For more than 330 years Irkutsk has been standing at the south shore of Lake Baikal and for centuries people living in this city were conscious of the uniqueness of its location. The city is divided by the Angara - the only river carrying the precious Baikal waters into the world while more than 300 large, small and tiny mountain rivers flow into the lake.

It is not far from Lake Baikal, down the Angara river, where a Cossack detachment headed by Yakov Pokhabov founded in 1661 a log ostrog (fort), the heart of the city. It was at this time when Russia began developing vast expanses of Siberia, people came here in search of legendary treasures and by the end of the 17th century there were one thousand people living in Irkutsk: Cossacks, tradesmen, peasants, soldiers, minor officials and those who had been given life sentences in Siberia.

The city has lived through a lot of trouble during the three centuries of its history - waves of wars, revolts and revolutions swept as far as Siberia, earthquakes and fires kept changing the city’s image. But still, Irkutsk has managed to preserve its singular look. The snow-white Church of the Savior and the Cathedral of Epiphany have survived since early days, and many log houses have become historical monuments.

During Soviet times Irkutsk was turned into a major center of power, of aluminium, pulp and paper industries and industrial chemistry, while the tsars' prisons for revolutionaries and criminals were turned into Stalin's “zones” for now rehabilitated dissidents and “public enemies”.

"Weathered by history and life," wrote Irkutsk writer Valentin Rasputin, "Irkutsk now stands, calm and wise, knowing its own value, moderately famous for its glory, past and present, cultured since olden times and traditionally hospitable..."

RED STAR TRAVEL offers you to visit Irkutsk, a city possessing the status of one of the seven Russian cities with unique historical heritage. See more than 2 thousand monuments and memorial zones of history and architecture, 10 archeological monuments, 8 museums, 5 theaters. Travel to Lake Baikal - the Gem of Siberia, explore its unique surroundings, taste Siberian cuisine and surprise your friends at home with pictures of an existing paradise.

BAIKAL BUSINESS CENTER HOTEL * * * *

Located on the outskirts, 2 km to the airport and 8 km to the city center. Opened in 1996. All floors accessible by elevator. 58 rooms with modern decor and furnishings: 10 singles, 28 doubles, 16 twins, 2 junior suites, 2 main suites. All rooms feature private bathroom, satellite color TV, direct-dial international telephone, refrigerator. Suites are additionally equipped with kitchenettes. Daily maid service. Room Service. Restaurant for 100 seats (Western and Russian cuisine). Piano bar for 25 seats. Banquet hall. Business Center offering a comprehensive range of services to traveling business executives. Sauna. Hair salon. Beauty shop. Safety deposit box. Currency Exchange. Laundry. Towncar service. Security Service. English-speaking staff. Room rates - from $129.

ANGARA HOTEL * * *

Located in the very heart of downtown Irkutsk, near picturesque Kirov square. Walking distance to main historical sights. 2,5 km to the railway station and 6 km to the airport. 8 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 208 rooms: upgraded rooms on the 7th floor, rooms decorated in Asian style on the 3rd floor, standard rooms on the 4th and 5th floors. Upgraded rooms with modern decor and furnishings feature private bathroom with shower (suites with a private bath), satellite color TV, direct-dial international satellite telephone, mini-bar, Room service. Angara restaurant (Russian cuisine) and Druzhba-Angara-Bihi restaurant (Russian and Chinese cuisine). Banquet hall. 2 Cafes. International communications facilities. Fitness Center: sauna, massage, gym. Hair salon. Beauty shop. Casino. Billiards room. Penny Arcade. Shopping arcade. Currency Exchange. Post office. Dentist office. Pharmacy. Laundry. Security Service. On-site parking. Room rates - from $60.

