Chalk quarries in Mogilev. Krasnoselsky chalk quarries: how to get there, reviews. Cretaceous quarries video from above, filming from a quadcopter
The police will patrol the roads near the chalk quarries in Krasnoselskoye every day. Cars will be towed and tourists will be fined. “These are not the Belarusian Maldives, but dangerous technical quarries,” the rescuers explain.
The chalk quarries near Volkovysk are one of the most popular “wild” attractions in the country, although a few years ago only locals knew about their existence. Experienced tourists found the way and took spectacular photos. And tourists rushed to see the new miracle.
Some people come here to swim, others for a photo shoot, but there are also those who stay for several days with tents on the high banks of the quarries. Children are also taken on picnics.
Tourists are not stopped, but even attracted, by the undeveloped nature of the local beauty. There are no equipped beaches or lifeguards on the shore. The trash that tourists leave behind has already turned some slopes into landfills.
And although a danger warning is posted at the entrance itself, this does not become an obstacle for adventure lovers. “To see such beauty, you can take a risk,” many travelers believe.
Locals never swam in the quarries
The area of the chalk quarries near Volkovysk occupies about 300 football fields. The local enterprise “Krasnoselskstroymaterialy” receives land for use for the development of deposits. Over time, used quarries fill with water. Chalk remains at the bottom, so the water acquires a bright turquoise color, for which this area was nicknamed the Belarusian Maldives.
However, this beauty is deceptive. Firstly, the depth of the quarries reaches 50 meters, the height of the embankment is 40 meters. Bank subsidence is observed here. This is not the best place for swimming. 10 people have already drowned.
Secondly, the water only looks clean. In fact, the amount of E. coli bacteria is 100 times higher than normal. In addition, chalk not only dries out the skin, it settles in the lungs, causing asthma.
Local residents know about the treacherous nature of the local quarries, so they do not bathe in them themselves. But the warning about the danger does not stop visiting tourists.
Tourist cars will be towed
But this year, Krasnoselskstroymaterialy decided to take quarry safety seriously. The start page of the company's website opens with a warning about why you shouldn't go to the quarries.
Deputy General Director Gennady Naydyuk notes that tourists not only put themselves at risk, but also interfere with the work of the enterprise.
“People park their cars along the roads along which our quarry equipment runs. Therefore, last year we purchased a tow truck, and from this year we will actively use it", he said in a commentary for SB. Belarus today".
According to the senior inspector for the protection of public order of the Volkovysk District Department of Internal Affairs Alexandra Samoilo, during the swimming season there will be a daily patrol in the area of the chalk quarries.
“Stopping and parking are prohibited along the route where the quarry runs. This means that we will evacuate all cars.”
Anyone who leaves a car near the quarries will pay a fine for violating traffic rules, towing services and paid parking. Tourists for visiting the quarry also face a fine - from 3 to 10 basic units.
“No one knew about these quarries before. But then articles appeared on the Internet, and tourists flocked- continues Alexander Samoilo. - You need to understand that these are technical quarries where industrial work continues. This is not a place for entertainment. Last year two people drowned.”
Could the quarries near Volkovysk become an improved place for tourists?
In order for tourists to be able to legally come to the chalk quarries in Krasnoselsky, security issues need to be resolved.
First, the water must be safe for swimming. On the eve of each swimming season, sanitary services inspect water bodies.
Secondly, you need to lay down the banks. This work is underway. In quarries that Krasnoselskstroymaterialy no longer uses, the banks are gradually being lowered.
But whether a new resort will arise in their place depends on the local authorities. After all, it is necessary to equip beaches, make parking for cars, organize the work of lifeguards, garbage removal, and outbound trade.
“There are only a few such facilities in Belarus. There are lime quarries near Soligorsk, for example,- says the chairman of the association of tour guides and guide-translators Nikolay Chirsky. -One can understand the management of the enterprise and local authorities who prohibit swimming there - after all, this is a safety issue. But it would be interesting to organize excursions there.”
At the end of August, a group of Belarusian guides is going to visit Krasnoselsk, including the chalk quarries.
“We’re making an agreement with the local museum, so I hope there won’t be any obstacles.”, - said Chirsky.
Two years ago, specialists from the Volkovysk Regional Center for Tourism and Local History of Children and Youth developed a plan that also affected blue quarries in Krasnoselsk. According to the director of the center Inna Kulak In the summer, excursions were in great demand among schoolchildren.
