Irkutsk (ИРКУТСК)
the sixth largest city in Siberia, the capital of the Irkutsk region. It is located in Eastern Siberia, on the banks of the Angara River, at the confluence with the Irkut River 66km to the west of Lake Baikal, about 5,200 km to the east of Moscow. The population of Irkutsk is about 620,000 (2015), the area - 432 sq. km. Irkutsk was founded in 1661. That time, it was a small settlement playing the role of a gold and fur trade center. Later, in 1760, the Siberian Road connected Irkutsk with the European part of the Russian Empire. It was the reason of further economic growth of Irkutsk. From the beginning of the 19th century, Siberia in general and Irkutsk in particular became the place where a lot of Russian officers and nobles were exiled for taking part in Decembrist uprising. At the end of the 19th century, about 30% of Irkutsk population consisted of exiles. It was one of the reasons why the city became the cultural and educational center of Siberia. Irkutsk had the nickname “Siberian Paris” at the beginning of the 20th century. The city was one of the centers of Bolshevik Revolution resistance during the Russian Civil War. The city and surrounding territories were heavily industrialized during the Soviet period. Irkutsk is one of the few cities in Siberia, which managed to preserve its historic character and original layout. Its historic center was formed on the site of a wooden fortress, the remains of which were dismantled in 1790. Today, Irkutsk has about 700 monuments of wooden architecture. Church of the Saviour is the only surviving building of the fortress. Together with the Epiphany Cathedral, they form the oldest architectural ensemble of Irkutsk. Another prominent ensemble of the city is located on the waterfront of the Angara, in the beginning of Karl Marx Street. It is formed by the monument to the founder of Trans-Siberian Railway - Alexander III, the local history museum with round corner towers made in the Moorish style, and Sibiryakov’s Palace, better known as the “White House”, which served as the residence of the governors-general in 1838-1917. On the main streets of the city - Karl Marx and Lenin, intersecting with each other - you can find a lot of monuments of stone architecture of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. The main pedestrian street is Uritsky Street. In 1930-1940s, buildings in the style of Soviet constructivism appeared in the city. Monumental art of the Soviet period is represented by the memorial complex “Eternal Flame”, the monument to Vladimir Lenin, the monument to the fighters of the revolution, and others. Source: http://russiatrek.org
the sixth largest city in Siberia, the capital of the Irkutsk region. It is located in Eastern Siberia, on the banks of the Angara River, at the confluence with the Irkut River 66km to the west of Lake Baikal, about 5,200 km to the east of Moscow. The population of Irkutsk is about 620,000 (2015), the area - 432 sq. km. Irkutsk was founded in 1661. That time, it was a small settlement playing the role of a gold and fur trade center. Later, in 1760, the Siberian Road connected Irkutsk with the European part of the Russian Empire. It was the reason of further economic growth of Irkutsk. From the beginning of the 19th century, Siberia in general and Irkutsk in particular became the place where a lot of Russian officers and nobles were exiled for taking part in Decembrist uprising. At the end of the 19th century, about 30% of Irkutsk population consisted of exiles. It was one of the reasons why the city became the cultural and educational center of Siberia. Irkutsk had the nickname “Siberian Paris” at the beginning of the 20th century. The city was one of the centers of Bolshevik Revolution resistance during the Russian Civil War. The city and surrounding territories were heavily industrialized during the Soviet period. Irkutsk is one of the few cities in Siberia, which managed to preserve its historic character and original layout. Its historic center was formed on the site of a wooden fortress, the remains of which were dismantled in 1790. Today, Irkutsk has about 700 monuments of wooden architecture. Church of the Saviour is the only surviving building of the fortress. Together with the Epiphany Cathedral, they form the oldest architectural ensemble of Irkutsk. Another prominent ensemble of the city is located on the waterfront of the Angara, in the beginning of Karl Marx Street. It is formed by the monument to the founder of Trans-Siberian Railway - Alexander III, the local history museum with round corner towers made in the Moorish style, and Sibiryakov’s Palace, better known as the “White House”, which served as the residence of the governors-general in 1838-1917. On the main streets of the city - Karl Marx and Lenin, intersecting with each other - you can find a lot of monuments of stone architecture of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. The main pedestrian street is Uritsky Street. In 1930-1940s, buildings in the style of Soviet constructivism appeared in the city. Monumental art of the Soviet period is represented by the memorial complex “Eternal Flame”, the monument to Vladimir Lenin, the monument to the fighters of the revolution, and others. Source: http://russiatrek.org
