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Irkutsk (English) Иркутск (Russian)
—  Inhabited locality  —
Kazansky Church, Irkutsk
Location of Irkutsk Oblast on the map of Russia
Location of Irkutsk on the map of Irkutsk Oblast
Coordinates: 52°17′N 104°18′E / 52.283°N 104.3°E / 52.283; 104.3Coordinates: 52°17′N 104°18′E / 52.283°N 104.3°E / 52.283; 104.3
Coat of arms	Flag
Holiday	First Sunday of June
Administrative status
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Irkutsk Oblast
In administrative jurisdiction of	Irkutsk Oblast
Administrative center of	Irkutsk Oblast, Irkutsky District
Municipal status
Municipal Status	Urban okrug
Mayor	Vladimir Yakubovsky
Representative body	Duma
Statistics
Population (2002 Census)	593,604 inhabitants[1]
- Rank	24th
Time zone	IRKT/IRKST (UTC+8/+9)
Founded	1661
Postal code(s)	664xxx
Dialing code(s)	+7 3952
Official website	http://www1.irkutsk.ru/

Irkutsk (Russian: Ирку́тск, Buryat: Эрхүү) is one of the largest cities in Siberia and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, situated 5,185 kilometers (3,222 mi) by rail from Moscow. Population: 593,604 (2002 Census);^[2] 622,301 (1989 Census).^[3]

History

Irkutsk grew out of the winter quarters established (1652) by Yakov Pokhabov for gold-trading and for the collection of the fur tax from the Buryats. The town gained official city rights from the government in 1686. The first road connection between Moscow and Irkutsk, the Siberian Road (Сибирский Тракт, Sibirsky Trakt), was built in 1760. The city benefitted economically from this new road. Many new products, often imported from China via Kyakhta, were widely available in Irkutsk for the first time, including gold, diamonds, furs, wood, silk and tea. In 1821, as part of the Speransky reforms, Siberia was administratively divided at the Yenisei River and Irkutsk became the seat of the Governor-General of East Siberia.

Irkutsk railway station in the early 1900s

In the early 19th century, many Russian artists, officers, and nobles were sent into exile to Siberia for their part in the Decembrist revolt against Tsar Nicholas I. Irkutsk became the major centre of intellectual and social life for these exiles, and much of the city's cultural heritage comes from them; many of their wooden houses, adorned with ornate, hand-carved decorations, survive today in stark contrast with the standard Soviet apartment blocks that surround them. By the end of the 19th century there was one exiled man per two locals. Different people from the members of the Decemberists' uprising to Bolsheviks have been staying in Irkutsk for a long time. These people have greatly influenced the culture and the development of the city and it has finally became a prosperous cultural and educational centre for Eastern Siberia.

1879, on July 4 and 6, the palace of the (then) Governor General, the principal administrative and municipal offices and many of the other public buildings were destroyed by fire; and the government archives, the library and the museum of the Siberian section of the Russian Geographical Society were utterly ruined. Three quarters of the city were destroyed, including approximately four thousand houses. However, the city quickly rebounded, with electricity arriving in 1896, the first theater being built in 1897, and a major train station in 1898. The first train arrived in Irkutsk on August 16 of that year. By 1900, the city had earned the nickname "The Paris of Siberia."

Epiphany Minster (built in 1718–1746)

During the Russian Civil War that broke out after the Bolshevik Revolution, Irkutsk became the site of many furious, bloody clashes between the "Whites" and the "Reds". In 1920, Kolchak, the once-feared commander of the largest contingent of anti-Bolshevik forces, was executed there, effectively destroying the anti-Bolshevik resistance.

During the Communist years, the industrialization of Irkutsk, and Siberia in general, was heavily encouraged. The large Irkutsk Reservoir was built on the Angara River between 1950 and 1959 in order to facilitate industrial development.

The Epiphany Cathedral (illustrated, to the right), the governor's palace, a school of medicine, a museum, a military hospital and the crown factories are among the public institutions and buildings. The Alexander Kolchak monument, designed by Vyacheslav Klykov, was unveiled in 2004. On July 27, 2004, the Irkutsk Synagogue (1881) was gutted by a conflagration.

