Silver gloryAltaiacquired thanks to the old mines, which are now protected natural and historical monuments.

In 1780 in the Zmeinogorsk regionIvan Cherepanovdiscovered a deposit, which was later named Cherepanovskoye, the same as the village. The mine was developed from 1781 to 1896. During this time, about 70,000 tons of ore was mined, from which silver was produced.

Cherepanovskoye fieldis a natural and historical complex. Currently, some of the mines of the mine have access. The shaft of a 50-meter vertical shaft has been preserved, through which only speleologists can descend and go to the remote corners of the mine. Part of the adits after the closure of the mine was flooded with groundwater. Guided tours are conducted in accessible places of the mine. Remains of a mine pond dam have been preserved on the Korbolikha River. Tourists are also attracted by the nature of the surrounding area.

If you drive fromZmeinogorskabout three kilometers to the west, then you can get toPetrovskoe fieldwhich is famous for its wealth. 400,000 tons of ore were mined here, plus copper, lead and zinc were mined.

It will also be interesting to visit the Lazurskoye field (18 km southeast of Zmeinogorsk). Here you can find the mineral azurite. This inexpensive and beautiful ornamental stone in the colors of the sky, river and forest is excellentsouvenireven unprocessed.

Ancient adits

Ancient mine workings confirm that already in the 14th century BC, the tribes that lived inMountain Kolyvan, mined copper, silver, gold. The ancient adits were round and very narrow and reached a depth of fifteen to thirty meters.

Gold mined in ancient times in Gornaya Kolyvan was exchanged and ended up in other countries, often many hundreds of kilometers away from Kolyvan. German scientistAlexander von Humboldt, who made a trip to Altai in 1829, expressed the idea that the famous ancient Greek historian Herodotus, speaking about the wealth of the northern countries with precious metals, could have meant Altai.

From Kolyvan all over the world

NearKolyvan lakewere the migration routes of ancient tribes. Here goods were exchanged, products from Ancient Hellas and other countries of the Greco-Persian world ended up in Siberia, and Siberian metals - in Hellas and Persia. Many of the greatest items of antiquity, which are now the property of world civilization, are made from a rare mineralelectrummined in these places.

Photo: Alexey Zyryanov, Daniil Melnikov