Sights of Ust-Kamenogorsk. History of Ust-Kamenogorsk in dates Markakol State Nature Reserve

Ust-Kamenogorsk is a city located in the eastern part of Kazakhstan, at the confluence of two rivers: Irtysh and Ulba. It was founded in 1720, and received city status only in 1939. Ust-Kamenogorsk covers an area of 54.4 thousand hectares. Which .

This city is the administrative and industrial center East Kazakhstan region, and currently it houses a large number of educational, scientific, medical, sports and entertainment institutions. The main directions of economic life of Ust-Kamenogorsk are industrial enterprises processing ferrous and non-ferrous metals, the largest instruments and machine-building plants, as well as the only Lada car production plant in the republic. Visit.

How to get to Ust-Kamenogorsk

Operates in Ust-Kamenogorsk international Airport, which is located 11 km northwest of the city. The second class airport has two runways and serves domestic and international flights.

To organize railway communication in Ust-Kamenogorsk there is a station known as “Zashchita”. This is the first large station located on the route from Russia to Kazakhstan and further to the west.

Intercity travel is carried out using buses that run from two bus stations in the city. The oldest bus station is located on Avenue. Abaya is next to the Sports Palace and serves more than 35 destinations. From this bus station, buses depart not only throughout the republic and region, but also to some cities of Russia, for example to Krasnoyarsk. The second bus station, located on the street. Manors, serves only 17 directions and only in the region.

What interesting places to see in Ust-Kamenogorsk

IN culturally Ust-Kamenogorsk is attractive for tourists. There are a lot of monuments here, there are 3 museums, a drama theater named after Zhambyl, 3 cinemas, a Sports Palace, the Muhamadi Mosque, several cathedrals and temples.

— Regional Museum of History and Local Lore - oldest museum Kazakhstan, opened in 1915. Currently, this museum has become the largest repository of natural and natural history monuments, and is located in eastern Kazakhstan largest center scientific research, from ancient times to modern times.

— The East Kazakhstan Architectural and Ethnographic Museum includes several buildings located in different areas of the city, as well as 2 parks and a zoo. It contains unique collections representing the historical, cultural and ethnographic heritage of not only the Kazakh people, but also many other countries of the world.

— East Kazakhstan Museum of Art — its collection contains more than 4,000 pieces of painting and graphics, decorative and applied art, as well as sculptures by Kazakh and Russian masters.

Another interesting attraction is located at an altitude of more than 500 m, on Mount Ablaketka in capital letters(the height of each letter is 6 meters) the inscription “Kazakhstan” is laid out, just like in Hollywood. This inscription can be seen in almost any part of the city.

Prices in Ust-Kamenogorsk

The currency used in Ust-Kamenogorsk is the Kazakhstani tenge. At the current exchange rate, 1 US dollar is equal to approximately 185 tenge, and 1 ruble is 5.25 tenge. Prices for many goods in stores are approximately equal to average Russian prices.

There are several hotels in Ust-Kamenogorsk, and depending on the category, they offer their guests a large number of rooms at different prices and different sets of related services. In economy class hotels, daily accommodation will cost approximately 1000 tenge (about 5 dollars or 190 rubles). In more “star” hotels you will have to pay 3,000 tenge (about 15 dollars or 570 rubles) or more per day.

You can try dishes in cafes and restaurants local cuisine, there is also a large selection of dishes from European, Oriental, Russian and other cuisines. The average bill in a cafe is 1000-3000 tenge, in restaurants from 3000-5000 tenge.

A little history of the founding of the city

In 1720, by decree of Peter I, a detachment led by Major I.M. was sent on an expedition to Lake Zaisan. Likharev. At the confluence of the Irtysh and Ulba, this detachment began the construction of a military fortress, called Ust-Kamennaya or Ust-Kamenogorsk. The fortress received its name due to the fact that the Irtysh in this place seemed to emerge from the mouth of the stone mountains. The fortress housed barracks, apartments for military commanders, a military hospital, and sections of a convict prison, which still exist today. Gradually, houses began to be built next to the fortification outside the fortress. This was the beginning of the city.

“The mouth at the foot of the stone mountains” - this is the meaning of the name of Ust-Kamenogorsk; in Kazakh it sounds like “Oskemen”.

Natural reserves of Ust-Kamenogorsk

But the main attractions of Ust-Kamenogorsk are not museums or architectural monuments, and the nature around is of extraordinary beauty. Tourists are attracted here by green reserves, beautiful mountains, picturesque lakes. All protected parks are outside industrial city.

Katon-Karagaysky national park nature - the largest natural Park in Kazakhstan, its area is 643.5 thousand hectares. One third of the territory is covered with forest, mainly coniferous trees: fir, cedar, spruce, Siberian larch. The park is home to rare animals, such as the snow leopard, black stork, peregrine falcon and others.

Markakolsky nature reserve- was created to study and preserve a unique ecosystem mountain lake Markakol. This lake has an area of 455 sq.m. is one of the largest in Altai. More than 100 rivers and streams flow into Lake Markakol, and the only river flowing out of it is Kalzhyr.

