One of the oldest hydroelectric power plants of the country - Chemal hydroelectric power station, located in the Chemalsky region of the Altai Republic, which attracts hundreds of tourists are attracted by the beauty of the scenic and amazing mysteries associated with this miracle Soviet gidrostroya.

Mystical HPP is a godsend for tourists.

Legends origins

According to legend, the idea of the construction of the Altai hydroelectric power station was expressed by V.I. Lenin in 1922 by the famous Russian traveler and philosopher NICHOLAS Roerich. It is exciting described the beauty of the mountain oasis of Russia and his extraordinary energy, "flowing from the depths, the rocks and the purest water of Altai". However, the illness and death of the head of the young Soviet state has postponed the construction of the station for almost a decade.

In the second half of the twenties of the Council of people's Commissars makes a fateful for Gorno-Altaisky district of the decision on construction in Chemalsky parish balneological resort for statesmen of the USSR. They arrive here to rest such high-ranking officials, as Century. Molotov, C. Ordzhonikidze, S. Kosior, M. Kalinin.
It is with the wife of the elder-Union - Ekaterina Loyberg-Kalinina - one of the legends connects the beginning of construction of HPPs in Chemal. Still the old-timers of the Chemalsky region of the Altai Republic talk about how in the beginning of 1930 to them suddenly came Kalinin, who had abandoned his wife and eight children in Moscow.

It is known that Loyberg-Kalinin was a supporter of "free love", and, according to one legend, this young, energetic and beautiful woman fled to the Mountain Altai, following one of the Moscow engineers by name in Kovanov, not Colenov, who participated in construction in Chemal exemplary farm. Coming soon for his wife M.I. Kalinin received from Catherine Ivanovna actively engaged in development of industry and infrastructure of the region, categorical refusal to return home...

A month later in life Loyberg-Kalinina was a tragedy: somehow, bathing in the river Chemal, not far from its inflow into the deep Katun, hit his head on a rock and drowned her favorite engineer. Heartbroken woman for a long time came to the place of death of her lover, where, it was said, not once met his Ghost.
When once again, "all-Union elder statesman" came to Ekaterina Ivanovna, she persuaded influential wife to start construction sadly remembered the location of the power plant, which would be sort of a monument loved it man...

Mystic construction

In the spring of 1931 out a special decree of the Central Committee, in accordance with which in Chemalsky district was directed several hundred prisoners Siberian management of the camps of special assignment, which were the backbone of the labor force. The construction of a hydroelectric power station was personally supervised by Loyberg-Kalinina, which dealt with timely deliveries of building materials and machinery, turbines and generators.

Besides organizational issues, Ekaterina Ivanovna had to conduct explanatory work among the local population, which at first was configured categorically against large by the standards of the thirtieth years of construction in the place, which was considered in Altai sacred.

The stories of the old-timers, especially resisted the construction of the old shaman of the village kuyus highway, who once went into the building and threw it into the pit some item (some suggest that this subject was hare's foot - a favorite item shamanic magic). One of the sentries guarding the facility, shot the old man. Falling, the shaman had time to shout Altai language terrible curse, the meaning of which was able to understand only a few of free workers from the local population...

And soon on marching pace construction began to occur dramatic events. In the autumn of 1932, a group of inmates who worked at the facility, revolted. According to eyewitnesses, the corpses of those killed during the riots of prisoners (about 500 people) were hurriedly buried in concrete dam body.
In the spring of 1933 builders struck unknown disease that died one hundred and fifty prisoners, free and guards.

In the night from April 30 to may 1, 1934 suddenly broke through the concrete lintel and the huge mass of water rushed to the unfinished dam. For two days, working on the waist in water, people closed up blurred jumpers. After the accident was eliminated, the NKVD officials who conducted the investigation of the incident found that even before the breakthrough of the construction camp has autocratically left a few of the Altai family. When the fugitives were found, they told me that the night before the accident in their dream was an old shaman and warned that his countrymen were saved his life, because "there is a big water". The investigators did not believe runaway workers, and they were put on trial...

The ghosts of the engine room

Early in the spring of 1935, shortly before the commissioning of hydroelectric power station, one of the prisoners in the hope of obtaining early release undertook to perform a special order received from the construction of the authorities: to write portraits of I. Stalin and S. Ordzhonikidze, the arrival of which was expected to open the station. In due time, the work was done. However, the artist-con's something angered one of the senior officers of the NKVD, and he was severely beaten by the author of the paintings. In the hearts of the prisoner spat at the portrait of the "Leader of peoples", for that instead of the long-awaited liberation got a new long term...

Influential guests never arrived at the opening of hydropower, but their portraits were hung in the engine compartment and for many years led the workers of the station in awe, which has grown into a mystical horror in March 1953. As far as Siberia nobody knew about Stalin's death, and among the workers of the engine room is already the second of March was a rumor that Moscow did something happen. The reason for such conversations became... the Ghost leader, who twice had seen the day before in the echoing corridors, after which the engine room was filled with the distinct smell of pipe tobacco. However the staff were strictly forbidden to smoke in rooms HPP...

According to the memoirs of veterans, who worked at different times at the station, in the next sixteen years, the spirit of Stalin appeared exactly on the eve of the date of his death, and the Ghost of Ordzhonikidze - the day of the anniversary of the great October socialist revolution.

In the spring of 1969 during heavy flooding, when the flooded engine room, portraits of the leaders are in the water. After this "washing" paintings of the late leaders of the Soviet state ceased to disturb his appearance staff HPP...

Tales for tourists

For 75 years Chemal hydroelectric power station faithfully served the people, providing villages with electricity. Since the 90-ies of the last century, when in the mountains gushed crowds of tourists, the station became one of the places most frequently visited by guests of the region, which attracted and unique beauty of local places, and mystical legends, connected with the station.

According to legend, after the infamous massacre of the rebels builders in 1932 near hydroelectric power station from the ground began to beat two sources - from "live" and "dead" water, washing your face which, be sure to remember the victims of those tragic years.
Another legend tells us about "the Master" Chemalsky reservoir underwater creature living at its very bottom, the frightening face of which, coming nearer to the surface of the man-made lake, you sometimes see in a calm and Sunny...

In September 2010 due to a detected in the hydroelectric dam cracks started discharge of water from the reservoir. Tell that several nights in a row neighborhood announced creepy and melancholy howl, which was published in the opinion of local residents, a creature that lived in him. It seemed to bid farewell to one of the main symbols of the modern Mountain Altai, whose heart run already, probably not ever.
Sergey KOZHUSHKO