Vishersky Reserve

Vishersky Reserve, located in the inaccessible region of the Ural Mountains, on the western slope of the Northern Urals, is one of the largest in Europe. Its territory covers the upper reaches and basin of the Vishera River, which is 415 kilometers long.

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Highlights

Luv-Ner (Tulymsky Stone) is the highest point of the reserve and the entire Perm Krai, with an elevation of 1469.6 meters. There are many different karst forms here: sinkholes, caves and blind valleys with a closed lower end. The extreme northern border of the reserve is the peak of the mountain Saklaimsori-Chakhl (1128.1 m) – the only watershed in the Urals of the basins of three great rivers: Kama, Pechora and Ob. On the tops of many mountain ranges there are amazing natural sculptures – rock remnants. The most famous are Ern-Pupy, Munin-Tump, Devil’s Finger. There are here and waterfalls up to 9 meters high, often forming cascades with intermediate ledges.

The nature of these lands is not accustomed to spoil man. In some areas of the Vishersky Reserve snow cover lies almost 200 days a year, and in summer the temperature never rises above +30 ° C.

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‘ Vetlan Stone is a surprisingly beautiful rocky outcrops in the form of cliffs on the river Vishera. The stone is almost a sheer wall that stretches along the Vishera River for 1750 meters

General information

  • Full name: Vishersky State Nature Reserve
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  • IUCN Category: Ia (strict nature reserve).
  • Date of foundation: February 26, 1991.
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  • Region: Perm Region, Krasnovishersky District.
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  • Area: 241,200 hectares
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  • Relief: middle-altitude.
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  • Climate: moderately continental.
  • Climate: temperate continental.
  • Official website: http://www.vishersky.ru/.
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  • E-mail: vishera.zap@gmail.com.

History of creation

Many scientists unanimously agree that a really unique place was chosen for the organization of the Vishersky Reserve. The famous route to Siberia from Cherdyn through the upper reaches of the Vishera to the Lozva River ran here.

In 1970, through the efforts of the head of the regional hunting inspection Victor Stepanovich Mychelkin was organized hunting preserve “Vishersky”, which became a springboard for the future reserve. In 1982, the Basegi Nature Reserve and its Vishersky branch were formed in the Perm region, which exceeded the rest of the reserve’s territory in area.

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‘ The landscapes of the reserve are characterized by strict poetry and restrained beauty

Vegetation

The plant world of the Vishersky Reserve includes 1147 species of plants. Of these, 334 are lichens, 270 are mosses, and the rest are higher vascular plants. At an altitude of 800-1000 meters there are mountain tundras. There are abundant thickets of dwarf birch (Betula papa), rich berry bushes of cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus), shiksha (Empetrum nigrum), bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum). In the driest places dwarf forests of Siberian juniper (Juniperus sibirica) grow. On the rocks there are relict plants and Ural endemics: Lagotis uralensis (Lagotis uralensis), Kachim uralensis (Gypsophila uralensis), Scorzonera ruprechtiana (Scorzonera ruprechtiana), Rhodiola rosea (Rhodiola rosea).

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A very interesting berry is the common blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum). It is called bog blueberry, topiary or low-growing. In common parlance, this berry has even more unusual names: vodopianka, golubets, gonobobob, duraha and drunken berry.

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Animal life

The Vishersky Reserve is home to 36 species of mammals, 155 species of birds, 2 species of amphibians and 17 species of fish. There are brown bear (Ursus arctos), sable (Martes zibellina), ermine (Mustela erminea), wolf (Canis lupus), fox (Vulpex vulpex), moose (Alces alces). The sable population is considered to be the largest in the Perm Krai.

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‘ The Vishersky Reserve is home to many interesting species of insects, among them the mnemosine butterfly
‘ Black stork

Rare bird species of the reserve include osprey (Pandion haliaetus), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and black stork (Ciconia nigra).

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Among the fish are common Siberian grayling (Thymallus arcticus), common minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus), burbot (Lota lota), podkamenshchik (Cottus gobio), common char (Barbatula barbatula), etc.

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Mnemosyne butterfly, or Apollo black (Parnassius mnemosyne), which is found in the Vishersky Reserve, is included in the Red Book of Russia. It owes its name to the ancient Greek goddess of memory, the mother of the nine muses – Mnemosyne.

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This is interesting

‘ class=”fancybox” >The Vishersky Reserve is rich in deposits of precious and semi-precious stones, including rock crystal

The basin of the Vishera River is a natural deposit of diamonds, quartzites and rock crystal. The word “diamond” is of Greek origin and means “indestructible”. It is a mineral, an allotropic form of carbon, characterized by the highest strength. The very first diamond in Russia was found on July 4, 1829 by Pavel Popov in the Perm province of the Urals. In 1814, Humphrey Davy and Michael Faraday finally proved that diamond is a chemical relative of coal and graphite. For many centuries, a cut diamond has been considered one of the most expensive gemstones. There are also natural deposits of rock crystal – pure natural silicon dioxide. Especially valuable are the crystals measuring from 3 to 5 centimeters. In ancient China and Japan, perfectly regular spheres were made of rock crystal, and the mineral itself was considered to be the frozen breath of a dragon. In Zoroastrianism, the sky was thought to be made up of crystal.

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Information for visitors

Reserve regime

Visiting the reserve is possible only after obtaining a special permit from the administration. Hunting, fishing, collecting herbariums, insects, minerals and any other collections are prohibited here. All finds must be handed in to the reserve’s administration.

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How to get there

Vishersky Reserve can be reached from the district center Krasnovishersk. And the district center, in turn, get to the district center in two ways: by train to Solikamsk and then by bus (100 km); by train to Perm and then by bus (300 km). The distance from Krasnovishersk to the protected zone of the reserve (150 km) can be overcome by a shift car.

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Where to stay

There are two hotels in Krasnovishersk. By prior agreement with the administration you can stay in the private sector.