Demon Grotto in Kislovodsk

What to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting

Grotto or Demon Cave in Kislovodsk is not a particularly spectacular attraction of the resort, but it is one of the central places that you will almost certainly not pass by during your vacation. This landmark is an artificial grotto under the historical staircase, in which a statue of a demon "lives" behind bars – the main character of the work of the same name by M. Y. Lermontov.

The poem "Demon", as they would say now, was one of the most "scandalous" works of the great poet. The author worked on it for ten years from 1829 to 1839, however, upon completion of the work, due to censorship bans, the work was not allowed to be printed. Only three years later, excerpts of the work appeared in the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski, and the first edition took place in 1856 in Germany. In Russia, the work was published in 1860, 19 years after the poet died.

Initially, the staircase, under which the demon now lives, was built as part of the general layout of the resort in 1826 by the main architects of the Bernardazzi brothers. Of course, at that time there was no connection with the poet and his works, and in the grotto there was a coffee shop, a shop, a photo salon. The connection with Lermontov appeared after his death: in 1949 his sculpture was installed here, and the landing was called Lermontovskaya. And this did not happen by chance, because the poet went down this staircase more than once, because he lived nearby in Rebrov's house (now this house is under restoration). And the demon himself, i.e. his sculpture, was "settled" under the stairs already in Soviet times in the 1960s.

Some tourists respond to this sculpture as very frightening, especially since sometimes the corresponding gloomy music is included here. Some people are trying to take a photo for fun, which is not easy, because the figure is separated from the audience by a lattice. Anyway, this place is significant for Kislovodsk and you are unlikely to pass by it, because the grotto is located directly opposite the Colonnade. And almost certainly, after visiting the grotto and reading the history of this place, you will want to read the work of the great Russian classic.

We also advise you to look at ready-made excursions with online booking on these verified sites with reviews:

• 📷 Excursions in Kislovodsk on Tripster.ru
• 📷 Excursions in Kislovodsk on Sputnik8.com
• 📷 Excursions in Kislovodsk from the tour operator TEZ Tour