The Romantsev mountains (Konduki) are located in 90 kilometers to the south of the Tula. This is a very interesting natural attraction in the Central region of Russia. Here you will see lakes with turquoise water and red-brown clay waste heaps.
Since the 1960s, brown coal has been mined in the Ushakovsky quarry, near the village of Konduki. Over three decades, the depth of the quarry reached several tens of meters, and huge waste heaps of clay rock were formed next to it. The height of the highest waste heap exceeds 100 meters. As the depth increased, the quality of brown coal declined, and operation of the quarry was discontinued in the 1990s.
After a few years, the quarry began to transform. The water completely filled all the mines where coal was extracted. It is very clean with a turquoise hue, but the strongest transformation occurred with clay waste heaps. Rain, melting snow, and wind turned them into strange mountains of red-brown color. They are everywhere riddled with cracks, which are left behind by streams of water.
Some call these landscapes Martian or alien. Perhaps this is an exaggeration, but with full confidence we can say that these waste heaps and turquoise lakes really look very picturesque. There are not only mountains and lakes, but also deep canyons (up to 5 meters).
The official name of this place is "Natural and anthropogenic recreation complex Romantsev Mountains (Konduki)". Its total area is about 1 hectare. Romantsevo is a village 5 kilometers from the quarry. Konduki is a village 2 kilometers from the quarry. Sometimes they are also called “Kondukovsky quarry” or the “Blue lake”.
A lot of people always come here on weekends, many of them stay overnight with tents. In summer, many people swim here. Officially, swimming in quarries is not recommended, because the lakes were formed on the site of flooded mines, but this does not stop people. The purity of the water and the great depth even attract divers here. Water under different lighting conditions has not only a turquoise hue, but also a rich blue and bright green color.
The distance from Moscow to the Romantsev mountains is 220 kilometers along the Moscow-Don highway. The journey time will take about 3 hours, but it is definitely worth coming here. This place can be called one of the most interesting natural attractions in the Central region of Russia.