Geography and climate

The city proper lies at the Angara River, a tributary of the Yenisei, 72 kilometers (45 mi) below its outflow from Lake Baikal, and on the bank opposite the suburb of Glaskovsk. The river, which has a breadth of 580 meters (1,903 ft) is crossed by a flying bridge and two other bridges downstream. The Irkut River, from which the town takes its name, is a small river which joins the Angara directly opposite the town. The main portion of the city is separated from several important landmarks—the monastery, the fort, and the port, as well as its suburbs by another tributary, the Ida, or Ushakovka River.

As a Siberian city, Irkutsk experiences a subarctic climate, characterized by extreme variation of temperatures between seasons. Temperatures can be very warm in the summer, and brutally cold in the winter. However, Lake Bajkal takes its effect, such that temperatures in Irkutsk are not as extreme as elsewhere in Siberia. The warmest month of the year in Irkutsk is July, when the mean temperature is 18 °C (64.4 °F), the highest temperature recorded being 37 C. The coldest month of the year is January, when the mean temperature is only −19 °C (−2.2 °F). Precipitation also varies widely throughout the year, with the wettest month also being July, when precipitation averages 119 mm (4.70 in). The driest month is February, when precipitation averages only 7.6 mm (.30 in). Almost all precipitation during the Siberian winter falls as fluffy, low moisture content snow.

View of Irkutsk from space

Irkutsk is situated in a landscape of rolling hills within the thick taiga, typical of eastern Siberia, and in contrast to the flat, open steppe of western Siberia.

According to the regional plan Irkutsk city will be agglomerated with the satellite industrial towns of Shelekhov and Angarsk to form a metropolitan area with a total population of over one million.

Emblem

The original version of the emblem

The emblem of Irkutsk features an old symbol of Dauria: a Siberian tiger with a sable in his mouth. When the emblem was devised in 1690, the animal was described as a tiger ("babr", a bookish word of Persian derivation) with a sable in his mouth. This image had been used by the Yakutsk customs office from about 1642. It has its origin in a seal of the Siberia Khanate representing a sable and showcasing the fact that Siberia (or rather Yugra) was the main source of sable fur throughout the Middle Ages. (Actually, the English word "sable" is derived from the Russian "sobol").

By the mid-19th century, the word "babr" had fallen out of common usage, but it was still recorded in the Armorial of the Russian Empire. Furthermore, the tigers became extinct in this part of Siberia. In the 1870s, a high-placed French heraldist with a limited command of Russian assumed that "babr" was a misspelling of "bobr", the Russian word for "beaver", and changed the wording accordingly. This modification engendered a long dispute between the local authorities, who were so confused by the revised description that they started to depict the "babr" as a fabulous animal, half-tiger and half-beaver.

The Soviets abolished the image altogether, but it was restored following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Economy

Energetics

Irkutsk Hydropower Station was the first cascade hydropower station in the Irkutsk region. The building of the dam was started in 1950 and finished in 1958.

Industry

The most famous large-scale industry in Irkutsk is Irkut (company). Irkut ^[5] (MICEX:IRKT RTS:IRKT) refers to the Irkutsk Aviation Industrial Association^[6],it was setup in 1932 in the Transbaykal region in the Russian Federation. It is best known as being the manufacturer of the Su-30 family of interceptor/ground-attack aircraft.The Russian government is planning to merge Irkut with Ilyushin, Mikoyan, Sukhoi, Tupolev, and Yakovlev as a new company named United Aircraft Building Corporation.^[7]

There is Irkutsk Aluminium Smelter which belongs to the Rusal Company.[1]

Transport

Passenger railway station in Irkutsk

Important roads and railways like the Trans-Siberian Railway connect Irkutsk to other regions in Russia and Mongolia. Also, the city is served by the Irkutsk International Airport and the smaller Irkutsk Northwest Airport.

The Federal road to Vladivostok passes through a suburb of Irkutsk.

