I don’t want to talk in this article about hackneyed and banal things, like descriptions of luxurious natural resources, etc. I would like to stop my gaze on the special colorful atmosphere of this place, saturated with the smells of the sea and the cultural past. Although not so much remains of culture in the generally accepted sense - a couple of dilapidated buildings and a dozen houses where local residents live (once a millionaire fishing state farm functioned on the territory of Maly Utrish), this piece of the puzzle is one of those missing , which makes it possible to draw up a general picture about a certain phantasmagoric, a little with a mockery of civilization, a small village.
A settlement with a handful of local residents, some of whom live in it all year round and provide their food mainly with the maintenance of the yard and backyard economy, and the other part - only in the holiday season, being satisfied with the gifts of summer. However, both of them do not let go of the past life in their souls, a kind of spirit of this place.
Yeah ... For some, it's just a geographic point on a map. And for someone - a whole life ...
Delving deeper into the history of these places, you can see a very bright, extraordinary past of the Utrish coast, shrouded in secrets and immersed in the darkness of the centuries. One has only to go under the shade of stunted and dense forests near the coast, where oaks grow side by side with relict junipers. This is where the spirit of antiquity is truly felt! For the first time, I encountered this sensation completely unexpectedly - I was taken to the apparently ancient stone remains of the walls near the sea coast, which, at least, were due to be about a thousand years old. The skeleton of an ancient settlement - they told me. Truly, to a person who at least sometime felt a rapprochement with the mysteries of nature and time, this will seem an impressive sight! The walls, decorated with bizarre patterns of mosses and lichens, under which, except for "black" diggers and a handful of scientists, no one was looking for artifacts of antiquity. The clearly visible outlines of the towers that once towered over the city. All these are the remains of an ancient medieval settlement founded by the Trebizond Empire, the heiress of Byzantium, who at one time tried to gain a foothold in this region. The fortress did not last long, and for some reason was hastily abandoned. Its excavations were carried out by A.V. Dmitriev in 1984 and the expedition of the Kuban University led by I.I.Marchenko in 1989, but they did not bring the matter to its logical conclusion. Echoes of the past ... Scraps of conversation ...
On the territory of Utrish, there is a burial ground, which is a medieval burial mound of the 13-15th centuries. According to archaeologists, the burial ground belongs to the tribes of the Polovtsy, Circassians, Kabardians, driven out by the Tatar-Mongols from the foothills. The burials have the status of a natural monument of local importance.
Of no less interest for history is the neighboring burial ground of the indigenous population of the Iron Age, whose burials date back to the 7th century BC.
In general, there are many such monuments on the territory of the reserve: these are, in addition to the remains of the fortress, several necropolises of different ethnicity. During excavations at different times, many items of valuable metals were found - sabers, jewelry, household items, and even a bronze bust of the queen of the Bosporan kingdom Dinam.
However, most of the burial mounds were plundered and destroyed, and the museums got only crumbs of true values ​​that stored and, possibly, keep in themselves the lands of the Black Sea coast in the Utrish region.

The Utrish reserve is located on the Black Sea coast, on the Abrau peninsula between the villages of Sukko and Maly Utrish. Bolshoi Utrish is a state landscape-floristic and marine reserve, which is part of the Utrish reserve.

From the north, its territory is closed by the Navagir ridge, which reaches a height of 535 meters.

The Utrish Nature Reserve is an unusually beautiful corner of nature, created as a result of seismic vibrations, as well as thanks to the sun, wind and sea.

Wildlife Sanctuary Bolshoy Utrish - how to get there

• By bus or shuttle
• On a motor ship following from the Anapa Marine Station.

Description

Unlike other protected areas, Bolshoi Utrish includes not only the land area, but also the sea area. So, out of 5112 hectares of the total area, the land area is 2582 hectares, and the sea - 2530 hectares.

On the territory of the village of the same name there is an equipped pebble beach, two kilometers to the south, in the area of ​​the first lagoon, there is a nudist beach, closed by rocks from prying eyes. Nearby is the Pearl waterfall, flowing from a mountain river and having a height of about five meters. The waterfall is small and is full-flowing in early spring.

Aquarium

The aquarium is located on the territory of the dolphinarium, here you can see such fish as sturgeon and mullet, flounder and stellate sturgeon, red mullet and stingray, as well as rapan and oysters, shrimps and mussels. All these exhibits are mined at sea and released at the end of the season.

The aquarium is open daily from May to October from 10-00 to 19-00, a break - from 13-00 to 14-00, day off - Monday, guided tours.

