Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat and mn, Эрхүү, ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and
administrative center
An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or ...
of
Irkutsk Oblast
Irkutsk Oblast (russian: Ирку́тская о́бласть, Irkutskaya oblast; bua, Эрхүү можо, Erkhüü mojo) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of the Angara, Lena, and Nizh ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
Siberian Federal District
Siberian Federal District (russian: Сиби́рский федера́льный о́круг, ''Sibirsky federalny okrug'') is one of the eight federal districts of Russia. Its population was 17,178,298 according to the 2010 Census, livi ...
, and one of the largest
cities
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
.
Located in the south of the eponymous oblast, the city proper lies on the
Angara River
The Angara ( Buryat and mn, Ангар, ''Angar'', "Cleft"; russian: Ангара́, ''Angará'') is a major river in Siberia, which traces a course through Russia's Irkutsk Oblast and Krasnoyarsk Krai. It drains out of Lake Baikal and is ...
, a
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
, about 850 kilometres (530 mi) to the south-east of
Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk ( ; rus, Красноя́рск, a=Ru-Красноярск2.ogg, p=krəsnɐˈjarsk) (in semantic translation - Red Ravine City) is the largest city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Yeni ...
and about 520 kilometres (320 mi) north of
Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar (; mn, Улаанбаатар, , "Red Hero"), previously anglicized as Ulan Bator, is the capital and most populous city of Mongolia. It is the coldest capital city in the world, on average. The municipality is located in north ce ...
. The
Trans-Siberian Highway
The Trans-Siberian Highway is the unofficial name for a network of federal highways that span the width of Russia from the Baltic Sea of the Atlantic Ocean to the Sea of Japan. In the Asian Highway Network, the route is known as AH6. It stretche ...
(Federal M53 and M55 Highways) and
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR; , , ) connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over , it is the longest railway line in the world. It runs from the city of Moscow in the west to the city of Vladivostok in the ea ...
connect Irkutsk to other regions in Russia and
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
.
Many distinguished Russians were sent into exile in Irkutsk for their part in the
Decembrist revolt
The Decembrist Revolt ( ru , Восстание декабристов, translit = Vosstaniye dekabristov , translation = Uprising of the Decembrists) took place in Russia on , during the interregnum following the sudden death of Emperor Al ...
of 1825, and the city became an exile-post for the rest of the century. Some historic wooden houses still survive. When the railway reached Irkutsk, it had earned the nickname of "The Paris of Siberia." The city was the center of bitter fighting in the
Russian Civil War
, date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...
of 1918–20. Afterward, in the Soviet period, its architecture was dominated by the mandatory squared-up style. The city became a major centre of aircraft manufacture. The historic centre of Irkutsk is located on UNESCO's
Nikolai Polevoy
Nikolai Alekseevich Polevoy ( rus, Никола́й Алексе́евич Полево́й, r=Nikoláy Alekséevich Polevóy, ― ) was a controversial Russia, Russian editor, writer, translator, and historian; his brother was the critic and jou ...
(1796–1846), editor, writer, translator and historian
*
Innocent of Alaska
Saint Innocent of Alaska (August 26, 1797 – March 31, 1879, O.S.), also known as Saint Innocent Metropolitan of Moscow (Russian: Святитель Иннокентий Митрополит Московский) was a Russian Orthodox mis ...
Vladimir Kornilov
Vice Admiral Vladimir Alexeyevich Kornilov (; 13 February 1806 – 17 October 1854) was a Russian naval officer who took part in the Crimean War and is known for his battle against the Pervaz-ı Bahrî in what is considered the first battle ...
(1806–1854), naval officer who took part in the
Crimean War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...
*
Alexei Pavlovich Fedchenko
Alexei Pavlovich Fedchenko (russian: Алексей Павлович Федченко;
31 August/15 September 1873), a.k.a. Alexei Pavlovich Fedtschenko, was a Russian naturalist and explorer well known for his travels in central Asia. Alternat ...
(1844–1873), naturalist and explorer
*
Nikolay Vtorov
Nikolay Alexandrovich Vtorov (russian: Никола́й Алекса́ндрович Вто́ров; – 20 May 1918) was a Russian industrialist. According to a 2006 Forbes study, which excluded the ruling House of Romanov, he held the titl ...
(1866–1918), industrialist
*
Alexander Kolchak
Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (russian: link=no, Александр Васильевич Колчак; – 7 February 1920) was an Imperial Russian admiral, military leader and polar explorer who served in the Imperial Russian Navy and fought ...
(1874 -1920)) Russian Civil War leader, executed at Irkutsk
*
Nikolay Okhlopkov
Nikolay Pavlovich Okhlopkov (russian: Никола́й Па́влович Охло́пков; 15 May 1900, in Irkutsk – 8 January 1967, in Moscow), was a Soviet and Russian actor and theatre director who patterned his work after Meyerhold. Pat ...
(1900–1967), Soviet actor and theatre director
* Mikhail Romm (1901–1971), Soviet film director
*
Nikolay Kamov
Nikolai Ilyich Kamov (russian: Никола́й Ильи́ч Ка́мов; 24 November 1973) was a Soviet aerospace engineer, a pioneer in the design of helicopters, and founder of the Kamov helicopter design bureau.
