Where should you start your journey? Gorny Altai? This is undoubtedly the village of Aktash. Why from here?

So, the village of Aktash, a small village located 360 kilometers from the city of Gorno-Altaisk, along the M56 highway. The population is about 3000 people. The route is well paved. There are no huge potholes on which the car crashes. The road runs along the edge of the village, so many tourists drive past it, but in vain. Here you will find many shops and you can stock up on everything you need for a long journey.

From the village, the M56 highway goes further to the Kosh-Agach region, and then to the border with Mongolia. Heading along this road, you will see beautiful views of the North Chuya Range with its glaciers that do not melt even in summer. And it's only 6 kilometers from Aktash.

Not far away you can see the mysterious Blue Lake, which will surprise you with the patterns of its bottom, and its variability.

In addition, not far from the village you can see two of the most beautiful Ularsky waterfalls, which were seen only by a few, due to their remoteness from the road. Visiting them will bring you real pleasure. It will be problematic to find them on your own, but in the village you can find a guide who will be happy to help you.

It is from the village of Aktash that the road leading to the village begins. Ulagan, and then to the well-known Katu-yaryk pass. The road, of course, is gravel, but running enough. It is along this road that you will meet many lakes, including the mysterious Dead Lake, as well as the famous Red Gate, which you cannot drive past without stopping. There will also be great views.

In the vicinity of the village you can visit the famous Captain's Cave. Previously, its length was about 60 km, and as a result of the earthquake, its passages were blocked.

In addition, from Aktash you can climb the most big mountain near this village, its name is Belenkaya, I think everyone will guess why. On the uphill goes the road to the abandoned factory, which has not been working for a long time, from where a stunning view opens. And if you can climb to the top, you will see true view Gorny Altai.

All these attractions you can see in the immediate vicinity of the village. It is from here that you should start your journey through the Altai Mountains. And the nearby nature of the village pleases with its beauty. The purest air, lack of midges, friendly and creative people, all this will not leave you indifferent.

Russian Aktash is a village in the Almetyevsk district of the Republic of Tatarstan of Russia, part of the polycentric Almetyevsk (Almetyevsk-Bugulma-Leninogorsk) agglomeration.

Population - 4.2 thousand inhabitants (2002).
It is located on the banks of the Stepnoy Zay River, 18 km northwest of Almetyevsk. Railroad station.

In 1957, the village received the status of an urban-type settlement. Transformed into a rural locality in 2004.

The village was founded over 300 years ago. Initially, there was a Tatar settlement here, owned by the landowner Nadyrov (now the village of Nadyrovo has preserved his name). Nadyrov lost the village in cards to retired officer Pyotr Salavovsky. The Tatars who lived here were evicted to Ursal-bash. Salavovsky recruited Russian peasants in the amount of 40-50 families from the village of Bolshaya Sura Simbirsk province(now Ulyanovsk region) and settled them here.
In connection with the change ethnic composition population of the village and received its current name.

CHURCH OF THE KAZAN ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD
Church. Valid.
Thrones:
Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Nicholas the Wonderworker, Nativity of Christ
Architectural style:
Classicism
Year of construction:
Between 1825 and 1830.
The address:
Republic of Tatarstan, Almetevsky district, with. Russian Aktash, st. Michurina, d. 4.
Coordinates:
55.04226, 52.1118
Directions:
On the road Almetievsk - Zainsk - Naberezhnye Chelny. 15 km after leaving Almetyevsk, turn right at the sign "Upper Aktash". After 850 meters turn left in the direction main road at the T-junction in the village of Russian Aktash, after another 350 meters - to the left after the main road. After 200 meters the road will run into the church.
The single-altar stone church was built in 1825-1830 at the expense of parishioners. In 1871-1873. a chapel was built in honor of the Nativity of Christ, and in 1890 - in the name of St. Nicholas.
After the coup in 1917, the temple was closed.
In 1992, the temple was transferred to the Kazan diocese. In 1997 it was consecrated in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, since that time services have been performed in it.
Rector - Jer. Vasily Oleinikov.
architectural description.
The building is one-story rectangular in plan. The main facades are framed with discreet classical details. The protruding symmetrical parts of the facades continue with a colonnade located on a protruding plinth with a peculiar entrance. The church is an architectural monument of Russian classicism.