Western Altai Nature Reserve - its area is 86 thousand hectares and is occupied by dense fir-spruce forests. This reserve contains an interesting natural monument"Stone City"

Kiin-Kerish or “City of Spirits” is a mysterious place in the vicinity of Lake Zaisan. Red rocks and cliffs, their shapes reminiscent of towers and castles located in the middle of the desert. Many attribute the presence of strong energy to the extraterrestrial landscape of Kiin-Kerisha, which is why ritual sacrifices were carried out in this place in ancient times.

East Kazakhstan East Kazakhstan region|East Kazakhstan region Coordinates Coordinates: / (G)49.95 , 82.616667 49°57′00″ n. w. 82°37′00″ E. d. / 49.95° N. w. 82.616667° E. d.(G) Akim Islam Abishev Based Square 540 km² Climate type sharply continental Population 420.1 thousand people () Ethnobury Ust-Kamenogorsk, Ust-Kamenogorsk Timezone UTC+6 Telephone code +7 (7232) Postcode 070002 Official site http://www.oskemen.kz/
(Kazakh) (Russian) (English)

History of the city's creation

At first it was a fortress founded by Major Likharev in the city. Now one of the streets of the city bears the name of the major. In May, the expedition of Ivan Mikhailovich Likharev, equipped according to the personal decree of Peter I, headed to Lake Zaisan. They reached the lake safely, but the further path along the Black Irtysh was blocked by a large Dzungarian detachment. The attacks were easily repulsed, but the greatly shallowed Irtysh did not allow us to move further. The expedition turned back.

Notes

Administrative division of the East Kazakhstan region
Cities of regional subordination:

The first thing that impresses Ust-Kamenogorsk, the center of the East Kazakhstan region (321 thousand inhabitants) is its name: two words, three roots and the question, what other mouth does the mountain have? But Uskaman is like that - complex and ambiguous. A Cossack fortress, then a county town, then an industrial giant with acidic air - each incarnation brought UK a new historical center. In the last two parts, I showed a mining factory with a mainly Russian population and quaint ones in the Kazakh steppe beyond the Irtysh. And Ust-Kamenogorsk stands at the junction of these two elements, at the gates of the Kazakh Altai, perhaps the most isolated corner of the vast country.

I have collected enough material about Ust-Kamenogorsk to fill five parts, and 2.5 of them will be on parks - there are two small “skansen” in the city. The first part shows the general flavor of the city and the Left Bank of the Irtysh, where a new center is being built.

The best view of this city is not from a bomber, but from the low Chechek pass on the Samara highway - as mentioned in the last part, it leads not to Samara, but to the village of Samara and further beyond the Irtysh. Here it is, the whole UK - mountains, high-rise buildings of improved series and PIPES. They dominate the city like Notre Dame over medieval Paris, and they always smoke. And between the point where this frame was taken and the pipes there is also the Irtysh and the entire city center:

In the 1710s, Russia, represented by the Irtysh fortified line along the right (Dzungar) bank of the river, intervened in the hundred-year war between the Kazakhs and the Dzungars (I talked about it in more detail in the last part). In 1716, Ivan Buchholz founded, in 1718 Vasily Cheredov laid (the ruins of the Dzungarian pagodas), in 1720 the future Koryakovsky outpost appeared below the latter. In the same year, the Cossack detachment of Ivan Likharev reached Lake Zaisan along the river, but turned back, either encountering superior forces of Dzungaria, or not daring to go up the shallow Black Irtysh. The Cossacks considered the arrow of the Irtysh and Ulb to be an ideal place to dig in s , and in 1720 the Ust-Kamenogorsk, or simply Ust-Kamennaya fortress was founded there (until 1809 both options were in use). The strange name becomes logical if you remember that high Rocky Mountains in the country of the great plains they were called “stones,” and even the Old Believers who settled in Altai 30 years later were called “masons” in censuses. Ust-Kamenogorsk means the place where the mountains end, and the Irtysh opens onto an endless plain. This is the first property of Uskaman: the city is located in an extremely beautiful place between the spurs of Altai and the Kalba Mountains across the river. The heights of the surrounding peaks are just under a kilometer.

The Ust-Kamennaya fortress remained a remote outpost in a hostile region for almost a hundred years. Even bread was delivered here along the Irtysh, for which peasants were mobilized for barge work, and only in 1747 the Cossacks were forced to “plow arable farming” (that is, under the stick). The Siberian Cossacks were the first settlers of this region; in 1762, Catherine the Second invited the Old Believers here (and those who did not go themselves were soon brought in by force), but only in 1804 the garrison of the Ust-Kamennaya fortress received the status of a village. However, from the Irtysh the Cossack was increasingly pressed by the merchant, peasant villages grew between the villages, their trading people and cunning Bukharians came from the depths of the steppe... In 1868, Ust-Kamenogorsk became a district city of the Semipalatinsk region of the Steppe General Government - not the largest in it, but not the smallest: by the beginning of the twentieth century, 8.7 thousand people lived here, mostly Russians; Tatars and Kazakhs together accounted for about 15% of the population. The border of the Semipalatinsk region with the Tomsk province ran mainly along the Irtysh, so the city itself belonged to the first, and its suburbs - to the second. But unlike Omsk or Semipalatinsk, the Ust-Kamenogorsk fortress continued to serve its intended purpose - although the last old people who remembered the Dzungarian raids had died long ago, the virgin Middle Ages still reigned in the steppe and sometimes uprisings arose, and higher up the mountains began the irreplaceable Rudny Altai, where they mined silver and lead for all of Russia. It was covered by the Ust-Kamenogorsk fortress, and in 1879, with the decline of the mines and the abolition of the mining district, it was not liquidated, but only transferred to the balance of the city. The last time the Ust-Kamenogorsk fortress reminded itself of itself was in 1918 as Siberian Shlisselburg, the place of reprisals between the traditionally strong whites in this region and the reds. In essence, the fortress still exists today - like a prison, occupying that long white building over there. Other buildings from the turn of the 18th-19th centuries, including the white Trinity Church (1789-1810), have been occupied by a monastery since 1993. The fortress is located quite far from the historical center: its esplanades were built only in the 1970-80s.

