Irkutsk-capital of Siberia (Irkutsk)

Member Name: llamass

Product:	Irkutsk
Date:	17/09/09 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Interesting historical sites.

Disadvantages: Does not particularly stand out against other Siberian cities

Irkutsk is the capital of the Irkutsk Oblast province in Russian Eastern Siberia and with 590,000 people one of the largest population centres in all of Siberia. The city is situated on the Trans-Siberian railway route and despite seeming a long way east, and the last stop before the rails split and dive down into Mongolia, it is actually only around half way between Moscow and Vladivostok (being a 3-4 day rail journey to either) which gives an idea of just how huge Russia really is. Probably as a result of the huge distance to the west, Irkutsk has a distinctly different feel to it than the Western Russian cities. The population is also more mixed with a noticeable percentage of the population being non-white and of Buryat (the original inhabitants of the region) or other ethnic ancestry.

Like all of Siberia the winter is extremely cold but the summer can be quite warm so come prepared depending on your time of visit. As a personal choice I love Siberia in winter just because it fulfils all my childhood Siberian fantasies of a frozen and snow-covered paradise but it is very, very cold and means you can end up spending a lot of time indoors.

The city of Irkutsk, as I have said, has a different feel to those large metropolises in the west of Moscow and St Petersburg, and despite still being a relatively large city is has a much slower, small town feel to it. I found the locals very friendly and numerous times they went out of their way to help me, despite my shaky (read almost non-existent) grasp of Russian. Like many Russian cities the outskirts have some drab and strikingly Soviet buildings but the older centre is pretty with wide tree-lined streets and traditional Siberian wooden buildings as well as the obligatory Lenin statues!

Irkutsk is the traditional stop on the Trans-Siberian where tourists access Lake Baikal as it is the nearest significant population centre to the lake. There are regular connections by bus out to villages and the lake itself but I won't discuss Baikal itself as I may write a separate piece with more detail this. Instead I will look at what there is to do in the city itself which easily warrants a few days stay.

Admittedly (and I feel this is the case with a lot of places in Russia), I found that those who enjoyed the city were those who had a deeper interest in the history of Russia and had a reasonable prior knowledge of 19th and 20th century Russia. The simple reason for this is that most of the must-see sites are related to particular events in the history of Russia, rather than world-famous sites, and they may seem quite dull if you don't know the background (and the Russians aren't known for their great elaboration in museums so it can be difficult to get information on the spot). This isn't to put anyone off going but doing a little background reading really goes a long way here.

A typical example of this is the place I was most excited about seeing in Irkutsk: the Decembrists' House. The Decembrists, for those who are unaware, were a group of Russian army officers who led an uprising in St Petersburg in December 1825 against the then new Tsar and were one of the first revolutionary movements in Russia. When the uprising failed a few of the leaders were executed and others were exiled to Siberia, around the area of Irkutsk. Whilst being members of the nobility themselves they were an early group to stand up for liberal reform and became highly symbolic against the absolutist monarchy in Russia. The wives of the exiled men followed them to Siberia and a community was established that continued to promote the values the men had fought for in St Petersburg. The Volkonskiy House was the property of the Volkonskiy family and is a good way to see the life of the nobility, even in exile, in 19th century Russia-the building itself is also one of the traditional wooden Siberian houses and extremely pretty so is worth having a look around the outside too.

The second historical point of interest for me was the execution point of Kolchak, leader of the anti-Bolshevik forces, in 1920. This is a typical example of needing to know about the history because there is nothing about the spot to pick it out from the rest of the city-it is rather like visiting a battle field and realising that now it is simply a field. Self-evident perhaps, but as Irkutsk was a flashpoint in the Russia Civil War the capture and execution was a highly significant event, and for history nerd like myself it is extremely exciting as it is possible to imagine the turmoil and spirit of that time even if there isn't anything exciting about the spot itself!

For those with less of an obsession with Soviet and revolutionary history there are a number of churches and small museums that can fill up time in the city. The churches are scattered around the city and it is probably best to simply wander around the centre and go into those which particularly take your fancy-there are a number of pretty buildings in the orthodox style and with brightly painted domes and intricate interiors. Of the museums the Irkutsk Regional Museum is one of the most interesting as it has information on the indigenous peoples of the region, a culture and history often subsumed in modern Russia.

Overall I enjoyed Irkutsk as a stop-off on the Trans-Siberian and think that for those with an interest in Russian history it is an important place to see. That said, if not for its convenient positioning near Lake Baikal the city would probably not see the level of tourism that it does as it is a fairly typical example of a Siberian city. Still as Baikal is a must for most visitors in Russia the very appeal of Irkutsk may be in its relative normality, the fact that it does represent everyday Russia and not anything stately or exaggerated and so it is a pleasant place to see Siberian city life.

Summary: Recommended for a day or two if you are visiting Baikal