INTOURIST HOTEL * * *

Centrally located on the Angara River Embankment, close to the Old Town and the business districts of the city. 2 km to the railway station and 6 km to the airport. Built in 1978. 9 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 250 rooms: 48 singles, 188 twins, 14 suites. All rooms feature private bathroom with shower, satellite cable color TV, radio, direct-dial international satellite telephone, refrigerator. Room service. Irkutsky restaurant with live music and a night show: 2 dining halls for 166 and 88 seats (Russian and European cuisine). Sibirsky Traktir restaurant for 60 seats. Bejing restaurant for up to 60 seats. 12 bars. Business Center: telex, fax, photocopying, international phone, computer services. Meeting rooms. Sauna. Hair salon. Beauty shop. Shops & souvenir kiosks. Currency Exchange. Post office. Dentist. Laundry. Baggage storage. Towncar service. On-site parking. English-speaking staff. Room rates - from $110.

RETRO-1 HOTEL * * *

Property of the Regional Administration, is used to accommodate members of the government and other official delegations visiting Irkutsk. Located downtown, on the Angara River Embankment. 3 km to the railway station and 5 km to the airport. Walking distance to the Local Lore Museum, Drama Theater and The White House. 2 floors. 7 spacious rooms: 3 twins, 2 junior suites, 2 main suites. All rooms with modern decor and furnishings feature color TV, telephone (international connection available through the front desk only), refrigerator. Suites have private bathrooms with bidet and toilet amenities. There are two shared bathrooms on the floor for guests staying in twin rooms. Dining room for 20 seats (meals can be served upon request only by paying daily service charge). Office area for hotel guests (computer, fax, xerox are available upon request). Meeting room for up to 8 seats. Music salon. Billiards room. Safety deposit box. Laundry. Baggage storage. Towncar service. On-site parking. Security service. Room rates - from $90.

RETRO-2 HOTEL * * *

Property of the Regional Administration, is used to accommodate members of official delegations visiting Irkutsk. Located on the road to the airport. 6 km to the railway station and 2 km to the airport. 1 floor. 4 spacious rooms: 2 junior suites, 2 main suites. All rooms with modern decor and furnishings feature private bathroom, color TV, refrigerator. Dining room for 20 seats. Meals can be served upon request. Office area and meeting room for 12 seats with direct-dial international telephone (computer, fax, xerox are available upon request). Safety deposit box. Laundry. Baggage storage. Towncar service. On-site parking. Security service. Room rates - from $75.

RUSS HOTEL * *

Centrally located. Walking distance from Kirov Square and The Fine Arts Museum. 2,5 km to the railway station and 5 km to the airport. The hotel has 2 buildings: five-storey section opened in 1972 and a three-storey section opened in 1986. Partly renovated in 1996. 65 rooms. 58 rooms offered by Red Star Travel feature private bathroom with shower, color TV, radio, telephone, refrigerator. Room service. Russ restaurant with live music for 50 seats. 2 Banquet halls for 12 and 16 seats. Facsimile and photocopying facilities. Billiards room. Beauty shop. Laundry. On-site parking. Security service. Room rates - from $49.

Accommodations at Lake Baikal

ANGARSKIYE KHUTORA HOTEL * * *

Property of the Regional Administration, is used to accommodate members of the government and other official delegations visiting Irkutsk. Located in a picturesque setting on the shore of the Angara River. 57 km from Irkutsk. 2 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 12 spacious rooms with modern decor, furnishings and balconies. 8 rooms offered by Red Star Travel feature private bathroom, color TV, telephone, refrigerator. All suites have king-size beds and well-furnished office areas or dining rooms. Dining room (meals can be served upon request only by paying daily service charge). Fireplace hall. Laundry. Baggage storage. Observation tower. Pier. Barbecue place. On-site parking. Security service. Room rates - from $200.

BAIKAL HOTEL * * *

Located in a picturesque setting on the outskirts of Listvyanka village, high above Lake Baikal. 70 km from Irkutsk. 3 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 102 rooms with balconies: 8 singles, 42 twins, 5 suites. All rooms feature private bathroom, satellite color TV, direct-dial international satellite telephone, refrigerator. Omulevaya bochka restaurant for 64 seats with live music (Russian and European cuisine). 2 bars: Russkaya Chainaya and Shaman-Kamen. Business Center. Currency exchange. Sauna. Banya (Russian steam-bath). Beauty shop. Souvenir kiosk. Laundry. Baggage storage. Towncar service. On-site parking. English-speaking staff. Room rates - from $110.

