The village Vanavara is a district centre with the population of 3000 people (685km to the north of Krasnoyarsk) and located on rocky bank of Podkamennaya Tunguska River (Katanga) at the entry of small taiga river Vanavarka. Podkamennaya Tunguska River (1146 km to Yenisei) is the main thoroughfare between Vanavara and outside world. Travelers from everywhere crave to see one of the most beautiful rivers in the world (at Vanavara its width is more than 300m). And tritons who managed to go through all the riffles and rifts of this rebellious river are considered to be wizards of nautics.

Tunguska meteorite made Vanavara a world famous place. All the expeditions which tried to get to the spot of Tunguska event had to pass through Vanavara. One of the local hunters Vitaly Voronov has established a monument at Vanavara’s central square– a spall of rock with epigraph “Astropoint 1928” on it (before that there was a wooden pole set up by survey crew of Leonid Kulik’s expedition). The first Vanavara Regional museum has been built in the centre of the village. Museum exhibitions tell about past events, about meteorite and geologic expeditions, life of local people. There are a lot of interesting documents, photographs, personal belongings of researchers, some paintings, stuffed taiga animals and birds. There is a street in the village named after Kulik who was conducting a research and studying the most mysterious space phenomenon of the 20^th century, and also there is a street called Meteoritnaya. In 1995 according to the resolution of Russian Government the“Tunguska” State Nature Reserve was founded with its main residence in Vanavara.

In the north of Vanavara there is an airdrome which is able to receive modern airplanes during the whole year.

Among other Evenkia towns Vanavara has the most favorable climate. Dark-green taiga of Vanavara is the source of wealth with its white ravines covered with fog, with icebound rivers and swamps and with wild impassable spruce forests. If we procure 3mln cubic meters of timber a year from special taiga solid wood, then Vanavara forest will be sufficient for 200 years (now 3 mln cubic meters of timber is procured just in Krasnoyarsk krai a year). Today, thanks to unique climate modern Vanavara citizens can raise watermelons, muskmelons and lemons!

The origin of Vanavara is also very interesting. According to one version in 19^th century at evenk camping ground a Russian merchant Ivan with his wife Varvara has settled. Evenk hunters who came to him to change furs to guns, patrons and useful household stuff, called Ivan and Varvara in their own way – Vana and Vara. The other version is based on reading evenk word “anan” meaning “a push” and “varen” meaning “to kill”. Probably Russian merchants has put up a fight because this place was very good for trade and one of them pushed the other one from the cliff. Peaceful Tungus people were shocked by this and called the village after this episode.

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