Here peace and quiet prevail amidst the beech and pine woods of the Crimean reservation, where rare plants and animals flourish. It has prevailed in this place for many centuries. A long time ago this was the territory of the monastery of SS Cosmas and Damian, and later became one of the favourite hunting grounds of the Russian Emperors. Mountain goats were brought here from Daghestan, deer from other parts of the Caucasus, and aurochs from the Belovezhskaya reservation in Byelorussia.