DISTRICT / AIMAG
Slavgorod Municipal District
REGION
Altai Krai
Bursol
The settlement of Bursol, founded in 1768, is located in the Slavgorod municipal okrug of the Altai Krai on the shores of the unique Lake Burlinskoye.
A historical photograph, village view, landscape, or related heritage object will be displayed here at a later date.
ZH 
RU 
EN Historical background
The settlement emerged in 1768 by decree of Catherine II in connection with the opening of a table salt extraction enterprise by industrialist Demidov. Until the 1930s, extraction was done manually, after which mechanization began: salt pumps were introduced, and an underwater railway branch was laid. During the Great Patriotic War, prisoners, prisoners of war, and Soviet Germans worked at the salt enterprise, many of whom later remained in the settlement. In 1997, the local salt was recognized as the best at an international exhibition in Spain and was exported to Japan, Afghanistan, and Mongolia. Since 2010, large-scale salt extraction has been resumed by the Altai Salt Mining Company, providing jobs for more than 100 local residents.
Place, memory, heritage
Historical and cultural legacy
The settlement houses a memorial of the Great Patriotic War, created in the 1970s with the participation of workers from the local factory. A school and a house of culture operate in the settlement.
Natural surroundings
The settlement is situated on the shores of the endorheic salt Lake Burlinskoye (Pink Lake) with an area of about 31 sq. km, the water of which turns pink depending on the season, while the shores are covered with a salt crust. Within the boundaries of the settlement, the regional nature monument "Halophyte Community of the Lake Burlinskoye Coast," covering an area of 604 hectares, operates.
Historical and cultural legacy
The settlement houses a memorial of the Great Patriotic War, created in the 1970s with the participation of workers from the local factory. A school and a house of culture operate in the settlement.
Living culture and memory
The profession of a salt miner is deeply rooted in the villagers' way of life, and the place itself is referred to as the "tsar's salt shaker" in local legends. The house of culture hosts the choreographic ensemble "Stupeni," the vocal group "Solyanochka," and the national Kazakh collective "Ak zhol," whose participants perform in traditional costumes. Annually on May 9, solemn rallies and wreath-laying ceremonies take place at the memorial of memory.