Geologist Vladimir Kotulsky established back in 1916 that there were countless ores left in Rudny Altai, and new technologies would make it possible to extract them, but another government began to implement his ideas. In 1930, the Rubtsovsk-Ridder railway, necessary for the export of ores, passed through Ust-Kamenogorsk, and construction of the Ridder (Leninogorsk) polymetallic plant began higher up the mountains. A little later, they took up the reconstruction of Zyryanovsk, the only one that survived the degradation of Rudny Altai in the 19th century; in general, a full-fledged territorial production complex was taking shape between the Irtysh and Altai. It should be noted that Uskaman himself was part of the future Kazakhstan from the moment of its formation in 1920, and a year later he was part of new republic part of Zmeinogorsk and the entire Bukhtarminsky district - the current Kazakh Altai - were transferred from the Altai province. Initially it was the Semipalatinsk region, from which the East Kazakhstan region with its center in Ust-Kamenogorsk was separated in 1932. I don’t really understand why this region itself did not remain part of the RSFSR - the Russian population predominated here, and logistically it was clearly closer to Omsk and Novosibirsk than to Alma-Ata. Perhaps in those days they simply wanted to “strengthen” frankly backward Kazakhstan with an industrial area. In 1997, the authorities of independent Kazakhstan had to sacrifice the Semipalatinsk region, including it in the East Kazakhstan region, but even so the share of Kazakhs in its population barely exceeded half. If we consider the “small” East Kazakhstan region within the old borders, then of its 712 thousand inhabitants, Russians (with a small proportion of Ukrainians and Germans) still account for 60%, and Kazakhs only 35%. Hanging over the city is Mount Kazakhstan (historically - Pechi), topped observation deck- in my opinion, a very symbolic image!

I don’t know for sure whether the Soviet government had initial plans to make Ust-Kamenogorsk itself an industrial giant, but as often happened in the Asian half of the country, the war played a role here: in 1942, the evacuated Electrozinc plant from Ordzhonikidze (Vladikavkaz) arrived in UK. , well, after the war, with the help of German reparations, the giants of non-ferrous metallurgy began to be built here one after another: in 1947 the lead-zinc plant began operating, in 1949 - the Ulba Metallurgical Plant, in 1951 the Ust-Kamenogorsk hydroelectric station gave them their first power, since 1958 and Vostokmashzavod began producing equipment for them, and in 1962 all this splendor was supplemented by a titanium-magnesium plant. In independent Kazakhstan, UKA has also become a center of automotive manufacturing, or rather car assembly - the Asia-Auto plant, operating since 2002, rivetes from 10 to 30 thousand cars a year, mainly Skodas, Kias and Ladas. Ust-Kamenogorsk could perhaps be called the all-Union capital of non-ferrous metallurgy - perhaps the volumes here are not the same as in copper-nickel Norilsk or aluminum Bratsk, but there is an amazing assortment.

In the frame above, the pipes of the titanium-magnesium plant, which Kazakhstan shares with Belgium and England, stick out from behind the mountain. In the frame below, the tall pipes on the left belong to the Ust-Kamenogorsk Lead and Zinc Plant. Since 1997, this is the parent enterprise of Kazzinc, a subsidiary of the Swiss concern Glencore, and in addition to zinc and lead itself, small quantities of copper, antimony, mercury, silver, gold, cadmium, thallium, bismuth, indium and selenium are produced here. But the main Ust-Kamenogorsk plant is Ulba, which owns the thin low pipes on the right in the frame above, and produces such exotic metals as beryllium, tantalum and niobium. Moreover, if in the second two this enterprise is not a leader, then the global production of beryllium is about 300 tons per year, and almost all of it is concentrated in three countries - the USA, China and Kazakhstan. Beryllium is used in various alloys, rocket fuel, nuclear reaction equipment, but the main thing is that it is one of the components of nuclear fuel, and since Kazakhstan is also the absolute world leader in uranium mining, nuclear fuel is the main specialization of UMP. Kazakhstanis do not give Ulba to anyone, and in fact, through the chain of Kazatomprom and the national welfare fund Samruk-Kazyna, the plant belongs, if not to the state itself, then to its top officials. And soon “Ulba” will become indispensable on a global scale: during the days of our trip, all of Kazakhstan was discussing an agreement on the construction of an International Nuclear Fuel Bank in Ust-Kamenogorsk. Rumors were circulating around Semipalatinsk that they would soon make a criminal code closed city, and the regional center will be returned to them in Semey.

