Founding of Yekaterinburg. Foundation of Yekaterinburg Tourism and recreation in the city of Yekaterinburg

Ekaterinburg, which has colossal importance for Russia, but is still such a young and handsome city. Compared to ancient 892-year-old Moscow, he has not even lived to an old age - the history of the city goes back just under three hundred years. Despite the fact that the city is the capital of the “supporting edge of the power” - the Urals, its history is not particularly known to guests who come to it. But city residents are happy to answer many questions: why the city was called Yekaterinburg and whose name it bore before, when it was founded and how old it is, what kind of industry is developed in the city, what is its area and population. Of course, Wikipedia will tell you about this briefly, but learning about everything, so to speak, “first-hand” is much more interesting. Once upon a time, Ekaterinburg’s very geographical location was predetermined for many years to become one of the centers of Russian metallurgy and mechanical engineering. For even Peter I noted that local ore deposits are perfectly suited to meet the needs of the developing Russian industry.

And today, thanks to the high rates of local economic development, Yekaterinburg is one of the five largest metropolises in the country. UNESCO ranked it among the leading cities - the most favorable for global tourism. The specifics of the development of Yekaterinburg are also determined by the fact that it is located in the heart, at the junction of Europe and Asia. Our story is about this beautiful city.

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What was it called before?

With the outbreak of the First World War, the Russian government began to rename settlements named in the German manner. It was then that St. Petersburg became Petrograd. The history of the old name of Yekaterinburg is interesting. As an option for Yekaterinburg, the name “Ekaterinograd” was proposed. But the revolution and civil war prevented the plan from being realized.

But the Bolsheviks managed to bring this idea to life. True, there was no talk of any Catherine then. In the fall of 1924, the city was renamed Sverdlovsk in honor of the prominent revolutionary Yakov Sverdlov.

The historical name of the settlement was returned only in 1991, despite the fact that most of the local population opposed this fact. The former Sverdlovsk gave the name to the Sverdlovsk region, which is what it is called to this day. Thanks to this, residents of Ekb are still often called Sverdlovsk residents.

Year of foundation

The founding date of the new settlement is considered to be 1723, although the first buildings were laid here somewhat earlier.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Russia waged continuous wars. The army needed a huge amount of weapons. This contributed to the rapid growth of Russian industry. In such conditions, Emperor Peter I drew attention to the richest mineral resources of the Urals.

The site for the construction of a new plant on the Iset River was determined in 1721 by the official founder of Yekaterinburg himself, Vasily Tatishchev, a famous historian, geographer and associate of the Tsar.

There were all the conditions for the successful advancement of the business: mineral deposits, construction timber and the opportunity to transport products along the Chusovaya River to European Russia. Construction work proceeded at an accelerated pace. And just two years later, on November 18, in the still unfinished factory workshops, the hammers were launched and the first batch of iron was produced.

Who is it named after?

Alas, Yekaterinburg did not immortalize any outstanding figure with its name. At the suggestion of General Wilhelm Gennin, they named it “Katherine Burkh” “in honor of the name” of Catherine, the wife of Emperor Peter I.

True, there is a version that the city received its name in honor of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine, considered the patroness of mining, but there is no documentary evidence of this fact.

History – a summary of the facts

The history of the creation of Yekaterinburg is outlined below: 1720 - 1722
. – research began in the Urals to find copper and silver ores; Spring 1723
. – the foundation of an ironworks-fortress on the Iset River was carried out; November 1723
. – the plant produced the first batch of its own metal. At that time it was the most powerful enterprise of this type in the world. The population of the local factory settlement initially consisted only of workshop workers. But with the construction of new enterprises, the number of residents also increased; 1727
– the official opening of the mint took place in Yekaterinburg, which until 1917 minted up to 80 percent of all the country’s copper money for the needs of the Russian economy; 1763
. – the Great Siberian Highway passed through the city, connecting European Russia and Siberia;. – Yekaterinburg becomes a district city, and two years later its own coat of arms was developed for it. In 1787, elections to the local Duma were held;
1807. – The settlement acquired the status of a mountain town. This is interesting, because by the beginning of the 19th century, Yekaterinburg turned out to be one of a kind. He was now independent of the local civil authority. And the actual management of the city was carried out by the head of the mining plants;
Around the same time, rich gold deposits were discovered in the surrounding area, which provided new impetus for the development of the city. Along with stone cutting, local industrialists are beginning to develop jewelry making;
Since 1847 In Yekaterinburg, a banking and credit system begins to take shape. And half a century later, the local Siberian Trade Bank acquires the status of the largest in Russia;
At the end of the 19th century, the city became the most important railway junction in the region. A network of railways connected it with Siberia and European Russia, which made it possible to cultivate various industries here: flour milling, cloth factories, breweries, etc. In total, by the beginning of the 20th century, in the city itself there were 50 large enterprises and several hundred handicraft workshops. And according to the 1910 census, the population reached 70 thousand people;
The October Revolution and the subsequent Civil War passed for these places without any major shocks. Although from November 1918 to July 1919 power in the district belonged to Kolchak’s army;
Since 1923, Yekaterinburg has been given the status of the capital of the Ural region. And the next year it was decided to rename it Sverdlovsk;
In 1934, a new territorial unit appeared on the map of Russia - the Sverdlovsk region, the center of which was Sverdlovsk;
By the beginning of the Second World War, the appearance of the city acquired the features of a real regional center: large-scale housing construction began here, new secondary and higher educational institutions appeared, water supply and sewerage were built, and even a circus, a zoo and a philharmonic were erected;
During the war years, the main development in the city came from the military-industrial complex. This trend continued until the end of the 80s of the last century;
Since the 2000s, the main emphasis in the development of the local economy has been on tourism and the service sector.

