Lake Chokrak (healing mud). Lake Chokrak (Crimea) and its therapeutic mud

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Lake Chokrak (Crimea) and its healing mud

A sea of ​​​​pleasures and interesting things has prepared for the tourist a wonderful peninsula of Crimea. Lake Chokrak, its therapeutic mud attracts thousands of tourists every year. Here, the most unpleasant ailments have been successfully cured for more than one hundred years.

Lake Chokrak in Crimea: geographical characteristics

Kerch Peninsula, perhaps, is the most mysterious, mysterious and unexpectedly interesting area in the Crimea. Nevertheless, most tourists bypass it, preferring the more popular resorts of the South Coast.

Lake Chokrak is often called the generous gift of the planet Earth. All thanks to its unique healing factors, which include the most valuable mud and mineral springs.

The total area of ​​Lake Chokrak is almost 9 square kilometers. However, the most great depth it does not exceed 1.5 meters. The shores of the lake are rocky, deserted and very picturesque. The local landscapes would have become a wonderful backdrop for some kind of dystopian, surrealistic film.

The shores of Chokrak are covered exclusively with herbaceous vegetation. Oregano, thyme, wormwood, willow-herb and other herbs grow here. Lake Chokrak is located in close proximity to Sea of ​​Azov, it is separated from its water area by a narrow sand barrier.

How to get to the lake?

The property is located in the eastern part Crimean peninsula. The city of Kerch is located 18 kilometers away. Lake Chokrak is located near the village with the corresponding name - Kurortnoye (Leninsky district).

You can get here both by public transport (buses depart from the Kerch bus station every 30-40 minutes), and by your own car. However, it is worth warning: the road to Kurortny is far from the most best quality. After the village of Voikovo, the hard surface disappears altogether, so you have to drive through dust and pits with minimum speed. As a result, a distance of 20 kilometers is overcome in an hour!

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Chokrak - a world-class resort

Lake Chokrak in Crimea is a famous balneological resort. Local mud began to be used by the ancient Greeks in the first century BC. They actively exported this healing resource to Europe. The very same word "chokrak" can be translated as "spring". Sources mineral water, saturated with hydrogen sulfide, is also enough here: they come out both along the shores of the lake and on its bottom.

The main wealth of Chokrak is its therapeutic mud. They successfully treat arthritis, radiculitis, as well as various gynecological diseases. And after taking mud baths, you can soak up the neighboring sandy beaches and swim in the warm Sea of ​​Azov. Fishing enthusiasts will also find joy in Chokrak: goby and other fish are perfectly caught here.

Professor S. Albov devoted a lot of time and effort to studying the resort. According to him, Lake Chokrak is much more than Matsesta and Saki put together. The main thing healing factor resort we will talk Further.

Therapeutic mud of Lake Chokrak

Lake Chokrak is rightly considered one of the most valuable deposits of therapeutic mud on the planet. In addition, local mud is characterized by great environmental cleanliness. Its composition contains silt, brine and various trace elements that fall into it from numerous mineral springs. Chokrak mud is also distinguished by a rather high content of colloids (3.6%).

On the basis of the mud deposits of Lake Chokrak, several medical institutions operate today. Among them, the largest is the Feodosia sanatorium "Voskhod".

Chokraka mud, unique in composition and properties, is successfully used to treat diseases (including various inflammatory processes in the genital organs), spinal diseases, digestive system ailments, disorders of the peripheral nervous system, and so on. However, in some cases, mud therapy is strictly contraindicated. These include pregnancy, angina pectoris, arrhythmia, asthma, active tuberculosis, diabetes mellitus, cirrhosis of the liver and some other diseases. Before going to Chokrak, it is necessary to consult a doctor.

Doctors recommend taking a full course of mud therapy, which consists of 10-12 procedures. Each of them should not last longer than 15 minutes. After the procedure, all dirt should be washed off the body. It is worth noting that in the first days, patients on Chokrak often experience side effects of treatment: fever, slight numbness of the fingers, as well as general weakness and fatigue. However, after a few days, all unpleasant symptoms usually disappear.

