recently on Russian television aired a TV series "Ashes", starring famous actors Mironov and Vladimir Mashkov.The action of one of the series takes place under Sortavala, where the object of looting became gold mines in Karelia.This turn of events was a complete surprise for the audience, and even ridiculed, especially for local residents.But it is far from the truth creators?
A brief history of gold mining in Russia
As is known, in Kiev and Moscow Russia of its gold reserves were not available, and the map of the gold mines had a solid white spot.All jewelry is made then of gold and precious stones, imported into the country mainly from Byzantium.And because the main currency of that time were mostly sable skins.And yet, the then ruler of everything possible was done to find their own precious metal deposits.Russian Tsar Ivan III were specifically written out of the Italian experts in the field of mining, while his grandson Ivan the Terrible was conquered Siberia, including to find gold there.Although extract it began much later - at Peter I. For this was a specially created Ministry of Mining, consisting mainly of German specialists, who developed the gold mines of Russia.Map gold areas has been continuously replenished with new objects.
Although it is assumed that gold production on an industrial scale began in the Urals in the middle of the XVIII century, still in Karelia gold began to produce a little bit earlier.
Karelian Gold
in this beautiful but harsh edge situated very picturesque Vygozero in which more than twenty rivers flow, and follows only one - Nizhniy Vig.On this creek, which flows into the White Sea, there are many rapids and waterfalls, the most famous of which - Voitsky Padun.It got its name because the water that falls on three sleeves with four-meter height, a loud roar and a howl.
upstream (or, as they say, over the waterfall) in the XVI century, there appeared a small village Nadvoicy, whose population in 1647, there were only 26 yards (100-150).Solovetsky monastery belonging to the village.Since agriculture in those regions to feed themselves has been very problematic, local farmers were engaged in that digging copper ore and handed over to the monastery from which the cast small icons and crosses.
In 1737 a local resident Taras Antonov was found copper conductor, which allows to start development on an industrial scale.From the local ore in Petrozavodsk smelted copper ingots, which are then sent to St. Petersburg for the production of copper coins.
attention of one of the mining engineers hired by Peter I, attracted brilliant yellow grains in the ore coming from Nadvoicy.From this point begin their story gold mines in Karelia.
For half a century of work in the mines Nadvoitsky was produced 74 kg of gold and over 100 tons of copper.Subsequently, the mine was closed due to his exhaustion.Although there are rumors that the local people still make their living prey of golden sand.
gold mine in Karelia today
Repeated attempts to find gold in these parts were made later.Development took place in several places, and in Pryazha region and the border areas of Kondopoga and Medvezhiegorsk even found gold mines with reserves, according to geologists, do not allow to start production on a commercial scale.To gold mines in Karelia have earned again, it is necessary to contain deposits of at least five tons of the precious metal.
