Chanvinskaya Cave

The Chanvinskaya Cave is situated on the left bank of the Chanva River, not far from the creek of the Kopizhnaya River. One can easily find the Cave because its opening is quite huge. The cave has 18m in height and 34m in width. The Cave is horizontal and not too long, its length is about 70m. The Cave is noticeable for being used for a long time as a holy place for Voguls (or Mansis - hunting and herding people of the northern Ural Mountains of western Russia in Asia) during the period of the Upper Paleolithic. The ancient pagan rituals connected with sacrifice to spirit ancestors were performed there. Wooden idols depicting the spirit ancestors stood in the Cave in those times. Practically everywhere one can find remains of deer and moose bones. Pieces of pottery, arrowheads, and things of the Permian zoomorphic ornament were found in the Cave, too.

Nowadays the Cave is an attractive place for tourists. In general it is visited during the River Chanva rafting.

Address: Aleksandrovsk city, left bank of the river Chan'va