HISTORY OF AKTASH VILLAGE
Village history
The village was founded in the first half of the 18th century. Perhaps, on the site of the former Tatar village Aktash, whose population moved in 1727 (after the adoption of Christianity) to the village of Kaleikino.
In the census book of the Zyurey road of the Kazan district of 1748, the village was first mentioned as "Bogorodskoe Aktash identity". In 1769 N. Rychkov, the head of the expedition of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, passed through the village, about which he writes the following in Dnevnye zapiski: “Having passed these mountains, I first met the village of Aktash, standing on the banks of the Zay. Not far from it, on the other side of the aforementioned river, there is a copper mine belonging to the Sinbir merchant Larionov” (p. 32, 33). A large number of residents (500 people) Aktasha participated in Peasants' War 1773 - 1775 in 1782 459 male souls are counted here (including 43 Russians).

At the end of the 18th century, the village was the largest settlement in the region. The 5th revision (1795) recorded 162 households with 964 inhabitants. The main part of the population was "newly baptized from the Mordovians" (145 households and 886 people), the rest (17 and 78) were Russian peasants "associated with the Izhevsk plant". By 1811 the number of Mordovian men increased to 575 people. Russians (in the source - "liberated yasash peasants assigned to the Izhevsk plant") were still insignificant (55 men).
In 1870, the village of Russian Aktash, located near the Zai River and the Aktashka River, consisted of 403 households and 2828 inhabitants. There was a church here (built in 1830), a volost government, 2 teachers, and they were engaged in chauffeuring.

memory park in the village

In 1876 in the village open men's and women's zemstvo schools. According to information from 1898, A.N. Dudar (since 1876) and V.A. Smirnov (since 1896) taught in the first school, and E.V. Guseva (since 1896) taught in the second. priest F.I. Rodovsky (in the first school, since 1881) and archpriest I.S. Mirolubov (in the second, since 1876) were the teachers of the law. 127 boys and 41 girls were trained.

In the 1880s A feldsher station was opened in the village, which was later transformed into a medical one. At the end of the 19th century, the doctor E.S. Levy was in charge of the Aktashevsky medical center. Aktashevsky medical district included Aktashevskaya, Troitskaya, Novo-Spaskaya and Ersubaykinskaya volosts. It was provided with "all the supplies for receiving outpatients and dispensing medicines to them". Medical assistance to the population of the above-named volosts was also provided by the Kuzaikinsky feldsher station. However, at the beginning of the 20th century medical station was moved to s. Kuzaikino, and only the paramedic was left in Aktash.
By that time, in terms of population, the village occupied the third line (after the city of Menzilinsk and the suburb of Zainsk) in the list settlements Menzelinsky district. In 1897 it had 3350 inhabitants.

opening of a monument in the village

Rivers flow through the shower allotment to the southwest. Big Aktash with a tributary Small Aktash, which flows into the Big Aktash from NW to E and NE put on the river. Zai; r.r.Zay and Big Aktash are suitable for mills and rivers - Big Badger, Sandy Badger, Adnagulka and Mustaika; in addition, there are 5 small lakes and 6 small swamps in the field. There are mills on Bolshoy Aktash, Zaya and Aktash. The allotment was received for 396 revision souls and 31 remaining soldiers, located in one place and approaching the village with one edge. Settlement in the NE region put on.
Land changes since 1872 the following took place: forests cleared and plowed in one place 995 dess.; 121 dec. Currently under a bush, and in another 200 dess. ; 18 dec. Pasture moved under buildings. The form of ownership is communal. The land is divided into 1630 cash souls, the redistribution was in the spring of 1896, and the winter field and hayfield will be divided in the fall (1896). the fields are located on the slope to the Bolshoy Aktash River and to the Zai River, on the east. Their distance from the village reaches 10 ver. The soil is loamy chernozem - 2/3, light loam - 1/3. in the fields of 7 ravines, increasing every year. Their area is up to 28 dess. (since 1872 it has increased by 4 dess.). cropping system - three fields. Pasture is preselny; only calves graze on it; the rest of the cattle are grazing for fallow and stubble; in addition, up to a hundred heads of teenagers are given to the landowner Molostov for grazing, 1p. 20 kop. from the head, the shepherd Molostov. Forest in 6 ver. From the village in three parts, in one area on a hilly area. The bazaar was opened 30 years ago on public land. The fair happens 2 times a year: July 8 and October 22, one day each. AT winter time 2/3 of the population trades in carts; fee with pud - versts approximately 1 kopeck. and less