Bolshoe Goloustnoe Village
built in the classic wooden style on the southwestern shore of famous Lake Baikal is inside the beautiful Pribaikalsky National Park. It is not too far from other villages, but its history and character differs a lot. Bolshoe Goloustnoe (Bare River Mouth) village got its name from the name of the beautiful river on which it is situated. There are approximately 600 year-round residents. Most families have sheep and cattle. Bolshoe Goloustnoe itself is on a flat plain next to the shores of Lake Baikal, in a fabulous bay area, and surrounded by amazing steep hills where the top half of the hills are covered in pine trees and the bottom half covered in grass and lovely wildflowers. Bolshoe Goloustnoe was first settled by a Buryat called Soryel. The saying, "Here one gets meat without a knife, wood without an axe," is attributed to him. Soryel arrived in 1673, along with his three sons; the first Russian settlers followed some fifty years later, early in the 18th century. They built wintering places, farmsteads; they were also in engaged in fishing, seal hunting, and arable farming. Source: www.uvisitrussia.com
Lake Baikal
Unesco World Heritage
the world’s oldest and deepest freshwater lake, curves for nearly 400 miles through south-eastern Siberia, north of the Mongolian border. It lies in a cleft where Asia is literally splitting apart, the beginnings of a future ocean. Geologists say Baikal today shows what the seaboards of North America, Africa and Europe looked like as they began to separate millions of years ago. More than 5,000 feet deep (1637m) at its most profound, with another four-mile-thick layer of sediment further down, the lake’s cold, oxygen-rich waters teem with bizarre life-forms. One of those is the seals’ favourite food, the golomyanka, a pink, partly transparent fish which gives birth to live young. Geologists estimate that Lake Baikal formed somewhere 20-25 million years ago, during the Mesozoic. Surrounded by mile-high snowcapped mountains, Lake Baikal still offers vistas of unmatched beauty. The mountains are still a haven for wild animals, and the small villages are still outposts of tranquillity and self-reliance in the remote Siberian taiga, as the forest is called. Source: http://lakebaikal.org
built in the classic wooden style on the southwestern shore of famous Lake Baikal is inside the beautiful Pribaikalsky National Park. It is not too far from other villages, but its history and character differs a lot. Bolshoe Goloustnoe (Bare River Mouth) village got its name from the name of the beautiful river on which it is situated. There are approximately 600 year-round residents. Most families have sheep and cattle. Bolshoe Goloustnoe itself is on a flat plain next to the shores of Lake Baikal, in a fabulous bay area, and surrounded by amazing steep hills where the top half of the hills are covered in pine trees and the bottom half covered in grass and lovely wildflowers. Bolshoe Goloustnoe was first settled by a Buryat called Soryel. The saying, "Here one gets meat without a knife, wood without an axe," is attributed to him. Soryel arrived in 1673, along with his three sons; the first Russian settlers followed some fifty years later, early in the 18th century. They built wintering places, farmsteads; they were also in engaged in fishing, seal hunting, and arable farming. Source: www.uvisitrussia.com
Lake Baikal
Unesco World Heritage
the world’s oldest and deepest freshwater lake, curves for nearly 400 miles through south-eastern Siberia, north of the Mongolian border. It lies in a cleft where Asia is literally splitting apart, the beginnings of a future ocean. Geologists say Baikal today shows what the seaboards of North America, Africa and Europe looked like as they began to separate millions of years ago. More than 5,000 feet deep (1637m) at its most profound, with another four-mile-thick layer of sediment further down, the lake’s cold, oxygen-rich waters teem with bizarre life-forms. One of those is the seals’ favourite food, the golomyanka, a pink, partly transparent fish which gives birth to live young. Geologists estimate that Lake Baikal formed somewhere 20-25 million years ago, during the Mesozoic. Surrounded by mile-high snowcapped mountains, Lake Baikal still offers vistas of unmatched beauty. The mountains are still a haven for wild animals, and the small villages are still outposts of tranquillity and self-reliance in the remote Siberian taiga, as the forest is called. Source: http://lakebaikal.org