Sights of Irkutsk - Туроператор Виктория

This mansion was built in 1896 for the top guild merchant Alexandr Vtorov, the richest Siberian merchant who sold textile goods all over Russia. The building represents a Pseudo-Russian style of architecture. The merchant’s apartments and warehouses were located here. In October 1917 the first all-Siberian Soviets Congress took place in the house.

Church of Mikhail Arkhangel

In 1739, the first wooden Harlampievskaya church was built. The construction of a stone temple was continuing from 1777 till 1790. The stone church was built on means of Irkutsk merchant V.Balakshin. On September, 6th, 1782 the first side-altar for the sake of Arhistratig Mikhail was consecrated, the subsequent side-altars were consecrated in 1784 (for the sake of priest-martyr Harlampy) and in 1790 (was devoted to the Assumption).

The Decembrists' Museum-House

It is one of the significant and favourite places of interest among Irkutsk inhabitants. Siberian exile was a severe trial for the banished Decembrists, although they contributed a lot to the cultural development of Irkutsk. In two restored museum-houses of the Decembrists Prince Sergey Trubetskoy and Prince Sergey Volkonsky, whose wives followed their husbands to share their exile in cold Siberia one feels the atmosphere of that time.

First public hall

The Public Hall was constructed by architect Vladimir Rassushin in 1891, when the city was preparing to welcome Prince Nicolas. In March 1897 the Irkutsk residents watched their first movie here. All public events – theatre performances, balls and official routs — took place here. After the civil war a People’s House was opened here. Since 1928 it has housed a theatre.

Irkutsk History Museum

Today this building is of historical and architectural value. In the past, school named after A. M. Kladischeva built in 1884 with the money of Alexander M. Sibiryakov, Irkutsk patron of the art, in the memory of Antonina M. Kladischeva, his sister. The museum represents the life of Irkutsk citizens at different historical periods, throughout the household, traditions and scheme of life. There are over 30 thousand units of keeping in the museum funds.

Kirov square

The area had been arisen at once behind a southern wall of Irkutsk ford (jail) nearly 1670 and had received the name Kremlin. It became the center of trade, fairs and entertainments for townspeople and visitors of Irkutsk. In the second half of XVIII century when hotel yard and petty-bourgeois trading shops had been constructed, two areas were formed.

Krestovozdvizhenskaya church

Stone church, instead of wooden one on the Krestovsky Mountain, was put on means of Irkutsk petty bourgeois I.F.Amosov. In May, 1747 the construction of a new temple started and was finished by winter of 1760. In 1779 on donations of merchants of S.Dudorovsky and Z.Sh. Chegorina warm northern side-altar was added. Originally both wooden and stone churches were called Trinity-Sergievsky.

Merchant Trapeznikov’s Mansion

This mansion was built in the beginning of the 19th century by a merchant named Trapeznikov. After the Fire of 1879, architect E. Hoffman rebuilt the house, adding a third floor and a glass gallery for shops. After the reconstruction in 1885, a luxurious hotel was opened here with a cheap hostel in the back yard. By that time Vladimir Sukachov had become the owner.

Volkonsky's Manor

As a result of recurrent building in Irkutsk, the House became much more spacious. The facades are decorated with glassed balconies - oriels, designed by a Decembrist artist Nikolai Bestuzhev. Prince Volkonsky actively participated in building and development of the House, too. The Manors of Volkonsky and Trubetskoi Families in Irkutsk are architecturally and stylistically unique. They combine elements of noble European and peasant Siberian accommodation. And it is hard to find any other examples of this combination neither in Russia nor in Siberia now.

Irkutsk is an administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast'. It is situated on the Angara River, 68 km from Baikal. The name of the city originates from its location near the Irkut River. Irkutsk appeared on the map of Siberia in the middle of the 17th century. They consider the day of its foundation to be July, 6th, 1661 - this is when a report of Jacob Ivanovich Pokhabov about the town's foundation was made. In 1682 Irkutsk became the center of independent voevodstvo, and 4 years later it got the status of a city. This is when Irkutsk got its seal and its emblem. The image of the seal coincided with the emblem image, authorized in 1690. It depicted a babr (kind of Siberian extinct tiger) with a sable in its mouth on a silver field.

The population of Irkutsk is 600 000 people (data of 2002); it occupies the area of 30 637 hectares; 90% of population are Russians, minor nationalities are presented by the Buryats, Ukranians, Tartars, Jews, Poles, Latvians, Germans and others - totally 100 nations.

The city is divided administratively into 4 districts: Sverdlovskii, Oktyabrskii, Kuybyshevskii and Pravoberezhnyi.

Climate in Irkutsk is extreme continental, changeable and dry. Sharp night and day temperature fluctuations are a usual phenomenon. Average winter temperature is 22°C below zero. In February there is a period of lower winds-hiusov, but on the whole winters are windless. The autumn is long and warm. The spring comes at the end of March. The summer is hot, as a rule the precipitation is at the latter half, average temperature in July is +25°C, but in hot days it reaches +32- +35°C.

In the city there are 4 state theatres, Philharmony, an organ hall, 5 museums, musical, art and theatrical schools, libraries and humanitarian center, named after the Polevye.

Irkutsk department of Russian Academy of Sciences is 60 years old. It includes Baikal museum and 9 Scientific Research Institutes: Institutes of Geography, Geochemistry, of System Dynamics and Management Theory, of Earth Crust, Chemistry, Solar-Terrestrial Physics, of Physiology and Biochemistry of Plants and of Laser Physics. Nowadays Irkutsk is one of the biggest medicine centers of Siberia: the city boasts a modern diagnostic center, "Eye microsurgery", convalescent center of Dr. Dikul', cancer detection center, perinatal center and other therapeutic institutions.

It is not by chance that Irkutsk is considered to be a student city - there are 80 thousand students, studying in 9 higher educational establishments.

In Irkutsk there are 7 creative unions: the unions of architects, artists, designers, writers, journalists, composers and cinematographers.

Irkutsk is a multiconfessional city. Alongside with the Orthodox churches there is a Muslim mosque, a catholic cathedral, Jewish Synagogue and a Buddhist temple (datsan). "The House of Europe" in F. Engels Street, 21. It is called "wooden lace" house, which is a part of historic-architectural complex of the Shastin estate (18th century). It was recreated in 1998 with the aim of development and support of relations between Irkutsk and European countries. It was declared the historical monument, and now the "House of Europe" is the symbol of Irkutsk.

In Irkutsk Regional Art Museum named after Sukachov (Lenin St., 5), there are vast collections of ancient Russian and Siberian icons and cult wooden sculpture of the XVIII century. It boasts a portrait gallery of Russian painters, the masterpieces of the artists from Holland, Flanders, France, Italy, Germany and England of the XVII-XIX centuries. The collection of works from Japan and China includes all kinds of art: painting, china, wooden, metal and stone articles of the 3rd 20th centuries. The exhibition sprang from the art works collection owned by Vladimir Sukachyov (1849-1920), who was a merchant and the governor of Irkutsk. Till 1917 this building used to house a men high school (Naval School), established in 1805.