Zone time: +5 from Moscow one.

Population: about 600 thous.

Average temperatures: January -21, April +1, July +17,
October 0

The distance from Irkutsk to Moscow: 5042 km

Irkutsk has been standing at the bank of the Angara river (the only river draining the lake) for more than 330 years. It was founded as a Cossack garrison to establish authority over the indigenous Buryats. With discovery of gold in the 19th century "Gold Fever" hit Irkutsk. The city grew up very fast - new churches, schools and trade representations were emerging. Irkutsk became Eastern Siberia's trading and administrative center.

Nowadays Irkutsk is the modern and interesting city of the Siberia. It possesses all the attributes of up-to day life: parks, stadiums, nightclubs and etc. Most people stop here en rout to the Lake Baikal. In the city downtown one may see the low old wooden houses next to many-storied building of banks and offices. There are 685 historical and cultural monuments in Irkutsk and 108 of them are of the national importance. The most interesting of them are in the central part of the city - Decembrists' museums, the Church of the Savior, the Catholic Polish church, the Irkutsk Museum of Regional Studies. The city has the university and other educational establishments.

What to see

Decembrists' house museum

Museums were opened in houses where the families of Sergei Trubetskoy and Sergey Volkonsky with his wife Maria had lived. If you have read Caroline Sutherland "the Princess of Siberia", you must visit the house of Volkonsky.

More…

Irkutsk museum of Regional studies

Open from 10.00 a.m. to 06.00 p.m. Closed on Monday.

Address: 2, Karl Marx street

This is the museum of local history. It was opened in 1782. Unique herbaria, stuffed animals and birds. Old manuscripts. Handicrafts. Unique exhibits from china, Tibet and Mongolia of priceless value: Buddha statues made of bronze, mask and robes for Buddhist ceremonies, tambourines, drum, copper cymbals.

Ethnographical museum of wooden architecture "Taltzy"

This open-air museum is located in a picturesque place on the right bank of the Angara river. It was founded in 1969.

More…

Baikal museum

You can know about the history of the lake, its flora and fauna, geological structure and climate.

More…