Irkutsk 56872 225439145 2008-07-13T18:24:57Z SieBot 4005189 robot Adding: [[mr:ईर्कुट्स्क]] {{Infobox Russian city |EnglishName=Irkutsk |RussianName=Иркутск |Skyline=Irkutsk ISS011-E-9913.jpg |SkylineLegend=View of Irkutsk from space |LatDeg=52 |LatMin=17 |LatSec |LonDeg=104 |LonMin=18 |LonSec |LocatorMap=Irkutskmap.png |LocatorMapLegend=Location of Irkutsk in southern Siberia |CoatOfArms=Coat of Arms of Irkutsk.png |Flag=Flag of Irkutsk (Irkutsk oblast).png |CityDay=First Sunday of June |FederalSubject=[[Irkutsk Oblast]] |MunStatus=Urban okrug |InJurisdictionOf=[[Irkutsk Oblast]] |AdmCtrOf=[[Irkutsk Oblast]], [[Irkutsky District]] |LeaderType=Mayor |LeaderName=Vladimir Yakubovsky |Legislature=[[Duma of Irkutsk|Duma]] |Charter=[[Charter of Irkutsk]] |Area |AreaRank |Population=593604 |PopulationRank=24th |FoundationDate=1652 |Event1=Town status |Event1Date=1686 |PostalCode=664xxx |DialingCode=3952 |Website=http://www1.irkutsk.ru/ }} '''Irkutsk''' ({{lang-ru|Ирку́тск}}; {{lang-bxr|Эрхүү ''Erkhüü''}}; {{lang-mn|Эрхүү ''Erkhüü''}}) is one of the largest [[types of inhabited localities in Russia|cities]] in [[Siberia]] and the administrative center of [[Irkutsk Oblast]], situated {{km to mi|5185}} by rail from [[Moscow]]. Population: {{Ru-census|p02=593604|p89=622301}} ==Geography and climate== The city proper lies at the [[Angara River]], a [[tributary]] of the [[Yenisei River|Yenisei]], {{km to mi|72}} below its outflow from [[Lake Baikal]], and on the bank opposite the [[suburb]] of Glaskovsk. The river, which has a breadth of {{m to ft|580}} 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&mdash;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 {{C to F|18}}, the highest temperature recorded being 37 C. The coldest month of the year is January, when the mean temperature is only {{C to F|-19}}, which is much higher than other notable places in Siberia, such as [[Verkhoyansk]]. [[Precipitation (meteorology)|Precipitation]] also varies widely throughout the year, with the wettest month also being July, when precipitation averages 119&nbsp;mm (4.70&nbsp;in). The driest month is February, when precipitation averages only 7.6&nbsp;mm (.30&nbsp;in), mainly due to the fact that almost all precipitation 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 the satellite industrial towns of [[Shelekhov]] and [[Angarsk]] to form a metropolitan area with a total population of over one million. <br clear=all><!--Infobox begins-->{{Infobox Weather |metric_first= Yes |single_line= Yes |location = Irkutsk |Jan_Hi_°C = -14.8 |Jan_REC_Hi_°C = 2.3 |Feb_Hi_°C = -10.5 |Feb_REC_Hi_°C = 10.2 |Mar_Hi_°C = -1.7 |Mar_REC_Hi_°C = 20.0 |Apr_Hi_°C = 7.9 |Apr_REC_Hi_°C = 29.2 |May_Hi_°C = 16.3 |May_REC_Hi_°C = 34.5 |Jun_Hi_°C = 22.6 |Jun_REC_Hi_°C = 35.0 |Jul_Hi_°C = 24.6 |Jul_REC_Hi_°C = 37.2 |Aug_Hi_°C = 22.0 |Aug_REC_Hi_°C = 34.1 |Sep_Hi_°C = 15.3 |Sep_REC_Hi_°C = 29.5 |Oct_Hi_°C = 7.1 |Oct_REC_Hi_°C = 25.6 |Nov_Hi_°C = -4.4 |Nov_REC_Hi_°C = 14.1 |Dec_Hi_°C = -12.9 |Dec_REC_Hi_°C = 4.6 |Year_Hi_°C = 6.1 |Year_REC_Hi_°C = 37.2 |Jan_Lo_°C = -25.1 |Jan_REC_Lo_°C = -49.7 |Feb_Lo_°C = -23.4 |Feb_REC_Lo_°C = -44.7 |Mar_Lo_°C = -15.8 |Mar_REC_Lo_°C = -37.3 |Apr_Lo_°C = -4.8 |Apr_REC_Lo_°C = -31.8 |May_Lo_°C = 1.6 |May_REC_Lo_°C = -14.3 |Jun_Lo_°C = 7.6 |Jun_REC_Lo_°C = -6.0 |Jul_Lo_°C = 11.4 |Jul_REC_Lo_°C = 0.4 |Aug_Lo_°C = 9.3 |Aug_REC_Lo_°C = -2.7 |Sep_Lo_°C = 2.6 |Sep_REC_Lo_°C = -11.9 |Oct_Lo_°C = -4.4 |Oct_REC_Lo_°C = -30.5 |Nov_Lo_°C = -14.9 |Nov_REC_Lo_°C = -40.4 |Dec_Lo_°C = -22.7 |Dec_REC_Lo_°C = -46.3 |Year_Lo_°C = -6.5 |Year_REC_Lo_°C = -49.7 <!--**** use mm or cm but not both! ****--> |Jan_Precip_cm = |Jan_Precip_mm = 12 |Feb_Precip_cm = |Feb_Precip_mm = 9 |Mar_Precip_cm = |Mar_Precip_mm = 13 |Apr_Precip_cm = |Apr_Precip_mm = 19 |May_Precip_cm = |May_Precip_mm = 33 |Jun_Precip_cm = |Jun_Precip_mm = 62 |Jul_Precip_cm = |Jul_Precip_mm = 120 |Aug_Precip_cm = |Aug_Precip_mm = 86 |Sep_Precip_cm = |Sep_Precip_mm = 50 |Oct_Precip_cm = |Oct_Precip_mm = 30 |Nov_Precip_cm = |Nov_Precip_mm = 18 |Dec_Precip_cm = |Dec_Precip_mm = 19 |Year_Precip_cm = |Year_Precip_mm = 471 |source = Pogoda.ru.net<ref name="pogoda">{{cite web | url = http://pogoda.ru.net/climate/30791.htm | title = Pogoda.ru.net| accessmonthday = September 8| accessyear = 2007 | publisher = | language = Russian}}</ref> |accessdate = 8.09.2007 <!