KBD. Golden buckle of Russia.

Krugobaquica railway (KBD) - a unique place not only on Baikal, but also, perhaps, around the world. By the number of different types of work per 1 km of way, and the difficulties of their implementation, the Krugobaquica road surpassed all the built rail routes in the world and is considered to be beautiful among the railways of the world.

This place, where on a narrow strip of the Baikal coast, the stone laying of portals of tunnels and retaining walls with colorful non-repeating cliffs was surprising. The slopes addressed to Baikal, in many places are very cool, cut through narrow, but deep valleys, sometimes almost vertically raise over the lake.
The Krugobaikal Railway is a unique monument of engineering architecture.

A bit of history:
On May 17, 1891, Tsar Alexander III issued a decree on the start of construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, "the commandments now begin to build a solid through the entire Siberian Siberia, having to combine abundant Siberian areas with a network of internal rail messages."
More information about the Trans-Siberian Highway can be found.

They built it mostly cautious soldiers to Siberia. In total, about 15,000 people who worked for 14-16 hours per day were involved. Often accidents occurred, over a year up to 100 people.
Punching tunnels were carried out mainly manually using explosives. The daily movement rate was 40-50 cm. Wilger hiring worked specialists in stone masonry from Italy and Albania, using elements of cyclopeic masonry in construction, in which the stone is placed without a binding solution by selecting in shape.

Each kilometer on average spent by one car explosives and produced earthworks in terms of volume equal to the capacity of about 400 cars, which is comparable to the scope of work on the construction of the Suez Canal.
During the period of construction of this section of the Trans-Siberian Railway (from Kultuk to the port of Baikal), builders erected 41 tunnel. Of these, 40 have been preserved. The overall length of tunnels about nine and a half kilometers. 15 stone galleries and 3 reinforced concrete were built. Through rivers, streams, paddies, hollows, the bays of Lake Baikal were transferred about 470 large and small bridges and 6 viaducts. To protect the way, about 270 different fortifications were built: retaining walls, pavements and others. 18 stone pipes and trays were built. According to some calculations for every 100 meters of ways, a single engineering and technical structure accounts for every 100 meters in the Krugobaquica Railway.

In terms of volume, complexity and cost of work, this site did not have equal among the railways of Russia. Before the revolution, this short section of the path was called the "Golden Buckle of Steel Belt of Russia", a buckle - because she joined the torn Baikal to the Trans-Siberian Highway, and Golden - because at the cost of the work, it surpassed all the expensive roads in Russia.
However, not only huge investments are famous for the legendary highway. Today it is perhaps one of the most beautiful railways in the world. From everywhere come here thousands of tourists who want to make sure that.

Until the 50s of the twentieth century, KBC fully functioned as a section of Transsib. But after the construction of the hydropower station on the hangar, the water level in Baikal rose to 1 meter and the road from Irkutsk to Baikal "Sankon". Transsib paved in the mountains by way around the lake, and KBD became a deadlock. On June 30, 1956, she passed the last transit train, and already on July 1, the movement of trains from Irkutsk to the lake was stopped. The Krugobaican road ceased to be a highway. Some stations were removed here, some stations were abolished.
Currently, a plot from Art. Cool up to Art. Port Baikal - dead-end. After the construction of the dam Irkutsk hydroelectric station and the flooding of the road site along the r. Angara from Irkutsk to Baikal New Road, built in 1957, passed through the valleys of the river. Irkut and r. Ole to Art. Slyudyanka.
In the late 70s. This dead-end site received the status of the historical and architectural monument and was taken under the protection of the state.
Today, tourists can see well-preserved portals and arches of numerous tunnels made of penetrating stone, numerous viaducts, powerful retaining walls, preserved wooden buildings in the style of the beginning of the century.

Features of the route

Acquaintance with the Circiobaician expensive can be carried out in different ways:

Option number 1:
You can walk on foot, some part or the whole, from beginning to end. This is the most radical way to get acquainted with Nature, Baikal and the most legendary railway Railway. Such an option is chosen by travelers who want away from tourist groups enjoy nature and unforgettable scenery of the sacred sea.
Given the overall length of the road - 84 km, for a walking slow route, it is necessary to allocate at least 4-5 days. Given the large number of picnic and camping zones with places for tents and ready-made wooden tables every 5 km right near the lake, the comfort of movement is guaranteed.

At the main stations (after 10-15 km) there are rural stores where it will be possible to bribe the provision.
Nevertheless, for this option, it is necessary to have a tent, a sleeping bag, a headlamp with spare batteries, tracking shoes, a remedy for ticks (during the tick-mite activity from May to July) and necessarily the camera.

You can drive through the KBD on the excursion electricide of increased comfort (Krugobaikal express) with stops and inspection of the main attractions of the KBD. The electric train is sent in the morning from Irkutsk to Slyudyanka station, from where the main route on KBD to the end station Port Baikal begins and further, by moving on a ferry through the hangar, the bus in the evening will bring tourists back to Irkutsk.

The excursion takes place year-round, takes full day and is saturated with sightseeing with stops and train parking every 15-20 km. The price of such an excursion includes food.
You can read the program and cost of excursions in more detail, and you can order tickets on the site http://www.krugobaikalka.ru/weekend/express.php. either on the site.