The growth of the village led to the fact that in with. Aktash in 1908, the third zemstvo school was opened. In 1911 - 1912. there were 26 boys and three girls. The teacher was S.A. Tarutin, the teacher of the law was the local priest I.I.Mirolyubov. still worked male and women's college. In the first there were 143 students, in the second - 80. The teachers were A.N. Dudar, T.D. Brudinskaya, M.A. Tarutina (in the first), E.V. Guseva, T.D. Brudinskaya (in the second) . Priest I.I.Mirolyubov, deacon A.Ya.Miropolsky 9 both in the first) and priest A.P.Yastrebov (in the second) are shown as teachers of the law. All of them are local worshipers.
The Menzelinsky district zemstvo decided to “relocate the Kuzaikinsky medical station from the village. Kuzaikino in the village Russian Aktash, including the Aktashevsky, Troitskaya, and Ersubaykinskaya volosts and, in addition, the villages of Shumysh, Strazhnikovo, Onbiya, and Pustynka of the Zainskaya volost, to the Aktash point; Sofyino and Pasmurovo of the Staro-Kashirovskaya volost and Zaichishma, Utyashkino, Komarovka, Novospassk and Ursaevo of the Novo-Spassky volost. By the same decision, a medical assistant's station was opened in the village. Old Bagryazh of the Ersubaykinskaya volost instead of the existing one in the village. Russian Aktash.

According to the data of 1912 - 1913, 3984 inhabitants lived in 677 households in Russian Aktash, Aktashev volost, Menzelinsky district. rural society had 7687, 10 dec. Allotment land (including arable land - 5920.0, forest - 714, farmstead - 48o, haymaking - 410 dess.). 11 farms were engaged in beekeeping, 280 - crafts.
In 1914 in the village. Russian Aktash, the construction of an outpatient clinic and paramedical apartments was carried out. All stone work was completed in the same year. The Aktashevsky medical district, the outpatient clinic was in charge of the doctor A.N. Chernyshev. V. V. Dyakonova was accepted as a reserve doctor.
During the First World War, 4 water mills were still functioning. According to information for 1916, some farms contained butter churns (Vasily and Timofei Akimov, Alexander Petrovich Leontiev and Ivan Tanechkin for two, Spiridon Romanovich Mosenkov, Isaac Ilyich Tyutyugin, Spiridon Belonogov and Semyon Nikiforovich Lvov for two, Afanasy Afanasyevich Chebotarev and Grigory Davydovich Anisimov for two, Mikhail Chuvashlev, Mikhail Osipovich Samoilov and Andrey Markelovich Sharkaev for two, millet peelings (Fyodor Vasilyevich Rylov, Egor Pavlov and Ivan Belonogov for two), forges (Ivan Alexandrovich Pichugin, Nestor Ivanovich Pichugin, Vasily Timofeevich Maximov, Ilya Semenovich Nagornov) and wool-dresser Zinoviy Antonovich Romanov. The Aktashevskaya trade labor artel opened a buckley-manufactory shop. Numerous barns and warehouses were located here local merchants, as well as the Kamsko-Vyatka trading partnership.
In 1920 in with. Russian Aktash 3711 people lived in 717 houses. During the second census in 1926, villages were recorded on the former territory. Southern Aktash (379 households and 1703 people) and with. Central Aktash (414 and 1609) of the Aktash volost of the Naberezhno-Chelninsky canton.

school in the village

The Soviet period of the village is also rich interesting facts and events, but this topic is a separate consideration.
Administrative center - r.p. Russian Aktash.
Russian Aktash became a working settlement in 1957, and before that it was a village, a volost center. Its name is translated from Tatar language means " White stone"(ak - white, tash - stone), which indicates its abundance in this area. The village was founded in the 18th century, presumably in 1710.
The Russian Aktash village council was formed in 1917, until 1923 it was part of the Aktash volost of the Bugulma district of the Samara province. Then for seven years he belonged to the Naberezhnye-Chelninsky canton.
In 1930, as a result of zoning by the executive committee of the Russian Aktashsky village council, he became the executive committee of the Aktashsky district.
And in 1957, Russian Aktash received the status of a workers' settlement, and when the Aktash region became part of the Almetyevsk region, and this happened in 1959, the local legislature in the Russian Aktash became a village council.
Coordinates: 55°2"34"N 52°7"7"E