Capital of the Urals

Very often Ekaterinburg is called nothing more than the capital of the Urals. In recent years, it has indeed performed many metropolitan functions. And in May 2000, the city was recognized as the center of the Ural Federal District.

The fourth largest transport interchange in Russia, as before, makes Yekaterinburg a connecting link between Europe and Asia.

In addition, the capital of the Urals accumulates the functions of the leader of the entire region in the field of science, education and culture. School graduates from many neighboring regions strive to get into local universities.

What will replace The complex and interesting history of Yekaterinburg is captured in cultural and historical objects, buildings and monuments.

This will be interesting to see for all guests of the city: Museum of the History of Stone-Cutting and Jewelry Art
. Local craftsmen have long been considered one of the best in processing natural materials. The museum's expositions are dedicated to their masterpieces; The Church on the Blood was built in 2003
. on the site of the execution of the family of the last emperor, and it quickly became a place of pilgrimage for many visitors; Vayner Street
– a favorite place for hiking, both locals and tourists. Many shops, cafes, sculptural compositions and bright flower beds create a special coziness on the street; Literary Quarter
– a unique place that unites several museums into a common complex dedicated to famous writers of the Urals; Sevastyanov's House

– one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. Built in the 19th century, the mansion now serves as the presidential residence.

The history of Yekaterinburg is connected with the most important events in Russia. It was created about three hundred years ago as the industrial center of the Urals and retained this status, despite wars and regime changes. The Soviet era preserved its economic importance for the state, changing only the name of the city for a certain period.

From the distant past

The territory of the city was inhabited long before its foundation. The first known human settlements in this area appeared in the eighth-seventh century BC, during the Mesolithic era. During this time, many archaeological cultures lived here:
ayat;
Koptyakovskaya;

Gamayunskaya

Representatives of ancient cultures were engaged in metallurgical production, as archaeologists were able to discover parts of sheet copper and a cast sculpture of a horse. Many exhibits of that time can be found in the Yekaterinburg History Museum.

The territory became part of the Russian state in the mid-seventeenth century. There was practically no permanent population on these lands at that time. Russian settlements began to appear in 1672. Thirty years later, a state-owned ironworks was installed on this territory. After the Uktus plant, the Shuvakish plant was built.

The city got its name from the fortress built near the factories. Mining engineer Georg Wilhelm de Gennin decided to name the fortress after the empress, having first asked for her consent.

Catherine the First was not against it, but she slightly modified the name. So, de Gennin intended to give the fortress the name Katerinenburkh, and the empress called it Ekaterinburkh.

Tatishchev was an opponent of such a German-Dutch sound; until the last he called the place Ekaterinsky. The official name was the version adopted by the empress, and over time it replaced all other names.

The history of Yekaterinburg is forever connected with the names of two famous people of that time. These are Vasily Tatishchev and Georg de Gennin. Each of them made a great contribution to the creation of the city.

Tatishchev's project

Peter the Great sent statesman Vasily Tatishchev in 1720 to eliminate problems at state-owned factories. It was located at the Uktus plant. After getting acquainted with the affairs, Tatishchev realized that it would be more expedient to build a new plant. He created a project and sent it to the Berg College for consideration.

Tatishchev saw prospects in the production of iron, since it could be sold on the foreign market. As the subsequent history of Yekaterinburg showed, he was right. Local ore was of high quality, so the iron later exported was valued all over the world.

But the Berg College had its own views about the factories. The top management wanted to create silver, copper, alum, and sulfur factories, which had not existed in Russia before. The statesman was removed from leadership in 1721.

Foundation of the city

In 1722, by order of Peter the Great, mining engineer Georg de Gennin was sent to build the plant. Having familiarized himself with all the circumstances, the major general supported Tatishchev’s project. Since 1723, construction of the plant was resumed.

Soldiers of the Tobolsk regiment, workers from the Olonets and Demidov factories, and peasants from assigned settlements were recruited for the work.

The founding day of Yekaterinburg is considered to be the date when a test run of hammers took place in the workshops of the plant under construction. This happened on November 7, 1723.

In terms of its size, capacity and technical characteristics, the brainchild of Tatishchev and de Gennin became the best metallurgical enterprise on the world market of its time.

Factory-fortress

Along with the plant, the construction of a fortress was carried out. It received the same name as the enterprise. The Ekaterinburg fortress served to protect industry. Soldiers of the same Tobolsk regiment took part in the construction of the fortress.

Strengthening the fortress:

wooden palisade - walls built from logs;
an earthen rampart about two meters high;
a ditch with water, about one and a half meters deep and about four meters wide;
slingshots around the entire perimeter.

Initially, the fortress had five gates with roads leading from them. It was they who gave rise to the first streets of the future city.

In 1725, a mint appeared here. It produced 80% of the state's copper coins until 1876. In the thirties of the seventeenth century, the police and a grinding workshop began their work in the fortress.

In 1745, gold ore was discovered near the fortress. From this moment the development of gold mining in the country began.

The population consisted of immigrants from the Uktus enterprise, Old Believers from the central part of Russia, soldiers of the Tobolsk regiment, and peasants from the surrounding settlements. The history of the plant-fortress is connected with the events of the Peasant War of 1773-1775, called the Pugachevschina.

Connection with Asia

After the suppression of the Pugachev uprising, the history of Yekaterinburg continued with administrative reform. It was carried out by order of Catherine the Great in 1780. A year later, Ekaterinburg officially received the status of a city with a population of more than eight thousand people. Perm was chosen as the main city in the governorship.

Since 1783, the main road of the empire began to pass through Yekaterinburg, called the Great Siberian Highway. The city began to turn into a transport hub and shopping center. Through him, communication between Russia and Asia began to be maintained.

Old Believers merchants played an important role in the city. They were also elected to the city council. By 1796, Yekaterinburg became part of the Perm province. Ten years later, the city was granted “mountain” status, which allowed it to have a number of freedoms from the Perm authorities.