“Now we have excluded blue quarries from the route because people are not allowed there,- says the specialist. - But near the quarry mines, we show tourists the old quarries, “Green Lenses,” where the shores are safer.”
At the same time, excursion participants are strictly prohibited from going down to the water. “The shore walls are not reinforced, collapses are possible, so we do not allow swimming”, - explained the director of the center.
What should be your first impression when they say to you: “Have you heard about the Belarusian Maldives?” Naturally the answer is: “Ha! What nonsense?” Then you look at pictures on the Internet: “It can’t be, it’s Photoshop!”
And like a true realist with the feelings of a dreamer... You go to see this miracle with your own eyes.
We were driving from , we just picked up a friend along the way. She promised to become a free guide and show the Maldives. We are moving to the Volkovysk region.
There you are! Not autumn depression!
Chalk was once mined here. It is still mined in this area. Only, some quarries were flooded, it happens. The bucket catches the groundwater, and it starts to gurgle! They say that in one of the quarries there was so much gurgling that the driver of the excavator, when he ran away (and then swam away), did not have time to take it with him, and left it... At the bottom... 
Local residents call these quarries, and there seem to be 6 of them, “Green Lenses,” and each lens has a serial number. Which ones we were on - no idea. 
The Belazians are constantly driving back and forth. Their size makes it intimidating to leave the car at the edge of the roadside, because the feeling that it simply won’t be noticed is fully present. Plus, the dust is terrible! 
From green water we came to turquoise water. Only, in fact, it’s the other way around: at first the water in the quarry is turquoise, and then it turns green. Let the chemists explain what this is connected with. 
Authorities and authorities prohibit people from coming here. They say that it is dangerous here: people sniff chalk and drown, there is nowhere to park, bulldozers are left without tracks... But fines are not a hindrance for a real tourist: in the middle of summer there are cities of tents and a bunch of residents with guitars and badminton. 
The water is beautiful and clear. The main thing is not to splash the water with your feet! 
And the truth is lenses. 
On the far shore, a man catches his dinner, and frogs grow in the “paddling pools.” A lot of them. So many! 
The 3rd lens in a row and the last one for us. In our opinion the most beautiful. 
I want to speed up and...
But let's be realistic: the banks are steep, but not steep enough. We haven't smelled chalk yet. 
The height is decent. We didn't go down. We can see perfectly from above! 
The surface of Mars really resembles this shore! - that’s what we said in turn. 
I imagined myself to be an eagle, although the photo turned out to be a seagull.
Green vegetation is slowly taking over the steep banks. So, after a couple of decades there will be an ordinary swamp here. 
And they came across signs to great effect! And in the summer, traffic police also come here. And then they blow a whistle if someone violates traffic rules. Only I can't understand. A bunch of onlookers are rushing to look at the man-made beauty. And ours, instead of helping tourism, are ruining it with bans. Ugh, comrades.
Travelers, lovers of wild nature and thrills do not ignore the chalk quarries near the Belarusian city of Volkovysk. Why are the latter so attractive, why are they called the “Belarusian Maldives”, is it worth planning a vacation in this place?
Why Volkovysk quarries are attractive
The chalk quarries of Volkovysk have been nicknamed both a paradise for photographers and a Belarusian tourist Mecca. In addition to everything, this attraction is “wild”, since recreation here is not only not provided, but even prohibited. But this place continues to attract thousands of camping fans every year.
The reason for this is the unusual and even fantastic panorama for the Central European area: azure, even bright emerald, deep turquoise water filling the quarries (thanks to the chalk remaining at their bottom), high snow-white banks-cliffs covered with young trees, huge boulders seemingly of alien origin . It is enough to look at the chalk quarries of Volkovysk in the photo to make you want to see these places in person.
The quarries, spread over an area approximately equal to three hundred football fields, are truly a paradise for “savages.” Travelers admire the surrounding surreal nature, barbecue, sing songs around the fire, sunbathe, swim in turquoise waters, take mesmerizing photographs (some Belarusian musical performers have chosen these places to shoot their videos).
In addition, the Volkovysk chalk quarries are interesting:
- for divers - local waters are not inferior to those of the Red Sea or Maldives;
- for extreme sports enthusiasts - steep boulders, cliffs, considerable length (1-4 km) and depth of the quarries (15-40 m - water depth, 40 m - embankment height) attract lovers of bungee jumping and without it;
- fishermen - a number of quarries are filled with fish.
