Blue Lakes: the pearl of the Tula region

The Blue Lakes are a natural site of incredible beauty that attracts many tourists to the Tula region. You can find it near the village of Konduki. The Blue Lakes are a system of flooded quarries. The mirrored surface of the water here is surrounded by artificial earthen mounds, which the locals called the Romantsev Mountains.

The local landscapes are frankly amazing. Someone will probably have associations with fantastic works, other travelers will find similarities with the nature of the Altai Territory or Karelia. Even experienced tourists who have visited many parts of Russia are thrilled by what they see. It is not surprising that the Blue Lakes are a place of attraction not only for residents of Tula, but also for residents of Moscow, as well as neighboring regions and even distant cities. There is enough space for everyone!

Historical background

There are many reservoirs in the world where the water has a rich blue color. Not all of them were formed due to natural processes. Blue lakes are an excellent example of this, because they owe their appearance to humans.

The starting point in the history of the attraction can be called the 60s of the last century. Impressive deposits of brown coal were discovered near Konduki, and active mining began. Geologists were attracted not only by fossil fuel reserves, but also by the minimum depth of occurrence, which allows mining to be carried out using the most accessible and simple, open-pit method.

In the 1980s, however, the situation on the fuel market changed significantly. Brown coal began to lose its former popularity, the state was not attracted even by the low cost of fossil fuels, and the list of negative qualities was too long. The focus shifted towards coal, so mining stopped, and a decree was issued on the flooding of quarries. Well, now tourists can only thank the authorities for such a decision!

Do not be afraid of the saturated shade of water. Its reason is the high content of certain minerals and elements in the rocks with which it comes into contact, and there is no question of any radioactivity.

Unfortunately, the closure of the mines has had a major impact on the situation in the village of Konduki. Many residents lost their jobs, and therefore decided to move. Interestingly, another Blue Lake can be found nearby, but geographically it already belongs to the Suvorovsky district. The history of its appearance is very similar, clay was previously mined in the quarry, but with the cessation of mining, it "degenerated" into a reservoir.

Features of local recreation

Travelers who got acquainted with the lakes 30 years ago claim that they did not look so impressive then. Nature had to work hard to create such beauty, natural erosion processes formed cracks and fractures in the rocks, which definitely added to the attractiveness of the place. However, even 5 years ago, the attendance of the lakes was low, only the most desperate adventurers knew about them. The main reason for the surge in popularity can be called social networks, photos were actively scattered among their users, many were not averse to making the same shots, to look with their own eyes at the splendor of the Blue Lakes.

A huge advantage of the area is the absence of production facilities in the immediate vicinity, the activities of which can affect the environmental situation. However, there is no official permission to swim. Be sure to pay attention to this!

Experts say that the maximum depth of the Blue Lakes is 20 meters. The local population, however, does not share this point of view, according to the recollections of the residents, the careers were much deeper.

Flattering words, of course, deserve not only the reservoirs themselves, but also the surrounding locations, forests, where many go for emotions, impressions, memories and quite material things, mushrooms and berries.

Fishing

Despite the fact that the reservoir was formed due to human activity, you can perfectly fish in it. Locals say that the quality of the bite depends on the quarry. If only small fish can be caught in one, then very large prey can be caught in the other, some specimens are quite suitable for trophy ones. The most common breeds in the Blue Lakes are pike and perch, but sometimes roach gets hooked. Recently, data on the capture of crayfish has been increasingly coming across.

The growing popularity of fishing, as is often the case, has attracted increased attention from government oversight agencies. So far, however, the bans relate exclusively to industrial and poaching fishing using nets and prohibited gear. No sanctions are applied to those who wish to sit on the shore or a boat with a fishing rod.