Wonderful waters of the Hot Mountain

Resorts of the Caucasian Mineral Waters began with the hot waters of the Mashuk Mountain and branch the Hot Mountain. The first resort Kavminvod owes its name to the "Hot Waters". Therefore it was dubbed Goryachevodsk. In 1830 it was renamed in Pyatigorsk - after the name of a nearby five-tiered mountain Beshtau (besh - five, tau - mountain).

There are two small ridges on the southern slope of Mashuk, one of which is called the Inner, and the other is called the Hot. The first starts from the Aeolian Harp and stretches in a direction perpendicular to the slope. The Hot is separated from the Inner Small Ridge" by the little flat depression,  in which the Academic gallery is situated. It’s the Hot Mountain owes its name to  hot carbonic hydrosulphuric waters that circulate through the interstices inside the mountain, thereby being heated to a temperature of 40 C. The Hot Mountain begins from a small knoll in south-eastern section of the slope of the Mashuk Mountain  and then gradually goes down to in the southwestern direction .

Information concerning the Hot Mountain is very scarce in books and encyclopedias.  The ridge  1 thousand meters long and 500 m wide branches off from the Hot Mountain  to the south-west of Mashuk. The maximum height of the mountain amounts to 557 meters above-sea level. The northern slope of the mountain is relatively gentle, covered with shrubs and artificially transplanted lilac. The southern slopes of the mountain are mostly steep and rocky, with niches and grottoes.

This mountain is known to be the mother of both the resort and the town of Pyatigorsk. Even in the old times  local residents kerved stone pools on its top, filled with freely fluxing salutiferous waters. The soldiers and officers from the Konstantinogorskaya fortress(of the Caucasus Army)  situated nearby at the end of XVIII century were the first to feel the effect of the salutiferous waters . Primitive pool-pits were kerved for them right in the rock mass. “Bathing” meant just  lying in the hot mineral water bath until getting bored. Then, the military built a small wood chamber in the form of a primitive cabin. This important event was even reported on to the Russian emperor.
In 1819, the Caucasus Army Commander in chief general Alexei Ermolov took up the provision of the necessary facilities. First, he ordered to destroy of the bathing hut and to build a bathing chamber for six baths, dubbed the Ermolovskye. In 1831, at the foot of the Hot Mountain  took place a stately opening of the most comfortable not only in the Caucasian Mineral Waters, but also in Russia  the Nikolaevskye baths (in 1920 they renamed in the Lermontovskye). Builders took care of system, ventilation and cooling of mineral water. Some booths were heated by stoves, and were able to function in winter.

In 1903, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the resort of Pyatigorsk on the Hot Mountain was set up a sculpture of an eagle, which has become an emblem not only of the resort of Pyatigorsk, but also of the entire region of the Caucasian Mineral Waters. According to the existing legend, the eagle, bitten by a venomous snake, drunk the salutiferous mineral water from a spring on the Hot Mountain in order  to heal his wounds. Today, a sculpture of the eagle holding  a defeated snake in its claws  symbolizes the healing power of Mashuk(or hot) water.

In the middle of the last century the Elizabethan Gallery (now the Academic gallery), an ethereal white stone building was constructed  in the upper part of the gorge separating the Hot Mountain and the Mount St. Michael mountain, being a branch of Mashuk  It was named after the source discovered in 1811. "I’ll go up to the Elisabeth source - Lermontov wrote in his story" Princess Mary "- all the water society is said to gather in the morning there. Here is the well, at last! ... At  the ground near it has been built a house with the red roof over the bath, and somewhat farther there is gallery where people walk when it rains. "In the right wing of the new gallery were installed  baths, which were called  Tovievskye then. In the left wing there was a hall for recreation. Near the gallery were exhibited ancient stone sculptures unearthed in Kavminvody by the enthusiast archeaologists From the observation deck in front of the gallery, where a has wide stone staircase led, can be seen a beautiful landscape of Pyatigorsk and its surroundings. And in  the right wing of the gallery is open the only Museum of butterflies, spiders and beetles  in the Stavropol Territory, where, the extensive wall-mounted collection of insects adjoin the living inhabitants is combined with living inhabitants. It was founded by Valentin Tikhonov, Doctor of Life Sciences and an enthusiast scientist.

Lada Ledeneva, Kavminvody. Especially for VC