Snake bay

800 meters north of the village is the Snake Bay, on the site of which there used to be a lake called the Snake, since there were many snakes in it. When the narrow isthmus separating the lake from the sea was blown up, a bay was formed.

Juniper forests grow along its banks, the depth of the Serpent Lake reaches eight meters, and the area is 22 hectares.

In the Snake Bay there is a parking for sailing and motor yachts and everyone can rent a boat and go on a trip to the open sea.

Monument-lighthouse

An artificial bridge leads to the lighthouse monument, erected in 1975 in honor of all the sailors who fought on the Black Sea in 1942-1943.

In this place, in March 1942, a military ship named after the hero of the Civil War, Jan Fabricius, was blown up by an underwater mine and was thrown ashore. For three months, the ship's crew remained at a combat post in the half-submerged ship, continuing to fire at the Nazi planes, and only by order of the command did the soldiers join the defenders of Novorossiysk.

The old lighthouse was erected at the end of the 19th century, and at the end of the 1990s, a small chapel was built inside it.

From the history of the reserve

The Bolshoi Utrish Wildlife Refuge was established in 1994 in accordance with the decree of the Head of the Krasnodar Territory Administration on the coastal strip with a length of 12.5 kilometers.

On September 2, 2010, a state nature reserve was formed on its basis, the boundaries of which were determined in 2011. In accordance with the latest edition of the Regulations on the reserve, it turned out to be divided into four parts and the following territories fell out of its composition:

• Unique juniper-pistachio forest in the area of ​​the second and third lagoons
• Several corridors to the coast, including a fire-fighting forestry road to the second lagoon
• Coastal strip east of the village of Maly Utrish.

Currently, the World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace Russia, as well as many other nature conservation organizations, have stood up to protect Utrish, aiming to preserve this unique and only corner of relict Mediterranean forests in Russia.

The Utrish reserve impresses with its beauty - emerald forests and rocky mountains, bends of the coast and endless sea distance.

Maly Utrish is part of the already mentioned State Dendrological Marine. The people still affectionately call him - Utreshonok. More than five kilometers from its big brother. All the same unique nature with relict forests and groves, the famous juniper, whose breath in minutes kills all viruses and microbes in your body and is especially useful for diseases of the bronchi, lungs, asthma. Small from Bolshoy Utrish can be reached on foot by the seashore. There are paths, roads to it and from Novorossiysk and.

But this place is beautiful, although fantastic, it is still deserted and secluded. But so it is good for those who decided to relax away from the noise of the city, to calm their nerves. It is quite possible to settle in tents. There is only one problem - you have to take water and food with you: there are no shops or cafes nearby. Although, two and a half kilometers from Bolshoy Utrish, on the way to its younger brother, the Zhemchuzhny waterfall falls from the rocks - the only source of fresh water in the area.

Maly Utrish has acquired its own cove for a long time. There are several picturesque lagoons in it. The beaches are pebbly and rocky. The water is clean. You can swim in it from May to October. There is a suitable place for those who are used to sunbathing and swimming, in which their mother gave birth. The nudist beach is located in a secluded place, protected by nature itself from prying eyes. No one will drive you out of it, no one will make a comment.

On Maly Utrish, in ancient times, the Trebizond Empire, a splinter of Byzantium, tried to "register". But nothing came of it in view of the stubborn resistance of the local tribes. However, the remains of a medieval settlement, fortresses have survived to this day, there are dolmens and old churchyards. In a word, although there are few sights, they are available and tourists look around them with curiosity when visiting. And evenings on Maly Utrish in general (as well as on Bolshoy Utrish) are romantic! Bright stars overhead, a moonlit path running along the sea, flames here and there of bonfires and soulful songs with a guitar - Vladimir Vysotsky, Yuri Vizbor, Bulat Okudzhava and others loved by young people and especially by the older generation of bards. And early in the morning - again into the waves of the sea, again to the beach under the gentle sun - you won't have time to look back, and the vacation is already coming to an end. But how many pleasant impressions he gave you!

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A legendary place on the Black Sea coast with a beautiful relict juniper forest.

According to ancient Greek myths, it was here that Jason arrived on the ship of the Argonauts for the golden fleece. And Prometheus was chained to one of the local rocks. However, we have already seen and, to which, according to legend, the hero of ancient Greek myths was also chained, who brought fire to people.

Legends about these lands are still being made up. This is due to the beauty of the sea coast with numerous picturesque bays.