Culture

Television and mass media

There are many state and privately owned television stations in Irkutsk, including state IGTRK company http://irkutsk.rfn.ru and private ones http://as.baikal.tv AS Baikal TV, TV company AIST http://www.aisttv.ru, TV company Gorod http://www.gorodtv.ru, and e.g. http://www.vsp.ru VSP newspaper agency. Irkutsk live webcamera inlc. life temperature in city center: http://as.baikal.tv/webcam/

Education

Irkutsk is home to Irkutsk State Railway Transport University (since 1975), Irkutsk State University (1918), Baykalsky State University of Economics and Law (since 1932), Irkutsk State Technical University (since 1939), Irkutsk State Academy of Agriculture, Irkutsk State Linguistic University (1948), Irkutsk State Medical University, Irkutsk State Pedagogical College, and a number of private colleges: Siberian Institute of Law, Economics and Management (since 1993), Institute of Economics of ISTU (since 1996), and others.

Science

As part of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences there are nine research institutes located in the Irkutsk Academgorodok suburb: Institute of Geography, Energy Systems Institute, Institute of Geochemistry, Institute of Systems Dynamics and Control Theory, Earth's Crust Institute, solar-terrestrial physics institute, Institute of Chemistry, Institute of Limnology (located on lake Baikal's shore), Institute of Plants Physics, Laser Physics Institute (Branch of the Novosibirsk-based Institute). Apart from SB RAS Research Institutes, there are R&D institutes including GAZPROM R&D Institute (Branch of Moscow-based Institute), Irkutsk Institute of Less-Common and Precious Metals and Diamonds.

Literature

Irkutsk has long been home to the well-known Russian writer Valentin Rasputin; many of his novels and stories take place in the Angara Valley. An essay on the cultural history of Irkutsk (and another one about the nearby Lake Baikal) is included in Rasputin's non-fiction collection Siberia, Siberia, which is also available in English translation.

Museums

The Taltsy Museum (Russian: Тальцы), located on the Angara 47 km south of Irkutsk, is an open-air museum of Siberian traditional architecture. Numerous old wooden buildings from villages in the Angara valley which have been flooded after the construction of the Bratsk Dam and Ust-Ilimsk Dam have been transported to the museum and reassembled there. One of the centerpieces of the collection is a partial recreation of the 17th-century ostrog (fortress) of Ilimsk, which consists of the original Spasskaya Tower and the Church of Our Lady of Kazan transported from the flooded ostrog in the mid-1970s, to which an exact modern copy of another tower of the ostrog and the southern wall of the fortress were added in the early 2000s^[8]

Sports

Bandy is a very big sport in the city. There are several clubs, and the best one, Baykal-Energiya in the highest division of Russian Bandy League, can draw spectator crowds of 30 000. It´s also the centre of women´s bandy in Russia with the club Rekord.[2]

Sister cities/Twin Cities

Irkutsk has the following sister/twin city relationships:^[9]

• Ulan Bator, Mongolia
• Shenyang, China
• Kanazawa, Japan
• Eugene, U.S.A.
• Novi Sad, Serbia
• Pforzheim, Germany
• Évian-les-Bains, France
• Strömsund, Sweden
• Pordenone, Italy
• Grenoble, France
• Dijon, France

Images gallery

Location of Irkutsk in southern Siberia	A Decembrist house with distinctive hand-carved trim	Kazansky Church	Irkutsk railway station on the Trans-Siberian Railway
Crossing the Angara at Irkutsk (1886)

References

Notes

Additional sources

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

This article incorporates information from the revision as of 10 July 2006 of the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.

• Polunina N.M., Korobov S.A., Sutton J.M., Korobova G.W. Her Majesty — Queen of Siberia // Publishers Korobov. — Irkutsk, 2008.

External links

• Official site of local government (Russian language only)
• Flickr photos tagged irkutsk
• Irkutsk in old and modern photos
• Travel to Irkutsk
• Baikal Club (in English) Articles about lake Baikal by different people from all over the world.
• Irkutsk city architecture views

Cities and towns in Irkutsk Oblast Administrative center: Irkutsk Alzamay · Angarsk · Baykalsk · Biryusinsk · Bodaybo · Bratsk · Cheremkhovo · Kirensk · Nizhneudinsk · Sayansk · Shelekhov · Slyudyanka · Svirsk · Tayshet · Tulun · Usolye-Sibirskoye · Ust-Ilimsk · Ust-Kut · Vikhorevka · Zheleznogorsk-Ilimsky · Zima

From Wikitravel

Church colors, Irkutsk

Irkutsk (Иркутск) [1] is capital of the Russian province of Irkutsk Oblast in Eastern Siberia.

