I suggest you take a virtual walk underground, or to be more precise - under the mountain. Old galleries for the extraction of copper - Sarmanovskie mines. They are located in Tatarstan, near the city of the same name Sarmanovo.
The development of the deposit began long ago, back in the 17th century. During the operation of the mine, the miners managed to dig about two kilometers of passages, and in some places they go in several tiers. Some of the tunnels allow you to go to their full height, in some you have to crawl. They say that somewhere in the depths of the mines there is a large hall with an underground lake. Maybe it's true, maybe not... These tunnel systems are not fully understood. Only the first 200-300 meters of passages are popular with tourists, where arrows are drawn on the walls in the direction of the exit. Only experienced speleologists go further.
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Pictured is the entrance to the mine. Before visiting, I was worried that the tunnels might be flooded with water from melting snow, but the inside of the mountain is surprisingly dry.
These tunnels even have their own life. Bats live here. But I never found one. I found only a few toads, which immediately hid in the cracks between the stones ... I also did not find native copper. However, not a single tourist found it there :)
Unfortunately, I managed to stay in the mine for only a few hours... The flashlight batteries ran out quickly. And there was a feeling that I have not yet found the most interesting thing in this place. Didn't take the main picture. Therefore, I will have to come back here again, better prepared.
3 The first 3-4 meters you have to crawl, the passage here is very narrow
4 Green plaque on the walls is not copper, as you might think, but moss
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And when writing a post, for some reason I remembered Tolkien's poem:
"Far over the Misty Mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day
To seek our pale enchanted gold..."
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