And of course, such a city cannot but have a very unique atmosphere.... in the most literal sense of the word:

Sulfur dioxide, lead and other heavy metals, toxic beryllium, radioactive uranium - before the trip I knew that the air in Ust-Kamenogorsk was definitely not the healthiest. In 1989, a fire at Ulba created a toxic cloud 300 kilometers long, which was almost included in the Guinness Book of Records. But in general, I have long ago developed a certain immunity to stories about the “horrors of our town”: locals everywhere are ready to talk about terrible pollution, bloodthirsty gopniks, frost or rain, but as soon as a visiting blogger focuses on this, finger pointing immediately begins : "Ha, I bought it!" Therefore, when a girl from Semipalatinsk told me that she could not live in the much more prosperous Ust-Kamenogorsk because dirty air, I didn't take it too seriously. In my memory, of course, there were truly infernal examples of industrial pollution: in a lifeless valley, smelling of sulfur, covered with black soot... And Ust-Kamenogorsk impressed even against their background, on a sunny day after rain, covered in a bluish acidic haze:

The main difference between UK and Nikel or Karabash is that several hundred thousand people live here, who literally know the periodic table “by heart.” On the first day in Uskaman, I felt disgusting - weak legs, pain in my eyes, shortness of breath, and an unpleasant taste on my lips. The locals I went with said that this is normal, and the first few days here are bad for many people. For locals, chronic bronchitis is common, and many people here also have some other chronic condition. Olga, however, did not suffer and, moreover, drew my attention to the fact that fir trees and pine trees feel great in the city, and the deciduous greenery does not look sick. The city authorities are trying to kill the acidic spirit with an abundance of flowers, the city has beautiful parks, but the bear, for example, has died.

The main personalities of Ust-Kamenogorsk are Efim Slavsky and Alexander Protozanov. The first in 1957-86 headed the Ministry of Medium Engineering, as the nuclear industry was called in the USSR, and the second headed the East Kazakhstan region in 1969-83. Slavsky was the patron of the city - yet the UK was the only regional center in his “empire”, and Protozanov showed himself to be an excellent leader, and the combination of these personalities made Uskaman one of the most developed and comfortable cities of the USSR. The Minsredmash past is reminded by the occasional CHAZiki - buses from Tajikistan, the production of which was established in the 1960s by the transport workshop of the uranium plant in.

But in general, “by eye” Ust-Kamenogorsk is an ordinary Siberian city, much more similar to Omsk or Novokuznetsk than even to neighboring Semipalatinsk.

I don’t even remember the high-rise buildings with national patterns that are typical for Kazakhstan, and the attributes of Kazakh identity are somehow reduced here - I immediately remember only Baiterek near the bridge, the monument to Abai on the main square and a couple of graffiti on high-rise buildings. Maybe there is something else, but in general the landscape signs here are less “Kazakhstani” than in any other regional center of the country.

Many ancient houses are equipped with signs like this, which for a person without a smartphone are even less informative than “Architectural monument. Protected by the state”:

A memorable property of the Kazakh Altai is the almost absolute bilingualism of signs. It is generally consistent in the rest of Kazakhstan, but I came across Kazakh inscriptions without dubbing into Russian (especially in the zone from Chimkent to Atyrau), and Russian inscriptions without dubbing into Kazakh (especially in the North and in Alma-Ata), but here everything is duplicated , except perhaps for handwritten notices on fences.

The contingent in UC is extremely typical for a post-Soviet industrial city. Here you can see both a layer of technical intelligentsia, often going into business, and proletarian youth with the morals of the working-class outskirts. As in the Ural or Siberian cities, weekend tourism is very developed here, especially since factories literally smoke people out into nature at the first opportunity. Local history and cultural network life here are also definitely more developed than on average in Kazakhstan - even when LiveJournal was blocked in the country, and comments timidly came to me only from two capitals and Karaganda, here I was already invited to visit the city. Ust-Kamenogorsk is one of those cities where you have someone to stay up late with in interesting conversations, but it is not advisable to go back through the dark streets.

And like few other cities in the country, Ust-Kamenogorsk looks at Russia. The most popular bank here is Sber, in grocery stores there are more goods from Russia than from the rest of Kazakhstan (the largest category is, after all, local products, which I must say are very good), many people do not buy Roshen candies out of principle, but in Barnaul or Novosibirsk is preferable to leaving for Astana or Alma-Ata. In the current UK, Russians make up 67% of the population, Kazakhs - 27%, but “by eye” it’s more like 50/50 - perhaps at the expense of students and visitors, for which, in general, the Semipalatinsk steppes were subjugated to Ust-Kamenogorsk. But there is one feature here that is difficult to convey in photography: often, looking at a person with a quick glance, you do not immediately understand whether he is Russian or Kazakh. I don’t know how to explain this, since the two peoples even belong to different races, but Olga also noticed this effect of perception, as well as its absence in other cities of Kazakhstan. Because the indigenous Kazakhs of Altai - other.

And if the house in the frame above behind the strange dude in shorts is marked with a flag on every balcony, then in the courtyard from the frame below there was an “imperial” painted on the wall. Rudny Altai, in a sense, is the Kazakh Crimea, where there is a critical mass of people who have not come to terms with the fact that their land is outside Russia. Flags in unexpected places, inscriptions about unity where possible and impossible - this is so familiar from the Autonomous Republic of Crimea or south-eastern cities.