In the nineteenth century, the gold mining industry began to flourish in the region. Ekaterinburg merchants controlled a significant part of the market for gems and precious metals. Gradually, the city became one of the centers for the artistic processing of colored stones.

After the abolition of serfdom in 1861, the city, like the entire region, experienced a severe crisis, many factories closed. The city again became a district town. However, the railway soon opened, and Yekaterinburg became the largest hub. The economy was picking up again.

The city during and after the revolution

By the beginning of the twentieth century, Yekaterinburg became one of the centers of the revolutionary movement. Yakov Sverdlov carried out his revolutionary activities here. He lived under someone else’s passport, often changing apartments.

The city decided to create the first university in the Urals. The decision on this was made by the Ministry of Public Education. Perm, although it was a provincial city, yielded. The outbreak of World War I delayed construction.

But the population of Perm, with the support of the philanthropist Meshkov, was able to build a university in 1916. And the Yekaterinburg Mining Institute was opened in 1917, just a few days before the Bolshevik coup.

Soviet power in the city on Iset was established peacefully. In 1918, the imperial family was brought here along with Nicholas II. They were placed in the former house of engineer Ipatiev. A few months later they were shot in the basement of this mansion.

In the same year, the city was captured by the White Guards by the forces of the Czechoslovak corps with Voitsekhovsky. In 1919, Soviet power was restored, and Yekaterinburg became the political center of the Urals. In 1924, Sverdlovsk (Ekaterinburg) appeared on the map.

During World War II, the city worked for defense. The most important factories from all over the Union were transported to Sverdlovsk, an airport and many other strategic facilities were created. After the war, some of this was preserved in the city.

The events of the nineties of the last century had a negative impact on the economic state of the city, but over time everything stabilized.

Returning the name

Since the founding of Yekaterinburg, the city has changed its name twice. From 1723 to 1924 it bore the name of the empress, from 1924 to 1991 the city was named after the revolutionary, and since 1991 its original name was returned to it.

This happened at an extraordinary session of the Sverdlovsk City Council of People's Deputies. Before making such a decision, the authorities spent a year deciding on the advisability of renaming. Many residents were against becoming “Ekaterinburg residents,” but on October 14, 1991 it happened officially.

You can learn about all the events related to the capital of the working Urals by visiting the Museum of the History of Yekaterinburg.

Symbols of a modern city

The modern coat of arms of Yekaterinburg appeared in 1998, and ten years later it was supplemented. The city had its own coat of arms under the Tsar and during Soviet rule. They all had both common and distinctive features.

Elements of the modern coat of arms and their meaning:

the emerald green half of the shield is historically a shade symbolizing the Urals;
the golden half of the shield - the division into two parts symbolizes the border between Europe and Asia;
the upper part resembles a fortress with the image of a mining shaft (well frame) and a smelting furnace in it - elements taken from the coat of arms of Yekaterinburg in 1783;
blue belt - Iset River;
shield holder bear - a symbol of the European part of the state;
shield holder sable - symbol of Asia;
sticking out tongues of animals and their toothy grin - the city is under protection;
the gold ribbon is an element of “capitality”.

The last element introduced was the status crown located on the top. The author of the city symbol is German Ivanovich Dubrovin.

Ekaterinburg is a city of the Russian Federation, which is the administrative center of the Ural Autonomous Okrug and the Sverdlovsk region. This is the largest administrative, cultural, scientific and educational center of the Ural region, its area is 468 km 2. It is located on the eastern slopes of the Middle Urals, on the banks of the Iset River. It has an advantageous physical and geographical position due to its location at the natural gateway from the central part of Russia to the Siberian expanses, this makes it an important strategic center connecting the European and Asian parts of the country.

Founding history

In 1723, by order of Peter I, the construction of the largest ironworks at that time began on the banks of the Iset River. The founding date of Yekaterinburg as the capital of the mining region is considered to be November 18, 1723, when the work of the first workshop of this plant was launched. At the insistence of Russian industrialists, the plant-fortress was named Yekaterinburg in honor of the wife of Peter I, Catherine I. As of 1724, 4 thousand people lived here.

In 1781, by order of Empress Catherine II, Yekaterinburg received the status of a district city of the Perm province. The reign of the great queen was marked for the city by a rapid pace of development and further prosperity: the main Russian road of that time, the Siberian Highway, was laid across its territory, the city received the status of a kind of “window to Siberia” or “key to Asia.”

(Building of the City Council of the city of Sverdlovsk)

After the formation of the USSR, the authorities did not like the old name of the city and it became Sverdlovsk, in honor of a prominent party leader; in 1991, the city returned its historical name. During the years of Soviet power, Yekaterinburg became a powerful industrial and administrative center of the entire country. During the Great Patriotic War, its factories produced a huge amount of weapons and armored vehicles; its contribution to the victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 is difficult to overestimate. Since the beginning of 2000, the city has been experiencing rapid economic growth, trade, business, and tourism are intensively developing here.

Population of Yekaterinburg

In terms of population (1,455,904 people as of 2017), the city ranks fourth in the country after Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk. Yekaterinburg is one of the 15 million-plus cities in the Russian Federation; its millionth resident was born back in 1967. As of January 1, 2016, the city is the fourth most populous among 1,112 cities in the Russian Federation. The demographic crisis of the nineties of the twentieth century and the beginning of the 2000s gave way to positive dynamics of natural growth after 2004.

One of the important factors influencing the increase in the population is migration processes; according to 2015 data, the migration increase in the city was about 1000 people, of which 54.1% were visitors from the Sverdlovsk region, 18.2% were visitors from other regions of the Russian Federation , 27.7% are foreigners. Recently, the migration influx from countries of the Slavic ethnic group has decreased and increased from the countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia.