U NICOLY (NICHOLAS') GUEST HOUSE

Located in Listvyanka village, in the area called Krestovka. Built in the 1990s. Totally renovated in 1998. 70 km from Irkutsk. Beautiful view at Lake Baikal. Walking distance to St. Nicolas' Church. 2 floors. 5 quaint wood-panelled rooms: 2 twins and 3 doubles. All rooms feature private bathroom with shower. There is color TV in the hall and a refrigerator for guest use. 2 dining rooms for 10 seats each. Russian banya (steam sauna). Rates - from $40 per person.

HOMESTAYS

Offered in Listvyanka village, near the Baikal Hotel, the Baikal Ecological Museum or the Pier. Accommodation in a private room, bathroom facilities shared with host family. Most of the hosts do not speak any foreign languages. Daily rates - from $38 per person (breakfast included).

SEREBRYANY KLYTCH (SILVER SPRING) TOURIST CAMP

Located on the Circumbaikal Railway Loop, on the lakeshore. 7 km from Port Baikal. Built in 1994. Partly renovated in 1998. 5 quaint rooms: 3 triples with bunk-beds and 2 twins. Shared wash-stand and shower. Bathroom facilities outside. Fireplace hall (used as a dining room). Very good Russian and Siberian cuisine. Billiards room. Color TV & VCR in the hall. Refrigerator for guest use. Electricity is provided by a power generator from 7pm till 11pm. Complimentary Russian Banya (steam sauna). Daily rates - from $55 per person. Escort is required for the whole stay at the camp ($100 per day per group).

KHVOINAYA TOURIST CAMP

Located on the Circumbaikal Railway Loop, on the lakeshore. 26 km from Port Baikal. Built in 1996. 6 rooms: 1 quard, 2 triples and 4 twins. Wash-stand and bathroom facilities outside. Dining room. Color TV & VCR in the hall. Refrigerator for quest use. Electricity is provided by a power generator from 7pm till 11pm. Russian banya (steam sauna). Daily rates - from $54 per person. Escort is required for the whole stay at the camp ($100 per day per group).

SHUMIKHA TOURIST CAMP

Located on the Circumbaikal Railway Loop, on the lakeshore. 30 km from Port Baikal. Built in 1998. 2 log houses: 1-storey house with 4 twin rooms and 2-storey house with 4 twin rooms. Wash-stand and bathroom facilities outside. Cafeteria. Color TV & VCR in the hall. Refrigerator for guest use. Electricity is provided by a power generator from 7pm till 11pm. Russian Banya (steam sauna). Daily rates - from $54 per person. Escort is required for the whole stay at the camp ($100 per day per group).

Irkutsk Museums

Irkutsk Museum of Regional Studies. Operating hours: from 10:00am to 6:00pm, closed on Mondays. Appeared in 1782, the second museum in Russia after the Museum, founded by Peter the Great in St. Petersburg. Housed in a building in the Mauritanian style with turrets, round windows with Oriental ornament, crowned with the dome of Siberia’s first observatory. Over 350,000 exhibits, 250,000 of them - rarities. The life of Siberia from Prehistoric Age to present. Examples of primitive weapons and utensils of the Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages. Vast collection of minerals. Unique herbaria. Stuffed animals and birds. Old manuscripts. Logbooks of geographical and geological expeditions. Samples of clothing of all times. Handicrafts. Unique exhibits from China, Tibet and Mongolia of priceless value: Buddha statues made of bronze and papier-mache, tanka icons, masks and robes for Buddhist ceremonies, tambourines, drums, copper cymbals. The Museum has the following branches: Natural Life Museum, show-rooms in the building of the Church of Our Saviour, Decembrists’ Museum House, Taltsy Museum of Architecture and Ethnography, Boat museum, Icebreaker “Angara”, Scientific Library and Funds.