Biography
Kamov was bor ...
(1902–1973), leading constructor of the Soviet-Russian Kamov helicopter design bureau
*
Mikhail Mil
Mikhail Leontyevich Mil (russian: Михаи́л Лео́нтьевич Миль; 22 November 1909 – 31 January 1970) was a Russian aerospace engineer and scientist. He was the founder and general designer of the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plan ...
(1909–1970), Soviet aerospace engineer
*
Konstantin Vyrupayev
Konstantin Vyrupayev (10 October 1930 – 31 October 2012) was a Soviet sport wrestling, wrestler and Olympic Champion.
He competed at the Wrestling at the 1956 Summer Olympics, 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne where he won a gold me ...
(1930–2012), Soviet wrestler and Olympic Champion
*
Boris Volynov
Boris Valentinovich Volynov (russian: Бори́с Валенти́нович Волы́нов; born 18 December 1934) is a Soviet cosmonaut who flew two space missions of the Soyuz programme: Soyuz 5, and Soyuz 21. Following the death of Alexei L ...
(born 1934), Soviet cosmonaut
*
Alexander Vampilov
Alexander Valentinovich Vampilov (russian: Александр Валентинович Вампилов) (19 August 1937 – 17 August 1972) was a Soviet playwright. His play ''The Elder Son'' was first performed in 1969, and became a national succ ...
(1937–1972), Soviet playwright
*
Rudolf Nureyev
Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( ; Tatar/ Bashkir: Рудольф Хәмит улы Нуриев; rus, Рудо́льф Хаме́тович Нуре́ев, p=rʊˈdolʲf xɐˈmʲetəvʲɪtɕ nʊˈrʲejɪf; 17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet ...
(1938–1993), Soviet ballet and contemporary dancer and choreographer
* Olga Buyanova (born 1954), Honored Master of Sports coach in Rhythmic gymnastics of the USSR and Russia
* Oleksandr Shlapak (born 1960), Ukrainian politician, bureaucrat, and former Minister of Finance of Ukraine
*
Anatoli Ivanishin
Anatoli Alekseyevich Ivanishin (russian: link=no, Анатолий Алексеевич Иванишин; born 15 January 1969) is a former Russian cosmonaut. His first visit to space was to the International Space Station on board the Soyuz TMA ...
(born 1969), cosmonaut
*
Oxana Kostina
Oksana Alexandrovna Kostina (russian: Оксана Александровна Костина; 15 April 1972 – 11 February 1993) was a Soviet and Russian individual rhythmic gymnast. She was the 1992 World All-around champion and 1992 Europ ...
(1972–1993), Soviet individual rhythmic gymnast
*
Aleksandr Averbukh
Aleksandr "Alex" Valeryevich Averbukh ( he, אלכס אברבוך, russian: Александр Валерьевич Авербух; born October 1, 1974) is a retired Russian decathlete and Israeli Olympic athlete, who competed in the pole vault. ...
(born 1974), Israeli Olympic athlete who competed in the pole vault
*
Denis Matsuev
Denis Leonidovich Matsuev ( rus, Дени́с Леони́дович Мацу́ев /ma'tsujef/; born June 11, 1975) is a Russian classical pianist and occasional jazz performer.
Biography
Born in Irkutsk, Soviet Union, Matsuev is the only child o ...
(born 1975), classical pianist
*
Maria Bruntseva
Maria Bruntseva (born 12 June 1980) is a volleyball player from Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, wi ...
(born 1980), volleyball player
*
Nina Kraviz
Nina Kraviz (russian: Нина Кравиц, Nina Kravits) is a Russian DJ, music producer and singer.
Early life and career
Kraviz was born and raised in Irkutsk, Siberia, Russia. She moved to Moscow to study dentistry where she later gained h ...
(born 1982), dj, musician, producer
* Olga Zhitova (born 1983), volleyball player
*
Olga Kurban
Olga Ivanovna Kurban (russian: Ольга Ивановна Курбан; born December 16, 1987, in Irkutsk) is a female heptathlete from Russia, who competed for her native country at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the 2012 Summer Olympics in Lond ...
(born 1987), heptathlete
*
Alexey Negodaylo
Alexey Aleksandrovich Negodaylo (russian: Алексей Александрович Негодайло; born 28 May 1989) is a Russian bobsled
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a team winter sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting, ban ...
(born 1989), bobsledder
*
Angelina Zhuk-Krasnova
Angelina Zhuk-Krasnova ( rus, Ангели́на Серге́евна Жук-Красно́ва, , ɐnɡʲɪˈlʲinə sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvnə ʐuk krɐsˈnovə; born 7 February 1991) is a Russian athlete specialising in the pole vault
Pole va ...
(born 1991), athlete specializing in the pole vault
* Darya Dmitriyeva (born 1993), Russian rhythmic gymnast
*
Nazí Paikidze
Nazí Paikidze, sometimes also referred to as Nazí Paikidze-Barnes ( ka, ნაზი პაიკიძე, ''Nazí Ṗaiḳiʒe'', ; russian: Нази Нодаровна Паикидзе-Барнс, , born 27 October 1993), is a Russian-born ...
(born 1993), Georgian-American chess player
See also
*
Immaculate Heart of Mary Cathedral, Irkutsk
The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception.
It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...