
Traditional wooden houses, Irkutsk
Traditional wooden houses, IrkutskOn Lake Baikal, IrkutskPrince Volkonsky's house, IrkutskWooden house, IrkutskCathedrals, IrkutskIrkutsk, RussiaAbove Lake Baikal, IrkutskBy the River Angara, IrkutskCathedrals, IrkutskOn Lake Baikal, IrkutskOn Lake Baikal, IrkutskSunset over the River Baikal, IrkutskIrkutsk, RussiaHorse and cart, SiberiaSentset over Lake Baikal, Irkutsk
Established in 1651 Irkutsk grew to become the administrative and cultural centre of Siberia.
Following an attempted coup d’etat in 1825, Tsar Nicolas I exiled a group of his childhood friends here (the Decemberists) who gave the city something of a noble air, and led to it being dubbed ‘the Paris of Siberia’ by Russians.
Exploring Irkutsk
After a devastating fire in 1879 the city was rebuilt by its rich merchants, and many of these brick mansions and grand public buildings still stand today in the compact but pretty centre.
Well served by train or plane from Moscow, Irkutsk is both an essential stopover on the Trans-Siberian railway and a destination in its own right, with the beautiful Lake Baikal on its doorstep.
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Travelling on the Trans-Siberian Railway, through Russia, Mongolia and China is one of the greatest and oldest train journeys on earth.
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