In accordance with the age structure in the city, the majority of the working-age population predominates (61.6%), children under 15 years old - 16.2%, people of pre-retirement age - 22.2%.

It has a developed agglomeration, the fourth largest in Russia, comprising more than 2.2 million people from the cities and towns surrounding the city (satellite cities of Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Berezovsky, Sredneuralsk, Aramily, etc.).

Yekaterinburg is a city with a variegated ethnic composition; more than 100 nationalities and peoples live here. The national composition of the city is dominated by the Russian population (89%), the Tatar population is 3.72%, Ukrainian - 1.03%, Bashkir - 0.96%, less than 1% - Mari, Germans, Azerbaijanis, Udmurts, Belarusians, Armenians , Tajiks, Uzbeks, Chuvash, Mordovians, Jews.

Industry of Yekaterinburg

Ekaterinburg is one of the largest economic centers in the world. According to the list, called Ciy-600, by the famous international consulting company Mc Kinsey Global Institute, Yekaterinburg is one of 600 cities in the world that produce more than 60% of their country's gross domestic product. According to estimates for 2010, the gross product of Yekaterinburg was valued by the company at $19 billion, with the prospect of increasing to $40 billion in 2025.

During the Soviet era, Yekaterinburg, together with Chelyabinsk and Perm, formed the Ural industrial hub; it was a city exclusively of industrial direction with a share of industrial production of more than 90%, and 90% of enterprises produced products for the defense complex. Today, Yekaterinburg has practically lost its industrial specialization; the most developed sectors of the economy here are transport, logistics, warehousing, telecommunications, wholesale and retail trade, and the financial sector.

The industrial and production complex of Yekaterinburg is based on highly qualified labor resources, the most developed industries are: heavy engineering, precision engineering and instrument making, metal products production, ferrous metallurgy. In total, there are more than 220 enterprises in various industries operating in the city.

(UralMash plant)

The largest heavy engineering and machine tool manufacturing enterprises:

Ural Heavy Engineering Plant, Uralmashzavod - production of walking excavators, hydraulic presses, rolling mills, oil and gas drilling equipment;
Ural Chemical Engineering Plant (Uralkhimmash) - manufacture of machinery and equipment for chemical and petrochemical enterprises, construction enterprises;
Uralelectrotyazhmash is one of the largest enterprises in the Russian Federation for the production of high-voltage equipment; it produces transformer and reactor equipment, develops and manufactures gas turbines for thermal power plants on a turnkey basis;
The Ural Transport Engineering Plant (Uraltransmash) is the oldest machine-building plant in the Urals, producing military equipment and drilling rigs; now it is producing self-propelled howitzers, tram cars, elevator equipment, and deep-well pumps for oil production;
Ural Turbine Plant (UTZ)—produces steam heating and gas turbines, units for transporting natural gas;
Ural Civil Aviation Plant (UZGA) - manufacture and repair of aircraft engines, gas generators for main gas pumping stations.

Large enterprises of precision engineering and instrument making: Ural Optical-Mechanical Plant named after. E.S. Yalamova (UOMZ), NPO Automation named after N.A. Semikhatov, Ural Electronic Plant, metalworking: Uralcable, Uralpodshipnik, metallurgy - Verkh-Isetsky Metallurgical Plant (VIZ), chemical industry - Uraltekhgaz, production of plastics - “Uralplastik”, “Uralshina”. The food industry and the construction materials industry are also developed in Yekaterinburg. The products of large enterprises are supplied to all parts of the country; they are in demand and popular both in countries near and far abroad.

Culture of Yekaterinburg

In addition to the fact that Yekaterinburg is the largest administrative and industrial center of the Ural region, it is also its cultural capital. There is a network of municipal libraries here, the largest library in the Sverdlovsk region - the Sverdlovsk Regional Universal Scientific Library named after. V.G. Belinsky. In 2006, the Russian Library Association declared Yekaterinburg the library capital of Russia.

(At the Museum of Fine Arts)

There are about 50 museums in the city (Ekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts, the Nevyansk Icon Museum, the A. Popov Radio Museum, the Ural Geological Museum) - all of them take part in the international event “Night of Museums”, when on Museum Day on May 18, any The museum opens its doors to visitors all night absolutely free of charge.

(At the Young Spectator Theater)

Yekaterinburg is the leading theater center in the region, there are 24 theaters, the Sverdlovsk State Academic Theater of Musical Comedy, the Sverdlovsk State Academic Drama Theater, the Yekaterinburg Municipal Theater for Young Spectators, and the Yekaterinburg Municipal Puppet Theater. The only Sverdlovsk film studio outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg has been operating here since 1943, where both documentaries and feature films are shot.

Yekaterinburg has its own philharmonic society, several cinemas, a circus, concert venues, palaces of culture and art, a zoo, the Mayakovsky Central Park of Culture and Leisure, and the Aqua Gallery - a unique exhibition of exotic fish species with the first underwater tunnel in the Urals.

Every year various festivals are held in Yekaterinburg: the All-Russian Fair of Opera Singers, the International Operetta Competition. V. Kurochkina, international festival of puppet theaters “Petrushka the Great”, documentary film festival “Russia”.

Yekaterinburg city is the administrative center of the Sverdlovsk region. This is the largest industrial, commercial and cultural center of the Urals. It was built on the eastern slope of the Middle Urals along the banks of a tributary of the Tobol, namely the Iset River. This settlement is located 1667 kilometers east of Moscow. There are two airports here - one large, the other smaller, and a metro service. The population of the city in 2001 was more than one million 259 thousand people.