Understand

In the early nineteenth century, many Russian artists, officers and nobles were sent into exile to Siberia for their part in the Decembrist revolt against Tsar Nicholas I. Irkutsk became the major center of intellectual and social life for these exiles, and much of the city's cultural heritage comes from them; also, many of their wooden houses, adorned with ornate, hand-carved decorations, survive today in stark contrast with the standard Soviet apartment blocks that surround them. The wide streets and ornate, continental architecture led to Irkutsk being called the "Paris of Siberia", although travelers are unlikely to have a difficult time distinguishing the two today.

During the civil war that broke out after the Bolshevik Revolution, Irkutsk became the site of many furious, bloody clashes between the "Whites" and the "Reds" (aka Bolsheviks), and a number of city landmarks remain from that era. In 1920, Kolchak, the once-feared commander of the largest contingent of anti-Bolshevik forces, was executed there, effectively destroying the anti-Bolshevik resistance.

Today, Irkutsk is one of the biggest cities in Siberia, with a growing population of more than 590,000 people. It's home to several universities and a major branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, thanks to its proximity to Lake Baikal. In July, the average temperature is 18°C (64°F) with a bit of rain, but by January, the temperature plunges in typically Siberian fashion to -19°C (-2°F). Early September finds the local foliage at its finest.

Irkutsk station

By plane

Irkutsk Airport (IATA: IKT) can be reached from either of the two major airports in Moscow, Domodedovo or Sheremetyevo 1. Rossiya Airlines also flies directly to Irkutsk from St. Petersburg and S7 Airlines uses Irkutsk as a regional hub, flying to several cities in Russia, as well as flights to China, South Korea, and elsewhere in Asia.

Arranging to be picked up at the airport prior to departure is recommended, since both flights get in early in the morning and English-speaking taxis are hard to find. If traveling in the winter bring warm clothing on the plane, as you will most likely deplane onto the tarmac.

The airport is located fairly close to the city center and buses, trams, and minibuses run frequently between the airport and Kirov Square (near the Angara Hotel) and other points in the historical center. Travel time from Kirov Square to the airport by bus during rush hour is about 30 minutes and costs between 10 and 20 Rubles.

By train

Most travelers arrive in Irkutsk by the Trans-Siberian Railway. It's about halfway between Moscow and Vladivostok in the east, which makes it a good place to break the trip, if only to stretch your legs and buy provisions. The Baikal-Amur Mainline also runs nearby.

Get around

Irkutsk is a relatively compact city in the historical center and traffic congestion is not bad for a city of nearly 600,000. It is a very walkable city within the center, and for those who want to save time or travel between one side of the river and the other, the public transit system is good. Knowing at least how to read the signs on the buses and bus stops is helpful, and on the minibuses, one must call out to the driver to request a stop. Oddly enough, the names of major bus stops are posted on kiosk roofs parallel to the road so that the names are not often visible from inside the bus. Bus and minibus fare is usually 10 Rubles, or 20 Rubles if traveling as far as the airport; But for example round bus number 90 that goes to the airport costs only 10 rubels. Local etiquitte is to pay the driver when exiting the bus (therefore you can exit it only thru the front door). In trams tickets should be purchased from driver, then stamped in the machine onboard.

See

Irkutsk is home to a remarkable number of historic churches, among them Ascension Church (1747-51), Epiphany Cathedral (1718-46), Our Lady of Kazan Church (1885-92), and Saviour Church (1706-13).

Transfiguration Church

There are also a few historical museums in the houses of Decembrist exiles. The Volkonskiy House, located behind the Transfiguration Church off Ul. Timuryazeva near the bus station, was one of the focal points of the Decembrists' social life in the mid-19th Century. The Trubetskiy House at Ul. Dzerzhinskovo 24, as of March 2008, has a sign on the door (dated September 2006, no less) saying that it is closed for restoration.

