Architecture & Heritage 2 min read
How to Read an Irkutsk Wooden House
The wooden houses of Irkutsk are not decoration but a language in which owners told passers-by about themselves. This short glossary will help you tell relief carving…
Articles
Topic: merchants
History, architecture, Baikal, food and the seasons — writing that helps you see more than meets the eye.
History of Irkutsk 2 min read
From Stockade to Capital of Eastern Siberia: a Short History of Irkutsk
Irkutsk was founded in 1661 as a stockade on the Angara. In three and a half centuries it has been a trading gateway to China, the capital of a vast governorship, a…
Architecture & Heritage 1 min read
The main house of the Sukachev Estate has closed for repairs
For the first time since 2008 the building will undergo major work; the park and the other exhibition spaces remain open.
Food & Local Cuisine 1 min read
“Tea Map”: a gastronomic route about Siberian tea-drinking traditions
More than 20 venues in Irkutsk, Listvyanka and Baikalsk have received certificates as members of the new route.
Travel Tips 1 min read
Free walks “Literary Irkutsk”, “Merchant Irkutsk” and “Irkutsk by Night” for Tourism Day
On 25 September the city Tourist Information Service held three free walking tours.
Food & Local Cuisine 1 min read
Following the Great Tea Road: Chinese tour operators travel through Irkutsk
An international rail tour covered 5,600 km in 11 days. In 2025 the Irkutsk Region won with the route “Baikal — the Heart of the Great Tea Road”.
Long Reads 1 min read
Irkutsk at 365: the anniversary year in museums and archives
An artistic chronicle, building design plans, the history of the main street and merchant estates — how the city told its own story in 2026.
Culture & Traditions 1 min read
“Irkutsk 365. Of Estates and Fates”: an exhibition in two estates
The Decembrist Museum and the art museum showed the life of Irkutsk merchants at the Sukachev Estate, continued at the Volkonsky Estate.
Travel Tips 1 min read
Three free tours of Irkutsk on Green Line Day
On 26 May guides of the Tourist Information Service led the walks “Then and Now”, “The Merchants of Irkutsk” and “Where Irkutsk Began”.