In the distance - Utrish spit

View of the beaches of Utrish

The Bolshoi Utrish reserve was created in the mid-90s with the aim of preserving unique relict plants, mountain and sea landscapes. At the end of 2010, part of the reserve became part of the Utrish State Nature Reserve.

Juniper forest of the Utrish reserve

On the territory of the reserve there is the village of Bolshoi Utrish, we will look there later. And now we will take a walk through the delightful relict juniper grove.

Many plants and animals from the Red Book live here. Three types of juniper grow in the protected natural area: tall, reddish and foul-smelling (the latter was so nicknamed because of its pungent smell). Some of them are more than a thousand years old.

The value of this plant is not only in its beauty and antiquity, but also in its medicinal properties. Juniper family members emit volatile substances into the atmosphere that destroy microbes and pathogenic viruses. The air infused with juniper phytoncides and iodine ions evaporating from the sea surface makes a walk through the reserve truly healing.

How cool the trees are!

The juniper forest grows in a limited area, with an area of ​​only tens of kilometers, which raises questions from researchers: why does the forest not spread further? Most likely, the answer is in the most comfortable climate of the area.

Outlandish trunks of old trees

In addition to juniper, Pitsunda pine, boxwood (iron tree), yew, scumpia and even pistachio grow in the reserve. There are also raccoons, squirrels, rare Mediterranean peacock butterflies and others.

The vegetation here is fantastic. With my love for unusual trees, I got great pleasure from contemplating them.

If you have imagination in these trunks, you can see anything

And what stones are there! You can also admire them for a long time. Nature is a great landscape designer.

Our junior on a pebble

The children were delighted with the juniper bushes, hid in them and climbed the trees.

If I were a child, I would also climb ...

After walking along the path, we came to a cliff over the sea.

In the distance - Utrish spit

View of the Utrishonok island

The cliff ... Such a height that it is scary to approach ...

And an extremely picturesque stump

Ships are visible in the distance, it smells very strongly of algae and iodine.

Just a fantastic tree stump, right? With the head of an Indian or a wind god

Overcoming the fear of heights, went to the edge ...

Photographed with a picturesque hemp

And also in this perspective

From here there is a beautiful view of the Bolshoi Utrish peninsula and the Utrishonok island. This text is stolen from the Roads of the World site (site)!

In the distance - the Bolshoi Utrish peninsula and the Utrishonok island

Utrishonok island

And if you look in the opposite direction, you can see Mount Sukko with an inscription.

Mount Sukko covered with geographic inscriptions

Alas, there was not enough time to go there.

Amazing tree - dull-leaved pistachio

We have met boxwood, juniper, Pitsunda pine before on the Black Sea coast. But the pistachio was seen in these parts for the first time.

It is also called the keva tree (“keva” - “resin” in Georgian). Residents of Georgia, cutting the bark of a pistachio tree, collect resin, which they chew to strengthen the gums. However, the famous doctor Avicenna also treated patients with pistachio resin. Even today, it is used in the composition of ointments that heal from scratches, wounds and burns.

Pistachio lives up to a thousand years and more. A living witness of the past centuries.

Amazing tree! Pistachio leaf resembles an ash-leaved one, the aroma is similar to pine, the fruits are like bunches of wild grapes. And instead of a berry inside - a nut. Only there are no such nuts! These are not the pistachios that we eat salted with beer.

These pistachios can only be admired. In addition, this plant is in the Red Book. And on the territory of the reserve it is generally forbidden to collect any parts of the plants.

The most beautifully dull-leaved pistachio looks at the end of summer, when some of the fruits are red, and some are blue. Well, we saw her when some of the fruits had already turned yellow.

How to get to the Utrish reserve. The protected area is located on the Abrau Peninsula, between the villages of Sukko and Maly Utrish. You can come here from Gelendzhik, Novorossiysk or Anapa. It is only 15 kilometers from the latter to Bolshoy Utrish. In summer, regular buses and minibuses run here at short intervals (No. 109, but it is better to check with the locals).

You can come by your own car. Go, there the main road turns left, and go straight to Bolshoi Utrish. But keep in mind: driving around the natural territory of the reserve by car is prohibited.

In summer, you can take a boat ride from the seaport of Anapa.

The area of ​​the natural protected area is more than 5 thousand hectares. We saw only a small part of the Bolshoi Utrish nature reserve, but at such a beautiful time, when greenery is combined with gold and crimson. However, the bizarre trees of the juniper grove at any time of the year will not leave anyone indifferent.

Did you like the natural reserve Utrish?

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