Also among the Soviet concrete monstrosities, Irkutsk features street after street of atmospheric, decaying wooden buildings. Most of these are either abandoned or still used as private residences, though, and cannot be entered without permission of the owner, but provide for an atmospheric stroll down the street.

The City History Museum at Ul. Tchaikovskovo 5 has an interesting and thorough display of Irkutsk from its inception to the present day. It is currently located across the river (on the same side as the railway station) from the city center; take bus 8, 11, 23, or 25 from the Angara Hotel, although one will probably have to ask which stop to get off at. The museum is scheduled to move to a new building in the city center in Summer 2008. Closed Wednesdays and holidays.

The Geology Museum at Irkutsk State Polytechnical University has an extensive display of gems and minerals found in Siberia and the Russian Far East, even a block of asbestos under glass. From the center, take bus 3, 4, or 21 across the river to the Polytechnical University (behind the railway station); the museum itself is in the central of the three southern wings of the university - do not enter through the main entrance, but rather walk around the outside of the building to the right.

Decembrist house, Irkutsk

The Irkutsk Regional Museum at Ul. Karla Marksa 2 (across from the Alexander III memorial on the Angara embankment) has an interesting ethnographic exhibit on indigeous peoples including Even and Buryats, and a display on Irkutsk in the 20th Century. Closed Mondays.

Sukachev Art Museum at Lenina 5. Probably Siberia's best collection of fine art, including several early icons, Russian secular art of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, including a few works of Repin, a section of Mongolian and Chinese art, and a section of European art including a collection of lesser-known Dutch masters. Closed Tuesdays.

The Sukachev Estate at Ul. Dekabristov Sobytii 112 near the TANK bus stop. The estate of a 19th-century mayor of Irkutsk showing life of the upper classes at the time, in a series of log houses that he lived in.

Visit local Orthodox churches and Roman-Catholic church in city center.

Tucked away in the residential area of Irkutsk is a small Nerpinary. The Nerpinary is home to two Baikal seals. For a small price you can go and see these seals perform a small presentation and paint a picture! which you can even purchase after.

Do

In the winter, the central park has many ice sculptures as well as an ice castle that you can walk around in. There are ice slides in this park also. Most Russians stand up and slide on the soles of their shoes. The park is very lively at night with tourists, even though the temperatures drop well below -20 degrees C.

Hold the right hand's thumb of statue of famous Russian writer A. Vampilov, who was born near Irkutsk, which is located near Drama theather on Karl Marx street for good luck and happiness in your life. It is a new and popular tradition in Irkutsk, started from Vampilov's anniversary.

Visit Angara embankment at the end of Ul. Karla Marksa in the evening, the place for meeting of the youth.

Walk down Ul. Uritskovo, a pedestrian street with shops and cafes.

Kamusi

Wood carvings, birchwood boxes, and lacquer boxes are typical souvenirs of Siberia. A few hotels have souvenir stalls in the lobby, and the Regional Museum at Ul. Karla Marksa 2 has a decent selection in their gift shop as well.

Kamusi are winter boots used by native Siberians made out of deer, elk, or other fur. One place to buy is at a small shop across from the bus station at Ul. Oktyabrskoi Revolyutsii 20B called "Aikhal". It is in a courtyard behind some kiosks, so it takes some searching. They have kamusi for men, women, and children, with prices starting at about 3000 Rubles.

Eat

Cafe Shokolad at Ul. Dekyabrskikh Sobytii 102 behind the wedding palace, is a clean, modern cafe with good salads, reasonably-priced main courses, and, as their name suggests, sumptuous desserts. It also has free WiFi. A bit outside the historical center (near the TANK bus stop), it is a good place to relax after an excursion to the Sukachev Estate down the street.

Pizza Domino with no relation to the US chain, is at Lenina 13A across from the Lenin Statue. They do pizzas, soups, and other quick meals. Very cheap, and open 24 hours.

