In the eastern part of Siberia, 55 kilometers from Lake Baikal, in the place where two rivers - Irkut and Ushakovka - flow into the Angara River, the city of Irkutsk is located. The settlement has a long history, and the official date of its appearance is 1652.
A bit of history
That year, the explorer Pokhabov Ivan founded a prison here, which quickly "overgrown" with a settlement. Then the village was called Yadashsky. But over time, this name disappeared from the lexicon, and it is still called today by the river of the same name - Irkutsk.
The settlement, due to its location, played a crucial role in trade with China. Even periodic earthquakes did not interfere with the development of trade relations. The city held regular fairs. During the suppression of the Decembrist uprising, many participants in the rebellion were exiled to the city. Therefore, already in the middle of the 19th century, there were about 2.4 thousand houses and 19 temples in the city.
Over time, Irkutsk became the center of the gold mining industry. In 1891, a pontoon bridge was built, and by 1892 there were about 60 industrial enterprises. ToAt the beginning of the last century, water supply appeared in the city and 2 power plants were built.
Today the city is the cultural, business and industrial center of Eastern Siberia. There are many sights in Irkutsk that thousands of tourists come to see.
Holy places
There are many temples and churches in the city. They can surprise even the most sophisticated tourist with their decoration. There are more than 20 temples and churches here.
The main attraction of Irkutsk is the Temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, located in the historical part of the city (formerly the Craft Settlement) along Barrikad Street, 34. This is the Cathedral of the Irkutsk and Angarsk Metropolis. The church was founded in 1885. The interior decoration was created by artisans who lived in the city at that time: gilders, icon painters and others. However, only one name of the carver V. Karataev remained in the annals, who made choirs and iconostases for the three aisles of the temple. The whole complex of finishing works was completed by 1982.
Until 1936, the temple managed to resist, but, like most Orthodox churches, it was closed. After some time, courses for projectionists began to be held in it and a bookshop base was opened. For some time, the Siberian Souvenir factory even operated in the church.
In 1988, restoration work began, which was carried out exclusively with donations from parishioners.
The next most visited attraction in Irkutsk is the Holy Cross Church (Sedova Street, 1). This isa spiritual place and a vivid example of the Siberian Baroque. It was founded in 1747, and all construction work was completed by 1760.
The church is famous for its façade, which is richly crowned with an ornament of complex patterns, which consist of ordinary geometric shapes. In addition, the Ex altation of the Cross Church is the only building in which the interior, created back in the 18th century, has been completely preserved.
The third in the list of holy sights of Irkutsk is the Znamenskaya Church, located on the territory of the Znamensky Monastery along Angarskaya Street, 14. This is one of the oldest buildings in the city. Back in 1757, a stone church was laid, which was built at the expense of the local merchant Bichevin Ivan. Since 1990, the relics of St. Innocent of Irkutsk have been kept within its walls.
About the convent itself, on the territory of which the church is located, the first mentions were found in the annals of 1689. This year is the date of its founding.
Other attractions
What other sights in Irkutsk do Orthodox believers visit?
| Name | Year of founding | Location and brief description |
| Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands | 1706 |
Located in a public garden (on the territory of the lost Irkutsk Kremlin). The first building was erected in 1672 and was wooden, which burned down in 1716. The uniqueness of the church is that the walls are paintednot only inside, but also outside. At the same time, when the restoration of the temple began in the 70s, the internal painting could not be preserved, and the external ones were completely recreated in their original form. |
| Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk Kharlampievskaya Church, or Sea Temple | 1777 | Located along the street of the 5th Army. It has the status of a cultural heritage site. The first wooden church was opened in 1738, and in 1777 a stone building was already erected. It was here that sailors were blessed on a long voyage. Therefore, the temple is also called the Sea. And in 1904 Kolchak Alexander married Sofia Omirova here. |
| Savior Transfiguration Church | 1795 | The church is located in Volkonsky Lane, 1. Here, from 1845 to 1855, the Decembrists lived with their families: Trubetskoy S. P. and Volkonsky S. G., who got married here. |
| Church of the Holy Trinity | 1750-1778 | The temple is located along the street of the 5th Army. The exact date of construction is still unknown. The building itself is also a unique example of the Siberian Baroque. It even housed a planetarium in 1949. |
Naturally, this is not a complete list of all the temples and churches of the city. There are many more ancient buildings, as well as brand new ones built after 2000.
Baikal Muftiate
Description of the sights of Irkutsk is impossibleimagine the city without Juma-mosque. This is the center of the Tatar-Bashkir community. The first building was erected in 1 year: from 1901 to 1902 - at the expense of the brothers Zahidulla and Shafigulla. The cathedral mosque is located at the address: K. Liebknecht street, 86.
Initially, it was a wooden building that could not accommodate all the Muslims of the city, and fundraising began for the construction of a stone building, which had already opened its doors to the faithful in 1905. The stone mosque was recognized as one of the best in the whole country. However, the high minaret was dismantled between 1939 and 1946. But in the spring of 2012, it was completely restored to its original form. The building of the mosque is included in the list of monuments of cultural heritage of the federal level.
