Narzan Gallery Kislovodsk

Kislovodsk grew around the narzan spring, a naturally carbonated mineral water that gave the town its name, and the gallery covering the source was built between 1848 and 1858 by the English architect Samuel Upton in a Gothic revival manner - a long low building of light stone with pointed windows, buttresses and a crenellated parapet, laid out as a covered walk with the taps along it. People still come with folding cups and drink there; three types are poured, cold, dolomite and sulphate, at different temperatures, and the etiquette of the spa town persists, with people walking the gallery slowly between sips. The building sits at the entrance to Kislovodsk's park, which runs up the valley for several kilometres with marked walking routes graded by effort - the terrenkur system, prescribed walks that were part of the treatment regime. This is the reading-guide version of the water's reputation: what it does or does not do medically is a matter for the clinical literature and a doctor, not for a travel note.

What you actually see

• The 1850s gallery - a Gothic revival pump room by an English architect.
• The taps - three waters poured at different temperatures, drunk on the spot.
• The cups - people still arriving with their own vessels to fill.
• The terrenkur - the graded walking routes starting at the park gates behind.

When to go

May to September; the gallery opens in set sessions through the day with breaks. One hour.

Honest expectations

Opening is in sessions with closures between, so check times. It is crowded in the morning. The water is strongly mineral and not to everyone's taste. Any health claims attached to it belong to medical literature and a doctor, not to a visit.

Nearby

Kislovodsk park runs up the valley behind; the Lermontov rock is further out.