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Territory
Pribaikalskiy
district was founded on the 12th of December, 1940. Its territory is 15472
square km, and the population of it numbers 28,700. The center of the district
is Turuntayevo settlement, situated 57 km far from Ulan-Ude.
The district skirts the eastern
shore of the Baikal for almost 200 km. The main road - Barguzinskiy high road -
from Gremyachinsk up to Maximikha settlement goes along the edge of the Baikal
shore for about 100 km. There are a lot of convenient approaches to the Baikal
and you can find well-appointed parking places there.
In the eastern part of the district
the Ulan-Burgasy mountain ridge is situated. The main rivers of the district are
the Itantsa, which falls into the Selenga, and in the mouth of which there is
Selenginsk fish-farming factory; the Kika, Khaim, Kotochik, Bezymyanka,
Maximikha, and many other shallow rivers flowing into the Baikal. Besides there
are some lakes and thermal mineral springs in the district. We would like to say
some more words about the Khaim. A lot of places in Siberia and Zabaikalie bear
the names of the first settlers. So does the river, on the banks of which in the
18th century Khaim, a Jew, and his family got settled. There you can find clear
water, good fishing, hunting lands and berry-picking places. Fishermen say that
even now grayling, umber and perch are found in the river. Khaim is said to
have lived there for a long time, some generations of the family took their
turns. But then gendarmes dealt cruelly with them, as the young representatives
of the family, who knew all the paths in the forest, showed fugitive convicts
the way to the Baikal and then home. In Buryatia Khaim River is a kind of a film
star. It has been shot in many films, because even in dry summers it is
full-flowing, deep, dark and extremely cold.
The most notable sight of
Pribaikalskiy district is lake Kotokel. It is 16 km lengthwise, 6 km wide and 14
meters deep. There are lots of departmental tourist centers there, in summer a
lot of motor-car tourists come to stay here, and hiking is very popular in the
region. The lake is separated from the Baikal by a wooded spit that is why it is
much warmer there. The water gets warmed thoroughly, and the swimming season
lasts from May up to October. The lake is full of fish; there is perch, pike,
and bream in it. There is an island in the middle of the lake. They call it in
different ways-Green, or Monastic or Cloistral. The matter is the first settlers
of it were the monks of Troitse-Selenginsk Monastery. You can get here by boat.
It's a beautiful place with a forest, motley grass and a lot of flowers in its
southern part.
The western part of the district is
an industrial and cattle-breeding one. It is situated by the Selenga between the
railway stations Tataurovo and Talovka on the Trans-Siberian Railway. In
Tataurovo there is a car-ferry on the Selenga River, during freezing-over it
does not work, so you can get there only via Ulan-Ude or Ulan-Burgasy mountain
ridge. Herein llyinka settlement on the local thermal waters one can find a
health resort for those suffering from nervous system illnesses; a sanatorium
and asummer sanitary camp for children. The spring was discovered by Dr.
Pitatelev at the beginning of the 20th century, that is why it is called
Pitatelev spring.
One more remarkable place of the
district is Tataurovo village. The Troitse-Selenga Monastery (1683) is still
found here. Now the architectural sight is being reconstructed. In 1891
Cesarevitch Nikolai and his suite visited it. A ceremonial church service was
held then. As a keepsake of his staying in the Monastery the heir gave it
silvered and gilt enameled patronal cress and endowed it with 300 roubles.
The next sight is situated by the
Barguzin high road in Baturino settlement. It'a the Sreten church, which was
founded in 1815, and is the main adornment of the settlement nowadays. One can
see the white church from far away, and it looks marvelous standing out against
the green background of the Itantsa River valley. Now it is a nunnery. In 1833
-1836 Decembrist I.F. Shimkovlived in deportation there.
Atthe end of the 18th-beginning of
the 19th centuries Spasskaya Church was built in Turuntayevo settlement. It has
been preserved and now is working. Decembrist E.P. Obolenskiy lived in
deportation there, and brothers Kukhel-bekkers called in on him on their way to
Barguzin and back. Obolenskiy E.P. was in correspondence with all his exile
friends.
Health resort Goryachinsk is widely
known far from Byryatia. There is a legend of how it came into being. Once in
winter an Evenk was hunting in these places. He met a bear-shatun - such a bear
does not lie down for winter period. This "host" was as angry as hell. The
hunter had very good dogs, they barked at the bear, and one of the dogs was very
persistent, the bear got tired of it, and pulled it about. The hunter felt sorry
for his dog. He brought the wounded closer to the dwelling, to the Baikal. On
his way there he got to a small river, which hadn't got frozen in winter. The
hot water of the river was steaming; the trees and bushes nearby were in rime up
to the tops. The hunter put the dog near the water. The dog started gulping the
water. But the hunter couldn't wait long. He had a little rest at the hot water
and with his other dogs left for the taiga again. In a month, coming back from
hunting, he decided to get to the hot river to learn what had happened to the
dog. It met the hunter barking gaily, safe and sound. The water in the river
turned out to be salubrious. In the 18th century it became widely known. In
1751 the health resort was founded there, 52years before the Caucasian Mineral
Waters. In the 19th century the convict built the health resort Goryachinsk. The
Decembrists and their families used to come at these hot Turka waters. It is
known, for instance, that the family of Decembrist S.G. Volkonskiy rather often
underwent a cure there. Now it is a well-known health resort 188 km far from
Ulan-Ude. The temperature of the nitric-siliceous water is more than 54
degrees. It is used for having a bath, medicinal shower, and drinking water
treatment. There is an artificial lake in the center of the resort, the brook
used to be partitioned off by a dam, the flow of water is regulated by a
special device. The water in the lake is also considered to be salubrious.
Mirror carp has been bred. It got acclimatized; holiday-makers feed it and watch
the runs of these merry fish. The climate of the place is milder than in other
places of the region, and the soil is favorable. Here one can see powerful
Siberian pines with splendid dark-green branches of conifer. They are quite
different in the taiga. They yield top-quality cedar nut. A walk around the lake
to the spring is a pleasant procedure for holiday-makers and tourists.
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