The Devil's Settlement near Kaluga
Chertovo Gorodishche (Devil’s Settlement) is a unique natural and historical landmark hidden within dense forests. The site is famous for its monumental quartzite sandstone outcrops, rock labyrinths, and pre-glacial relict flora. Its shaded crevices shelter the luminous moss Schistostega pennata, which reflects faint light into an emerald glow.
The legend
According to local folklore, a devil sought to marry a peasant's daughter. The father agreed under one condition: the suitor had to construct a magnificent stone palace on the hill in a single night before the first rooster crowed. The demon was nearly finished when the father outsmarted him by using a torch to wake the rooster early. Hearing the crow, the furious devil abandoned the fortress, scattering massive boulders across the slope.
What actually happened?
The rock formations are the result of natural geological processes spanning millions of years. Massive sandstone outcrops were exposed and carved by ancient glaciers, water, and freeze-thaw cycles. The bizarre indentations ("cups," "wells," and "fingers") formed due to differential weathering of the rock rather than supernatural intervention.
History
Between the 3rd and 5th centuries AD, this high ground served as a fortified settlement of the Moshchiny culture (ancestors of Baltic tribes) and later the Slavic Vyatichi. The promontory served as both a defensive fortress and a pagan tribal sanctuary, where cup-marked and footprint stones were used for rituals and sacrifices.
Where is it?
The tract is located in the Kozelsk District of the Kaluga Region, near the town of Sosensky and the Chertovskaya stream. It is part of the Berezichi Forestry sector inside the Ugra National Park.
Can you visit?
Yes, the site is open to the public. As it is situated within the protected territory of the Ugra National Park, visitors must obtain a visitor permit in advance (available online via the park’s official website). A marked ecological trail with wooden boardwalks leads directly to the rock formations.
Golosov Ravine
A ravine in Kolomenskoye that Moscow tells stories about as a place where time comes loose. In the best-known version, a detachment of Tatar horsemen vanished into it during Devlet Giray's raid of 1571 — and in 1621 riders in antique armour appeared at the tsar's gates. Questioned, they insisted they had gone down into the ravine to escape pursuit, hidden in a greenish fog on its floor, and stepped out of it a few minutes later. Fifty years had passed. Two enormous boulders lie at the bottom, the Goose and the Maiden Stone; people still come to make wishes on them, and the fog really does linger there longer than on the slopes.
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