--|source2 = <ref name= >{{cite web | url = | title = | accessmonthday = | accessyear = | publisher = | language = }}</ref>--> |accessdate2 = --> }}<!--Infobox ends--> ==History== Irkutsk grew out of the winter quarters established (1652) by [[Yakov Pokhabov]] for gold-trading and 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 ({{lang|ru|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]], [[diamond]]s, [[fur]]s, [[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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geographicbureau.com/Siberia/Irkutsk/irkutsk.htm#KYZYL |title= Irkutsk |publisher=Geographic Bureau - Siberia and Pacific |accessdate=2006-10-26 }}</ref> In the early 19th century, many Russian [[artist]]s, officers, and [[nobility|nobles]] were sent into [[exile]] to Siberia for their part in the [[Decembrist revolt]] against [[Tsar]] [[Nicholas I of Russia|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 Union|Soviet]] apartment blocks that surround them. [[Image:Irkutsk-club.jpg|thumb|left|275px|Irkutsk railway station in the early 1900s.]] By the end of the 19th century there was one exiled man per two locals. Different people from the members of the Decemberists' 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&mdash;its streets being straight, broad, well paved and well lighted; but in 1879, on [[July 4]] and&nbsp;[[July 6|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 [[archive]]s, 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." [[Image:Orthodox Church Irkutsk.jpg|thumb|right|275px|Epiphany Minster (built in 1718&ndash;1746)]] During the [[Russian Civil War|civil war]] that broke out after the [[Bolshevik Revolution]], Irkutsk became the site of many furious, bloody clashes between the "[[White movement|Whites]]" and the "[[Bolsheviks|Reds]]". In 1920, [[Aleksandr Kolchak|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. The large [[Irkutsk Reservoir]] was built on the Angara between 1950 and 1959 in order to facilitate industrial development. The Epiphany Cathedral (''illustrated, to the right''), the governor's palace, a school of medicine, a museum, a military hospital, and the crown factories are among the public institutions and buildings. The [[Alexander Kolchak]] monument, designed by [[Vyacheslav Klykov]], was unveiled in 2004. On [[July 27]], [[2004]], the [[Irkutsk Synagogue]] (1881) was gutted by a conflagration. ==Emblem== [[Image:Coat of Arms of Irkutsk (Irkutsk oblast) (1790).png|thumb|150px|The original version of the emblem]] The emblem of Irkutsk features an old symbol of [[Dauria]]: a [[Siberian tiger]] with a [[sable]] in his mouth. When the emblem was devised in 1690, the animal was described as a tiger ("babr", a bookish word of Persian derivation) with a [[sable]] in his mouth. This image had been used by the [[Yakutsk]] customs office from about 1642. It has its origin in a seal of the [[Siberia Khanate]] representing a sable and showcasing the fact that Siberia (or rather [[Yugra]]) was the main source of sable fur throughout the Middle Ages. (Actually, the English word "sable" is derived from the Russian "sobol"). By the mid-19th century, the word "babr" had fallen out of common usage, but it was still recorded in the [[Armorial of the Russian Empire]]. Furthermore, the tigers became extinct in this part of Siberia. In the 1870s, a high-placed French heraldist with a limited command of Russian assumed that "babr" was a misspelling of "bobr", the Russian word for "[[beaver]]", and changed the wording accordingly. This modification engendered a long dispute between the local authorities, who were so confused by the revised description that they started to depict the "babr" as a fabulous animal, half-tiger and half-beaver. The Soviets abolished the image altogether, but it was restored following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. <!