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Exploring?�Russia’s Urals
Traveller’s diary?�Denis Loktev – Magnitogorsk, 4 May 2011?�The Ural mountain’s (the eastern part is?�considered?�a natural boundary between Russia’s Europe and Asia) are not very high. But locals are proud to point out that this formation is one of the oldest?�surviving mountain ranges on Earth. The?�destination is also much more affordable for the average Russian?�family than the?�European Alps. ?�When?�we arrived?�at Abzakovo, the largest ski resort in the area, was crowded with famillies celebrating the 1st of May.?�It is a?�holiday?�and officially called the Day of spring and labour, which was originally the?�Soviet International Workers Solidarity Day. ?�Just an hour’s drive from the slopes is the?�industrial city of Magnitogorsk,?�home to one of the largest iron and steel works in Russia. ?�The city?�has a?�scary anti-utopian skyline of rising smokestacks, some of them ending with flares of burning gas. ?�The strong wind?�carry the industrial?�smog into the city, making children’s health the biggest concern for parents.?�Skiing, cycling or simply walking in the mountains are popular way to get some fresh air.?�Most of the people we met?�on May 1st preferred taking walks and?�enjoying the picturesque views of the Urals.?�One or two ski slopes?�were still open – the layers of wet snow are pretty thick, so those interested in skiing or snowboarding can continue to have fun.?�The main hotel, which was built?�in the?�Soviet times,?�has kept most things intact.?�There are some new attractive places to stay for those who can afford to spend more.?�Another main attraction of the southern Urals, especially for fans of archaeology and past cultures, is the ancient settlement of Arkaim and the large historical park that surrounds it.?�The site, which is a couple of hours?�from Magnitogorsk, was discovered?�at the end of the?�1980’s. The area was going to become a new?� water reservoir but after a routine archeological examination that changed.?�A team of young scientists, led by Gennady Zdanovich, found traces of circular walls dating back?�to the 17th and 20th century BC.?�The?�large wooden and clay castles were?�protected by high-rising multi-level walls and elaborate labyrinth passages at each of its four entrances. ?�The discovery made headlines all over the world, fuelling a massive?�campaign to protect the area from flooding, which was successful.?�Linked to Proto-Indo-European Arian culture, Arkaim quickly became a place of pilgrimage for all kinds of New Age followers.?�The area was?�promoted?�as a?�mystical site, making it Russia’s answer to England’s?�Stonehenge. ?�Today the Arkaim settlement is mostly buried underground for protection. ?�It?�plays a more scientific role as the center of a huge open-air museum. ?�It features an?�exhibition building and several visiting sites.?�Starting from Stone Age dwellings built with real stone tools according to actual designs of pre-historic buildings found in the area and up to the modern traditional Cossack culture of the 19th century. ?�The?�southern Urals needs to be improved so that it can be?�a touristic destination equal to other foreign historical sites.?�This region is gifted by its nature and heritage but?�needs better travel infrastructure to attract more visitors.?� Copyright © 2011 euronews