Mud from the Chokrak deposit can also be used for cosmetic purposes. Experienced recreants are also advised to collect local mineral salt on Chokrak. Gargling with its solution helps well with sore throat.

Surroundings of Chokrak Lake

Rest on Lake Chokrak is not limited to balneological procedures. In between sessions of mud therapy, you can visit many interesting objects located in the vicinity of Chokrak.

First of all, this is Cape Zyuk in the village of Kurortnoye, which is famous for its long line of beautiful beaches and cozy coves. south of the lake, in the Kerch steppes, is the famous Valley of Mud Volcanoes. These are small (up to 1.5 meters in height) mounds, periodically spewing mud to the surface. see these natural phenomena very interesting with my own eyes!

At 10 kilometers from Chokrak, Mount Ararat rises above the spacious steppe. It is low (175 meters above sea level), but very picturesque. The mountain is pronounced in relief and has a beautiful rocky peak. The slopes of the Crimean Ararat are covered with shrubs and fragrant herbs.

Conclusion

Lake Chokrak is a truly amazing place Crimean nature and an invaluable recreational facility. The resort is located on the Kerch Peninsula, twenty kilometers from Kerch. The main wealth of Chokrak is the local therapeutic mud, which is effectively used to treat many diseases.

It is located next to the Chokraksky mineral springs, which were studied back in the 19th century, as mentioned in the works of Bertenson "Mineral Waters and Muds" (1884). The therapeutic mud of Chokrak is one of the best on the territory of the former Soviet Union and, according to a number of prominent experts, in its properties it significantly surpasses the mud of the Moinak and Saki lakes.

Even before the revolution, there were salt mines on Chokrak and they belonged to Ginzbur. Salt was also mined here in the 1920s. The lake is located so close to the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov that it was fed by its waters and formed salt reserves.
The medical part of the lake was separated from its industrial part by a dam. The mud bath, founded by the Association of Doctors, was located on the eastern shore of the lake.

People from all over Russia came here for treatment. Despite the remoteness from the city, the hospital was well supplied with food by the inhabitants of the surrounding villages. Chokrak is valuable for both mud and mineral waters, brine. Mud therapy restores mobility in the joints, resolves inflammatory infiltrates, heals wounds faster and restores mobile nerve trunks: bones grow together faster in case of fractures.

The Chokrak mineral springs are of great therapeutic value, which, in their composition, are the same as the Matsesta springs. belong to the group of mixed sulphurous waters, that is, to hydrosulfide-salt waters. They are subject to diseases of the cardiovascular system, organs of movement, nervous system, skin diseases ...

The first official birth of the mud bath is considered to be 1859. But these muds, as medicinal, were known back in ancient times and the lake was considered sacred. The mud of Chokrak was treated by the Bosporus king and the great conqueror Alexander the Great, the Pechenegs, and the Cossacks.

And in the late 20s - early 30s of the last century, the development of mud therapy at Chokrak received a scientific basis. Highly qualified specialists worked here, supported by big staff served personnel.

Many decades have passed since then, and already at the beginning of this century, perhaps, the last witness of those events, Valentina Zinovievna Karmasheva, recalled: “My father, Zinovy ​​Dmitrievich Karmashev, was the last director of the Chokrakskaya mud bath. In support of this, I provide you with a photograph of the staff of the sanatorium, on which I ended up, when I was still a 12-year-old girl, for publication. I am sitting at the feet of my father in a light scarf - in the first row, third from the right.
I found this photo card while sorting through my archive, then I was still a child and therefore I don’t remember who’s name. But I can still remember something. In the top row, second and third from the left are the Glavatsky spouses (they are without bathrobes), who lived on the territory of the sanatorium. He studied the sulfur springs of Chokrak mud, brine... By profession, it seems, he was a hydrologist. My father is sitting surrounded by doctors (the second to the left of him is the head physician). There are two nurses next to me on the right. The top row is the employees of the sanatorium, mainly from the attendants.

