Tsaryov Kurgan (Samara): Myths and Reality

Many myths and legends appear about the appearance of many cities of our country, Samara is not an exception. Tsarev Kurgan (how to get there, you will find out a little later) - a mountain on the left side of the Volga River, which was covered with a lot of folk legends. At its foot is the Volga settlement and the Sok River flows. It would seem that more recently Mount Tsarev Kurgan (Samara), whose height did not exceed 80 meters, lost its upper part, since it was used as a deposit of building stone for the construction of the Kuibyshev Hydroelectric Power Station.

Tomb of the Khan

For the first time Tsarev Kurgan (Samara) is mentioned in the book of 1634. The overseas ambassador of the Duke Adam Olearius, traveling across the Volga region, heard a legend, which he laid out on paper. It says that once under the mound was buried Prince Mamaon. He and seven other kings went up the Volga in order to conquer Russia, but fate decreed otherwise: here the prince died and was buried. According to legend, the mountain was formed from the land brought by the soldiers, and they had a myriad of Mamon. Proceeding from this legend, the name of the mound is treated as the place where the king was buried.

However, this version of the appearance of the mountain is more like a historical anecdote. In fact, the mound is of absolutely natural origin. And confirms this existing at the top of the quarry, where limestone was mined.

Treasure of Stenky Razin

According to another legend, the origin of the burial mound is connected with the Don Cossack Stepan Razin. There is an opinion that there was his refuge on the mountain, and on the slope of the mound he buried two buckets filled with gold. Only those who manage to reach the treasure will be able to get hold of the treasure without disturbing the scrap iron lying on top of it.

Tsarev Kurgan (Samara) - the work of Tamerlane

Local residents can tell another version of the belief associated with the emergence of the Tsarev Mound near the very foundation of the Sokolikh Mountains. According to this legend, he appeared before the Battle of Kondurche, which occurred in 1391. The battle ensued between the greatest Turkic commander and conqueror Tamerlane and the Golden Horde Khan Tokhtamysh. Shortly before the decisive battle, the Samarqand emir gave orders to each soldier to bring one stone to the place where today there is a mountain.

Shard of the mountain massif

Legends are just an object of folk fantasy. Tsarev Kurgan was not created by man, this mother nature tried to glory. Geologists long ago managed to establish that the mountain is the remaining fragment of the once existing single mountain massif of the Zhiguli, separated by the waters of the Volga, one of the largest rivers on Earth. This rock, formed by the rocks of the Carboniferous system, is an original piece that has survived the erosion. The mineral composition and nature of the organic remains of the mound is identical to the Sokol'm and Zhigulevsky mountain ranges. The only difference is the inverse slope of the seams.

There were layers of the coal system roughly 300 million years ago. They testify to the fact that the rocks from which Tsarev Kurgan was formed, however, like the Zhiguly mountains, were once the bottom of the deep sea. Here you can see the mountain layers with the remains of non-existing invertebrate animals - bryozoans, sea lilies and hedgehogs, as well as mollusks and sponges. All this undoubtedly indicates the ancient age of local geological outcrops.

It would seem that people should take care of such a unique creature of nature. However, today not everyone knows that in the middle of the last century, due to the ill-considered decision of the authorities, the mound lost its top. After the construction of the Kuibyshev HPP, its height has almost halved. So the mountain lost its former greatness.

Even in the times of the Soviet Union, various options were offered for the restoration of the Tsarev Kurgan mountain. Samara and to this day and could not boast of this unique monument of nature with a re-created appearance.

Christ Temple

At the foot of the mountain is the Church of the Nativity of Christ. You will certainly notice it if you plan to see Tsarev Kurgan. Samara is always glad to tourists, and they can get here both by car and by air. Near the mound runs the route Samara - Togliatti, where all the transport goes, moving from the western direction. Past the mountain passes and the road leading to the airport Kurumoch.

The construction of the Nativity of Christ Temple was completed in 1833, the architect of the project, M. P. Corinfsky, was engaged in the development of the project. The widow of the former Minister of Justice Dmitry Vasilyevich Dashkov allocated funds for the construction of the church. It was here that the estate of a well-known noble family was located. Khristorozhdestvensky temple is an architectural monument of Russian classicism. The church on all sides is decorated with four-ported porticos with pediments, due to which the building looks more solemn and expressive. This decision is due to the peculiarities of the terrain. The temple surrounded by a natural landscape can be seen from all sides, presenting at the entrance to the village before visitors from different angles.

Rector of the church, Protopriest Vladimir Nazarov, does not exclude that the construction of the church in Tsarevshchina is connected with the Emperor Alexander I. There is a story in which it says that in fact, Alexander Pavlovich did not die in Taganrog in 1825, but hid in Siberia, calling himself elder Fedor Kuzmich, Which was later canonized by the Orthodox Church in the guise of a local holy saint. According to one of the St. Petersburg researchers, the temple was built by the order of the emperor - so he decided to atone for his sins.

OOO "Tsarev Kurgan"

Samara is known not only as a city, overgrown with legends and myths, but also as a place where there are many good raw materials. In the center of the Volga economic region, oil, gas, oil shale, sand, dolomite, limestone, chalk and clay, sulfur, and also a flask are extracted. To date, there is a trade company of the same name with a landmark of the city, which is the largest organization of the city. The company is located on Chekistov street, house 140 (Samara). "Tsarev Kurgan" realizes a natural stone from a warehouse. Typically, the material is used for landscape design, decoration of buildings and interiors, as well as ennobling the surrounding areas.