The Sukachev’s Fine Arts Museum. Operating hours: from 10:00am to 6:00pm, closed on Tuesdays. Founded in the 1870s as the Sukachev Picture Gallery. Before the revolution city in tsarist Russia had such a collection except for St. Petersburg with its Emperor’s Hermitage and Moscow with its Tretyakov Art Gallery. Over 14,000 exhibits: pictures, sculptures, ceramics. Old church wooden sculptures. Icons of Novgorod, Siberian and other schools (16th-17th centuries). Canvases by the best Russian painters from the 18th-20th centuries: I. Repin, V. Polenov, K. Korovin, B. Kustodiev, P. Konchalovsky, F. Malyavin, K. Petrov-Vodkin, A. Plastov. Western European masters from the 16th-19th centuries. Collection of paintings from China, India and Japan. Applied Art. Works from modern artists and sculptors.

The Decembrists’ Memorial Complex Operating hours: from 10:00am to 6:00pm: House-Museum of Trubetskoy, closed on Tuesdays, House-Museum of Volkonsky closed on Monday. Irkutsk is recognized as the Decembrists center of Russia. Museums have opened (in 1970, 1985) in houses where the families of Sergei Trubetskoy and Sergey Volkonsky lived. There are genuine things which belonged to the Decembrists and replicas of those things which were lost, such as pieces of furniture, tableware, stoves, musical instruments, ancient chandeliers, embroidery, books, sheet music, pictures, photographs in the museums. On certain days, just like when the hosts were alive, the candles are lit, music is played and poetry and stories are recited.

City Tour by Bus, 2.5 hours

Founding Place of Irkutsk by Cossack soldiers of Yakov Pokhabov in 1661 - the oldest point of the city. Victory Square. Memorial to the Soviet People’s Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 with Eternal Flame. Church of Our Saviour - the oldest stone construction in the city, built in 1706. Cathedral of the Epiphany, consecrated in 1723. Catholic Church (used as an Organ Music Hall), built in 1884 in honor of the participants of the Polish national liberation movement against tsarism and, in particular, of the uprising of 1863.

Kirov Square with a spacious park in its center with thick leafy maples, mountain ashes, poplars, and larches, colorful flowers. The biology and soil department of the University. Regional Administration Building. State University of Languages. City Hall. State Bank. Vostsibugol (Eastern-Siberian Coal-Mining Board). Irkutsk State Teachers’ Training University.

Labor Square. Palace of Youth - one of the most attractive buildings in Irkutsk, with an intricate brickwork design, built in 1897 for A. Vtorov, one of Siberia’s richest merchants. Central Telegraph Office. Circus.

Irkutsk Znamensky Convent, founded in 1683. Behind the Znamensk church’s fence - Graves of the Decembrists: P. Mukhanov, N. Panov, V. Bechasnov. Tomb of Yekaterina Trubetskaya with three of her children - countess and wife of S. Trubetskoy, one of the founders and leaders of the Northern Secret Society - the first woman to follow her husband into exile in Siberia. Grave of G. Shelikhov (1748-1795) - merchant, traveler, seafarer, explorer, who reached Alaska and California, one of the founders of the Russian-American Company.

Karl Marx Street - the main street of Irkutsk. Out-patient Clinic. Okhlopkov Irkutsk Drama Theater. Dynamo Sports Complex. Irkutsk Museum of Regional Studies. Deer Stone. Revolutionary Fighters' Monument. White House - University’s Scientific library, containing over 3,000,000 volumes, incl. over 10,000 very rare books, Russian and foreign classics published during their authors’ lifetime, 529 unique manuscripts, 526 sets of very rare journals, other magazines and essays on different branches of knowledge.

Yuri Gagarin Boulevard. Memorial to the First Pioneers of Siberia, erected in 1908 to commemorate the completion of the Great Siberian Way (Trans-Siberian Railway). Wooden Houses with carvings. State University. Building of Medical University.

Lenin Street. Church of the Exaltation of the Cross. Musical Comedy Theater. Youth Theater. Fine Arts Museum.

Excursions to Lake Baikal

Irkutsk and Lake Baikal are inseparable and cannot exist without each other: through the Angara river, Baikal feeds and cherishes Irkutsk with its freshness and health.