Modern Yekaterinburg is one of the largest Russian industrial, scientific and cultural centers not only in the Ural Federal District, but throughout Russia. Mechanical engineering, metalworking and metallurgy play a certain role in the city's economy. Famous Ekaterinburg enterprises: Uralmash, Uralkhimmash, Uralelectrotyazhmash, turbomotor plant, machine-building plant named after M.I. Kalinina, Sverdlesmash, Ural Optical-Mechanical Plant, Pnevmostroymashina. A large ferrous metallurgy enterprise is the Verkh-Isetsky Metallurgical Plant.

Yekaterinburg is divided into seven districts:

Chkalovsky district; area 402 square kilometers.
Verkh-Isetsky district; area 240 square kilometers.
Oktyabrsky district; area 176 square kilometers.
Railway area; area 126 square kilometers.
Ordzhonikidze district; area 102 square kilometers.
Kirovsky district; area 72 square kilometers.
Leninsky district has an area of 25 square kilometers.

The largest number of residents live in the Ordzhonikidze district of Yekaterinburg (about 300 thousand souls). The Verkh-Isetsky, Kirovsky and Chkalovsky districts have approximately the same population (from 210 to 230 thousand people). Less populated areas of the city of Yekaterinburg are Leninsky (~160 thousand) and Zheleznodorozhny (~140 thousand) districts.

History of the city of Yekaterinburg.

The history of the city of Yekaterinburg began in the 18th century. In 1721, Peter I the Great issued a decree, on the basis of which Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev began the construction of a metallurgical plant on the Iset River. Already on November 18, 1723, the plant was not only built, but also produced its first products. This date was decided to be considered the founding day of the city. Most Russian cities are named after someone or something. Yekaterinburg was named in honor of Empress Catherine I Alekseevna, wife of Peter I.

Over time, a mining school and the Ural Mining Administration were located in Yekaterinburg. The Verkhneuktussky (Elizavetinsky) metallurgical plant was built near the city. In Yekaterinburg, in addition to the metallurgical industry, the stone processing industry, mining, and the extraction of minerals: gold, stone, etc., developed favorably. In the mid-18th century, the Yekaterinburg lapidary factory was built, which produced high-quality products from malachite and porphyry. In 1763, the Siberian Highway was built from Moscow itself to Siberia through the city of Yekaterinburg. In 1781, Yekaterinburg became the center of the Yekaterinburg province, in 1796 - a district city of the Perm province. The gold mining industry developed in Yekaterinburg; Gold ores mined in mines located relatively close to the city were melted. By the 1840s, Yekaterinburg became a metalworking center. By the end of the 19th century, the city became an important railway center of the Urals, so in 1878 it was connected by railway with Perm.

On July 18, 1918, Russian Emperor Nicholas II and his family were mercilessly shot in Yekaterinburg. In the period from 1924 to 1991, the city of Yekaterinburg was called Sverdlovsk. It was named in honor of Yakov Mikhailovich Sverdlov. In 1934, the city of Sverdlovsk became the center of the entire Sverdlovsk region. In the period from the 20s to the 30s of the 20th century, several large factories were built in the city: mechanical engineering and metalworking.

During the Great Patriotic War, Sverdlovsk was one of the most significant centers of the military industry.

Yekaterinburg extends from west to east for 15 km, from north to south for 26 km. The Iset River, dividing the city into western and eastern parts, has been turned into a system of stepped reservoirs (the largest is Verkh-Isetsky pond, other ponds are Gorodskoy, Parkovy and Nizhneisetsky). The rectangular street layout of the central districts is based on the plan of an 18th century factory-fortress.
City pond is a reservoir formed by a dam on the Iset River:

Until 1917, Yekaterinburg was a city of many churches, of which only a few have survived.

Epiphany Cathedral- founded in 1745, the architect of which, according to assumptions, was a student of the creator of the St. Petersburg Peter and Paul Cathedral, architect Trezzini. The cathedral, which was called the “Ural Peter and Paul Fortress,” was for a long time the center of the religious life of the city. In 1919, it lost its status as a cathedral, and in 1930 it was blown up.

Ascension Church- founded in 1792 not far from the former wooden church on the highest section of Voznesenskaya Mountain, on the site of the former estate of the city founder V.N. Tatishchev. In 1834, the reconstruction of the church began under the leadership of the architect V. Shuvalov, as a result of which its style changed - the Baroque church acquired features of the Byzantine style. The Church of the Ascension was closed in 1927, then for a long time it was used as a building for a local history museum and returned to believers in 1991.

One-story stone St. John the Baptist (Ivanovo) Church- founded in 1846, and since 1943 served as the main church of the Yekaterinburg diocese. Once the richest church in the city was the Old Believer Trinity Church (1818).

Church of All Saints with one chapel - founded in 1886. On the site of the Mountain Catherine Cathedral, blown up in 1930, a small chapel was erected in 1998.

Ipatiev House- in which the royal family was shot, was demolished. In its place, the Church of the Savior on Blood was built, in front of it on the square there is a sculptural composition with a nine-meter cross.

Complex of buildings of the former Yekaterinburg Novo-Tikhvin convent - founded in 1809. The main temple of the Novo-Tikhvin Monastery was the Alexander (Alexandro-Nevsky) Cathedral, founded in 1838, which became the largest temple in Yekaterinburg of the 19th century. In 1925, the cathedral, together with the Assumption Church, was closed and returned to the revived Novo-Tikhvin Monastery in 1995. In the same year, the construction of a country monastery complex (“zaimki”) began, the basis of which was the former Shartash holiday home. The monastery includes the Alexander Chapel in the Dendrological Park (formerly Khlebnaya Square), founded in 1881 as a monument to the abolition of serfdom and the liberation of peasants.

The appearance of old Yekaterinburg was determined by buildings of the 18th - early 19th centuries in the style of classicism. Among them, the building of the Mining Chancellery (1737-1739), the Rastorguev-Kharitonov estate (1794-1824), the Malakhov house (1817-1820), and the hospital of the Verkh-Isetsky plant (1824-1826) stand out.

