irkutsk was established in 1651 as a cossack garrison to establish authority over the indigenous buryats. in the 1700s, it was the springboard for expeditions to the far north and east. it became eastern siberia’s trading and administrative centre. a major junction on the exile road, its most illustrious 19th-century residents were the decembrists and polish rebels. the exiles formed a rough-hewn aristocracy who emphasised education, arts and political awareness.
when gold was discovered in the lena basin in the 1880s, the city boomed. the newly rich built brick mansions and grand public buildings, many of which are still standing. irkutsk thus quickly became known as ‘the paris of siberia’. a city of well-to-do merchants and high-brow socialites, irkutsk did not welcome the news of the great october socialist revolution. the city finally succumbed to the red tide in 1920, with the capture and execution of admiral Kolchak, the head of the white army. soviet-era planning saw irkutsk develop as an industrial and scientific centre, which it remains today. it is slowly also developing into a more tourist place, ideal as a stop-over for trips on the trans-siberian, or trans-mongolian, and as an excursion base for lake baikal and its surroundings.
note the balcony of this building...
typical for siberian houses in the area of lake baikal are the colourful and carefully ornated windows on the wooden houses.
church of the saviour.
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