Over the course of several years, the quarry was visited by about hundreds of thousands of tourists.
Volkovysk chalk quarries: how to get there
How to get there with your own vehicle? You should follow the P44 highway to the town of Volkovysk, then follow the signs to the village of Krasnoselsky - the quarries are located directly next to it.
For those traveling without a car, the following diagram will be useful:
- Train or electric train traveling in the direction "Minsk-Baranovichi".
- Train to Volkovysk.
- In Volkovysk, change to a commuter bus to the village. Krasnoselsky (ask to stop in front of the village of Novoselki).
- Then follow the navigator on foot to the destination.
Coordinates of chalk quarries (Volkovysk) on the map: 53.283386, 24.488854.
History of an amazing area
The quarries so beloved by many are artificially created reservoirs formed as a result of the extraction of minerals - chalk. It has been going on for more than a hundred years - since 1914. The richness of the lands of Belarus in chalk deposits is a consequence of the fact that its territory was once the bottom of the giant World Ocean.
Another attraction of the village of Krasnoselsky are the amazing flint mines that our ancestors cut down about 5 thousand years ago to extract rock that was widely used in the production of tools. However, today they are preserved, and the plan for a museum dedicated to them remains just a draft on paper.
Volkovysk quarries: terribly beautiful
Since tourist recreation near the Volkovysk quarries is unorganized, there are no equipped picnic areas, as well as dry closets, a source of drinking water, or lifeguards on the shore. And the rubbish left by some tourists turned some beautiful slopes into a natural dump.
When approaching the quarries, travelers try to stop the "Danger Zone" sign, which they happily ignore. But in vain. According to rescuers, people drown here every year. There is also the possibility of collapses, because the “walls” of the quarries are not reinforced in any way. The tender emerald waters, so attractive in appearance, are horrified by the test results - they contain a volume of E. coli strains that is a hundred times greater than the permissible limit! And chalk, which is dissolved in the quarry waters, not only dries the skin, but when it gets into the lungs, it settles in them, which can easily provoke asthma.
The chalk quarries of Volkovysk are also a technical zone. Tourist cars interfere with the passage of official vehicles of the Krasnoselskstroymaterialy enterprise, which is the owner of these lands. The company's management is determined to make this area closed to travelers.
Volokovysk quarries today
Although there were discussions about redeveloping the quarry territory into a full-fledged recreation area, “improving” the waters, and smoothing the banks, the projects remained just projects. In 2015, the reclamation of the quarries was planned, which was designed to ruin their beautiful appearance: it was decided to smooth out some lenses, and dig up some. The main tourist road was dug up with impassable ditches. The purpose of this, according to authorities, is to prevent accidents.
As an alternative, there were quarries near Bereza, Lyuban, Slutsk and Soligorsk.
Thus, today you can admire only the remnants of the beauty for which the Volkovysk chalk quarries were recently famous. Instead of costly improvement of this extraordinary area for tourists, the local authorities chose the course of its destruction in the name of the safety of “wild” vacationers.
Fascinating. Mountains of garbage are repulsive. Should I go or not? the site went on an expedition to the Volkovysk region and found out why swimming in the quarries is prohibited, but this does not stop anyone. If you have already arrived, natural questions arise: where to spend the night? Where to relax and have lunch? What attractions are there in the surrounding area? In the new project “Right off the bat” we will answer these questions.
Careers “legal” and “illegal”
“Grand Canyon”, “Pillars”, “Blue” - you can’t swim. “Blue” and “Mars” are possible. There are dozens of quarries scattered near the urban village of Krasnoselsky, but prohibition signs are installed along some of them, and no one will say a word to you for swimming in others.
It's not the blueness of the water or even the steepness of the banks. Conventionally, quarries near Vaukavysk can be divided into old and new.
Age old "blue lenses" about half a century. They are transferred to the ownership of the state. They are located next to the car depot, and any local resident will show you the way. Here you are unlikely to find signs prohibiting swimming. As a rule, locals and those who do not like to break the law swim in the Maldives.
New careers belong to the Krasnoselskstroymaterialy enterprise. These are industrial facilities, for which outsiders face a fine of 3 to 10 basic units.