Option number 3 (from May to October):

At the peak of popularity among tourists, for two years now is a water excursion along the Krug-Baikal Railway.
Water excursion serves a motor ship on the Barguzin airbag, which is sent from Irkutsk from the pier of the rocket weekly in the summer on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and for one day, passes through the hangar to the CBRD and then along the round-baykali goes to the cape half with the possibility of inspection of all Attractions with water.

In two places - at Cape Half and Cape, a fat motor ship performs stops with the possibility of sightseeing. By evening, the ship by the same route returns to Irkutsk. The minus of such a trip is a limited number of stops of stops, the ability to spend only in summer time and the need to order tickets for 2 weeks due to high demand.

In more detail with the schedule and prices for this excursion, and you can also order tickets on the site of VRPP. You can also find out the ticket price and tickets in more detail on the reference page "Rocket" - +7 (3952) 35-67-26

Option number 4 (only from February to April):
In winter, the winter laid along the lakeside along the shore along the shore along the entire KBD. Therefore, get to the KBD and drive along it in both directions will not be much labor. The only condition - it is necessary to know the rules of driving along the winter and not to move from the foil places marked with special viscosities.

How to get

If you choose the options described above №2 or №3 with the acquisition of an excursion, then the cost of excursions is already included in the delivery to CBRD with a return return to Irkutsk:
- for option number 2 on the electropoter from the Irkutsk railway station (tel. for references +7 (3952) 63-22-94, 63-22-88, 63-22-83)
- For option number 3, with the Irkutsk Pier Rocket (tel. For references +7 (3952) 35-67-26).
In these options, everything for you is already planned and the inspection of places with attractions has already been predetermined. You just stay contemplate and enjoy;)

But for those who want to choose a hiking version number 1, the inspection of the circuit breaker can be started both from the east end (from the village of Kultuk) and from Western (from the station Baikal).

For those who wish to pass the route from East to West (from Kultuk to Port Baikal):
Get to the village. Cool can be bootable both by bus from the bus station (telephone numbers of the bus station: 8 (3952) 20-94-11 - reference and 8 (3952) 20-91-15 - cash registers.), So on the train from the railway station to the strawberry station ( ) And then go down the trail for 20 minutes to the village. Cool. You can also start the Route on KBD in the direction of the port of Baikal from the Old Angasolka station (take a Dark Pagon station to the station to the station), which is one of the most beautiful places to KBD. Details about routes to Old Angasolki and its attractions can be found in post about the old hangasol .
When the endpoint of the route is reached - the port of Baikal, it will be necessary to cross the ferry through the source of the Angara River to the village of Listvyanka and then also on the route bus to Irkutsk.

For a route from the west to the East (from the port of Baikal to Kultuk) It is necessary from Irkutsk to the village of Latvyanka (Description of the village of Latvyanka and how to get outlined in post about Listvyanka), Then, on the ferry to move through the hangar to the port of Baikal and make more walking the journey through the KBD in the opposite direction - to the village. Kultuk, from where you can always leave on the route taxi or electric train.

With the route, you can always get away from the distance and get to any end station on the KBC passing once a day by a local train - "Matana", which comes from an average speed of 15-20 km / h IT overcomes the distance of 84 km in 6-7 hours with many stops "on demand." Mathani timetable can be found either to find out on the phone Railway Station Irkutsk-Passenger: (3952) 39-47-47, 63-22-87 (reference station), 632-555 (multi-channel answering machine).

Regardless of the selection of the direction of walking in the KBD, the opening landscapes of Baikal simultaneously with the beauty of unique structures made by the hands of a person, they produce an indelible impression on any traveler.

ATTRACTIONS

1. Slyudyanka
Acquaintance with KBD usually begins in Slyudyanka. This is the main station of the road. It is here that the only stone station building built from white and pink marble is located.

2. 149 km. Old Anortholka

Very interesting station Old Angassol. After this station begins the most saturated architectural and engineering objects of the road. Stone arched viaduct "Angasolsky" striking with its beauty and power. Read more about Station Old Angassolka can be found here.

4. 130 km. Shabartuy complex.
Next - the Shabartuy complex of artificial structures. This is the iron bridge of the first path "Riding at the top". Between stone supports - spans 20 sages. In addition to this bridge, there is reinforced concrete viaduct, two-flying, arched type.

5. 123 km. Kirkray
The most delightful and mysterious place is the Kirkraysky complex. In this place the builder had to work much. The indomitable nature of the Kirkray River, as well as mountain colors, which constantly occur in these places, forced the builders to punch the builders in parallel to the tunnel No. 18 more - No. 18bis.

6. 109 km. Half Station
One of the places of recreation that tourists love most is half. The picturesque river valley is half a river between a caught half and a chairlo rock. Two tunnels pass in these places - the longest and shortest.

7. 102 km. Italian wall
And finally, one of the most beautiful places of CBRD is the Italian retaining wall. It received such a name due to the fact that her arches are very reminded by Italian architecture. The wall project was developed by the Italian Ferrari. Nearby is Gallery No. 7 "Big Schumikhinskaya". It was built in order to protect the road from the stonepad.

The catalog of all attractions of the KBD can be viewed on the site of the Trans-Siberian Road.