Kindergarten

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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO:
Team Nomads
http://russkiyaktash.cerkov.ru
http://raktashalm.ru/istoriya-sela/
http://e-almet.ru
http://www.museum.ru/
http://sobory.ru/article/?object=25857
PHOTO: user Terenty.
http://www.outdoors.ru/foto/album/23313.jpg
http://gazeta.tatneft.ru/news/show/13558

All roads to Gorny Altai go through the city of Biysk, so the description will be from this city. The route looks like this:

The distance from Biysk is approximately 454 km.

GPS coordinates: 50.310079, 87.602707

In Biysk, after the bridge over the Biya, we drive straight ahead without turning anywhere. Behind Biysk will begin historical part Chuysky tract. The road is excellent asphalt, and immediately after Biysk there is a 4-lane road. True, not for long, after 20 km it will become an ordinary two-lane, but still of excellent quality. Approximately 150 km after Biysk, there will be a fork in front of the village of Ust-Sema. We leave along the main right along the M-52 highway to Tashanta. We cross the Katun on a new bridge. We rise to the Seminsky pass. Although this is the highest pass on the Chuisky tract, technically it is not difficult, it can be easily overcome by any car at any time of the year. The cover on the pass, as well as on the entire Chuisky tract, is excellent asphalt. After 80 km there will be another pass, one of the most beautiful and more difficult than Seminsky - the Chike-Taman pass. However, it can be easily overcome by any car at any time of the year. Beyond the village of Kupchegen track goes along the Katun. We pass the village of Inya, behind it is a place

Aktash is a village in the Ulagansky District of the Altai Republic, Russian Federation. Aktash lies on the 788th kilometer of the Chuysky tract in the place where the Ulagansky tract begins, leading to district center and further to the village of Balyktuyul in the east of the region. The Aktash village is located on the southern slope of the Kurai Range at the confluence of the Chibitka and Menka rivers.

How to get to the village

Aktash is located at the crossroads of the Chuysky and Ulagansky tracts. Location on the main highway of the Republic of Altai (Chuysky tract) makes Aktash easily accessible - the entrance here is carried out all year round, the quality of asphalt on the Chuysky tract is last years also no complaints. To get to the village by private car, you need to move along the Chuisky tract from Gorno-Altaisk, without turning onto secondary roads. The village is located 350 km from the capital of the republic - it's about 5 hours drive along the mountain road.

You can get to Aktash and public transport. The village is connected with the capital of the region by a daily bus route Gorno-Altaisk - Aktash, departure at 10:40, arrival in Aktash at 19:06. The return morning bus Aktash - Gorno-Altaisk leaves at 07:30. Also, the bus route Gorno-Altaisk - Ulagan runs through Aktash, departure from the republican capital on even days of the week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays) at 07:15, arrival in Aktash approximately at 16:00. The fare from Gorno-Altaisk to Aktash is about 400 RUR.

Climate and weather in Aktash

Aktash is characterized continental climate: cool summers and rather severe winters with little snow. Due to its location at an altitude of about 1500 m above sea level, the climate of Aktash is more continental and more low temperatures than the climate of Gorno-Altaisk or Chemal. The average annual air temperature in Aktash is in the minus range and is -0.3 °C.

Humidification in Aktash is uneven - most of precipitation falls in summer period during thunderstorms, the smallest amount is in winter, especially in February and March, when their average value is only 7 mm.

January is the coldest month of the year, the average monthly temperature in January here is -17.5 ° C, the climatic spring comes in April, when the thermometer exceeds zero. The warmest month of the year is July with an average temperature of +16 °C.

When is the best time to go

The tourist season in Aktash lasts less than in the low-mountain valleys of Altai. Most tourists come here starting in June, when the weather is relatively warm and comfortable. The season ends in September, when Altai reigns gold autumn. Beginning in October, winter begins in the vicinity of the village, lasting until April.

Village population

The population of Aktash is 2400 people, most of the locals are Russians, there are also local Altaians and Kazakhs. In the past, Aktash had the status of an urban-type settlement and was a center for the extraction of mercury ores - this is one of rare examples industrial settlement in Altai. With the closure of the mine in 1994, the population of Aktash decreased from 3,500 inhabitants to its current level and continues to decline.

