Afanasievsky postik: a dying village and a railway station
Afanasievsky post is a unique place. There is no infrastructure here: shops, schools, clinics. But there is a picturesque nature and a lot of old houses. The village is 93 km by car from Goryachy Klyuch. The village got its name in honor of a military sergeant named Afanasyev, who was the head of the guard post. It is mentioned by pilgrims who used to go from Yekaterinodar (Krasnodar) to the New Athos Monastery.
Pilgrims, in order to shorten the way, walked through the valley of the Psekups River. In the hot summer the river looks like a small brook. But during rare rains, the river rises several meters and demolishes everything in its path. It was because of this circumstance that the Afanasyevsky post was formed.
The river Psekups has an interesting feature. Due to the large number of sulfur springs, the water in it often has a bluish tint. This feature is reflected in the name. Psekups means “blue water” in Adygian. Another river — Big Dog, according to legend, owes its name to Afanasyev himself, who, according to legend, had two dogs.
He was so attached to them that he named two tributaries of the Psekups in their honor. The Big Dog also has an Adyghe name — Khasaps, which translates as “the river where meetings are held”.
There is a train station in Afapostika. This is the main way to get to the village. This is where our protagonist Ivan works. His whole family is involved in the maintenance of the railway station.
Oleg is Vanya’s father and works as a senior electrician. Every morning he checks the rails, the electrical systems and the local substation, which is not far from the village.
Vanya’s grandmother works as an administrator at the station. She looks after the condition of the tracks, monitors the work of the substation and controls the timetable.
Our hero himself helps in the household. He repairs the popular motoblocks, solders electronics, chops down trees, and much more. Once every two days, Vanya and his father go to Goryachiy Klyuchi Klyuchi for provisions and water. In summer, drinking water is hard to find in Afapostik, as the water in the rivers stagnates and becomes unfit for drinking. Sometimes, as far as possible, the family is helped by the workers of the substation. Water from there is potable, but has an unpleasant iron taste. In winter it is easier, the station workers draw water from Psekups or Bolshoy Dogochka.
Afapostik is a forgotten, beautiful place. It has amazing nature, but it is likely that this village will be completely deserted and the railway station I told you about will stop working.
There are literally only a couple of families left here, and there is no influx of new residents.
August 2024
Danila Povarov
Anna Guselnikova
Artem Buzdugan