I am born in 1922. And this is what I remember from my distant childhood. I also remember that one poet or writer from Yalta was at our house, talked with his parents, and then published a number of articles in the Kerch Worker ...

Lake Chokrak is one of the the best places that is on earth. It is characterized in different ways, for example: "Chokrak lake - unique corner nature", " mud lake Chokrak - General's beaches", "Lake Chokrak. Generous gift from the earth!

The famous Lake Chokrak, unique for its healing mud, is located near the village of Kurortnoye (the old name is Mama Russkaya), 17 km. from the city of Kerch in the Leninsky district near the sandy beaches of the Sea of ​​Azov. The area of ​​Lake Chokrak is 8.7 square km, the depth is up to 1.3 meters. near the surface east coast and at the bottom of the lake there is a group of hydrogen sulfide springs. It is separated from the sea by a sand-shell embankment. In the eastern part of the lake there is a well with pure spring water.

Hills and ridges are separated by beams. At the mouth of the Kazanskaya beam, on the shore and on the bottom of the lake, mineral hydrogen sulfide waters pour out. As well as Chokrak mud, they have unique healing properties, which have been known since ancient times. The first documentary mention of them dates back to the 1st century BC. At least since that time, the mud was not only used, but also successfully sold in Greece and in the countries of Asia Minor.

Chokrak could serve as an excellent station for chest patients and, in general, weak, nervous and anemic people and best time autumn would serve for this, which is really good here. Children recover especially quickly here and get healthy beyond recognition within 2-3 weeks, "the researcher writes in 1901. Results modern researchers confirm the highest healing properties of the Chokrak mud, its ecological cleanliness and the excellent sanitary and epidemiological state of the lake. According to the last two parameters, Lake Chokrak can be safely attributed to one of the most prosperous mud deposits in the world. In modern medicine, the use of Chokrak mud is considered very effective for the treatment of the musculoskeletal system (arthritis, polyarthritis, arthrosis, rheumatism, etc.), skin diseases, gynecological diseases, as well as for cleansing and rejuvenating the skin in cosmetology. Based on the mud of Lake Chokrak, big variety medical and cosmetic products, which are in demand both in Ukraine and abroad.

The composition of the Chokrak mud is a saturated saline solution - brine, silt mud, organic substances, hydrogen sulfide, trace elements. main feature deposits in the fact that in the process of formation of mud, along with brine and salt, are actively involved mud volcanoes located at the bottom and along the shores of the lake, as well as mineral springs.

The Odessa Institute of Balneology believes that the Chokrak area is "more than Saki plus Matsesta taken together." Experts recommend the use of Chokrak mud in the treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system; peripheral nervous system; central nervous system; skin; digestive organs; gynecological diseases; urological diseases in men; diseases of peripheral vessels; diseases of the ear, throat, nose.

Currently, mud therapy with the help of Chokrak healing mud is carried out by several sanatoriums of the Crimea. The leaders in this branch of medicine are the Feodosia sanatorium "Voskhod", the Feodosia central military clinical sanatorium of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, a branch of the military medical center of the air force of Ukraine (Sudak). In these medical and sanatorium institutions, Chokrak healing mud serves as one of the main therapeutic agents in the treatment of several dozens of various diseases, mainly occurring in a chronic form. Patients come here who have long, but unsuccessfully, treated their diseases with the help of pharmacological agents of modern medicine. And only with the help of Chokrak healing mud, most of them were able to overcome their diseases. According to the available official statistics in the above mud treatment centers with the help of Chokrak healing mud, positive results in the treatment of patients with diseases of the musculoskeletal system - in ninety-two cases out of a hundred, with various chronic skin diseases - in eighty cases out of a hundred, in the treatment of chronic urological diseases successful cure is achieved in 90% of patients. In the Feodosiya military sanatorium, such a serious disease as angiopathy of diabetes mellitus (92.3%) is treated with great success with the help of Chokrak healing mud.

