Mount Pidan, also known as Mount Livadia, is one of the unique places in Primorsky Krai, shrouded in secrets and legends. For many centuries, it has attracted the attention not only of tourists, but also of researchers who strive to uncover its secrets.
You can get to Mount Pidan by electric train from Vladivostok to Lukyanovka village, which takes about 2.5 hours. From the station to the foot of the mountain you will have to walk for about 4-4.5 hours, and to the top it will take another 2-2.5 hours. However, half of the way can be overcome by jeep or dump truck, especially in high season, when regular hikes to the mountain are organized. The height of Pidan is 1333 meters.
Mount Pidan got its name long before the Bohai state, as legends testify. Today it is also known as Mount Livadia, but people and travel agencies continue to call it Pidan. This place attracts attention not only for its beauty, but also for historical and cultural evidence of the most ancient civilization.
From the top of Pidan opens a magnificent view of the Livadia Range, and in clear weather you can see the Sea of Japan. But the mountain itself not only pleases the eye with its scenery, but also has special natural features. Under the mountain there is a fresh lake, from which several mountain rivers take their source. The water in them is very clear and icy even in the hottest days of summer. The locals claim that the water has healing properties and helps you stay awake for days.
Mount Pidan is known for many legends and mysteries that attract the attention of people from all over the world. One of the most famous legends is related to a flying man who has been seen for centuries. Back in the early 20th century, traveler V. Arseniev wrote about him in his works. According to numerous testimonies, the flying man looks like a blond woman with a very pale face of European type, dressed in white clothes. She emits a terrible cry if she feels threatened.
Some people with psychic abilities see this woman much more often. They claim that she is a spirit called to protect and guard the mountain from evil. She often appears in the camps of tourists at night or early in the morning to listen to their conversations. Her presence is felt by women, children and people with great sensitivity.
But the most mysterious thing on Pidan is dozens, if not hundreds of megalithic stone blocks, as if scattered from the foot to the top of the mountain, amazing dolmens and prehistoric stonework – a wall standing on the top of the ridge almost at the summit of Pidan.
Towards the highest point of Pidan stretches a long ridge, at the top of which there are megalithic structures. From 400 to 500 meters in length stands an impressive stonework. Fans of climbing Pidan call it the wall of the Churchens. Although, it has nothing to do with them. The Churchens (their heyday was in the XI-XIII centuries) never built settlements or fortresses so high (1100 meters), did not use such a masonry technique and did not have the appropriate technology to do so. The same applies to the Bohai people (the state of Bohai in Primorye existed in VII-X centuries), but according to legends Bohai priests performed their rituals on the mountain regularly and considered it holy. However, all these “legends” about the Bohai trace appeared at the end of XX century and, having no scientific or even near-scientific confirmations, remain simple bikes.
Near the beginning of the wall, there is one of the main attractions of Pidan – DOLMEN. Its height is from 2.2 to 2.5 meters (approximate calculation), it consists of a huge stone block, on the edges of which are 4 small stones of the same shape, and on them a huge stone block identical to the first. Any man of average size can crawl between the two stone blocks (inside the dolmen). It is unknown who built the dolmen and for what purpose.
At the top of Pidan one can feel strong energy, many people are rocked in different directions, some experience a great rush of emotions from laughter to tears. When climbing to the top there is a feeling of inexplicable aggression to others and yourself, you can easily fight over nothing. Things are different when descending: joy, positive emotions, you want to sing songs and laugh. If you camp overnight at the top or at the foot of the mountain, dreams take on a special meaning.
