Top 30 attractions of Irkutsk, Russia

The Siberian city, standing on the banks of the Angara, was an unknown world in the 17th century, and today it is a modern and developed territory. Once it all started with a tiny prison and a garrison of hundreds of people who risked at any moment to suffer from the attack of the Buryat detachments. Surprisingly, the conquerors from the west managed to survive and win the right to stay on this land.

For more than 350 years of existence, Irkutsk has acquired architectural monuments: picturesque wooden houses and stone churches of incredible beauty (and where did the imagination of architects come from!), monuments in honor of prominent personalities whose fates were connected with Siberia, museums with interesting ethnographic collections - all it awaits guests who decide to visit the city. And this is not to mention the fact that a few tens of kilometers away is the grandiose Baikal, where Irkutsk people go as if to their dacha.

What to see and where to go in Irkutsk?

The most interesting and beautiful places for walking. Photos and a short description.

"Babr"

The Turkic name of the jaguar or panther, the Yakuts call the Ussuri tiger this way. For several centuries, the figure of this beast has been adorning the coat of arms of Irkutsk and is a symbol of the city. In 2012, a bronze sculpture appeared in the 130th quarter depicting the animal in all its glory. The figure reaches a height of 3.5 meters, a length of 4 meters. The babr, which has risen on its hind legs, holds its prey - a fur-bearing animal - in its teeth.

130th quarter

Historical building zone, located on the site of a suburban quarter of the 18th century. At that time, all buildings were built of wood, so by the beginning of the 20th century, the area looked like an ordinary village. The decision to create the Irkutsk Sloboda was made in 2008. As part of the project, people were resettled from emergency housing, and dilapidated houses were restored, turning them into architectural monuments.

Count Speransky Square

The main square of the city, whose history began more than 300 years ago. For the first time it arose behind the Irkutsk Kremlin and became the center of trade and festivities. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Gostiny Dvor was transferred here. The area reached its current size by the end of the 19th century. In 1879 there was a devastating fire that destroyed most of the buildings, the remains of the architectural ensemble were lost during the Soviet era. Nowadays, there is a fountain, a chapel and a landscaped square.

Lower embankment of the Angara

The street, located in the northern part of the historical center, is the oldest city embankment. Ever since the founding of Irkutsk, this place has been used as a pier. Gradually, with the growth of the settlement, the surrounding meadows were built up with houses and public buildings. Here, in the 18th century, a stone Cathedral of the Epiphany was erected. A large-scale reconstruction of the embankment was carried out in 2010-2011.

Irkutsk Museum of the Decembrists

The museum exposition is located on the territory of the estates of princes S. G. Volkonsky and S. P. Trubetskoy, exiled to Siberia after the suppression of the Decembrist uprising. These houses are monuments of urban wooden architecture typical of Siberia in the 19th century. Inside, historical interiors are recreated, giving an idea of ​​the life and way of life of the princely family. The collection was founded in 1970, the formation of funds continues to this day.

Viktor Bronstein Gallery

A private art gallery founded in 2011 by philanthropist and businessman V. V. Bronstein. The collection contains more than 1.5 thousand paintings, sculptures and graphic drawings, which makes it the largest beyond the Urals. Literally since its foundation, the museum has been taking part in exhibitions in Russia, China, Mongolia, and Korea. The exhibits of the gallery belong to various areas of contemporary art.

Irkutsk Regional Museum of Local Lore

Museum institution, consisting of several departments, a library and a children's center. Its expositions are very popular, as evidenced by the high attendance of 300,000 people a year. The collection was founded with funds from merchants and nobles in 1782. In 1879 there was a fire that destroyed the museum fund of many thousands. But four years later, the institution again opened its doors to visitors.

Drama Theater named after N. P. Okhlopkov

One of the oldest drama scenes in Russia, founded in the middle of the 19th century. The first troupe of the theater was a group of itinerant actors who decided to settle in Irkutsk. The modern building was erected in 1897 according to the project of V. A. Schroeter and reconstructed in 1999. It is an example of Russian classical architecture. Distinctive features of the building are good acoustics and rich decoration.