According to the balneological conclusion about the Chokrak healing mud issued by the Ukrainian Research Institute of Medical Rehabilitation and Balneology of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the successful use of the Chokrak silt-sulfide highly mineralized mud showed about nine dozen different diseases in the treatment.

What is this truly unique, silt-sulfide highly mineralized healing mud of the Crimean salt lake Chokrak?

Its uniqueness begins with its very formation. Typically, deposits of such mud have one, maximum two natural factors that are the root cause of the formation of healing mud. Such factors are the seas themselves, sea estuaries or salt lakes, springs and sources of highly mineralized waters, as well as mud volcanoes. For example, the first type includes widely advertised dirt Dead Sea, mud of the estuary type includes bottom sediments of the Kuyalnitsky estuary (Odessa), mud deposits formed as a result of the activity of mud volcanoes are found in Azerbaijan and Kamchatka. Healing mud of Lake Saki is primarily due to a wide range of minerals contained in the water of its springs and springs. The uniqueness of the Chokrak deposit lies in the fact that all three of the above natural factors are directly involved in the formation of healing mud at the same time - the sea, springs, mud volcanoes. Lake Chokrak is separated from the Sea of ​​Azov only by a sandy barrier with a width of 12 to 26 km. Filtering through the sand of the embankment, sea water enters the lake. At the same time, all contaminating technogenic impurities remain in the sand of the embankment, so the purest sea water enters the lake. Springs and springs of mineral water serve as the second natural factor of mud formation in the Chokrak deposit. There are a large number of them along the shores of the lake and at its bottom. The results of analyzes of water samples from them showed that most of them differ from each other in terms of the degree of mineralization and chemical composition. They are united by one thing - the water of each of the sources has healing properties. The minerals of these waters form an important part of the Chokrak healing mud and brine.

The third natural factor of mud formation in the Chokrak deposit is several mud volcanoes located at the bottom of the lake. As a result of their centuries-old activity, more than 4.5 million tons of finely dispersed minerals accumulated in the lake, which they brought to the bottom of the lake from the bowels of the earth. Having mixed with the precipitated mineral salts of sea water and water from springs and springs, they formed the Chokrak healing mud. But its healing properties would not be so powerful if it were not for the activity of a large list of specialized algae and microorganisms, many of which are endemic and are inherent only to Lake Chokrak. As a result of their vital activity in the lake in its mud, new substances and compounds are formed from minerals and salts. The presence of these substances and compounds in the Chokrak mud gives it a powerful additional healing power and versatility, make it highly effective in the treatment of a very large list of various diseases of the human body.

The complete chemical composition of the Chokrak silt-sulfide mud has not yet been identified. One thing is absolutely known - it does not contain harmful and dangerous substances and compounds. Its composition is a unique set of substances and compounds with the highest medicinal properties, made by the most perfect of all pharmacists - Nature.

Although medical science has not yet known the full complex medicinal properties waters of the lake, but it is known that locals Those who consume the salt of the lake never suffer from thyroid diseases, and retain their teeth until old age.

A little west of the lake begins a series of wild bays, exceptional in their shape and beauty, with excellent sandy beaches. These places are rich not only in their unique flora and fauna, but also history. Near General's bays excavations of ancient settlements and necropolises are carried out annually. In Soviet times, these bays were closed to the public and were used for recreation only by senior officers. Times have changed, but the name remains the same - General's beaches ..

It is possible to fulfill a childhood dream, wallow in blue-black mud. You just need to get to Lake Chokrak in the Crimea. The fame of therapeutic salt brine, hydrogen sulfide springs, and the convenient coast of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov thunders all over the world. It is strange that while this corner of nature is far from civilization.

Lake Chokrak in the photo:

Good to know
The length of Lake Chokrak is about 4 km, and the perimeter is 16 km.
The salinity level in the lake is from 80 to 180 ppm (similar to the Dead Sea). The only inhabitant is Artemia (Artemia salina), a tiny red crustacean with a body length of 8-12 mm. Because of it, the water of the lake has a pinkish tint.
Before sea ​​coast 50 m of sand isthmus and a narrow dam.