They say that in the 1990s, this all manifested itself openly, and at night locals damaged signs in the Kazakh language and tore down national flags from institutions. The visiting Kazakhs were contemptuously teased by the “Cossacks” and went to fight wall to wall with them. Others packed their suitcases en masse and drove away, taking away legends about the terrible massacre (in fact, the only massacre in Uskaman was the pogroms of exiled Chechens in the 1950s) - and in the Russian Altai, I came across people from the Kazakh Altai more than once or twice during this trip alone . But over time, separatism subsided - on the one hand, according to the principle “don’t make trouble while it’s quiet” (although the locals think that it’s better in Russia, but not to that extent), on the other hand, you can really get jailed for such things here , in 2014, for example, they gave 6 years to a guy from Ridder who posted a VKontakte poll “How would you vote in a referendum on joining Russia.” It died down, but did not disappear, and without prying ears, locals told me more than once that if such a referendum really happened here, “I don’t know who would be against joining Russia.” Not in the UK itself, but in the Altai outback, I heard from local Russians that even the local Kazakhs were not at all against such a development of events. Of course, I don’t have statistics, no one has conducted opinion polls (and if they did, they definitely won’t tell the truth), but general impression remained something like this: “it would be better if we were annexed to Russia, but what should we think about it if this doesn’t happen, because it can never happen.” I would still say that it can, if suddenly people with good faces seize power in Astana and declare Kazakhstan a national state, which should be “with the whole world, and not with one country” (c). And the current authorities understand this: the key difference between Kazakhstan and Ukraine is that here indigenization is carried out quietly, but concretely. Without offensive slogans and without being held accountable for the tragedies of the past, Northern Kazakhstan is being actively resettled to favorable conditions oralmans (Kazakh repatriates, mainly to small towns like ) and especially southerners. We were traveling to Alma-Ata from here with an elderly Kazakh couple who barely spoke Russian, and in the southern capital they changed trains. I was also traveling from Astana to Pavlodar on the Ust-Kamenogorsk train with a middle-aged Kazakh couple, and seeing that my T-shirt had ridden up, the man said threateningly: “Don’t lie like that, cover yourself up, there’s a woman here! You have a beard, which means you’re a believer, like can you act like that?" - and as I later found out, they were also from Chimkent. In general, the knot here is slowly being tightened, and if Kazakhstan leaves the current path of a multinational country complementary to its neighbors, Rudny Altai could become the site of a new tragedy. Well, the degree of possible Russian intervention depends, I think, mainly on whether Russian industry can do without Ulba.

In the meantime, let's go beyond the Irtysh. Its “reference point” in Russia is usually perceived, and it is not entirely obvious that the Siberian million-plus population is a little closer to the mouth than to the source. On the Ertis River - Pavlodar, Semipalatinsk, several small cities and Ust-Kamenogorsk, and Burchun and Kyoktokay and even on Ertsisyhe - the sources of the Irtysh and a considerable part of the flow, the so-called Black Irtysh to Lake Zaisan, are located in China. In Uskaman, the Irtysh is fast, winding and narrow, and on opposite sides of the center are the Pionersky (on the left behind the bend) and Komsomolsky (on the right) islands. The view is upstream, and after a couple of turns there will be the Ust-Kamenogorsk hydroelectric station, which I didn’t get to this time.

From the railway bridge you can clearly see the port, and the panorama of the Irtysh from the carriage window is stunning - the same modest row of port cranes, gray high-rise buildings and a distant smoking chimney. In the frame is a specifically local vessel, the wheeled (!) tugboat BTK, produced in 1954-90 in Semipalatinsk specifically for the low-water Irtysh upper reaches.

Beyond the Irtysh in Ust-Kamenogorsk there are several districts, including KShT, separated from the city by an undeveloped area. The tall pipe, clearly visible from a distance, for example, on the descent from the Chechek pass, belongs to the artificial silk fabric factory (1967-70), the “lightest” of industrial giants UK. However, artificial silk is not lead, not titanium, and certainly not beryllium, so the plant has not been operating for a long time, and KShT has turned into an ordinary residential area.

But it has a clear advantage over the rest of the Criminal Code - it’s easier to breathe here. Maybe that’s why, or maybe closer to the “solid” Kazakh land (after all, the Kazakhs settled along the right bank of the Irtysh together with the Russians) since 2012, a New Center has been built on the vacant lots between the bridge and the KShT, where a kind of local Astana should appear. It has not yet reached government buildings and skyscrapers, but there are already several sports complexes, a presidential school and the East Kazakhstan Drama Theater (2012-15) for Russian (exists since 1936), Kazakh (since 2000) and youth troupes. The musical fountain in front of him turned on just as we were passing nearby, and the first thing that happened was the anthem of Kazakhstan.

Closer to the bridge, at the intersection - such a menacing “bzzzzzz!” with a well-designed sting. Of course, this composition hints at Altai honey, the Kazakh Altai is hung with signs for the sale of it in the same way as the Russian one. The topic of Altai is being promoted in some places at the University of Karelia, but this is 10 times less active than, for example, in Barnaul.

Nearby there is an apple tree, as dense as sea buckthorn. Obviously, nothing is being torn from her, because it seems that from an apple grown in the Ust-Kamenogorsk smoke one can repeat the fate of either Snow White or Adam.