In the first half of the 20th century, buildings in the constructivist style were built in Yekaterinburg: the "House of Offices" (1930), the residential complex "Chekist Town" (1931), the Vtuzgorodok complex (1929-1930).

Yekaterinburg is a city of theatrical and cultural traditions. There are a conservatory and a philharmonic society, an opera and ballet theater, a drama theater and a theater for young spectators. In Yekaterinburg you can find many monuments dedicated to people whose life and work were connected with this city. Among them, the monuments to the founder of Yekaterinburg V.N. Tatishchev and his associate V.I. Gennin deserve special attention. There are several literary museums in the city: the D. N. Mamin-Sibiryak Museum, the P. P. Bazhov House Museum.

The Yekaterinburg Art Gallery is the largest Ural museum, founded in 1936. The gallery is famous for its collection of works of Kasli casting. The museum's exhibitions also include works of Russian and European fine art and stone-cutting art. Yekaterinburg and its surroundings are interesting for many archaeological sites. Among them, the complex “Istoki Iseti” stands out.

Main attractions.

Palace of Team Sports "Uralochka" (DIVS)- sports complex.

– a unique place that unites several museums into a common complex dedicated to famous writers of the Urals;- the house of the Ural entrepreneur Nikolai Ivanovich Sevastyanov is the only example of the Gothic-Moorish architectural style in the Ural-Siberian region.

Opera theatre- has been operating since 1912. Subsequently famous singers of the Bolshoi Theater I. Kozlovsky, S. Lemeshev, I. Arkhipova began their creative careers in Yekaterinburg. The theater carefully preserves its best traditions.

Museum of History, Science and Technology of the Sverdlovsk Railway- located in the building of the first railway station, designed by architect P.P. Schreiber. The building is a historical and cultural monument of the 19th century.

Sverdlovsk Regional Airborne Forces Museum "Winged Guard" - Russia's second museum of the Airborne Forces. In total, the halls house more than 1,450 exhibits. In two halls of the museum there are exhibitions dedicated to the history of the creation of the parachute and the development of parachuting in our country; Russian special forces; the creation and development of airborne troops from 1930 to the present.

Photo from the site: www.sverdlovsk.vsedomarossii.ru

Zero kilometer - this is the geographical center of the city of Yekaterinburg, the same starting point that is taught about in physics lessons. If we need to determine the distance from Yekaterinburg to Moscow or Paris, then we will count the kilometers not from the border of our city, not from Plotinka and not from the Lenin monument, but from here, and accordingly to the “zero kilometer” of Moscow or Paris. Initially, “zero kilometers” were the prerogative of capital cities, where special signs symbolizing the starting point of road distances were placed in the very center.

Photo from the site: www.u-mama.ru

Monument to Vladimir Vysotsky and Marina Vladi- a monument erected in Yekaterinburg near the main entrance to the Antey shopping and entertainment center. Vysotsky is used to being portrayed as a fighter and rebel: he is eager to go somewhere, does not agree with something. However, on this monument he is more calm, peaceful, in love than ever, and sings to Marina his song “I will lay a bed for lovers.”

Photo from the site: www.liveinternet.ru

Museum of the History of Architecture and Industrial Technology of the Urals- the museum brings together 5 monuments of industrial architecture of the second half of the 19th century: the premises of a timber drying shop, storerooms, a drafting office, a fortress wall and a two-tier wall of the turning shop of the Yekaterinburg Mechanical Factory. Exhibits: 1. Stone belt 2. History of architecture and urban planning of the Urals 3. History of planning and development of Yekaterinburg 4. History of industrial technology of the Urals.

Photo from the site: www.subaryata.org.ru

Keyboard Monument- opened in 2005 in Yekaterinburg on the embankment of the Iset River. The monument is a replica of a concrete keyboard on a scale of 30:1. Consists of 86 keys arranged in a QWERTY layout, each key weighs about 80 kg. Each button on the concrete keyboard is also a makeshift bench. It is believed to be the largest computer keyboard in the world.

Monument to the founders of Yekaterinburg, Glorious Sons of Russia V.N. Tatishchev and V.I. de Gennin- the youth of Yekaterinburg are accustomed to calling this monument “Beavis and Budhead”. Usually skaters, bmxers, roller skaters and other sports youth gather here, who train here and show all sorts of performances of their skills.

The world's first monument to the Invisible Man, the hero of the novel by H. G. Wells- was installed in 1999 in the center of Yekaterinburg, near the library named after V.G. Belinsky. The monument is a slab measuring one meter by one meter, on which is engraved the inscription: “The world’s first monument to the Invisible Man, the hero of the novel by H. G. Wells.” In addition, on the bronze plate there are prints of two feet: the left - size 43, the right - size 41. Authors Evgeny Kasimov, Alexander Shaburov. Installed during the festival "Cultural Heroes of the 21st Century", organized by Sergei Kiriyenko and the Gelman Gallery.

The dam of the City Pond on the Iset River is located on the Iset River- built in 1723, subsequently rebuilt many times. The dam provided mechanical energy to power the mechanisms of the newly founded Yekaterinburg plant and served as the beginning of the construction of the city. A traditional place for mass festivities and holidays.

Square 1905- the main square in the center of Yekaterinburg. In its modern form, it emerged in 1930, after the demolition of the Epiphany Cathedral that stood here, as a common space of two previously existing squares.

Sverdlovsk Film Studio- a film studio in Yekaterinburg, created on February 9, 1943. The youngest film studio in Russia. Third after film studios in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In total, the Film Studio produced more than 200 feature films and 500 documentaries, hundreds of popular science films, and about 100 animation works. Many of them were included in the golden fund of Russian cinema. Tours are offered at the studio.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral- founded in 1814 in honor of the victory over Napoleon. The cathedral was built according to the design of M.P. Malakhov and was considered one of the best buildings in Yekaterinburg of the 19th century. Many remarkable people of the city are buried near the cathedral walls, including M.P. Malakhov himself.

