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 is located.
In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...
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 N ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
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 ...
.
Located in the south of the eponymous oblast, the city proper lies on the Angara River, 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 drai ...
of the Yenisei, 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 Y ...
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 ...
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
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Russian Civil War
, partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I
, image =
, caption = Clockwise from top left:
{{flatlist,
*Soldiers ...
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 Russian editor, writer, translator, and historian; his brother was the critic and journalist ...
(1796–1846), editor, writer, translator and historian
* Innocent of Alaska (1797-1879), archbishop, linguist, architect, missionary
*
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 ...
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. Pa ...
(1900–1967), Soviet actor and theatre director
* Mikhail Romm (1901–1971), Soviet film director
* Nikolay Kamov (1902–1973), leading constructor of the Soviet-Russian Kamov helicopter design bureau
* Mikhail Mil (1909–1970), Soviet aerospace engineer
* Konstantin Vyrupayev (1930–2012), Soviet wrestler and Olympic Champion
* Boris Volynov (born 1934), Soviet cosmonaut
* Alexander Vampilov (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
Olga Vladimirovna Buyanova (russian: Ольга Владимировна Буянова; born March 27, 1954 in Irkutsk, RSFSR) is an Honored Master of Sports coach in Rhythmic gymnastics of the USSR and Russia.
Personal life
Olga Vladimirovna ...
(born 1954), Honored Master of Sports coach in Rhythmic gymnastics of the USSR and Russia
*
Oleksandr Shlapak
Oleksandr Vіtaliyovych Shlapak ( uk, Олександр Віталійович Шлапак; born 1 January 1960) is a Ukrainian politician, bureaucrat, and former Minister of Finance of Ukraine.
Biography
He was born to Vitaliy Fedorovich ...
(born 1960), Ukrainian politician, bureaucrat, and former Minister of Finance of Ukraine
* Anatoli Ivanishin (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 (born 1974), Israeli Olympic athlete who competed in the pole vault
* Denis Matsuev (born 1975), classical pianist
*
Maria Bruntseva
Maria Bruntseva (born 12 June 1980) is a volleyball player from Russia, who played in several positions. She was a member of the Women's National Team that won the gold medal at the 2006 FIVB Women's World Championship
The 2006 FIVB Wome ...
(born 1980), volleyball player
* Nina Kraviz (born 1982), dj, musician, producer
*
Olga Zhitova
Olga Zhitova (born 25 July 1983) is a retired Russian volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organ ...
(born 1983), volleyball player
* Olga Kurban (born 1987), heptathlete
*
Alexey Negodaylo
Alexey Aleksandrovich Negodaylo (russian: Алексей Александрович Негодайло; born 28 May 1989) is a Russian bobsledder who has competed since 2010.
Career
Negodaylo was part of a four-man Russian team who originally won ...
(born 1989), bobsledder
* Angelina Zhuk-Krasnova (born 1991), athlete specializing in the pole vault
*
Darya Dmitriyeva
Darya Andreyevna Dmitriyeva ( rus, Дарья Андреевна Дмитриева, , ˈdarʲɪ̯ə ˈdmʲitrʲɪ(ɪ̯)ɪvə; born 22 June 1993) is a Russian rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2012 Olympic all-around silver medalist, the 2010 Worl ...
(born 1993), Russian rhythmic gymnast
* Nazí Paikidze (born 1993), Georgian-American chess player
Irkutskoye Slovo
''Irkutskoye Slovo'' (Irkutsk Word; Иркутское слово) was a Menshevik-oriented weekly newspaper in Russia, published in Irkutsk from 1911 to 1912. Its publisher, Rozhkov, had joined the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party
The R ...
References
Notes
Sources
*
*
*
*
*Brumfield, William. ''Irkutsk: Architectural Heritage in Photographs'' // Moscow: Tri Kvadrata Publishing, 2006.
* Her Majesty — Queen of Siberia // Publishers Korobov. — Irkutsk, 2008.