Permafrost, a harsh but very hospitable land, unforgettable white nights - all this awaits you in Yakutsk - a unique and original city that enchants everyone who has come here at least once. Magnificent parks and the picturesque nature of Yakutia will not leave indifferent either a lover of outdoor activities or a person who prefers quiet excursions.
Yakutsk city: sights, history
The first mention of the city dates back to 1632. The Yakut prison was built here for defense against the rebels. It was the first Russian military settlement on the Yakut land, which was later joined by the neighboring Siberian lands. For ten years, the Yakuts attacked the prison several times, but they were always defeated. At this time, new territorial units appeared, and the prison became the center of the Yakutsk district. Yakutsk received city status and its current name in 1643.
Until 1900, it was part of the Siberian province, then the Irkutsk province, several times its status changed from a county town to a regional center. And only inIn 1922, it was officially recognized as the capital of the Yakut Republic.
This northern city is very beautiful. The sights of Yakutsk with a description can be seen in the advertising booklets of many travel companies. Its long and interesting history is reflected in many monuments, to which the townspeople are very reverent. Let's get acquainted with some of them.
Architectural and Historical Museum "Friendship"
The city of Yakutsk, whose sights are still of interest to scientists and researchers, will also interest ordinary tourists.
The Friendship Museum is located on the right bank of the majestic Lena River, where Russian explorers founded the Lena prison, which laid the foundation for the city. Today it is a major tourist and cultural center of Yakutsk.
The museum was opened in the early 1990s. The well-known national Yakut writer Suorun Omolloon became its leader.
Qualified employees offer all museum visitors to get acquainted with the history of the reunification of Yakutia and Russia, to evaluate the progressive influence of Russian culture on the culture of the indigenous inhabitants of the republic.
Museum exhibits
In the museum you can get acquainted with the culture of the Evenks, Chukchi, Yukaghirs and Dolgans. Of particular interest to tourists are the expositions of the national clothes of the peoples of the north of the 19th-20th centuries, koumiss wooden utensils, women's jewelry, ancient burial structures.
The unique objects of the museum-reserve include the Yakut cemetery, where they are recreated in chronologicalorder wooden monuments that reflect the process of Christianization of the Yakuts.
Mammoth Museum
Sights in Yakutsk are so peculiar that many of them are the only ones in the world. An example of this is the unique Mammoth Museum. There are no institutions in the world that specialize and study paleontological exhibits.
It was founded in 1991 as a scientific and cultural center dedicated to the study of mammoths and their life during the Ice Age. The initiator of the creation of such a museum was the first mammothologist from Yakutia, Petr Alekseevich Lazarev.
In the bowels of Yakutia, during excavations, archaeologists discovered amazing finds - mammoths, cave lions, bison, woolly rhinos, musk oxen and other long-extinct animals. Before the opening of the museum, such priceless finds were sent to the central institutions of the country's major cities. The appearance of the Mammoth Museum made it possible to carry out all the research and leave it in Yakutsk.
In July 1998, the museum became part of the Institute of Applied Ecology of the North. And in 2011 it became a division of the North-Eastern Federal University.
On numerous stands, among many interesting finds, you can see the mammoth Dima (although this is just a copy), which was discovered in 1977 in the upper reaches of the Kolyma. Today it is located in the Northern capital. In a fairly short period of time, the museum has collected a large collection of more than 1450exhibits.
Laboratory of the Permafrost Institute
Many tourists who come to Yakutsk begin to explore the sights from this underground laboratory. It belongs to the Institute of Permafrost. Today it is one of the most popular objects in the city.
This laboratory was founded in 1961 for the comprehensive study of permafrost. To conduct experiments in an underground laboratory, negative temperatures were required. Therefore, the lower gallery was laid at the level of zero soil temperature amplitudes, right under the building of the Permafrost Institute. In the lower gallery, the temperature is unchanged all year round: -5 … -4 ° С, humidity - from 70% to 100%.
The city of Yakutsk, whose sights amaze even experienced travelers, has become famous throughout the world for a number of fundamental works related to the study of the mechanical characteristics of ice, creep of soils in permafrost conditions. Today, the results of these studies are successfully used for the design and construction of various structures, industrial and residential buildings, roads, oil pipelines.
Ortho Doidu Zoo
Many tourists arriving in Yakutsk expect to see any kind of sights, but the existence of the Ortho-Doidu zoo comes as a surprise to many. This is a state institution of the Republic of Sakha. The park is located on the banks of the Lena River, in the most picturesque place - the Erkeeni valley.
The name of the park translated fromYakut language means "middle world". The fact is that in Yakut mythology there are three worlds - the upper, middle and lower. Abas (devils) live in the lower world, people and animals live in the middle, and the gods live in the upper. So the zoo in Yakutsk symbolizes the middle world.
Ortho Doidu Park opened in 2001. This is the only zoo in the world that operates in the extreme conditions of the northern climate. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that it can accept any wild animals and help them.
Currently, the zoo presents about 170 species of animals living in different geographical areas. Here, positive results have been obtained in the breeding of the East Siberian lynx, polar wolf and arctic fox. In addition, species of animals and birds exotic for these places are represented here - the Amur tiger, musk ox, golden eagle, Asian wild grouse, spotted deer, beaver, white-tailed eagle, small swan, etc.
City of Yakutsk, attractions -: reviews of tourists
This northern city makes a huge impression on tourists. Yakutsk amazes with magnificent northern nature, harsh climate. The sights of this city are amazing. Many kind words deserve museum workers who conduct very interesting excursions.