Panorama of the Aktash repeater

Where to live

As in other villages of the Altai Republic, places for accommodation in Aktash are represented by two types: recreation centers and mini-hotels, the latter being located in the village itself, and the recreation centers are located at a distance within 10 kilometers from the village center. In total, you can find about a dozen places for accommodation in Aktash:

• hotels "Rasul", "Avalon", "Comfort", "Aktash";
• camp sites "Forest Yard", "Trout", "Chuyskaya Dolina", "Red Fox", "Red Gate", "Green Kolobok", "Myony", "Zlatogorie" and others.

The cost of accommodation in hotels is slightly lower than in tourist bases. A single room in a hotel will cost 600 RUR per day, a double room - from 800 RUR. Camp sites mainly offer houses for 3, 4 and 6 people, renting a 3-bed room will cost from 1800 RUR, a 4-bed room - from 2500 RUR. In general, you need to focus on the amount from 500 RUR to 700 RUR per person per day, regardless of the capacity of the rooms.

Where and what to eat

Since in recent times Aktash is becoming more and more tourist place and because of the location right on the Chuisky tract, the lack of places Catering not seen in the village. Before entering the village on the highway there are cafes "M52" and "Asia MIX", in the village itself there are cafes "Uch-Sumer" and an ordinary canteen. Prices in local cafes are very moderate - on average, lunch will cost about 300 RUR. True, you don’t have to wait for special culinary delights - these are ordinary fast food establishments with dishes of Russian and European cuisine, so you won’t be able to taste local cuisine in Aktash. For more interesting cuisine, it is better to go to the Silver Key cafe, which is located on the Chuisky tract, 6 kilometers from the village.

Transport

There is no internal transport in Aktash, so you have to travel on it either on foot or by private vehicle. If you need to get to the sights located in the vicinity of Aktash, but there is no personal car, then the only way- use the autostop. locals happy to bring voters on the road, especially tourists leaving for the mountains. Most drivers give a ride for free, but you should expect that sometimes you will have to pay extra for the service.

If you wish, you can hire a car with a driver right in the village. The most common car here is the UAZ, best suited for local roads. Hiring a car with a driver will cost from 3000 RUR to 5000 RUR per day.

Sights of the village

The village itself cannot boast of sights. Formed only after the Second World War as a mining village, for its short life it simply did not have time to acquire interesting places. With a stretch, only two can be attributed to such Orthodox church and a mosque built in the 90s. As elsewhere in Altai, interesting places and attractions are associated with the magnificent nature of the Altai Mountains.

The village of Aktash is the border between the developed tourist part of Altai and the highlands, which are rarely visited by tourists. It is from Aktash that it is convenient to start tourist trips to the most reserved parts of Altai: to the Kurai and Chui steppes along the Chuysky tract, to the Katu-Yaryk pass and to the Chulyshman valley along the Ulagansky tract. If desired, from Aktash you can even get to Teletskoye Lake by dirt road laid by a tractor in the late 80s.

Near Aktash there is an abandoned mine, where mercury ore cinnabar was once mined. Now the mine and the nearby mining and processing plant are abandoned, the passage to them is closed and guarded. However, if you wish, you can negotiate with the guards and visit the mine for a small amount. But you need to understand that this area is considered a zone of ecological disaster and may be dangerous for visitors.

For those who hitchhike around Aktash, there is a small life hack. Both local residents and visitors to Altai are much more likely to pick up a person with a tourist backpack on the track than a hitchhiker without luggage. Because of its beauty and mystery, Altai attracts many different people, including those who are commonly called eccentrics. Local residents do not like various Roerichians and other informals, whose main feature is the lack of tourist luggage. Therefore, for the fastest hitchhiking, a classic tourist backpack on your back is best suited.

As elsewhere in Altai, in the vicinity of Aktash, you need to follow basic safety measures: have comfortable shoes for hiking, spare clothes, you should arm yourself with insecticides, avoid hiking in tall grass, etc.

Conclusion

Aktash itself is not the most interesting place, but as a crossroads of two roads, it is an ideal base for the development of the most remote parts of Altai. There are still all the signs of civilization here: hotels, cafes, a post office and a Sberbank branch. In addition, in the vicinity of this village there are many amazing and beautiful natural objects visiting which will leave indelible impressions.