Kansk is a town in Krasnoyarsk territory, located 250 km from Krasnoyarsk. It is built on the Kan River, on its left bank. The Kan River is a tributary of the Yenisei River. Now it is clear why the town is named so. As a part of the town, there is also one settlement, a village, which is known as the Kan-Perevozinskoye, and is located on the opposite right side of the Kan River.     

The town has about 91 thousand people. The time zone in comparison with the Moscow time differs by 4 hours. That is, when it is 7am in Moscow Kansk people see 11am on their watches. Those who need to make a phone call to Kansk for some reason should first dial the code of Russia (+7), then the code of Kansk, which consists of 5 numbers 39161, and then only dial the phone number. For all the tourists, coming to this marvelous town for excursions or for other reasons, the hotels are open.     

Kansk plays a role of a serious rail junction in the Krasnoyarsk territory, the town is located on the Transsiberian railway, between Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk. This is the very place where a railway station called Kansk-Yenisei is built and operates. Kansk is also important in the road traffic of the area. The highway M53 goes through the town. This designation makes it clear that the road has a status of a federal destination.

There are three airfield in the town. Unfortunately, two of them do not operate for a long time, as they have been abandoned. The third works as a the Russian Air Force Aviation Base in Checheule. There is an armor of the Russian Navy stored in Kansk.    

The town is well-developed from the cultural point of view. Mass media in this regard also does not lag behind. There are 4 editorial offices within the town as well as a local TV company and a radio. 

Kansk was founded in 1636 by a Krasnoyarsk chieftain Miloslav Koltsov as a stockaded town, built to protect the borders of the conquered territory. In 1640 the town was moved to the place where it is now, soon it was conquered by Buryat people and burnt down, rebuilt, and burnt again in 1677. Every year 15 Cossacks came here to be on the guard duty.    

The resident Russian population appeared in 1748 was 112 people. The town served as one of the stops on the way of Russian explorers to the southeast of Russia. From the middle of 18 century it played a significant role in the transit trade (on the Moscow route). Since 1782 it had been a district town in the Tomsk region of the Tobolsk territory. Since 1822 – a town. Since 1823 – a district town of the Yenisei Province.  

From the middle of 18th century the town began an important centre of the transit trade of the local population in agriculture (on the Moscow route). Kansk itself occupied uyezd (a huge territory) – 61 thousand sq km, which is equal to such contemporary European countries as Austria or two Switzerlands, but with an extremely small density of population – 3 people per sq verst (3500 feet) – a real desert! The main occupations were farming and cattle-breeding, factory-and-works industry was poorly developed. Therefore, the route beneficially influenced the development of Kansk and gave it a stimulus to become a town. With the foundation of the Yenisei Province Kansk got the status of a district town. According to the census of 1897 there were 8200 people, and by the year 1911 – 6485. As all the county and district towns Kansk should have had its own symbol (coat of arms). In December 1855 the one was approved. 

The coat of arms of Kansk has not been changed since 1857 and represents an image: an armorial escutcheon with a base 8/9 height, with a protruding edge at the bottom and rounded bottom edges having two fields –dark red top and green bottom; in the upper part of the shield on the dark red field there is a gold lion in profile, rising on its hind legs, with a protruded tongue, the end of the tail facing the back; in its right front paw it is holding a golden shovel, in the left one – a golden sickle; at the bottom of the shield on the green field there is a sheaf of rye. The shield is crowned with a town crown, formed by the town walls with five teeth.

Dark red – a symbol of bravery, courage and fearlessness. Portrayed with a mixture of red lead and cinnabar (the first prevails).

Green – a symbol of hope, joy, abundance. Portrayed with a mixture of chrome and vegetable green.

Gold – a symbol of wealth, justice, generosity.

Shield – the main part of the coat of arms. The French form is used, it represents a rectangle, the base of which is equal to 8/9 height, protrudes in the middle of the lower part with a point and has rounded bottom corners. The shield has two fields: red and green.

Lion – a symbol of power, strength, courage, grace and generosity. Its absolute position in the shield should be in profile, rising on its hind legs, protruded tongue, the end of the tail facing the back.   

Sheaf of rye - a symbol of agriculture ("land of arms").

Sickle - a symbol of rural life.

Shovel - a symbol of factory-and-works activity.

Town Crown. This is the name for the crown formed by the walls of the town, with teeth or towers. Before the Supreme Order in 1857 stamp shields of the district towns either had not been crowned at all (until 1850) or had crowns with five teeth of towers. 

The time difference with Moscow is +4 hours.

City official website