Dinosaur Cemetery in Blagoveshchensk 2016
Look on the Internet, and there are vague mentions of a Dinosaur Cemetery in Blagoveshchensk. Some say that it is in Kundur, a village that is too far away to drive to, but even those sites that talk about where it is never mention an address. Having a native Russian speaker along can help clarify the situation, but even in Russian, the directions are clear as mud.
Apparently, the Dinosaur Cemetery is off limits and closed to the public. When I final found where it was, there were two guard dogs at the gate and one caretaker. Work on excavating the bones had been halted due to a budget crisis. Still, I was allowed in to take a look at the site. It is grown over with weeds and the rainwater has pooled in places, but it is easy to see the potential.
A canteen area held some of the specimens collected at the site, most notably a giant bone that I assumed was a leg. UP in the corner of the lot are some dinosaur and other prehistoric statues that are showing their age. A T-Rex has fallen and can’t get up, but the hadrosaur is still doing well. The location is near Prospect Lenina and a couple of signs would make it easier to find.
Charging admission to the site while people are working on it would help to alleviate some of the financial issues, as would possible paleontological vacations, where people pay to help excavate. However, until such a time as the people in charge see fit to open up the cemetery again, it looks like most visitors to Blagoveshchensk will have to miss out on this gem in the rough (and this article will have to forgo giving an address).
Apparently, the Dinosaur Cemetery is off limits and closed to the public. When I final found where it was, there were two guard dogs at the gate and one caretaker. Work on excavating the bones had been halted due to a budget crisis. Still, I was allowed in to take a look at the site. It is grown over with weeds and the rainwater has pooled in places, but it is easy to see the potential.
A canteen area held some of the specimens collected at the site, most notably a giant bone that I assumed was a leg. UP in the corner of the lot are some dinosaur and other prehistoric statues that are showing their age. A T-Rex has fallen and can’t get up, but the hadrosaur is still doing well. The location is near Prospect Lenina and a couple of signs would make it easier to find.
Charging admission to the site while people are working on it would help to alleviate some of the financial issues, as would possible paleontological vacations, where people pay to help excavate. However, until such a time as the people in charge see fit to open up the cemetery again, it looks like most visitors to Blagoveshchensk will have to miss out on this gem in the rough (and this article will have to forgo giving an address).