Irkutsk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Irkutsk (English) Иркутск (Russian) |
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 View of Irkutsk from space |
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 Location of Irkutsk in southern Siberia |
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| Coordinates |
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| Coat of Arms | Flag |
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| City Day: First Sunday of June | |
| Administrative status | |
| Federal subject In jurisdiction of Administrative center of |
Irkutsk Oblast Irkutsk Oblast Irkutsk Oblast, Irkutsky District |
| Local self-government | |
| Charter | Charter of Irkutsk |
| Municipal status | Urban okrug |
| Mayor | Vladimir Yakubovsky |
| Legislative body | Duma |
| Area | |
| Area - Rank |
n/a n/a |
| Population (as of the 2002 Census) | |
| Population - Rank - Density |
593,604 inhabitants 24th n/a |
| Events | |
| Founded | 1652 |
| Town status | 1686 |
| Other information | |
| Postal code | n/a |
| Dialing code | +7 3952 |
| Official website | |
| http://www1.irkutsk.ru/ | |
Irkutsk (Russian: Ирку́тск) is one of the largest cities in Siberia. It is a fortified military post, an archbishopric of the Russian Orthodox Church, and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast. It is situated 5,185 kilometers (3,221.9 mi) by rail from Moscow. Population: 593,604 (2002 Census); 626,135 (1989 Census); 500,000 (1975); 49,106 (1900); 35,512 (1875).
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[edit] Geography and climate
The city proper lies at the Angara River, a tributary of the Yenisei, 45 miles (72.4 km) below its outflow from Lake Baikal, and on the bank opposite the suburb of Glaskovsk. The river, which has a breadth of 1,900 feet (579.1 m) is crossed by a flying bridge. The Irkut River, from which the town takes its name, is a small river which joins the Angara directly opposite the town. The main portion of the city is separated from several important landmarks—the monastery, the fort, and the port, as well as its suburbs by another tributary, the Ida, or Ushakovka River.
As a Siberian city, Irkutsk experiences a subarctic climate, characterized by extreme variation of temperatures between seasons. Temperatures can be very warm in the summer, and brutally cold in the winter. The warmest month of the year in Irkutsk is July, when the mean temperature is +18 °C (64.4 °F), and the coldest month of the year is January, when the mean temperature is only −19 °C (−2.2 °F). Precipitation also varies widely throughout the year, with the wettest month also being July, when precipitation averages 119 mm (4.70 in). The driest month is February, when precipitation averages only 7.6 mm (.30 in), mainly due to the fact that almost all precipitaion during the Siberian winter falls as fluffy, low moisture content snow.
Irkutsk is situated in a landscape of rolling hills within the thick taiga, typical of eastern Siberia, and in contrast to the flat, open steppe of western Siberia.
According to the regional plan Irkutsk city will be agglomerated with satellite industrial towns of Shelekhov and Angarsk with over one million total population.
[edit] History
Irkutsk grew out of the winter quarters established (1652) by Yakov Pokhabov for the collection of the fur tax from the Buryats. The town gained official city rights from the government in 1686. The first road connection between Moscow and Irkutsk, the Siberian Road (Сибирский Тракт, Sibirsky Trakt), was built in 1760. The city benefitted economically from this new road. Many new products, often imported from China, were widely available in Irkutsk for the first time, including gold, diamonds, furs, wood, silk, and tea.
During the past centuries Siberia, with its severe climate, has had a reputation as the place for exile. In Genghis Khan's army, punishment was either death or exile to Siberia.[1] In the early 19th century, many Russian artists, officers, and nobles were sent into exile to Siberia for their part in the Decembrist revolt against Tsar Nicholas I. Irkutsk became the major center of intellectual and social life for these exiles, and much of the city's cultural heritage comes from them; many of their wooden houses, adorned with ornate, hand-carved decorations, survive today in stark contrast with the standard Soviet apartment blocks that surround them.
By the end of the 19th century there was one exiled man per two locals. Different people from the members of the Decembrist's uprising to Bolsheviks have been staying in Irkutsk for a long time. These people have greatly influenced the culture and the development of the city and it has finally became a prosperous cultural and educational center for Eastern Siberia.
