Tashtagol is the administrative centre of Tashtagol district of Kemerovo region of Russian Federation. It is located 4,000km from Moscow, 370km from the regional centre Kemerovo and 160km from Novokuznetsk, the largest industrial city of Kuzbass. Tashtagol received the status of a city in 1963, when the local mine development started.
The city is the end station of the South-Kuzbass branch of the West-Siberian Railway. There is a train “Tashtagol – Novokuznetsk” connecting the main stations of the region. The population of the city reached 23,079 people in 2016.
Tashtagо́l is translated as “a stone on the palm”. And it is a stone on the palm that became the main symbol of the city.
Golden Shoria Memorial was casted in Italy and brought to Russia by sea. A special 5-metre mound was erected for it. The Monument depicts a young beauty riding a mighty elk. Ancient Shorian legends say that an elk is a patron of all inhabitants of the taiga mountain region. A bowl in the girl’s hands symbolizes the abundance of the Shorian land.
Address: 11, Nogradskaya str. (Rus: Ноградская ул., 11)
GPS coordinates: 52°45’29″N, 87°51’0″E
One of the attractions of Tashtagol is the Labour Glory Monument dedicated to the extraction of 300 million tons of ore. On the same square you can find a monument of an L-0697 locomotive produced in 1949 that was exploited on the West-Siberian Railway after World War II.
GPS coordinates: 52°45’35.834″N, 87°50’57.765″E
There is Mountain Shoria Ethnography and Nature museum in Tashtagol that comprises ethnographic collections of housewares and worship objects of the indigenous nationalities, geological samples as well as flora and fauna exhibits. The exhibition illuminates the household and the spiritual culture of the indigenous population of Mountain Shoria – the Shors; the processes and objects of hunting, trades and gathering. The household and the trades of the Russian Old Believers are also presented here.
Address: 4, 8th Marta str. (ул. 8 Марта, д. 4)
Getting there: Bus № 101, № 6 from the city main bus terminal to the “Ulitsa Pospelova” (Rus: Ул. Поспелова) bus stop.
Opening hours: daily 9.00-18.00, except Mon and last Fri of each month.
There is a direct connection between Tashtagol and Novokuznetsk. In Novokuznetsk take either train №6042 “Novokuznetsk – Tashtagol” on odd days or №680 on even days. Travel time is 4.5 hours.
The address of the railway station: 2, Transportnaya str. (Rus: ул. Транспартная, 2)
It is also possible to get there by bus: №692, 693, 694, 695, 703. The journey takes about 3-4 hours. The bus makes a few stops along the way. Buses depart more than 10 times per day.
Bus station in Novokuznetsk is located close to the railway station.
The address of the bus station: 4 Transportnaya str. (Rus: ул. Транспартная, 4)
Often Tashtagol serves as a departure point for the alpin ski resort Sheregesh.
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