Almost opposite the Bee is the huge and heavy Left Bank Mosque (2012), one of the largest in Kazakhstan. Actually, in addition to southern Chimkent, lonely giant mosques are being built in Kazakhstan most actively in northern cities- Pavlodar, and in Ust-Kamenogorsk there are two such mosques - the second, a little smaller, stands near the center on the right bank. This is not so much a temple as a sign: the Russians first of all erected a cross or a chapel, German colonists erected a church, and in Northern Kazakhstan mosques acted as such anchors of identity. Officially, the central mosque is considered a city mosque, and the Left Bank mosque is considered a regional mosque, but 6 minarets added a dozen chimneys to the outline of the city.

And under the mosque is the Left Bank Park, built in 2002 in the riverine floodplains. As already mentioned, Uskaman impresses with the well-keptness and beauty of its parks; in a separate post I will show the Zhastar and Dzhambula parks located in the center. Well, Levobrezhny Park is notable for the fact that literally EVERYTHING was brought here from the UK, and along its endless alleys, taking a break from the acid smoke, you can arrange a walk for every taste. It is a little more than a kilometer across, but it feels like it stretches for 5 kilometers. Right under the mosque is a small aviation museum:

The part of the park at the entrance pleases with an abundance of installations:

A small pavilion with a national exhibition, where Kazakhs from Russian schools can remember their roots:

Behind the pavilion, like somewhere in Lithuania, there is a small park from the Soviet period. However, one important difference is striking - among the monuments exiled here are not only Kirov or Lenin, but Tolstoy, Mayakovsky and Gorky. Monuments to Russian writers have not been encroached upon even in Ukraine, and even Novomoskovsk has not yet been renamed there. Although the Ust-Kamenogorsk sculptures could have been moved with the best of intentions: Tolstoy, say, stood in the village of Bobrovka, and Mayakovsky in the gloomy suburb of Novaya Sogra, and here they will simply be more intact.

There is also a whole gang of Ilyichs of various sizes. The left three stood on the outskirts and in factories, the middle one (1961) was brought from Ridder, and the largest one, since 1958, stood on the main square of Ust-Kamenogorsk, where Abay is now.

At the end of the alley there are raised palms, and in combination with the weapon they clearly read “Stop!”

In 2011, the symposium “Sculpture in the Urban Environment” was held in Ust-Kamenogorsk, but instead of the urban environment, his works found a place only in the park. Contemporary art here, as usual, is obscure, although it was made by authors from all over the world - "Falcon", for example, from Mexico:

On the site near the pond there is not a cosmonautics museum (and Kazakhstan is a priori a space power - simply by virtue of the presence of the main cosmodrome on the planet), but only souvenir shops.

From there you can walk along a long street to the Ethnopark - a local scansen, and a very interesting one at that. In the Zhastar park in the city center, local wooden architecture is collected, and in the Left Bank park there are houses of different peoples, at least a little noticeable in the East Kazakhstan region: not only Russians and Kazakhs, but also Tatars, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Koreans, Uighurs, Chechens , Dungans and Georgians - that is, in fact, this is an “all-Union” museum of folk architecture and life. In principle, I’ve come across something similar somewhere before, but the Uka Ethnopark is notable for the fact that although it does have “spreading cranberries,” it’s still in moderate quantities. Here, at the other end of the square, where Ethnopark Street leads, there is even a completely authentic Old Believer’s house, transported from the village of Chernevaya. But I will leave the ethnopark for the last part of the story about the city:

An arch with either coats of arms or emblems separates the Ethnopark from the Zoo:

And next to her is this wonderful miracle:

In fact, it’s just a courtyard of a nearby restaurant, which was already closed for the winter on the 20th of September, like most park stalls:

Behind the Ethnopark and the “trade domes” of souvenir shops is just a park with ponds and Irtysh channels, and that white thing over there is, of course, the local “lovers’ gazebo” for wedding photo sessions:

There are cormorants on the ponds:

That's the swans:

And in the far part there is a funny composition called the Silk Road - one of the main attributes of Kazakhstan’s identity, while in Siberian cities the theme of the Siberian Highway would rather be played out. Zhibek-Zholy opens with a parody Caravel - and for me this is a hint of how the story of the great road ended.

A strange labyrinth, so confusing that we didn’t even find the entrance:

Opposite is the Emir's Palace, one of the symbolic caravan stops. All the palaces on the Silk Road are exhibition pavilions with paid entrance, and apparently few people want to enter them - confused caretakers appeared towards us and followed us with their gaze: we were walking away from them, and not towards them, which means the order of things was not disturbed.

Some kind of Slavic temple, or maybe Lukomorye 33 heroes, in a word, a hint of the timid sprouts of Rus' during the heyday of the Silk Road. In any case, they are without a sign:

Khan's Palace - Kazakhstan's place in this system:

Opposite the entrance there are several steppe scenes:

Behind a tricky fork and several turns is China, and pay attention to the font of the Old Turtle:

The Chinese palace was under renovation:

At a distance, an Indian palace was discovered:

And next to it are sculptures of Hindu gods and a wooden carved Wheel of Samsara:

I will leave the ethnopark for the last part of the story about the city(and twice this phrase is repeated boldly, albeit due to inattention, but not mine), and at the end of the story about the Left Bank Park - just a quiet pond in the Siberian golden autumn:

We will finish the story about Ust-Kamenogorsk flavor at the Sochi kebab shop on the other side of the city, where I celebrated my birthday on September 21. Because this place is very Uskaman: with a Russian name, with a tall chimney smoking for several blocks like a kebab factory, and with a slight touch of cereal, adding color. The noise in a huge and extremely crowded establishment only adds to the drive. The food here is not exactly cheap, but plentiful and good, and the whole city knows about Sochi and there are not enough places here on weekends.