If your eye is caught by the breath-taking blue and your heart stops beating from astonishment and delight as it sometimes happened in childhood; if all petty worries, all the vanities of the world fall off like autumn leaves, and your soul now has wings and is filled with light and silence; if, suddenly, the ready word holds back, and you feel that Nature has its own language, the language that you now understand; if a simple earthly wonder has entered your life and filled it with harmony - this is Lake Baikal.

Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. Its maximum depth is 1,637 m. Baikal is 636 km long and 79.4 km wide at its widest point. The lake’s shore-line is about 2,000 km long. Baikal’s water surface area is 31,500 sq. km. This comes out to about the area of such a country as Belgium, the Netherlands or Denmark. The gigantic reservoir of fresh water containing about 23,000 cu.km of life-giving moisture is highly saturated with oxygen. The lake is the largest reserve of fresh surface-water on the globe. It would take all the rivers of the world - the Volga and Don, Dnepr and Yenisei, Ural and Ob, Ganges and Orinoko, Amazon and Thames, Seine and Oder - nearly one year to fill Baikal’s basin, and all the rivers, streams and brooklets now flowing into the Siberian lake-sea, about four hundred years.

Baikal is inhabited by 52 fish species belonging to 12 families, from Baikal sturgeon to golomyanka (Baikal oil fish). Yet the main commercial fish is omul (Arctic cisco).

The area surrounding Lake Baikal (Prebaikalie) enjoys an abundant and diverse wildlife. The brown bear, raspberries and mushrooms fancier, is scrounging the taiga forest. The hazel-grouse is being stalked by the dandy sable, whose sleek fur is really iridescent in the sun. The stag, the Manchurian deer, is grazing in the swampy sparse larch forests. The jumper musk-deer, the smallest deer, is standing motionless on a rock ledge. The fox, the wild boar, the hare, the Siberian weasel and the stoat are to be found in the taiga. The dense, overgrown forest is inhabited by the glutton and the lynx. One may frequently come across small herds of wild horses places more accessible to hikers.

76 species of plants that inhabit Prebaikalie, are qualified as rare and protected ones. Among them are the endemics and relics of Prebaikalie, the area surrounding Baikal: Boletus luteus, saw-wort, Hedysarum austrosibiricum B. Feldtsch prebaicalensus, and others. There occur plants, whose populations are being markedly reduced: lilies, Trollius asiaticus, Padus avium Mill., apple-tree Pallas, and others. Such valuable medicinal herbs as Rhodiola rosea and Paeonia anomala L. are to be found on the Park’s territory, though quite rarely.

The National Natural Park Pribaikalsky. It was established in 1986 for the purpose of protecting the glorious sea, the forest reserves of the National Park, its flora and fauna, and the whole variety of the unique natural, architectural and historical relics and monuments on Baikal’s shores. The forests occupy 70% of the total area of the Park. The total area of the National Park Pribaikalsky is 418,000 hectares. Here the taiga alternates with the forest steppe, and vertical rock walls and pressing slopes create a beautiful scenery. Here you already feel among the chosen few simply by standing on the Baikal’s shore and breathing this air - you experience a rare sense of elevation and spirituality.

The Taltsy Museum of Architecture and Ethnography. Operating hours: daily, from 10:00am to 5:00pm. The Taltsy Museum of Architecture and Ethnography (the Wooden Architecture Museum) is appraised by decree from the President of the Russian Federation as a highly valuable object of cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia. Founded in 1969, the Taltsy museum is conveniently situated on the road to Lake Baikal, 47 km of the Baikal highway. Its 67-hectare territory is surrounded with a protected area. There are over 40 monuments of architectural heritage and 8,000 exhibits of high historical value. Two architectural-ethnographical areas - Russian and Buryat - show a large variety of housing and life of the Siberians. The most valuable monuments in Taltsy are the Savior’s gate tower of the ostrog (fort) of Ilimsk (1667) and an active Kazan Chapel (1679). Both of them, as well as the houses near the Angara floodlands, were transferred to this place from the flooded areas of the Ust-Ilimskaya. Take the opportunity to see and be acquainted with the life of old Siberia.

