The Vera Island is:
- Historico-cultural object of regional importance;
- Member of the international route of ACC UNESCO «World cultural heritage. Dialog of cultures, dialog of civilizations»;
- Member of the program of regional Chelyabinsk’s Government «Seven wonders of the Southern Urals»;
- Exceedingly attractive and popular touristic object.
Administrative belonging
The Vera Island is situated in the Turgoyak Lake of the City Miass in the Chelyabinsk area. 100 km to the west from Chelyabinsk and 18 km to the north-west from the rail station of Miass.
Location
This area of the Southern Transurals is, probably, the most beautiful in the Urals. There is a forest landscape with small mountains and hundreds lakes. The Turgoyak Lake is one of the largest of them. The island is relatively small: 8,7 ha. It is a rocky ridge elongated from the North-West to the South-East. There are two areas on the island having very different climate: a warm South-West, where preliminary pines grow; and North-East with lindens and birches. The contrast among these areas is so great that it is well visible even on satellite photographs.
Historical background
The earlier name of the island, "Pinaev", existed together with its modern name. Pinaev was a participant of Pugachev’s insurrection in XVIII century. He was hiding on the island after the defeat of insurrection. Local people tell a legend about a princess Vera, who escaped to the island from the marriage with unloved, and she established here a settlement of the Old Believers in XIX century.
But our archaeological studies have demonstrated that the most part of the objects on the island from the earliest periods was connected with cultic activities of people. Therefore, another hypothesis appeared. In Russian language the word "Vera" is not only a female name. It means also "faith", "belief". In the Miass area even unbelieving people have a special attitude to the island. Probably this attitude was always and it is reflected in the name of the island. Thus we believe that the island was a very important cultic place from earliest periods. But it is a question how this attitude could be inherited from one people to another.
The most interesting on the island is a complex of cultic megalithic objects dated to the Copper Age. It consists of several contemporary objects of different types and ritual destination. They reflect a full religious circle of their builders. Monumental sculptural heads of animals are also unique and have nor analogies neither in Russia nor in Europe. In addition to this there are ancient quarries for megalithic building and one of the earliest metallurgical furnaces in Eurasia.
The megaliths are very attractive. The visitors of the island can observe real artifacts, no modern reconstructions.