Tatar Spring

Tatar Spring (Tatarsky rodnik) is a regional nature monument in the Kumysnaya Polyana natural park, within the city limits of Saratov, the administrative centre of Saratov Oblast. The spring rises near the 10th Dachnaya district, in the upper reaches of the wooded Balagoy ravine, at the confluence of two small streams, in forest quarter 49. It is one of the most visited springs in Saratov: in summer, up to 150 people a day come here to rest and take its water home to drink.

History

The name of the spring, and of the whole Kumysnaya Polyana area, goes back to the 19th century, when Tatars leased this land to graze horse herds and produced large quantities of kumis, a drink made from fermented mare's milk, which they sold to townspeople and summer residents. The kumis trade was prominent enough that it gave rise to both names at once: Kumysnaya Polyana ("Kumis Meadow"), the forest tract, and Tatar Spring itself.

The spring was given its present look in 1994-1995, when it was improved: the source was captured, the water brought out through a pipe to a convenient outlet, and a table and benches set up nearby for visitors. Since then the spot has remained one of the draws on tourist and walking routes through Kumysnaya Polyana.

Nature

Tatar Spring is considered a reference source of the descending-type Upper Saratov aquifer; specialists use it to describe this type of groundwater found around Saratov. According to the nature monument's passport, its discharge is 0.2 cubic metres per hour. The water comes out of a capped spring with convenient access to the outlet pipe; a small overgrown pond survives nearby. The spring itself is decorated with an image of grazing horses, a reminder of the kumis trade that gave the place its name. Its status as a nature monument protects the spring and the surrounding patch of forest from development and industrial use.

Getting there

Tatar Spring lies in the Kumysnaya Polyana natural park in southwestern Saratov, near the 10th Dachnaya district. Kumysnaya Polyana is one of the largest forest tracts within a city in Europe, with a network of trails and cleared paths that Saratov residents use for walking, skiing and cycling. The way to the spring runs along a forest path in the upper reaches of the Balagoy ravine, to the point where the two small streams meet and the water comes out.