Parks & nature
Naturally, the list of sights of the city of Irkutsk is not limited to holy places, both Christian and Muslim. There is magnificent nature on the territory and in the vicinity of the city. There are many national parks and city squares.
Pribaikalsky National Park
Naturally, going to Irkutsk, in no case should you not visit this park. It was created in 1986 and occupies about 417 thousand hectares. It is located on the territory of several districts of the Irkutsk region. The Pribaikalsky National Park has a very diverse landscape: from rocky and mountainous steppes to sand dunes and tundra. There are Tazheran lakes, relic plants and cedar-fir groves, pebble and sandy beaches.
In the park you can seeunique birds, up to very rare ones - saker falcon and imperial eagle. There are also unique amphibians - the Mongolian toad. The patterned snake also lives here. It is listed in the Red Book of the Irkutsk region.
Of the unique and listed in the Red Book plants in the park grows: Zunduk kopek, Olkhon astragalus and almost woolly blackberry.
To get to the central entrance to the park, you need to take a bus following route No. 16, 17 or 56, or a fixed-route taxi No. 72, 116, 72, 524 and get off at the Gormolkombinat stop. You can also get by tram number 5 or 6 and get off at the final stop "Solnechny". Shuttle taxi No. 5k also arrives here.
Healing Complex
In the city there is another attraction of Irkutsk - the natural healing complex "Shumak". It is located on Piskunova street, 140/4.
On the territory of the complex there are more than 100 sources with healing mineral water, which is completely different in composition and helps against many diseases. This is the uniqueness of the natural complex. Conventionally, all sources are divided into 3 lines:
- 1 line - 42 sources. The temperature in them ranges from +10 to +30 ˚С. Depending on the number of the source, the waters help with nervous diseases, with problems with the heart, liver, kidneys and teeth, and with other pathologies.
- 2 line - 42 sources. The composition of these waters can be compared with those treated at the Tskh altubo resort - with a high content of sulfates. They help with problemslungs, potency, gallbladder and so on.
- 3 line. These waters are characterized by a high content of radon and are similar in composition to the waters of Pyatigorsk and Yamkun (Chita Region).
It's safe to say that the Shumsky springs are one of the main attractions of Irkutsk. Their appearance is associated with a tectonic fault that appeared approximately 23-1.6 million years ago. Therefore, these springs are among the youngest on the planet.
Kai relic grove
Between the three rivers of Irkutsk are the green lungs of the city. Representatives of the taiga flora and fauna have been preserved in the Kai relic grove. Geographically, every 10 resident of the Irkutsk region lives in this area. And in 1879, when there was a large-scale fire in the city, the grove became a refuge for the inhabitants of the village.
And on the nearby street - Kasyanov, lived the famous Soviet film director Leonid Gaidai.
The main attractions of the city of Irkutsk in the Kai grove - the Glazkovsky necropolis. Excavations of graves and sites give the right to assert that people lived here 30-35 thousand years ago.
Polyana Sports Park
On the left bank of the river, along Starokuzmikhinskaya street, 37/3, there is a sports park, another attraction of Irkutsk. In winter, outdoor enthusiasts come here. There is an ice skating rink with the ability to rent the necessary equipment and with free admission.
And Siberian Huskies are always ready to ride on a sleigh. Also in the park there are two ski slopes, 2 and 4 kilometers long. Here you can practice Nordic walking, which is gaining more and more popularity in our country.
Volleyball, paintball and cycling are available in the sports park during the warm months of the year.
Museums and History
There are a lot of sights in Irkutsk. Arriving in the city, you should definitely visit the estate complex of S. G. Volkonsky and S. P. Trubetskoy. It is located in Volkonsky lane, 10 and on Dzerzhinsky street, 64. Now there is a museum, the collection of which has been formed since 1925. The complex includes 2 estates of the Decembrists, where you can get acquainted with their life and authentic things.
Sukachev's estate, located on 112 December Events Street, is a material confirmation of the achievements of Siberian architecture. The building was erected over 6 years: from 1882 to 1888. It was a place where the local intelligentsia and creative people gathered. Vladimir Sukachev himself became famous as a philanthropist and a person who opened schools, shelters for the poor and children of criminals, for the blind and victims of the fire of 1879.
What else is interesting in the city
Where to go in Irkutsk? There are a lot of sights and interesting places in the city.
| Moscow triumphal gates | Lower Embankment Street, 8/1 | The structure was erected in 1813, in honor of10-year reign of Alexander I. |
| Monument to Leonid Gaidai | Work area | Established in 2012. |
| Monument to Saints Peter and Fevronia | Sukhbaatar Street, 2 | This couple has long been considered the patrons of family and fidelity. |
| Monument to cinephiles | December Event Street, 102/1 | Located near the Zvezdny cinema. Was installed in 2011. |
Naturally, it is quite difficult to cover all the sights and interesting places of the city of Irkutsk. It is definitely recommended to visit the V. Bronstein Gallery, which opened its doors to visitors in 2011. The exposition presents more than 1.5 thousand works of art by Siberian masters. You should definitely look into the Angara icebreaker museum - this is the only icebreaker that has been preserved among the first ships of this class. It was built back in 1898. Therefore, people go to Irkutsk not only to see Lake Baikal, but also to learn more about the history of Siberia.
