The R256 Chuysky Trakt -federal highway R-256 is a trunk road in southwestern Siberia in Russia.
Chuysky Trakt leads from the metropolis of Novosibirsk in a southerly direction via Barnaul to Gorno-Altaisk and then to the southeast through the Altai Mountains to Taschanta on the Mongolian border.
For a long time, on the site of the modern Chuysky tract, there was the so-called Mungalsky tract, which is mentioned in Chinese chronicles of a thousand years ago. For a long time, there was a path on the site of the current asphalt road, which has been used by merchants and warriors since ancient times.
For a long time, on the site of the modern Chuysky tract, there was the so-called Mungalsky tract, which is mentioned in Chinese chronicles of a thousand years ago. For a long time, there was a path on the site of the current asphalt road, which has been used by merchants and warriors since ancient times.
The road is closely linked to the history of the Altai region, as it is the main road in the region, the most vital. From 3000 years BC. AD, it was used by caravans from all over Asia. A mention of the road dates back to more than 1000 years ago, on Chinese records.
The trade then begins to develop, but no physical route was present at that time. The Tchouïa trade route was a dangerous steep mountainous path that only merchants and traders could cross on horseback. An idea was born from the middle of the nineteenth century to build a road in the Tchouïa valley.
In 1901, the construction of a road began,In the years 1920 – 1930, the construction of the road then became a strategic objective for the USSR, and projects for the road appeared in the mid-1920s.The road acquired a modern form in 1935. Thousands of human lives were lost during the construction of the road. On January 1, 1935, the section going from Biïsk to Tachanta (near the Mongolian border) was put into service. In 1984, the Tchike-Taman pass was opened to traffic. In 2007, the road was paved up to the border with Mongolia.
The historical Chuysky tract is part of the modern road from Biysk to the border with Mongolia with a length of about 630 km. The route is popular with auto and motorcycle tourists, cyclists and hitchhikers.In 2014, National Geographic Russia magazine included the Chuisky tract in the list of the ten most beautiful highways in the world
The most developed tourist places are concentrated from Ust-Sema to Chemal, near the village of Manzherok, Lake Aya and in Turquoise Katun.
Access : Coordinates: / Federal Highway R256 , North end Novosibirsk – South end Mongolian border
Highlights :
- Historically, the “Tchouïa road” or “Tract Chuysky” is the section which connects the city of Biïsk, in the Altai Krai, to the Russo-Mongolian border, for approximately 630 kilometers.There are two passes on the Chuysky tract: Seminsky (583 km of the highway, 1717 m above sea level) and Chike-Taman (659 km of the highway, 1295 m above sea level). On the territory of the Novosibirsk region, the Chuisky tract runs along the plain, gradually rising in the Altai Territory and passing into the Altai Mountains in the Altai Republic. The fields are replaced by mixed forest and steppes (Kuraiskaya and Chuiskaya steppe). The route is winding, goes along the Katun and Chuya rivers.
- Chuysky tract museum : The Chuysky tract museum is located in Biysk, on the second floor of the nature department of the V. Bianki Biysk Museum of Local Lore (Sovetskaya st.). The museum contains documents and photographs from the time of the construction of the Chuisky tract, there is a unique volumetric model of the road, paintings and dioramas.
- On the Chuisky tract, mainly on the right bank of the lower reaches of the Katun, from the village of Souzga to the village of Chemal – in the so-called “Chemal deadlock”, there is a resort area of the Altai Republic with a large number of tourist centers, campgrounds and hotels. Tourists visit Lake Aya, Chemal, Karakol lakes, the Chibitka river, the Chulyshman valley and the Katu-Yaryk pass.
- The most interesting for species, ecological and active tourism are the remote areas of the Altai Republic: Ongudaysky, Ulagansky and Kosh-Agachsky.
- Monument at the border between the Altai Krai and the Altai Republic saying “Bon voyage ǃ” in the Altai and Russian languages. / Maïma village with the temple of the descent of the Holy Spirit / Steles, menhirs and burial mound in Inya / Aktach village km 7888 / The Tchike-Taman pass.
Go next : Novosibirsk – connection with R254 and R255 / The Altai Republic ,a republic of Russia located in southern Siberia. It is part of the Siberian Federal District.
