Shapsugskaya: Waterfalls, Rocks and Memorial Sites

Around Shapsugskaya, you can find waterfalls, rocks and a spring; within the settlement itself there is a mass grave and an obelisk. Nearby, a memorial trail also passes through the forest zone of Abinsky District. Distinctive landforms and historic memorial sites thus stand side by side.

Waterfalls, Rocks and a Spring

The Great Adegoy Waterfall lies nine kilometres southwest of Shapsugskaya in the Ivanovsky Yar gorge and is eleven metres high. Several more waterfalls upstream form a cascade with a total height of up to 40 metres. The eleven metres refer to the individual waterfall, while up to 40 metres refers to the cascade as a whole.

Two kilometres south of Shapsugskaya, next to the “Solontsy” mud volcano, stands the free-standing rock “Chertov palets” (“Devil’s Finger”), split into several blocks. According to local accounts, the split was caused by an explosion set off by local residents in the post-war years. One kilometre southeast of Shapsugskaya, at the edge of Romashkova Meadow, lies the “Rodnik zhivoy i mertvoy vody” (“Spring of Living and Dead Water”). A cross stands at the spring’s outlet.

Memorial Sites in Shapsugskaya and the Surrounding Area

Shapsugskaya has a mass grave of Soviet soldiers who died defending and liberating the settlement from German troops. An obelisk commemorates the settlers who moved from the Black Sea region to the Kuban in 1861. The two sites refer to different historical themes: the defence and liberation of Shapsugskaya, and migration from the Black Sea region.

Near Shapsugskaya, the tourist excursion trail “Tropa Bessmertiya” (“Path of Immortality”) passes through the forest zone of Abinsky District. As described in 2023, the route is eleven kilometres long and connects five memorials to those killed in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945. From the starting point, it crosses a low watershed ridge at the foot of Mount Maslova (219.8 metres) to “Polyana Smerti” (“Glade of Death”); from there, it descends to a cross before the settlement entrance. Check trail conditions before setting out.

The memorial markers along the trail commemorate specific wartime locations. At the foot of elevation 219.8, one commemorates six naval infantrymen killed by German troops in January and February 1943. Another marks the site of the last battle fought by the T-34 crew of the 126th Independent Tank Battalion of the 47th Army, commanded by Lieutenant A. E. Lobunov. The marker “Ni shagu nazad!” (“Not a Step Back!”) commemorates the defence by Soviet troops. Another memorial is dedicated to the fallen crew members of a Soviet DB-3F bomber. At “Polyana Smerti” there is a monument and a mass grave.

The Great Shapsug Dolmen is also located near Shapsugskaya. On 27 March 2023, it was included on the route of the local-history excursion “Legendy Abinskogo rayona” (“Legends of Abinsky District”), attended by 90 schoolchildren.

When looking for a holiday rental, this geographical overview can help: the mass grave and obelisk are in Shapsugskaya itself, while the waterfall, rock, spring, dolmen and memorial trail are in the surrounding area. When choosing a location, you can weigh up whether to focus on the monuments in the settlement or the natural and memorial sites in the surrounding area.

Discover more destinations: Borisovka, Bolshoy Kichmay, Mezmay, Orel-Izumrud, Kirpichnyy, Guamka, Bagovskaya, Golovinka

For the main travel overview: Krasnodar Region.