In the next part we will walk around the center between the Irtysh and Ulba.

Mountain Belukha is the highest dot Gorny Altai, from which the Katunsky ridge begins. It is located at the source of the Katun River. This mountain has the appearance of two peaks, which in shape resemble irregular pyramids and in height, the Eastern one is 4509 meters and the Western one is 4435 meters. Belukha Mountain is an interesting natural monument, majestic and pristine.

The area of Mount Belukha is variable, which varies in height. The temperature also changes, from the foot to the top of Mount Belukha. In winter there is prolonged snowfall, and in summer there is heavy rain. Belukha glaciers are known, of which there are about 169. The most impressive is the Sapozhnikov Glacier. The rivers are fast-flowing, most of which flow into the Katun, and they are fed not by rain, but by glacial meltwater and snow.

The mysterious location of the mountain, at one distance from the three oceans of the world, impresses tourists. It heals those tired of the city rhythm, and proves to inveterate optimists that life is beautiful.

Coordinates: 50.29460300,85.59405300

Lake Zaysan

Lake Zaysan is one of the largest and most unusual freshwater lakes in Kazakhstan. It stretches between mountain ranges thirty kilometers from Kiin-Kerisha. Lake Zaisan is sometimes called the "Lake of Bells" due to the unusual sounds that can be heard on the shores of this lake. amazing lake with the onset of darkness.

Lake Zaisan boasts big amount species of fish living in its waters. Burbot, pike, perch, crucian carp are far from a rare catch for tourists who come to fish on Lake Zaisan. On its banks is Akshuat, the so-called fishermen’s village, whose hospitable residents will gladly welcome you in their area and, if you wish, organize a kind of excursion in order to introduce you to the original atmosphere of fishermen’s families.

Also, the shores of Lake Zaisan are densely populated with a variety of wild animals: gophers, foxes, steppe eagles. You don't have to be a keen bird watcher to notice and admire different types larks and little shrikes.

Coordinates: 47.99853700,83.90290400

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Bukhtarma Reservoir

The total area of the Bukhtarma reservoir is 5,500 square kilometers. The volume of water contained in the reservoir is 53 km³. The largest width is 35 kilometers, and the length is about 500 kilometers. The average depth point is almost 10 meters.

Due to the fact that the Bukhtarma Reservoir produces the deepest water path, this creates improved conditions for navigation by ships on the Irtysh River. In the river valleys of Narym and Bukhtaram and in the Monchekur depression, the width of the bays is 10 kilometers, the length is from 30 to 50 kilometers.

Since 1960, the reservoir began to be filled for the first time, and since 1966, long-term waste regulation has taken place.

Coordinates: 49.19247400,49.19247400

The Markakol depression is bordered by mountain ranges Azutau and Kurchumsky. On the north-eastern side it is connected by the Bobrovskaya depression, and on the south-western side it exits through the Kaldzhir River into the Zaisan Valley. The lake is located at 1447 meters above sea level. It has the shape of an elongated oval and runs from northeast to southwest. Its length is 38 kilometers and its width is 19 kilometers.

The total area of the lake is 445 km². The average depth of the lake is 14.3 meters, and the deepest point of the lake is 27 meters. The total length of the coast is 106 kilometers. The bowl of the lake contains 6.5 km³ of water. Only one river flows out of the lake - Kaldzhir, and about 100 different watercourses flow into it. The main ones are Karabulak, Tikhushka, Zhirenka, Topolevka, Elovka.

Coordinates: 48.76252600,85.76751700

Ski resort "Altai Alps"

The Altai Alps resort is one of the most popular ski resorts in Kazakhstan. The resort is located twenty kilometers from Ust-Kamenogorsk, on a picturesque slope Altai mountains.

"Altai Alps" - excellent and modern ski resort, equipped with everything necessary for quality active recreation. There are many trails of various difficulty categories, two cable cars, rental points sports equipment and much more. Some of the slopes are illuminated, so you can ski even at night. Beginners can use the services of professional instructors and coaches.

In addition, the resort has a cozy cafe, a billiards room, massage rooms, a bathhouse, a swimming pool and other entertainment facilities where you can relax and unwind after a whole day of skiing.

Coordinates: 50.11479900,82.99836200

Markakolsky Reserve

Its foundation took place in August 1976. It occupies 71.3 thousand hectares of land. Later, the area of the reserve was expanded by decree of the Kazakh government. It began to occupy an area of 102,979 hectares of land.

The Markakolsky Reserve contains 55 species of mammals, such as ermine, golden eagle, brown bear, wolf, solongoi, sable, roe deer, polecat, snow leopard, deer, otter, elk, mink, wolverine, badger, weasel, weasel, wild boar and many others. Birds, about 250 varieties: wild pigeons, black storks, harriers, buzzards, gray partridges, grebes, hobbies, honey beetles, owls, ospreys, waders, chukars, black kites, white-tailed eagles, ducks, black grouse, etc.

