HISTORY OF CITY

Irkutsk is an ancient Siberian city. It was founded on a place of the jail constructed in 1661. In the first decades Irkutsk developed as the center of an agricultural region of Eastern Siberia. On nearby land of Razvodnoye, Smolenshina, Maksimovshina, Kuda and Belsk peasants were engaged in agriculture and cattle-farming industries providing the population with food.

A favorable geographical position of Irkutsk on a crossroads of waterways, overland roads, presence of natural resources promoted fast development of agriculture, industrial enterprises, growth of the population, and also an establishment of connections with Mongolia, China and the territory across Baikal.

Irkutsk becomes an original base of concentration and distribution of the goods intended for the north and the east up to Alaska. Merchants who are not stinting donations for the benefit of the city appears in Irkutsk.

In 1686 Irkutsk is bestowed with the status of the city. In 1690 the arms is affirmed - a babr (a tiger), carrying a sable in its teeth. The babr personified Siberia, being an ancient sacred animal, and the sable symbolized wealth of the region. With the statement of the status of the city the new stage in the development of Irkutsk begins.

By the end of the 18th century Irkutsk became not only trading, administrative, but also the cultural center. National schools, libraries, museums, theatre were opened.

Being on the Moscow road, especially the railway promoted the development of new industries in the city, and the inflow of the population. The first train came to Irkutsk on August, 16 1898 and marked a qualitatively new turn in a life of the city.

Irkutsk has played a big role in discovering and development of Eastern Siberia, the Far East, and Northern America.

The city possesses a number of historically significant places forbidden for a lay-out and building. There are about 685 monuments of a history and culture in Irkutsk. The greatest places are historically developed ensembles of the most ancient part of the city - the Spasskaya church and the Epiphany cathedral, the Catholic church, the monument to emperor Alexander III, the building of the East-Siberian department of Russian Geographical society.

The source is CD "The Planet of Baikal. Photo-album (Summer)"