Source of the Angara. The Angara is 1779 km long and is the only river flowing out of Lake Baikal. Its source is the widest in the world, it does not freeze during the most severe Siberian winters (width - 863 m , maximum depth - 4.8 m, speed - 5.1 km/h). In the middle of the river, at its head, rises a rock cliff 1.5 m high protected by the state as a natural relic mentioned in the legends of old times. A beautiful legend, well-known in Siberia, has it that Baikal the Old wanted to marry his beauty of a daughter to a young warrior named Irkut (one of the Angara tributaries). But Angara fell in love with another knight, Yenisey, and ran away to join him. The furious father cast the huge Shaman Cliff after her. East Siberia’s largest hibernation place of water fowl is to be found at the source of the Angara River. And of course there live beautiful and loud white sea gulls without which it is hard to imagine Lake Baikal and its shores. At the river bank right in front of the Shaman Cliff there is an observation platform with souvenir and snack kiosks.

The Baikal Museum. Operating hours: daily, from 9:00am to 7:00pm (in summer), from 9:00am to 5:00pm (in winter). The museum was established in 1928 when the Baikal Limnological Station opened in the village of Listvyanka (since 1961 - the Limnological Institute). Every year the Baikal Museum has more than 30,000 visitors. The unique exhibits tell about the origin and the history of the lake, its flora and fauna, geological structure, climate and tectonics of Prebaikalye. Stuffed birds and animals. Collection of minerals. Models of the lake bed showing its history, the peculiarities of its shoreline and bottom. Baikal fish (omul, golomyanka, kharius, sturgeon, taimen, pike). Micro organisms inhabiting Baikal waters and destroying everything that might pollute the lake. Exhibits found in scientific expeditions. The tour of the museum includes a demonstration of a 20-minute video, "The Planet's Well" with unique shots filmed at the lake's deepest point of 1637 m. with the help of a deep-sea submersible vessel “Pisces”.

Walking tour of Krestovka village with a visit to St. Nicholas' Church. Legend has it that Russian merchant Serebriakov was caught in a storm out on the lake and prayed to St. Nicholas (Protector of Navigators) for help. His prayers were answered and on his safe return he began to build a church to thank the saint (in 1846). Unfinished when he died, the church was completed by the merchant's wife. Located in Listvyanka village, the residents attend service held in the church. In the 1950-s the building was restored and many icons from other churches of Irkutsk were brought there among which are some rare items dating back to the 18th century.

Boat Ride. You will be astonished by the color metamorphoses of the lake’s surface, the ever-changing play of water and sky, taiga and cliffs. The water absorbing the smallest weather changes, the angle of the sun rays, moving clouds, or mists coming from the taiga changes its shades from blue-white or silver-grey to piercing blue or slate-black with foam-capped waves. The transparency of Baikal water is miraculous - you see stones on the lake bottom and it is hard to believe there are some 20 to 30 meters of depth under the keel. The ride begins at a pier in Listvyanka village which got its name from the listvennitsa (larch) trees that used to cover this part of the lake shore. The first settlement appeared in this place around 1725. Now it is the main Baikal harbour where the waterways crossing the lake start. The village is 68 km. from Irkutsk and stretches for 5 km. along the shoreline. Wooden houses overlooking the lake. A view of the Sayan Mountains, Port Baikal, the solar telescope. A stop ashore with an excursion to the ruins of the cave blown up during the tunnel construction on the Circumbaikal Railway Loop. Return to Listvyanka.

Picnic in the taiga forest or at the Angara river bank. The memories of this event will stay with you for many days to come. A walk in a real Siberian taiga, penetrating silence and scents of the virgin forest, delicious dinner in the open air with the traditional meat shashlyk and Baikal vodka made with the precious Baikal water and known among other Russian vodkas for its perfect quality. Accordeon-player will play Russian and Siberian folk songs creating a warm atmosphere and making the day one of the most memorable in your journey.