Palace and park ensemble Kharitonov-Rastorguev Estate- an architectural monument of the 18th century. Located on K. Liebknecht Street in the center of Yekaterinburg (Kirovsky district), on Voznesenskaya Gorka. D. N. Mamin-Sibiryak (in the novel “Privalov’s Millions”) and A. N. Tolstoy (the story “Kharitonov’s Gold”) wrote about the estate.

Temple on blood- one of the largest Orthodox churches in Russia. The temple was built in 2000-2003 on the site where the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II and his family were shot on the night of July 16-17, 1918. The consecration of the temple took place on July 16, 2003.

Tourism and recreation in the city of Yekaterinburg

The city of Yekaterinburg has many places where you can relax. Places located in a certain proximity to the city, and Yekaterinburg itself are quite interesting from a tourism point of view.

Under certain conditions, traveling along it will be unforgettable and will evoke vivid emotions.

The choice of place depends on the will, personal ambitions, position, and needs of the vacationer.

The lands in the valley of the Iset River, where modern Yekaterinburg is located, became part of the Russian state between 1619 and 1672. By that time, there were no settled settlements in these areas, but in a more distant era people lived here. Archaeological sites discovered in the vicinity of Yekaterinburg indicate that prehistoric human settlements were located in the urban areas. Scientists date the most ancient settlements (in the vicinity of the Palkino microdistrict) to at least the 8th millennium BC. e. Research continues today, and the unique artifacts already found here are presented not only in the Regional Museum of Local Lore, but also in the Hermitage and museums in a number of European capitals.

In the 80s of the 17th century, Russian pioneers settled near the Nizhny and Verkhny Uktus rivers (today the Chkalovsky district), and in 1702, the Uktus ironworks was founded at the confluence of the Nizhny Uktus and the Iset. Two years later, the Shuvakish plant was founded nearby. In 1720, a prominent statesman Vasily Tatishchev arrived in the Uktus settlement - Emperor Peter I entrusted him with the management of local mining enterprises, whose productivity was significantly inferior to the efficiency of the Ural Demidov factories.

Tatishchev tried to improve production, but soon came to the conclusion that it would not be possible to accomplish his plans on the basis of existing primitive enterprises, and proposed building a new large plant on the banks of the Iset. Tatishchev was supported by an authoritative mining engineer, Major General Georg Wilhelm de Gennin, and already on November 18, 1723, the first mechanical hammers were tested at the enterprise. This day is considered the founding date of the city, which was named Yekaterinburg in honor of the crowned wife of Peter I. The plant itself, which soon turned into the largest metallurgical enterprise of the empire, began to be called Yekaterinburg.

Ekaterinburg received the status of a county town in 1781, already under Empress Catherine II. By this time, among other enterprises, there was a mint here, where 80% of the copper money in the state was produced, and there was a manufactory that produced copper utensils and utensils. The cutting factory produced stone decorations for the interiors of the capital's palaces. Yekaterinburg, which was often called “a state within a state,” had its own coat of arms, magistrate, courts, police, prison, and the city was ruled by a mining chief. A strict layout divided Yekaterinburg into 31 streets and 335 blocks. The buildings were originally wooden; the first stone building was the building of the Mining Chancellery, erected in 1737.

In the 80s of the 18th century, Yekaterinburg joined the chain of the most important points of the Great Siberian Highway, which led from the European part of the Russian Empire to endless Siberia with its countless treasures. The city developed rapidly, local merchants founded various enterprises - tanneries, soap factories, malt factories, and traded in livestock and meat. At the beginning of the century before last, gold deposits were discovered in the vicinity of Yekaterinburg, which marked the beginning of the development of the gold mining industry. More and more stone buildings appeared on the streets, erected, according to contemporaries, with considerable taste and grace. In the capital of the Urals, new sectors of the economy developed - transport, light and food industries, the service sector, and banks were opened that provided loans to businessmen. In 1897, a railway line connected Yekaterinburg with the Trans-Siberian Railway, turning the city into the largest transport hub in the region.

By the beginning of the last century, the city became the center of the revolutionary movement in the Urals, and the establishment of Soviet power here occurred without bloodshed. The year 1918 “glorified” Yekaterinburg as the place of execution of the imperial family, which languished before execution on the night of July 17 in the former mansion of the mining engineer Ipatiev. After just 10 days, units of the Czechoslovak Corps entered the city, after which for 12 months Yekaterinburg remained a stronghold of the White movement, led by Admiral Alexander Kolchak.

In 1923, the Soviet government gave Yekaterinburg the status of the administrative center of the vast Ural region, and the following year it received a new name - Sverdlovsk, which remained until 1991. During the period of industrialization, the city turned into one of the largest industrial, scientific and educational centers of the USSR. During the Great Patriotic War, more than fifty enterprises from the western regions of the country were evacuated here, which subsequently merged with local factories or became the basis of new sectors of the economy of the Sverdlovsk region.

In the early 90s, an economic crisis erupted in the city, accompanied by criminal wars. The revival began with the advent of the new millennium, mainly due to the development of trade and business spheres, since Yekaterinburg lost a significant part of its industrial potential. In 2015, the city was among the five most visited Russian megacities by tourists, along with Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Vladivostok.

Geography and climate

Yekaterinburg is located on the eastern slope of the Ural Mountains, where, as is commonly believed, lies the natural border between Europe and Asia. In a picturesque area, 17 km from the city, a symbolic stele and an obelisk were installed, at the base of which two stones were laid: one brought from Cape Roka - the most extreme point of Europe, the second - from Cape Dezhnev, which ends in the sea on the edge of the Chukotka Peninsula, which extreme northeast of Eurasia.