Coordinates: 48.75618900,85.75103800

Irtysh River

The Irtysh River extends in the eastern territories of the Republic of Kazakhstan. This river, known for its extraordinary length, colossal resources and unique nature, is a favorite vacation spot for tourists who prefer active recreation and fishing in Kazakhstan.

The Irtysh River in Kazakhstan has a length of about 1,700 kilometers. It originates in China, under the name "Black Irtysh" it crosses the territory of Kazakhstan, flowing into Lake Zaisan. And at the exit from the lake, the river receives its true name.

The Irtysh River is an ideal place for those who are partial to fishing and other things. active recreation. Ide, sturgeon, sterlet, burbot and stellate sturgeon are not a complete list of fauna living in the waters of the Irtysh. It is worth noting that the Irtysh River is also one of the cleanest rivers, and in the warm season the water warms up to +22C. The banks of this amazing river - perfect place for walks along the sandy beach. The amazing local flora will not leave any tourist indifferent.

Coordinates: 49.96093900,82.56497600

Bukhtarminskoye Reservoir

The Bukhtarma Reservoir is located in the East Kazakhstan region of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The reservoir was formed in 1960 with the aim of creating a deep-water route for ships, which significantly improves navigation conditions along the Irtysh River. The reservoir itself consists of two sections: the river one, where there is a current in the river valley, and a lake called Zaisan, which has formed a wide reach. The area of the Bukhtarma reservoir exceeds 5.5 thousand square kilometers.

There are also places here for have a great holiday: tourist centers and camping areas, equipped beaches and convenient roads that can be driven by car. Very beautiful nature Bukhtarma Reservoir: picturesque landscapes, forests, clear water of the lake. Sandy beaches with a gentle descent into the water, they are perfect for vacationers with children. You can stay right on the shore with tents or spend the night in boarding houses and camp sites on the reservoir. This place is very popular among fishermen: the Bukhtarma Reservoir is home to pike perch, pike, perch, carp, ide, trout and many other species of fish.

Coordinates: 49.16666600,84.25000000

Fountain "Zodiac"

The Zodiac Fountain is a huge beautiful fountain in the center of Ust-Kamenogorsk, which is known throughout Kazakhstan thanks to the amazing zodiac figures on it.

The Zodiac fountain is located near the central mosque of Ust-Kamenogorsk, on Republic Square, in the north-east of Kazakhstan. It is a large modern fountain, which is decorated with tiles and unusual sculptures of animals - zodiac symbols. Original figures attract the attention of children and adults.

Next to the fountain there is a cozy square with many benches where you can relax and breathe fresh air. Locals they often like to walk near the Zodiac fountain and sit near it on warm summer evenings.

Coordinates: 49.94760400,82.63002200

Bukhtarma Lake

Bukhtarma Lake is an original natural monument located on southern slope Argut ridge, separating the river areas of Argut and Bukhtarma.

The lake is located at an altitude of 2064 meters above sea level. Many rivers and springs flow into the lake, which descend from mountain ledges and form beautiful waterfalls. At the bottom, the Bukhtarma River unites with the Chindagatuy River. And a little higher, the Shandege-Bulak River, flowing from the lake, flows into the Chindagatuy River.

Tourists will be interested fishing, since the lake contains a large number of grayling, which is successfully caught both in summer time, and in winter, you can also ride on sailing boats, and find rare mushrooms and berries in the forest. In the vicinity of the lake there are sables, otters and squirrels.

Coordinates: 49.28500000,86.94500000

Kiin-Kerish

Kiin-Kerish is a clay canyon, which is located 120 kilometers from the city of Kurchum and covers an area of 300 hectares. Kiin-Kerish consists of a variety of red clays, the origin of which was influenced by the hot tropical climate. But it is very difficult to see the “City of Spirits,” as Kiin-Kerish is commonly called, since it is located in a lowland.

The flora and fauna of this valley attracts attention. Vegetable world is represented by two rare plant species protected at the regional level: gray atrafaxis and Ferula Krylova. Also in the valley you can find iris, variegated poplar, salt marsh, Zaisan Echinops, tulip, and elm.

Kiin-Kerish is home to the rarest representatives of the animal world, which are listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan: bustard, yellow lemming, black-bellied sandgrouse, eagle owl, balaban falcon, golden eagle, steppe eagle, jack, desert shrike, lapwing. The Central Asian buzzard and the steppe kestrel build their nests in the Kiin-Kerish mountains.

Coordinates: 48.13361100,84.49361100

Rakhmanov keys

The Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi sanatorium began its work in 1964. The health resort is located 500 kilometers from the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk, on the territory of the Katon-Karagai Park. Vacationers are healed with the help of underground thermal radon waters.

In addition, medical, ski and beach tourism is actively developing here. Manipulations carried out on modern German equipment help everyone. who strives for a healthy lifestyle. The pleasant staff of the complex offers vacationers massage, herbal bar, herbal steam sauna, stone therapy, irrigation, underwater spinal treatment and much more. Childless couples come for infertility treatment.

The picturesque beauty of the Alps, the fragrant aroma of meadows, the healing and intoxicating air of the taiga, tall cedars, the mighty Belukha Mountain and mirror lakes help vacationers to recover.

Coordinates: 49.95402800,86.61288300

The most popular attractions in Ust-Kamenogorsk with descriptions and photographs for every taste. Choose the best places to visit famous places in Ust-Kamenogorsk on our website.

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