Mazulskiy: Settlement History and Nearby Ajdaschinskaya Cave

Around Mazulskiy, two very different traces of time meet: the establishment of the Mazulskiy Rudnik settlement in 1932 and the much older history of nearby Ajdaschinskaya Cave. The contrasts range from the first homes in a mining settlement to traces of earlier rituals and objects left behind. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Mazulskiy, this distinction can help you decide whether your stay should focus mainly on the place and its immediate surroundings or also include other destinations in Krasnoyarsk Krai.

Settlement History in 1932

By September 1932, the first homes had been built in the Mazulskiy Rudnik settlement. In the same year, industrial mineral extraction began there, based on the deposits that had been explored. The aim was to extract a raw material essential to ferrous metallurgy. The construction of the settlement and the start of mineral extraction thus took place in the same year; 1932 provides a clear point of reference for the history of the place.

Nearby Ajdaschinskaya Cave

Ajdaschinskaya Cave lies near Mazulskiy Rudnik, about 1.5 kilometres south of the settlement, on the northern slope of the Arga Range. It is both an archaeological monument and a natural monument of Krasnoyarsk Krai. Its history reaches far beyond the origins of the mining settlement: peoples who lived in southern Siberia 20,000 years ago used the cave as a place to worship spirits. For a period of a thousand years, nomads came there, brought offerings and sacrificed animals. Over the centuries, daggers, men’s and women’s jewellery, and everyday objects were left behind. This nearby site brings together a distinctive landscape setting and a long history of human use.

Bus Excursion and Protected Area

In Krasnoyarsk Krai, bus excursion route No. 4, “Truth and Myths about Ajdaschinskaya Cave,” is listed as lasting three or five hours. It passes through Mazulskiy Rudnik and also includes a visit to the grounds of the Svyatoy Rodnik protected area. The protected area is named in honour of Saints Daniil of Achinsk and Feodor of Tomsk. Before making specific plans, check whether the tour is currently available.

More Culture in Krasnoyarsk Krai

If you would like to include destinations beyond Mazulskiy in your trip to Krasnoyarsk Krai, the Shushenskoye Historical and Ethnographic Museum-Reserve offers a different cultural and historical focus. It is located in the settlement of the same name and represents a Siberian village from the Russian Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The grounds contain 194 architectural monuments of rural architecture. The many wooden buildings include farmhouses, a merchant’s shop, a forge and a prison-fort. In 2011, the architectural and ethnographic complex “Novaya Derevnya” opened there, along with a nature and landscape park. The museum-reserve’s programmes present the traditions and customs of times gone by, including peasant dishes, introductions to traditional crafts, as well as games, customs and festivals.

Discover more destinations: Drokino, Ovsyanka, Dubinino, Kodinsk, Sukhaya, Sharypovo, Novoselovo, Norilsk.

Back to the regional travel overview: Krasnoyarsk Krai.