Pizza Pinnochio near the Angara Hotel on Kirov Square and other locations; quick and inexpensive pizzas that are sometimes reheated in a microwave.

For a local specialty, Omyl is a local whitefish found in the lake.

Drink

Balsams Buryatia and Amrita are very nice Buryat alcoholic drinks (costs about 180 RUB each 0.75 l). Thay are also very helpful against cold. Balsam Buryatia was consecrated by Dalai-Lama XIV, as it says label on the bottle.

Street in Irkutsk

Some locals have rooms for rent.

• Host Families Association (HOFA) (From 22 eur. per night), 5 Tavricheskaya str., ☎ +7 (812) 275 1992 (english@hofa.ru, fax: +7 (812) 275 1992), [2]. Since 1990 HOFA provides visa invitations, homestays, apartment rentals, packages in friendly homes in 60 cities in Russia and CIS . from 22 EUR per night.  edit

• Baikal Hostel. The hostel is situated in Irkutsk, between the train station and the dam on the River Angara. Get off at the bus and Marshrutka station Mikrochirugia Glasa, on the main street uliza Lermontova. From there it's a 1-minute walk to the Hostel.

• Angara Hotel. the hotel is situated 2.5km from the train station and about 7km from the airport. The hotel offers 280 rooms that have all the modern conveniences to make your stay as comfortable as possible. The hotel has a fitness centre, sauna, swimming pool as well as a billiard room.

• Downtown Hostel, Stepana Razina Street 12 (In a courtyard of the main street), ☎ +7 (3952) 684248 (irkutskhostel@yahoo.com). Rather crammed, and only one toilet that also doubles as the bathroom, but usually a nice crowd, Internet is 1 RUB per minute. 500 RUB for a dorm bed.  edit

Wooden Church at Taltsi

• Lake Baikal (Озеро Байкал). Lake Baikal, the largest freshwater lake in the world, lies about an hour away by train or an hour and a half by bus. It can be circled by train (lengths vary from a few hours to 3 days).  edit

• Architectural-Ethnographical Museum 'Tal'tsy' (Иркутский архитектурно-этнографический музей «Тальцы»), (To get there, take a bus from the Irkutsk bus station in the direction of Listvyanka (Листвянка); Tal'tsy (Тальцы) is about 45 minutes away and halfway to Listvyanka.　To move on from Taltsi either to Listvyanka or Irkutsk, it appears the only way to do so is to hail a bus at one of the bus stops outside the museum grounds on the main road.), [3]. This village of several 17th-19th century wooden houses, churches, and a fort that were relocated from around Irkutsk Oblast to form this interesting open-air museum. 40-80 RUB, depending on the type of bus and 40 RUB for foreign adults museum fee.   edit

• Olkhon island (Остров Ольхон). Olkhon island on lake Baikal offers breath-taking views and rest.  edit

• Cherskiy mountain range (Хребет Черского), (2-hour ride on suburban train.). Make 3-day trip to Cherskiy peak (about 2,000 m) near Slyudyanka (Слюдянка).  edit

• Arshan Resort (Курорт Аршан), (You can get there by bus or marshrutka from the bus station. Marshrutka is more convenient because it is faster and do not have a stops. For getting a marshrutka ask the men staying in front of the station, they will show you who goes there.). Arshan village in Buryatia offers mineral water springs (cold and hot springs at Arshan, and hot springs at Zhemchug village (Жемчуг) - about 10 km from Arshan) and scenic views of mountains. 350-400 RUB (bus or marshrutka).  edit

Novosibirsk ← Angarsk ←

W  E

→ Ulan Ude → Khabarovsk

From LoveToKnow 1911

There is more than one meaning of Irkutsk discussed in the 1911 Encyclopedia. We are planning to let all links go to the correct meaning directly, but for now you will have to search it out from the list below by yourself. If you want to change the link that led you here yourself, it would be appreciated.

• Irkutsk, Russia
• Irkutsk, Russia (Government)

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

English

Wikipedia has an article on:

Irkutsk

Wikipedia

Proper noun

Irkutsk

1. A city in Siberia, Russia, administrative centre of Irkutsk oblast.

Translations