Recently, the series “Ashes” was shown on Russian television, in which the famous actors E. Mironov and V. Mashkov starred. One of the series takes place near Sortavala, where gold mines in Karelia became the object of robbery. Such a turn of events was a complete surprise to the viewer, and even a subject of ridicule, especially for local residents. But are the creators of the series so far from the truth?
A brief history of gold mining in Russia
As you know, in Kievan and Moscow Russia there were no gold reserves, and the map of gold mines was a solid white spot. All jewelry was then made from gold and precious stones imported into the country mainly from Byzantium. And therefore, the main currency of that time most often were sable skins. And yet, the then rulers did everything possible in order to discover their own deposits of precious metal. Mining experts were specially discharged from Italy by the Russian tsar Ivan III, and Siberia was conquered by his grandson Ivan the Terrible, including in order to find gold there. Although they began to mine it much later, under Peter I. For this purpose, a ministry of mining was specially created, consisting mainly of German experts who developed the gold mines of Russia. Since then, the map of gold-bearing areas has been constantly replenished with new objects.
And although it is believed that gold mining on an industrial scale began in the Urals in the middle of the XVIII century, nevertheless, in Karelia, gold was mined a little earlier.
Karelian gold
In this beautiful, but harsh region, there is a very picturesque Vygozero, into which more than twenty rivers flow, and only one flows out - Lower Vygozero. This rivulet, which flows into the White Sea, has many rapids and waterfalls, the most famous of which is Voitsky Padun. It got its name because the water falling along three arms from a height of four meters made a loud roar and howl.
Upstream (or, as they say, over a waterfall) in the XVI century there appeared a small village of Nadvoitsy, whose population in 1647 numbered only 26 yards (100-150 people). The village belonged to the Solovetsky monastery. Since farming in those parts was very problematic, local peasants were engaged in digging copper ore and handing it over to the monastery, from which small icons and crosses were cast.
In 1737, a local resident Taras Antonov found a copper core that allows to begin development on an industrial scale. Copper ingots were smelted from local ore in Petrozavodsk, which was then sent to St. Petersburg for the production of copper coins.
The attention of one of the mining engineers hired by Peter I was attracted by the shiny yellow grains in the ore coming from Nadvoitsy. From this moment, gold mines in Karelia begin their history.
Over half a century of work, 74 kilograms of gold and over 100 tons of copper were mined in the Nadvoitsky mines. Subsequently, the mine was closed due to its depletion. Although there are rumors that locals still earn their living by extracting golden sand.
Goldfields in Karelia today
Repeated attempts to find gold in these parts were made later. The development was carried out in several places, and in Pryazhinsky district and on the border of the Kondopoga and Medvezhyegorsky districts they even found gold veins, the reserves of which, according to geologists, do not allow to start production on an industrial scale. In order for the gold mines in Karelia to work again, it is necessary that the deposits contain at least five tons of precious metal.