Musical Theater named after N. M. Zagursky

The opera stage appeared in Irkutsk in 1941. At first, the troupe performed in the building of the beginning of the 20th century, which was equipped with a huge auditorium for those times with more than 900 seats. The basis of the repertoire consisted mainly of musical comedies and classical works. The modern stage building was erected in 1990. It should be noted that the range of genres is quite wide - rock operas, musicals, ballets and operettas are held with great success.

V. P. Sukachev Art Museum

The museum collection is located in three historical mansions - two stone estates and a two-story wooden house that belonged to the family of V.P. Sukachev - a public figure, collector and patron of the arts (it was on his initiative that the art gallery was founded). The exhibition presents masterpieces of Russian, Eastern, Western European and Siberian art of the XV-XX centuries.

Museum-estate of V.P. Sukachev

The picturesque wooden mansion, entwined with carvings, like white lace, is a true masterpiece of wooden architecture. Its elegant architraves and cornices cover the facade with the finest cobwebs and create a feeling of airiness. The estate is a complex of buildings, some of which (including the main house) were restored in the 2000s. Inside there is a memorial exposition dedicated to the family of V.P. Sukachev.

Museum-icebreaker "Angara"

A steamship of pre-revolutionary construction, which was in the service of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. It is one of the oldest icebreakers in the world. The ship was launched in 1900, and in 1962 it was withdrawn from the fleet. The ship took part in the battles of the Civil War. In 1982, the authorities decided to create a museum on board, but a year later the ship was set on fire, and for five years it was in a deplorable state. In 1990, it was repaired and towed to the Irkutsk reservoir.

"Taltsy"

An architectural and ethnographic complex 40 km from Irkutsk, where a collection of monuments of the 17th - 20th centuries is presented. Four zones have been recreated on its territory: Russian, Tofalar, Evenk, Buryat. The exposition is based on wooden buildings collected from the villages and towns of the region, flooded during the construction of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station. In order to preserve the unique heritage, in 1969 it was decided to organize a museum.

House of Merchants Shastins

The estate of the late XIX - early XX centuries, known as the "lace house" due to the skillful carved decor, really reminiscent of the finest lace. The architectural style of the building is defined as Russian Baroque, although this term is quite broad and has vague criteria. The house was saved from demolition and restored in 1999 from old photographs at the initiative of the French Association for the Preservation of Architectural Monuments.

House of Feinberg

I. M. Fainberg is a merchant and owner of gold mines, who was one of the richest and most influential people in Irkutsk at the end of the 19th century. In 1903, he built himself a brick and sandstone stone mansion (which only the very wealthy could afford). But Feinberg did not live in the new house, but preferred to rent out its many rooms. The picturesque building was built in an eclectic style.

Railway station building

Decoration of the city and a valuable architectural monument. The building was erected in 1898 and rebuilt in 1907. Even the reconstruction of the 1960s, as a result of which the complex was significantly expanded, did not violate its historical appearance, since the new buildings harmoniously fit into the overall ensemble, which was rare for that time. The last restoration was carried out in 2004.

Cathedral of the Epiphany

Orthodox church of the beginning of the 18th century, located on the Lower Angara embankment. In 1693, a wooden church stood in its place, later destroyed by fire. It was decided to build a new building of stone with donations from residents and guests of Irkutsk. After the Revolution until the 1960s, one of the shops of the bakery and a hostel for workers were located inside. After a 19-year restoration, the building was transferred to the local history museum. Services resumed in 1994.

Kazan church

An amazingly picturesque temple made of bright red bricks with a blue-blue roof painted with geometric patterns. The building is so unusual that it immediately attracts the attention of an observer passing by. The temple was erected at the end of the 19th century. Due to its indisputable architectural value, it did not suffer under Soviet rule, and in 1975 it was included in the list of objects protected by the state.

Kharlampievskaya Church

The temple was erected at the end of the 18th century to replace a wooden building that had fallen into disrepair. Before the Revolution, those who went to sea were blessed here for long-distance voyages. In 1904, within the walls of the church, A. V. Kolchak, the leader of the White movement, a military man and a researcher, married. The parishioners of the temple were representatives of large trading dynasties of Irkutsk, who often financed research expeditions.