Why so much dirt?

The Chokrak mud deposit is unique in that several natural elements participated in the process of its formation: the Sea of ​​Azov, springs and the so-called mud volcanoes. Sea water after cleaning through a sand filter on the embankment, it enters the lake. The springs flow from the limestone crevices of the Chokrak massif. Water from each source has special beneficial qualities. Mud volcanoes at the bottom carry out minerals from the bowels of the earth, which, mixed with salt and spring water, form the famous therapeutic mud. This mud contains hydrogen sulfide, salt brine, iron sulfide, nitrogen, aluminum and iron hydrate, ammonia derivatives, trace elements, gold, silver and even platinum can be in small proportions.

Let's dive into history

The first time about the healing mud of Lake Mitaka (as Chokrak was called) was mentioned during the time of the Bosporus kingdom in the 1st century BC. The chroniclers said that there was a temple near the shore, and the priests traded mud, which had good healing properties, and cured the sick. Mud was so valuable that it was exported to neighboring countries. Over time, Chokrak mud was supplied to concubines from the harems of the Crimean khans and noble Tatars. After the connection of the Crimean peninsula with Russia, a mud bath was built on the shore of the lake (1859). Improved health here high ranks. During civil war the hospital was destroyed. Under Soviet rule, sanatoriums were opened in the neighboring village of Mama Russkaya, but during the Second World War they were destroyed. For many years, Chokrak mud has been mined and deposited in Crimean sanatoriums and health resorts: Kerch, Feodosia, Yalta, Sudak.

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What and how to treat?

Chokrak mud is suitable for the treatment of such diseases:

• musculoskeletal system (arthritis, Bechterew's disease, rheumatic fever, spondylitis, spondyloarthrosis);
• peripheral nervous system (sciatica, polyneuritis);
• female diseases ( chronic diseases pelvic organs, infertility, functional ovarian failure).

In addition, mud from Lake Chokrak is used for the purpose of prevention, to improve skin, hair, and nails. For the procedure to be effective, simple rules are followed.

How to take a mud bath?
Before a mud bath, take a dip in the sea and massage your body.
The temperature of the mud should be around 40 C, so it's better to come to the lake in the afternoon when the pond warms up.
Bath time is 20-40 minutes, the effect can be consolidated by lounging near the shore in salt brine.
At will, mud is applied to diseased areas, peculiar collars, leggings, knee pads, gloves are obtained.
The most useful is not black dirt from the surface, but the lower layer of a grayish tint, similar in consistency to batter.
After the procedures, the dirt is washed off directly into the sea, since Azov is very close. Peeling with sea sand will help to wash off qualitatively.

Walking after procedures

You can admire the lake and its surroundings from the crest of Mount Tashkalak. Highest point is located at 126 m above sea level. A small mountain, but when climbing, picturesque panoramas of the surroundings of the lake open up. The crest is composed of greenish-gray shell rock, which takes on bizarre shapes. Curious vacationers find gastropod shells, brachiopod prints, and pretty fossils in limestone layers.

How to get to Lake Chokrak?

It seems to be close to Lake Chokrak (! Km from the city of Kerch), but it is difficult to get to it. By bus or minibus you need to get to the village of Kurortnoe. And then 3 km off-road. You can walk in the sun for an hour. Therefore, a bottle of water and a light snack are a must.

If you go by car, then after Kurortny begins a dusty gravel road with pits, potholes and ditches. However, the Russians are no strangers.

Lake Chokrak on the map of Crimea

GPS Coordinates: 45°27’30″N 36°17’58″E Latitude/Longitude

Healing Lake Chokrak or Chokrak is a unique body of water that attracts thousands of tourists to the Kerch Peninsula every year. The secret of such popularity lies in its therapeutic mud, for which people come here in need of treatment of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, gynecological, urological and skin diseases.

