recognition and brought commercial success, appeared in 1904. The honorable resident of Feodosia, Joseph Bianki, drilled a well to water the garden and vineyard, however, when a depth of 60 meters was reached, water with an unusual smell and taste poured from the pipe.
With the help of the St. Petersburg geologist Konstantin von Focht, the volume and composition of the water from the source was determined. During the day, he gave more than 12 thousand liters of healing mineral water. Already in 1908, a pavilion appeared on the embankment of Feodosia, in which holiday-makers could drink healing water, in addition, they began to sell it under the Pasha-Tepe brand - named after the mountain at the foot of which the source was located.
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For its healing properties, it has been shown to people with diseases of the esophagus. And the proof of her hall quality is a large gold medal at an international exhibition in Belgium. The well survived the revolution, the Civil War, the Great Patriotic War. Its water was supplied to the pump rooms of the military sanatorium and the Voskhod health resort. The modern name of the trade mark under which this water is sold is "Feodosiyskaya". You can still buy it in stores.
To health
Another brand of mineral water, which is well known and used in Crimea, is called “Crimean”. This bicarbonate-chloride-sodium water contains a large complex of trace elements. She perfectly treats gastritis, peptic ulcer and other ailments of the intestines and stomach.
The Krymskaya spring was discovered in the 50s in the coastal town of Saki, not far from Evpatoria. After evaluating reserves and composition, a decision was made to develop the well. Now you can not only buy it in a bottle, but also taste it from the pump room on Kurortnaya Street.
“We deliver mineral water from the Saki spring in a special tanker truck,” the doctor of the Yalta sanatorium of the USSR Ministry of Defense Shchegolev described the process. “On the territory of the branches of the health resort, pavilions have been built in which this water is carbonated and dispensed to patients as prescribed by a doctor.”
The Kerch Peninsula is also rich in mineral springs. And they have been using them since antiquity. Soviet archaeologist Viktor Gaidukevich mentioned that to the northeast of the ancient Panticapaeum (the territory of present-day Kerch) there was a sanctuary of the ancient Greek god Asclepius, who "was in charge" of healing. During the excavations, an underground gallery was discovered that led to the source - Viktor Frantsevich suggested that the locals, apparently, considered it healing.
Near the Chokrak lake, famous for its healing mud, springs of mineral waters also come to the surface. They were once examined by the Russian geologist Nikolai Andrusov. The taste of water with the smell of hydrogen sulphide is not the best, but the composition … In one liter of such "mineral water" - up to 35 g of salts, up to 800 mg of hydrogen sulphide, carbon dioxide, iodine, bromine. Similar waters are used at the Matsesta resort to treat diseases of the cardiovascular, nervous system, skin diseases.
Rare varieties
On the southern coast of Crimea there are several springs, which, although they are listed in the register of mineral table waters, are not developed on an industrial scale due to their poor output.
These include, for example, the already mentioned mineral water of the Savlykh-Su spring. Thanks to silver ions, it is beneficial for the digestive and urinary systems and improves metabolism. But you can drink it only in the Crimean nature reserve on the territory of Saints Cosmas and Damian. To do this, you will need to climb to a height of 700 meters. In the most “fruitful” year, the source gave no more than 1,000 liters per day.
Another similar source is located in Yalta. This is a unique source of sulfate-chloride mineral water. It is located in the pump room of Primorsky Park. He also does not go for sale, because this water has one feature. When in contact with oxygen, it quickly loses its healing properties, so you need to drink it right on the spot.
Like the previous two types of water, there is also a source of mineral water in Evpatoria. The water from the pump room on Funze Street is called “Evpatoria”. Differs in a balanced composition, so that water can be drunk not only as a treatment, but also for prevention. This water also cannot be bought in a store - like Yalta water, once it reaches the surface, it does not retain its useful properties for long.
The healing spring Aji-Su ("bitter water") in the Bakhchisarai region is considered unusual for Crimea. The composition of the water is unusual: it is weakly radioactive, in terms of its basic composition it is calcium chloride magnesium. Of the trace elements, it contains iron, manganese, hydrogen sulfide, iodine, bromine, boron, lithium, strontium, vanadium, zinc, etc.
Unlike other mineral waters, this one is intended mainly for external use. In the mid-50s, a hydropathic establishment was organized near the source: baths were prescribed for people suffering from rheumatism, trophic ulcers, skin diseases, and joint diseases. But to take "bitter water" inside can only be prescribed by a doctor, otherwise you can harm your health. And yes, you can't buy it in pharmacies either.
Good beginnings
It takes a long time to list mineral springs - unique and similar to the famous Caucasian ones, accessible to the general public and half-forgotten. Perhaps this Crimean wealth has every right to be called underestimated. More precisely, "pushed aside." In Ukrainian times, in Crimea, which in summer was an enviable market for merchants selling mineral water - more precisely, table and table-medicinal water, very little of its own was poured. Water was brought from different regions of Ukraine.
More than once or twice entrepreneurs, rightly believing that it is stupid to sit at their own sources and drink imported mineral water, tried to establish their own production. And they "broke down" at different stages - from obtaining work permits, licenses, line equipment. Crimeans can remember other mineral waters from the sources of the peninsula: "Aivazovskaya", "Savlykh-Su", "Scythian-88", "Nadezhda" - there are no others, and the production of others at different times either died down or resumed.
Nowadays, only the mineral water "Bishuli" has become widespread, its source is located in the Simferopol region. It is called a real salvation for ulcers and people suffering from high acidity. Nowadays, when two out of three people acquire gastritis by the age of 30, such water helps to maintain health.
According to Valeriy Vasenko, a leading geologist at the Crimean hydrogeological operating station, 7 years ago the natural healing waters in Big Alushta were thoroughly assessed. It was understood that the local authorities were going to effectively dispose of them.
In total, 41 fresh water springs were discovered on the territory. Laboratory tests from Savlykh-Su, sources of Utyos, Ayan-Keshmes, and two outlets of Ai-Yori showed that all of them did not lose their healing properties. Unlike others located near popular tourist attractions, near the villages and closer to Alushta. It would seem that after the research, a "green road" was opened to popularize local mineral waters. But great intentions never gave birth to real deeds.
Natalia Dremova