Holy Cross Church

An original and original building in the Siberian Baroque style, one of the oldest Orthodox churches in the city. The church was erected in 1760, it acquired its modern look in the 19th century after the addition of a new chapel. Inside there is an ancient iconostasis of the 18th century and several hundred valuable images. Surprisingly, all this luxury was able to survive the total confiscations and ruins of the Soviet era.

Church of the Savior

The temple, located in the historical center of the city within the territory of the not preserved Irkutsk Kremlin. In the architectural sense, the building is an early town church. It was one of the first stone buildings in Irkutsk. After the Revolution, the building was almost demolished, but nevertheless they decided to adapt it to household needs. In 1960, the church was recognized as a monument of regional importance.

Znamensky Monastery

Orthodox convent, one of the oldest in Siberia. It was founded in 1689. The architectural ensemble of the monastery, among other things, includes the Church of the Sign, a necropolis where church and public figures are buried, and a monument to Kolchak (he was shot by the Bolsheviks at the walls of the monastery in 1920). In our time, monastic life has resumed in full.

Monument to Kolchak

A monument in honor of the leader of the White movement A. V. Kolchak was erected in Irkutsk in 2004. The author of the project was the sculptor and people's artist V. M. Klykov. The monument took its place at the Znamenskaya Convent, where the Supreme Ruler of Russia was allegedly shot. The figure of the admiral, mounted on a concrete pedestal, is made of bronze, it reaches a height of 4.5 meters.

Monument to Alexander III

The first monument to the emperor was erected in 1908, but after the Revolution it was demolished as a hateful reminder of centuries of tsarist oppression. The monument was restored in 2003. The sculptor A. S. Charkin worked on a new project. The figure of the king crowns a high pedestal and reaches 5 meters in height. On the pedestal itself there are bas-reliefs of Yermak, Count N. N. Muravyov-Amursky and M. M. Speransky.

Monument to Leonid Gaidai

The famous director began his career in Irkutsk. In 2012, near the school where he studied, a monument was erected in his honor. The sculptural group consists of the figure of Gaidai in the director's chair, carefully looking at Experienced, Coward and Dunce, and at that moment creating one of the scenes of his legendary films. The composition is very emotional and expressive, exactly reflecting the spirit of his films.

Monument to Yakov Pokhabov

Ya. I. Pokhabov is a pioneer and founder of Irkutsk. In 1661, he landed with his detachment on the banks of the Angara and founded a prison. A monument in his honor was installed on the Lower Embankment in 2011, the opening was timed to coincide with the 350th anniversary of Irkutsk. The sculpture represents the figure of Jacob, dressed in a traveling suit and purposefully peering into the distance, apparently in search of a suitable place for laying the city.

Moscow gates

The Triumphal Arch is a copy of the 1813 building erected in honor of the accession of Alexander I to the throne and demolished in 1928. The structure was restored in 2011 in the Empire and Renaissance architectural style. It is interesting that the decision to demolish the arch was made by the City Council even before the Revolution, but then the monument was saved thanks to the petitions of citizens and public organizations.

nerpinary

Baikal seals are unusual, amazing and funny creatures, endemic to Lake Baikal, which do not live anywhere else in the world. In the Irkutsk nerpinaria, these animals put on a show for visitors: they play with a ball, draw, dance and sing. If it is not possible to observe them in their natural environment, then visiting the nerpinarium is a great way out, especially since you can take great photos with seals.

Angara river

The Angara is the largest tributary of the Yenisei, the great Siberian river flowing through the territory of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Irkutsk Region. Its length is more than 1700 km. Irkutsk is located on both banks of the water artery. In warm weather, ships and pleasure boats go along it, in winter it is dressed in a white cover. Angara is poetically called "Baikal's daughter".

Lake Baikal

What epithets are not awarded to this great lake - “gray-haired”, “mighty”, “wise”, “mysterious”, endowing it with human properties. Coming to Irkutsk and not visiting Lake Baikal is unforgivable, especially since the nearest shore is only 70 km from the city in the resort village of Listvyanka. The beauty of the lake does not need additional advertising; visiting this place is a dream for many tourists.