There are a lot of salt lakes in Crimea, but rest near Lake Chokrak is gaining the most advantages. It is in ecological clean place, close to amazing natural attractions, a couple of minutes walk from gorgeous beach bays of the Marine Corps. There are no industries in the district, and the nearest and only village - Kurortnoye (Mama Russkaya), has hardly 200 people. Pond borders:

• in the east with the natural park "Karalar steppe", the highlight of which is incomparable;
• in the west, beyond Kurortny, another reserve begins - the Osovinskaya Steppe with its famous ones.

The reservoir itself, which occupies more than 1000 hectares, and the adjacent catchment area are included in the Chokrak Lake hydrological reserve. It is fed by water from the Sea of ​​Azov, springs and streams, which in spring flow down the beams from the nearby hills.

Therapeutic mud of Lake Chokrak

The special properties of the bottom silt of this reservoir are due to three main factors. First, firth origin. That is, it was once sea ​​bay, which eventually separated from the sea sandbar, and as a result of evaporation, its waters turned into brine - a strong saline solution. Secondly, there are hydrogen sulfide sources at the bottom of the reservoir, which bring from the underground depths not only hydrogen sulfide, but also other minerals. Thirdly, bacteria that produce carotenoids develop in the water, the very ones that give many Crimean lakes pink hues. True, Chokrak is never as bright as, but pale pink, or even pale lilac, easily!

The healing properties of the mud of Lake Chokrak were known as early as the time of the Bosporan kingdom, and there was a temple on the shore. Later, in the Middle Ages, Chokrak mud was taken to Kafa () - to treat slaves before selling. When the Crimea went to Russia, they didn’t forget about it either, although the first mud bath was built only at the end of the 19th century.

After the revolution, not only were they treated here, but they also mined salt, which is reminiscent of the numerous rows of wooden stakes. During the war years, German officers were treated here. The Nazis, leaving the peninsula, destroyed the hospital. After the Second World War, the authorities of the USSR never got around to Chokrak, and after its collapse, no one took up the construction of hotels / shalmans and other wild post-perestroika infrastructure, from which other places in Crimea suffered a lot. Therefore, now anyone can come and experience the healing effect of the mud of the ecologically clean Lake Chokrak.

Before going to Chokrak Lake for mud therapy, be sure to consult your doctor, because mud is a potent remedy that can cause weakness, palpitations, and allergic reactions. If you are a healthy person and just decide to please yourself new procedure, still do not forget - dirt on the body can be kept for no more than 15 minutes, then it should be washed off. Fortunately, the sea is excellent sandy beach Very close.

How to get to Lake Chokrak in Crimea

Coordinates: 45°27′32″ s. sh. 36°17′56″ E d.

If you go by car, and the navigator shows the way to Lake Chokrak from the Kerch highway directly, in no case agree. All these country roads through Bagerovo are almost impassable. Set the resort on the navigator ( Leninsky district). The road goes from through Voikovo to Kurortnoye, and from it another couple of kilometers along bad road and you are there. Here is an article about a trip to those parts, nearby attractions, roads, prices:

If you decide to go by car from the side of the Kazantip Bay, then it is quite possible to drive through the Karalar steppe along the sea. Even a sedan will pass, but the roads are disgusting.

Those wishing to get to Lake Chokrak public transport, must buy a ticket at the Kerch bus station to Kurortny bus number 69. In summer, he goes 4 times a day there and 4 times back. From the stop you have to walk about 2 km on foot.

Where to rent a holiday home near Lake Chokrak

For those who want to improve their health, there are two real options:

1. Rent a house in the village Kurortnoye on the shore of the Marine Corps Bay. Despite the unsightly appearance of the village itself, renting a room with all amenities is not a problem here. On average, the price will be 600-800 rubles per person.
2. Live as savages tent city, which stretches from Kurortny to Chokrak itself and along the spit separating the lake and the sea. Tents are set up under the trees of the silver sucker. Fresh water not there (in the village it is imported).