Lake Baikal 1 min read
An interactive exhibition opens in the engine room of the icebreaker Angara
A working model of the steam engine, crew mannequins and a “ship’s rolling” module explain how the icebreaker sailed on Baikal.
The city and the lake in writing
Articles
History, architecture, Baikal, food and the seasons — writing that helps you see more than meets the eye.
Architecture & Heritage 1 min read
Restoration work has begun at the Church of the Saviour
Scaffolding has gone up around the oldest stone church in Irkutsk: the walls are being cleaned of old layers of paint and plaster.
Lake Baikal 1 min read
An interactive museum devoted to Baikal has appeared in Listvyanka
The new museum has opened next to the Ferris wheel. The village is being developed in a single eco-friendly style until 2030.
Food & Local Cuisine 1 min read
“Sytyy Babr 2025”: a Siberian cuisine food lecture hall by the monument to Alexander III
Irkutsk chefs spent two days cooking Siberian dishes, and confectioners baked a three-tier cake 36 square metres in size.
Culture & Traditions 1 min read
“The Queen of Spades” by the walls of the Ilimsk fort: the fifth Russian opera festival at Taltsy
Dmitry Bertman’s production was staged in the open air, with the 17th-century wooden fort as its set.
Seasonal Travel 1 min read
Night of Museums 2025 at the Volkonsky Estate: a show for the 50th anniversary of “The Star of Captivating Happiness”
On 17 May the estate stayed open until the last visitor: a tour of the prince’s house, gingerbread painting, horse rides.
Architecture & Heritage 1 min read
At least 30 monuments in Irkutsk’s historic centre are to be restored by 2030
The governor has set the goal of bringing at least 30 heritage sites in central Irkutsk into satisfactory condition.
Nature & Wildlife 1 min read
Baikal seals have returned to haul-out sites described more than a century ago
Expeditions in 2024 found seals not only on the Ushkany Islands but also at Svyatoy Nos, Olkhon, the islands of the Small Sea and along the Circum-Baikal Railway.
Culture & Traditions 1 min read
Taltsy is building an exhibition zone about settlers
The museum planned to open a Tatar settlers’ farmstead from the Stolypin era and the farmstead of a Ukrainian settler.