Irkutsk has long been reputed to be a remarkably fine city—its streets being straight, broad, well paved and well lighted; but in 1879, on July 4 and 6, the palace of the (then) Governor General, the principal administrative and municipal offices and many of the other public buildings were destroyed by fire; and the government archives, the library, and the museum of the Siberian section of the Russian Geographical Society were utterly ruined. Three quarters of the city were destroyed, including approximately four thousand houses. However, the city quickly rebounded, with electricity arriving in 1896, the first theater being built in 1897, and a major train station in 1898. The first train arrived in Irkutsk on August 16 of that year. By 1900, the city had earned the nickname "The Paris of Siberia."
During the civil war that broke out after the Bolshevik Revolution, Irkutsk became the site of many furious, bloody clashes between the "Whites" and the "Reds". In 1920, Kolchak, the once-feared commander of the largest contingent of anti-Bolshevik forces, was executed there, effectively destroying the anti-Bolshevik resistance.
During the Communist years, the industrialization of Irkutsk, and Siberia in general, was heavily encouraged. A large Reservoir was built on the Angara between 1950 and 1959 in order to facilitate industrial development.
A cathedral (built of wood in 1693 and rebuilt of stone in 1718), the governor's palace, a school of medicine, a museum, a military hospital, and the crown factories are among the public institutions and buildings. On July 27, 2004, Irkutsk's synagogue built in 1881 suffered an electrical fire.
[edit] Economy
The main industries in Irkutsk are timber, aluminum, and minerals.[citation needed] The minor industries are consumer produce, tea packing, agriculture and tourism.[citation needed] Moreover, The Economist has described the economy of Irkutsk as very stable compared to other major Russian cities.[citation needed]
[edit] Transport
Important roads and railways like the Trans-Siberian Railway connect Irkutsk to other regions in Russia and Mongolia. Also, the city is served by the Irkutsk International Airport and the smaller Irkutsk Northwest Airport.
Federal road to Vladivostok goes via Irkutsk suburb.
[edit] Television and mass media
There are many state and privately owned television stations in Irkutsk, including http://as.baikal.tv AS Baikal TV (AIST) and e.g. http://www.vsp.ru VSP newspaper agency. Irkutsk live webcamera inlc. life temperature in city center: http://as.baikal.tv/webcam/
[edit] Twin cities
City of Shenyang, China; city of Kanazawa, Japan; city of Eugene, Oregon, U.S.A., and Ulan Bator, capital of neighbouring Mongolia, are twin cities of Irkutsk.
[edit] Education
Irkutsk is home to Irkutsk State University (1918), Baykalsky State University of Economics & Law (since 1932), Irkutsk State Technical University (since 1939), Irkutsk State Academy of Agriculture, Irkutsk State Linguistic University (1948), Irkutsk State Medical University, Irkutsk State Pedagogical College, and a number of private colleges: Siberian Institute of Law, Economics and Management (since 1993), Institute of Economics of ISTU (since 1996), and others.
[edit] Science
As part of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences there are nine research institutes located in the Irkutsk Academgorodok suburb: Institute of Geography, Energy Systems Institute, Institute of Geochemistry, Institute of Systems Dynamics and Control Theory, Earth's Crust Institute, solar-terrestrial physics institute, Institute of Chemistry, Institute of Limnology (located on lake Baikal shore), Institute of Plants Physics, Laser Physics Institute (Branch of the Novosibirsk-based Institute). Apart from SB RAS Research Institutes, there are R&D institutes including GAZPROM R&D Institute (Branch of Moscow-based Institute), Irkutsk Institute of Less-Common and Precious Metals and Diamonds.
[edit] Images of Irkutsk
 A Decembrist house, with distinctive hand-carved trim |
 Epiphany Minster (1718–1746) |
 Irkutsk railway station on Trans-Siberian railway |
 Winter time in Irkutsk |
[edit] References
- ^ Irkutsk. Geographic Bureau - Siberia and Pacific. Retrieved on October 26, 2006.
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding German Wikipedia article as of 10 July 2006.
[edit] External links
- Satellite picture by Google Maps
- Flickr photos tagged irkutsk
- Irkutsk in old and modern photos
- Kyzyl
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Cities and towns in Irkutsk Oblast |  |
| Administrative center: Irkutsk Alzamay | Angarsk | Baykalsk | Biryusinsk | Bodaybo | Bratsk | Cheremkhovo | Kirensk | Nizhneudinsk | Sayansk | Shelekhov | Slyudyanka | Svirsk | Tayshet | Tulun | Usolye-Sibirskoye | Ust-Ilimsk | Ust-Kut | Vikhorevka | Zheleznogorsk-Ilimsky | Zima |