It will be possible to walk around these quarries legally in 7 years. Then the plant will write them off the “balance sheet”. Only those quarries whose banks do not exceed an angle of 35 degrees will become state property. After this, they will be accessible, and the prohibitory signs will disappear.
They are located right behind the cement plant along an industrial road, which is impossible not to notice. Every few minutes BelAZ and MAZ trucks pass there, showering the road, trees and people with chalk. It is to the new quarries that crowds of vacationers go. They are not aware of the existence of other "blue lenses" that are allowed to visit.
Prohibition signs have been installed along the technical road, and all approaches to the quarries are blocked with concrete blocks or dug up. But this does not stop tourists.
Improvised parking lots appeared next to the road. Desperate people abandon their cars right on the side of the road, without fear of heavy vehicles that rush past at serious speed.
Swimming is prohibited
As we said above, the Krasnoselskstroymaterialy plant is responsible for the new quarries. The management of the enterprise “pays” for all accidents. Therefore, tourists are undesirable guests for them.
Since these are industrial facilities, there is no infrastructure here. No trash cans, no gentle slopes into the water, no places to rest, no parking for cars...
When you visit the plant’s website, the first thing you will see is a warning: “The water in the quarries does not meet the requirements of sanitary rules and regulations" But locals and tourists are skeptical about this message. " This is my third time coming here. The first time was in 2010. Did something happen to me?“- Minsk resident Evgeniy turned to me.
The bottom and banks of the quarries are strewn with silicon, from which our ancestors made axes and spears. The chance of cutting yourself is very high. Inexperienced swimmers should not take risks either: the depth in some places reaches 15 meters. Add to this the risk of bank collapse .
...but that doesn’t stop tourists
The mass pilgrimage here begins on Friday evening and reaches its peak at noon on Saturday. The license plates of the cars are mostly from Minsk, but there are also cars from Russia. Tourists arrive with tents, mattresses, boats and even supermarket carts filled with food. They also bring their pets with them.
I was assured that the water was safe, because it “rises from the depths of the earth, undergoes several degrees of natural purification, making its way through layers of sand and gravel.” The color of the water depends on the chemical processes with chalk that take place at the bottom. If you don't take care of the quarries, then in fifty years the water will turn dark when the bottom becomes overgrown with silt.
What is it like to stay in the “Belarusian Maldives”?
For a cement plant, tourists in new quarries are troublemakers. The company is trying its best to take measures against those who invade the industrial zone, but this, apparently, is not enough.
Verbal warning. A raid group arrives at the quarries twice a day. Two representatives of the plant in yellow vests politely explain that it is unsafe to be in the quarries and ask them to leave.
However, after a short briefing for the site, the law enforcement officers headed to the car with the words: “ We are leaving. That's it, you can swim" Whether we came across a good-natured patrol, or this method of persuasion is ineffective, remains a mystery.
Fine from 450 thousand. There are several billboards installed next to each quarry, threatening fines from 3 to 10 basic units for staying at the production site. However, no one remembers cases when people were actually fined.
Car evacuation. The most dire consequences await motorists who leave their cars on the side of the road. The traffic police are called by the plant employees. So, on Friday 20 cars were evacuated. Five of them turned out to be the cars of the company’s employees, who parked their “iron horses” at the entrance to the plant, but the traffic police did not investigate.
Infrastructure
« All the infrastructure is in our trunk» , - said a visitor from Minsk cheerfully.
The nearest settlement (urban settlement Krasnoselsky) is located several kilometers from the quarries. Therefore, it is better to stock up on food and drink in advance.
At the nearest gas station at noon on Saturday you can no longer buy firewood and coal. The beer is also selling out quickly. In a store near a gas station, saleswomen were displaying a new batch of two-liter bottles of an intoxicating drink. According to them, five-liter bottles of water and beer snacks go away just as quickly.
Visitors spend the night in tents or cars. Although you can stay in the urban village of Krasnoselsky: rent an apartment or buy a bed in a hotel with the original name “Hotel”.
Should I go or not?
A survey of vacationers showed that for some, a trip to the quarries became the most memorable event of the summer. Others argued that they would never return here again. Should I go or not? The choice is always yours.
Interview with a representative of the Krasnoselskstroymaterialy plant.
Infrastructure of the “Belarusian Maldives”: where to eat, spend the night and refuel.
We thank FelOkt-Service LLC, the official dealer of the Skoda automobile brand in Belarus, for providing the Škoda Yeti car for the trip.
