Tashtagol: Mountain Shoria, mining history and culture

Tashtagol offers insights into Mountain Shoria alongside places commemorating its mining history. At the city museum, a geological monument and a monument to ore mining, you can encounter different facets of the town. The wider destination of Kemerovo Oblast also offers river routes, landscapes and other cultural sites. When planning your trip, it is therefore worth deciding first whether the focus should be on Tashtagol’s museums and monuments or on other destinations in the oblast.

Museum and monuments in Tashtagol

The Tashtagol City Museum of Ethnography and Nature of Mountain Shoria was founded in September 1989. Its themes range from the lives of the Indigenous population and Old Believers to the region’s industrial development, flora and fauna. Cultural history and knowledge of nature are presented side by side; the museum provides an introduction to Mountain Shoria before you visit individual monuments around the town.

The geological monument is located in Verbitsky Park, opposite the city museum and the central library. Its location adds a distinctive geological feature among the town’s cultural sites. Another memorial site commemorates the history of mining: the “Kamen na ladoni” monument recalls 8 February 1986. On that day, the crew led by G. N. Kuvshinov from the Sheregesh Mining Plant extracted the 300-millionth tonne of ore from Mountain Shoria. In August of that year, the monument was erected at the central stop in the Ust-Shalym district, on Pospeleva Street.

In “Boevoy slavy” Park, the “Zolotaya Shoriya” monument depicts a young Shor woman riding on the back of a powerful elk. The image combines a striking visual idea with a connection to Shor culture. Together with the themes explored at the city museum, it creates a cultural and historical focus that extends from regional natural history to the commemoration of work and mining.

River routes and landscapes in Kemerovo Oblast

The wider destination of Kemerovo Oblast offers different opportunities in Shorsky National Park: visitors can raft on mountain rivers, take motorboat trips and hike along ecological trails. The “Srednyaya Mrassu” rafting route runs from Ust-Kabyrsa to Ust-Anzas. It is rated Category I, is accessible to all age groups and takes at least three days, depending on the weather. Check current park rules and route conditions before planning your trip.

Another river route, “Verkhnyaya Mrassu”, includes small rapids and riffles rated Categories I and II. Here, water conditions and duration depend on the participants’ preparation and the water level. The comparison highlights different planning considerations: a weather-dependent minimum duration is specified for “Srednyaya Mrassu”, while preparation and river levels determine the conditions and duration for “Verkhnyaya Mrassu”.

The landscape around “Sheregesh” also offers a variety of experiences. The ski runs range from 350 to 3,800 metres in length; check the resort’s current information before travelling. The eco-trails feature three land-art installations, a dancing forest, “living stones”, block fields and the ancient “Verblyudy” rocks. These rock spires are located on the slope of Mount “Kurgan”. According to the route description, information video guides featuring interviews with Professor Nikolai Skalon are installed along the way; he talks about the sights. For an excursion, you can choose among the river, the hiking trail and the described landforms, without treating the destinations as a single place.

Cultural sites in the oblast

Tomskaya Pisanitsa is a cultural monument of federal significance and one of the best-known and most important rock art sites in Western Siberia. The museum-reserve covers 156 hectares of pine forest on the picturesque banks of the Tom River. Since its early years, it has also been a venue for historical, ethnographic and folklore events and festivals; check specific dates separately.

At the “Shorskiy ulus Kezek” complex near “Tomskaya Pisanitsa”, the homestead of a wealthy Shor has been reconstructed, with original buildings dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The rock art site, the forest-and-river setting and the ethnographic reconstruction each offer a different focus. In Kemerovo Oblast, people left 300 rock images at sites considered sacred; the oldest depictions are 4,000 years old.

Choose accommodation to suit your travel plans

If you mainly want to visit the city museum and monuments, look specifically for a holiday apartment in Tashtagol. If your stay is focused more on other cultural or natural attractions in Kemerovo Oblast, take those specific destinations into account when choosing your accommodation. This way, your search reflects the places that actually matter to your trip.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Andreevka, Novorossiysk, Kemerovo, Yurga, Silino, Belovo, Myski, Bedarevo.

For the wider travel overview: Kemerovo Oblast.