The city is located 66 km away from Baikal Lake. The date of foundation is supposed to be July, 16^th 1661, when a small stockaded town was raised in that place. The place was very good for living and some time later the first merchant’s caravans stretched to the Great China Wall and Russian America (Alaska). 25 years later it got the status of a city and became the centre of the territory. Gradually, it became a huge cultural centre of the province. Exiled Decembrists were conductive to this fact.  

At the end of the XIXth century Irkutsk experienced a big fire, during which all central part of the city was destroyed. Practically all ancient buildings, preserved up to our days, were built after the fire.

It is no coincidence that Irkutsk is rather popular with Russian and foreign tourists. The city has a rich historical past, a unique architectural heritage and surprisingly picturesque surroundings. It’s a genuine city-museum.  The monuments located in the city are of All-Russian as well as world wide significance. Today there are more than 501 monuments of history and culture, which are under the protection of the state, and there are about 810 objects, which are places of interest from the point of view of history and culture. An object of special interest in the city is a wooden building site of XIX century, which is divided into four protected areas.

A great number of wooden and stone monuments of XIX century, theatres, museums and churches are concentrated in Irkutsk. Travellers of different times mentioned Irkutsk as a city of a great concentration of churches and cathedrals – there is no such number of culture objects in any Siberian city. Today in the city Roman Catholic andOrthodoxChurches, Muslim and Judaic ones are harmonious neighbours.

In XX century the city was given the rank of a historical city.

Moreover,Irkutskis unique for its combination of man-made and nature sights. The most popular places for the rest in the city are the quay of the Angara River, an observation point, Irkutsk Local History Museum. The places of interest for tourists can be also the houses of local merchants, the monument to Alexander III.

The population of the city is about 576 000 people. The city is the centre ofIrkutskand Cheremkhovo agglomeration with total population about 1,09 million people. So there you can find modern hotels, restaurants, coffee houses, cinema halls and shopping centres.

Irkutsk is a huge railway junction in Eastern Siberia and a part of Trans-Siberian Railway. Irkutsk is interesting of itself and thanks to possibilities which are provided for tourists. From the city you can depart to the mountains or to get acquainted with the history of the region. Near the city there is a lake, which is the unique creation of nature. The lake is a habitat of unique animals and plants which are endemic. One of such animals is nerpa (Baikal seal). The date of foundation is supposed to be July, 16^th1661, when a small stockaded town was raised in that place. The place was very good for living and some time later the first merchant’s caravans stretched to the Great China Wall and Russian America (Alaska). 25 years later it got the status of a city and became the centre of the territory. Gradually, it became a huge cultural centre of the province. Exiled Decembrists were conductive to this fact.  

GMT +9 hours

Irkutsk city Administration website: www.admirkutsk.ru