Is it necessary to spend half of your annual income and fly by plane to the wonderful paradise islands when there are such amazing places in the Republic of Belarus? Truly fabulous landscapes, looking at which you understand that all the colorful pictures from the Internet simply fade, and all this is the creation of human hands. Yes, that’s right, the chalk quarries, now abandoned, have become a popular resort for a huge number of tourists. Many local residents are sure that you can have a good rest in Belarus. No, many people know that there are many beautiful rivers and lakes here, but places like this, as if from a Bounty advertisement, are definitely impossible. No, perhaps this is exactly how chalk quarries appear to admiring eyes today.
Location
Just recently, almost no one had heard about holidays in these places. Then inquisitive travelers on foot stumbled upon stunning blue lakes surrounded by snow-white shores, overgrown with fluffy fir trees. This is how chalk quarries began to gain popularity. It grows every year, now only the lazy have never heard of the quarries near Volkovysk, it’s too beautiful here, a real paradise. We will try to tell you in detail where they are located so that the journey is easy and pleasant.
Probably, we need to start with the fact that the Krasnoselsky chalk quarries are a huge territory. That is, these are not one or two lakes, but a huge number of them. There are hundreds of them here, but only those that were dug quite recently are of particular interest to tourists. Their main charm is the stunning azure color of the water. This phenomenon occurs if the quarry has only recently been filled with clean water. Literally next season she will become completely ordinary, so you need to seize the moment.
Impression
It is strongest for those who see chalk quarries for the first time. Everyone wants to take a photo here, and people try to find the moment for the sun’s rays to fall on the surface of the water, this is the best way to capture the stunning blue color against the backdrop of the white shores. Reviews usually agree with each other, people see photographs posted by other tourists, but do not believe that this could happen very close, in Belarus. When tourists come here for the first time, they understand that this is paradise on earth, and it does not exist on exotic islands; moreover, it was created by man.
How to get there
Let's talk a little more about where the chalk quarries are. First of all, you need to find Volkovysk on the map and move in its direction. The very first quarry is located just along the way, before reaching the building materials plant. However, don't be discouraged if you don't have a personal car. You can embark on an exciting adventure. Gather a friendly company and hit the road. Chalk quarries await you. We will now look at how to get there by public transport. You can get from Minsk to Baranovichi by train or train. Then you need to travel on a diesel engine to Volkovysk. Finally, take a ticket for a commuter bus to the village of Krasnoselsky. Before reaching it, you will need to get out in front of the village of Novoselki. A charming journey on foot awaits you.
History of these places
We have already said that this miracle appeared thanks to the efforts of man. It is here that there are large deposits of chalk, the extraction of which is carried out by the industrial giant OJSC Krasnoselskstroymaterialy. It produces various building mixtures, so the extraction of chalk continues to this day, thanks to which new quarries appear regularly. In general, it is very difficult to get lost here; the gigantic production facility is visible from afar; the entire road to Krasnovelsk follows this landmark. And further, right up to the quarries, you will see huge trucks that take out chalk, and the entire road, signs and trees around are covered with chalk dust.
Danger
When tourists visit the chalk quarries, taking a photo as a keepsake becomes an obsession. Everyone tries to capture not only fantastic nature, but also themselves against its background, and therefore put themselves at risk. Several people die here every year, which worries the authorities. The apparent mountain landscapes are nothing more than sands that can easily collapse and bury you. The steep banks sometimes reach 40 meters, and this entire wall can collapse overnight. And the depth here is up to 50 meters. In addition, the water warms up no more than 2 meters, so when diving, you can experience the consequences of a sharp temperature change. A large number of bacteria in water also poses a certain danger to humans. So don't forget why the chalk quarries were dug. The area of tourism and the area of industrial chalk mining are very different from each other, and engineers hardly thought about the safety of swimmers.
Pros and cons of local holidays
The nature here is very interesting and unusual. Stunning azure water surface, snow-white shores - all this creates an interesting landscape. However, tourism is not provided here, so vacationers are forced to sunbathe wherever they can, on steep banks covered with moss and mixed forest. You will need to go down to the water along a steep slope without steps. No beach infrastructure, lifeguards or doctors. At the height of the season, a lot of tourists relax here, and this means a pleasant company, as well as occupied places on convenient sections of the shore, a lot of abandoned garbage, muddy water, since a large number of swimmers pick up chalk impurities from the bottom.
