Lermontov Grotto, Natural grotto on Mount Mashuk in Pyatigorsk, Russia.

Lermontov Grotto is a natural cave carved into the slope of Mount Mashuk, with interior stonework designed in the early 1800s. The stone walls and archways create a cool sheltered space that opens to views across Pyatigorsk and the surrounding landscape.

The large grotto is a natural cave that the Bernadazzi brothers only deepened in 1829 while laying out Emanuelevsky Park. It was first called Calypso Grotto. In the 1860s it became known as Lermontov Grotto, since the writer was thought to have watched the "water society" from here.

The name Lermontov was attached to the grotto in the 1860s, not during the poet's lifetime: it was believed he liked to watch the "water society" of spa visitors from here. The grotto also appears in Leonid Gaidai's film "The Twelve Chairs", standing in for the Proval; at its railing Ostap Bender sells tickets.

The grotto sits within Emanuel Park and is accessible via walking trails from different parts of the city. You can visit free of charge and at your own pace throughout the year without restrictions.

The grotto appears in Leonid Gaidai's 1971 film "The Twelve Chairs": it stands in for the Proval sinkhole, and it is at its railing that Ostap Bender sells tickets. The small grotto of the same 1829 park scheme, on the slope of Mount Goryachaya, later lost its vault; a niche with a stone bench survives behind the Academic Gallery.