Want to live in a lighthouse? Try traveling to the Kurbatov lighthouse

(autotranslated, could have mistakes)

Image removed from public review package. Local review only · not public no-info · kurbatova_m2.jpgLighthouse keepers on Facebook

Recently I met the most interesting family of lighthouse makers Elena Barbasheva and Vladimir Dyachkov from the Kurbatov lighthouse on Shumshu Island (not far from Severokurilsk). The very fact of meeting in the community of the Amateur Club lighthouses surprising, because Our lighthouses are people who are already well over 40 (mostly) and are not on short terms with the Internet. There is no Internet at the lighthouses; even cellular communications are not available at all lighthouses. At our Kurbatov lighthouse there is only a long-wave radio station, through which the lighthouses communicate. We met when the lighthouse workers were on vacation on the mainland.

Over the course of 6 years, this heroic family, through titanic efforts without outside help, actually restored and repaired the lighthouse at their own expense, despite all the obstacles that remind one of the old joke, when the head of the plant decided not to pay employees wages, and when they continued to go to the plant, he also offered to take money from them for entry. All this is very reminiscent of the most interesting story of the lighthouses from Kurbatov.

The only female head of the lighthouse

Elena is the only woman in Russia now - Head of the lighthouse

Tourism on the island

According to Elena’s reviews, there are more and more travelers and tourists every year. They arrive on foot - they cross from Severo-Kurilsk. They come in kayaks. Irkutsk guys came on a catamaran. They even sailed on inflatable bananas connected to each other. People from all over Russia. There are a lot of Muscovites.

True, tourists are attracted not by the lighthouse, but by the military operations that took place on the islands during the Kuril landing. This is where it becomes clear why the Kurbatov lighthouse is called that way. Before the occupation of these lands by Soviet troops, Cape Kurbatov was called Cape Kokutan-Sako.

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The Kuril landing force arrived from Kamchatka and landed right in the area of the lighthouse. The lighthouse held the defense. There are still a lot of trenches and bunkers. What the caretakers just don’t find. The lighthouse town was built in such a way that it could hold its defense for a very long time. The approaches to the lighthouse from almost all sides were impregnable.  One of the commanders took the main bunker, after which the lighthouse was also taken. The commander's surname was Kurbatov, after which the cape began to bear the name Kurbatov and the lighthouse too.

How to get to the lighthouse?

Image removed from public review package. Local review only · not public no-info · kurbatova_smotriteli.jpgThose wishing to visit the lighthouse will be received with pleasure. During the summer season you can live at the lighthouse very inexpensively. Only 500 rubles for a bed. The lighthouses, among other things, provided relatively comfortable living conditions, so go ahead, the season is already approaching (late July to early September), so whoever enjoys extreme sports has the opportunity to see both the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, as well as a lot of artifacts related to the military actions of the Japanese.

I will describe more detailed information on how to get to the lighthouse in the near future or write by E-mail

At the same time, there are no problems for travelers, despite the military status. Everyone who came to them lived with the caretakers in the house, wandered around the island, photographed Japanese tanks and guns, and climbed bunkers. In 2011, due to the influx of tourists, they even made a hotel - a small apartment with 3 beds, a kitchen and a bathroom. Ready to receive everyone.

The lighthouse is approximately here http://maps.yandex.ru/-/CRbsjSI9

For more information about the lighthouse, see the link after the article.

Let's support the lighthouses!

I would really like to help this interesting and heroic family, about life, which few people knew, like most lighthouses. We are used to admiring beautiful photos of lighthouses, but lighthouse keepers almost always remain invisible to us, and their hard work to ensure the safety of navigation in difficult conditions is usually hardly noticeable to anyone.

We really want to support this family and publish electronic wallets belonging to Elena and Vladimir. Support the lighthouses WEB MONEY - wallet R288342263483, and RBK MONEY - wallet RU610548822.

Best regards,

Vasily Korablev