Zheleznovodsk
Encyclopedia
Stavropol Krai
Stavropol Krai is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Stavropol. Population: -Geography:Stavropol Krai encompasses the central part of the Fore-Caucasus and most of the northern slopes of Caucasus Major...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Population:
The name of the town literally means iron-water-place, as the mineral waters springing from the earth in Zheleznovodsk were believed to have high content of iron. Zheleznovodsk, along with Pyatigorsk
Pyatigorsk
Pyatigorsk is a city in Stavropol Krai on the Podkumok River, about from Mineralnye Vody. Since January 19, 2010 it has been the administrative center of the North Caucasian Federal District of Russia...
, Yessentuki, Kislovodsk
Kislovodsk
Kislovodsk is a city in Stavropol Krai, Russia, which lies in the North Caucasian region of the country, between the Black and Caspian Seas. The closest airport is located in the city of Mineralnye Vody. Population:...
, and Mineralnye Vody
Mineralnye Vody
Mineralnye Vody is a town in Stavropol Krai, Russia, which lies along the Kuma River and the main rail line between Rostov-on-Don and Baku . Population:...
, is a part of the Caucasus Mineral Waters, a renowned Russian spa resort. The town economy revolves around sanatoriums, where dozens of thousands of people from all over Russia and former Soviet republics come year-around to vacation and rest, as well as prevent and treat numerous stomach, kidney, and liver diseases.
Zheleznovodsk is situated in the saddle between Mounts Beshtau and Zheleznaya, in what the locals refer to as airo-dynamic tube, which attracts strong winds in the winter.
In 1841, Mikhail Lermontov
Mikhail Lermontov
Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov , a Russian Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called "the poet of the Caucasus", became the most important Russian poet after Alexander Pushkin's death in 1837. Lermontov is considered the supreme poet of Russian literature alongside Pushkin and the greatest...
, famous Russian poet, spent the last day of his life in Zheleznovodsk, from where he departed to his fatal duel on the slopes of Mount Mashuk in Pyatigorsk. Over the past several years Zheleznovodsk has become the site of the International Hot Air Balloon Festival.
Dozens of spas operate in Russia's Caucasus Mountains region, exploiting the mineral springs in the area, and apparently colonic treatment is a specialty. In fact, in June (2008), the Mashuk-Akva Term spa in Zheleznovodsk unveiled a large monument to the enema (an 800-lb. brass syringe bulb held aloft by three angels). "Let's beat constipation," read one banner. Said the sculptor, "This device is eternal; it will never change. We could promote this brand, turn it into a franchise with souvenirs and awards for medical doctors."
Zheleznovodsk was the place of signing the Zheleznovodsk Communiqué
Zheleznovodsk Communiqué
The Zheleznovodsk Communiqué, also known as the Zheleznovodsk Declaration or Zheleznovodsk Accords, is the joint peace communiqué mediated by Russian President, Boris Yeltsin and Kazakhstan President, Nursultan Nazarbayev in Zheleznovodsk, Russia on September 23, 1991 with an intention to end the...
by Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
, Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev has served as the President of Kazakhstan since the nation received its independence in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union...
, Ayaz Mutalibov, Levon Ter-Petrosian on September 23, 1991.