-- ==Economy== The main industries in Irkutsk are timber, aluminum, and minerals.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} The minor industries are consumer produce, tea packing, agriculture and tourism.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Moreover, ''The Economist'' has described the economy of Irkutsk as very stable compared to other major Russian cities.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} --> ==Transport== [[Image:Irkutsk-Passagirsky.jpg|thumb|300px|left|Passenger [[railway]] station in Irkutsk]] 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]]. The Federal road to [[Vladivostok]] passes through a suburb of Irkutsk. ==Culture== ===Television and mass media=== There are many state and privately owned television stations in Irkutsk, including state IGTRK company http://irkutsk.rfn.ru and private ones http://as.baikal.tv AS Baikal TV, TV company AIST http://www.aisttv.ru, TV company Gorod http://www.gorodtv.ru, and e.g. http://www.vsp.ru VSP newspaper agency. Irkutsk live webcamera inlc. life temperature in city center: http://as.baikal.tv/webcam/ ===Education=== Irkutsk is home to [[Irkutsk State Railway Transport University]] (since 1975), [[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. ===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. ===Literature=== Irkutsk has long been home to the well known Russian writer [[Valentin Rasputin]], many of his novels and stories take place in the [[Angara River|Angara]] Valley. An essay on the cultural history of Irkutsk (and another one about the nearby [[Lake Baikal]]) is included in Rasputin's non-fiction collection [[Siberia, Siberia]], which is also available in English translation. ==Sister Cities / Twin Cities== Irkutsk has the following [[Town twinning|sister/twin city]] relationships: *{{flagicon|Mongolia}} [[Ulan Bator]], capital of neighboring [[Mongolia]] *{{flagicon|China}} [[Shenyang]], [[China]] *{{flagicon|Japan}} [[Kanazawa, Ishikawa|Kanazawa]], [[Japan]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Eugene, Oregon]], [[United States|U.S.A.]] ==Images of Irkutsk== <center><gallery> Image:Irkutsk architecture.jpg|A [[Decembrist]] house, with distinctive hand-carved trim Image:Kazansky Church Irkutsk.jpg|Kazansky Church Image:Irkutsk station.jpg|Irkutsk railway station on Trans-Siberian railway Image:Irkutsk pereprava.jpg|''Crossing the Angara at Irkutsk'' (1886) </gallery></center> ==References== ===Notes=== {{Reflist}} ===Additional sources=== *{{1911}} *{{German|Irkutsk|[[10 July]] [[2006]]}} ==External links== {{Commonscat|Irkutsk}} *[http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/irkutsk Flickr photos tagged irkutsk] *[http://www.virtualtravel.ru/user/3778/index.phtml?wid=27&tips=12 Irkutsk in old and modern photos] *[http://www.geographicbureau.com/Siberia/Irkutsk/irkutsk.htm#KYZYL Kyzyl] *[http://baikalclub.blogspot.com Baikal Club] (in English) Articles about lake Baikal by different people from all over the world. {{Cities and towns in Irkutsk Oblast}} [[Category:Irkutsk| ]] [[Category:Settlements established in 1686]] [[Category:Cities and towns in Irkutsk Oblast]] [[ar:إيركوتسك]] [[be:Горад Іркуцк]] [[bs:Irkutsk]] [[bg:Иркутск]] [[cv:Иркутск]] [[cs:Irkutsk]] [[da:Irkutsk]] [[de:Irkutsk]] [[dsb:Irkutsk]] [[et:Irkutsk]] [[el:Ιρκούτσκ]] [[es:Irkutsk]] [[eo:Irkutsk]] [[fr:Irkoutsk]] [[ko:이르쿠츠크]] [[hr:Irkutsk]] [[io:Irkutsk]] [[id:Irkutsk]] [[os:Иркутск]] [[it:Irkutsk]] [[he:אירקוטסק]] [[lv:Irkutska]] [[lt:Irkutskas]] [[hu:Irkutszk]] [[mr:ईर्कुट्स्क]] [[nl:Irkoetsk]] [[ja:イルクーツク]] [[no:Irkutsk]] [[pl:Irkuck]] [[pt:Irkutsk]] [[ro:Irkuţk]] [[ru:Иркутск]] [[sk:Irkutsk]] [[sr:Иркутск]] [[fi:Irkutsk]] [[sv:Irkutsk]] [[vi:Irkutsk]] [[uk:Іркутськ]] [[zh:伊爾庫茨克]]