Yekaterinburg extends from west to east for 15 km, from north to south – 26 km. The metropolis is divided into two parts, western and eastern, by the Iset River, a tributary of the Tobol. Its right bank is almost flat, the left bank is slightly elevated, but without significant elevation changes. Yekaterinburg is surrounded by hills covered with coniferous and mixed forests; the highest mountain in the vicinity is Volchikha, its height is 526.3 m.

On the territory of the city, the Iset River is blocked by dams and turned into a system of stepped reservoirs. The largest of them is the Verkh-Isetsky pond, other artificial reservoirs are the City, Park and Nizhne-Isetsky ponds. There are also natural lakes within the city limits - Shartash and Maly Shartash in the east, Shuvakish - in the northwest and Zdokhnya - in the west. Many picturesque reservoirs are located in the suburban area.

Ekaterinburg is separated from Moscow by 1,784 km along the highway, and from Vladivostok – 7,379 km. Local time is 2 hours ahead of Moscow.

The climate of Yekaterinburg is characterized as temperate continental, with distinct seasonal differences. The low eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains, where the city is located, are protected from the penetration of air masses from the western part of Russia by higher ridges, and at the same time open to the invasion of Arctic air. However, air flows from the south - from the Caspian regions and the deserts of Central Asia - also penetrate here unhindered. This feature causes the variability of Yekaterinburg weather - sharp temperature fluctuations and anomalous phenomena, when temperature changes up to 30 ° C during the day.

Winters in Yekaterinburg are long; frosty weather reigns here already in November, which lasts until March. Night frosts are also observed in April. In winter, severe frosts are often replaced by thaws, and snow by rain. The coldest month here is January, when the average daytime temperature is –10...–8 °C, and the night temperature is from –16 to –12 °C. The record cold in Yekaterinburg was January 1915, when meteorologists recorded -44.6 °C.

Spring comes to the city at the end of April, at which time the air already warms up above +10 °C. By the end of May, daytime temperatures reach +20 °C. For June-July the following indicators are typical: +15...+20 °C at night and +21...+25 °C during the day. In the first month of summer, short-term frosts sometimes occur, and snow may even fall. Most of August is still warm, but by the end of the month, daytime temperatures usually drop below +20 °C. It begins to get distinctly colder in the last ten days of September, when the thermometers record +7...+11 °C. In October, night frosts are common; daytime temperatures gradually drop to +3 °C.

Video: Ekaterinburg from above

Sights and museums of Yekaterinburg

The central microdistrict of the Ural metropolis, covering parts of the main administrative city districts, includes almost the entire territory of pre-revolutionary Yekaterinburg. Here are the main city attractions, adjacent to mirrored high-rises and modern office buildings.

The main artery of Yekaterinburg is Lenin Avenue. It crosses four districts at once - Kirovsky, Verkh-Isetsky, Oktyabrsky and Leninsky. On the territory of the latter there is a Historical Square, laid out for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the city in the place where the Yekaterinburg ironworks was founded in 1723. The bulk of the unsightly factory buildings were demolished during the reconstruction carried out here in the 60-70s of the last century. The remaining buildings house museums.

The square occupies 8 hectares and is located on both banks of the Iset. On the right bank there is a “rock garden”, which consists of impressive blocks of various rocks, picturesquely scattered among the trees, brought here from all corners of the Urals. The museum area extends on the left bank. The Museum of the History of Architecture and Industrial Technology of the Urals presents three exhibitions: “Stone Belt of the Urals”, “History of the Development and Planning of Yekaterinburg”, “History of Old Ural Technology”. Here you can see examples of ancient industrial equipment - overhead cranes, hammers, presses. In the nearby water tower, which has maintained its appearance for almost 300 years, there is an interesting Museum of Blacksmithing.

The Historical Square also houses the Museum of Fine Arts, which has the largest collection of iron castings in Russia. The exhibition of contemporary art showcases the works of artists who worked in the 20th century.

Not far from the museum is the famous Plotinka - a dam built in 1723 for the needs of the plant, and since then it has been rebuilt more than once. During its construction, granite and Ural larch were used, which do not rot under the influence of water, but turn to stone. Plotinka is an iconic place in Yekaterinburg, where newlyweds arrange dates, photo shoots and selfies, and where skateboarders and rollerbladers gather to demonstrate risky tricks. To the east of Plotinka is Labor Square, the oldest in the city. There is a monument to the founding fathers of Yekaterinburg - Tatishchev and de Gennin.

Very nearby, on Lenin Avenue, stands the most magnificent building in Yekaterinburg - the Sevastyanov House. Behind this modest name lies a real palace, built in the neo-Gothic style. The facades, decorated with architectural details in green, white and red tones, give the building a completely unique look. It is known that in 1817 a house already stood on this site, although subsequently it was apparently rebuilt several times and changed owners. In 1860, the house-palace was purchased by the collegiate assessor Nikolai Sevastyanov. Urban legend says that this esthete official also bought a small house opposite the palace, where he moved in order to be able to constantly admire his luxurious property from the window.

At the end of the 19th century, the building was purchased by the state treasury, and until 1917 the Yekaterinburg District Court was located within its walls. In Soviet times it belonged to trade union organizations. In 2008, the Sevastyanov house underwent restoration and major renovation, and today it serves as the Yekaterinburg residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

Turgenev Street adjoins Lenin Avenue, which is worth a stroll along to see the historical buildings preserved here. At the intersection with Pervomaiskaya Street there is a beautiful house of Ilya Makletsky, director of the local branch of the Siberian Bank and an honorary citizen of Yekaterinburg. With the money of this patron, a nearby concert hall was built, which is considered the best chamber concert hall in the country in terms of its acoustic parameters. On the other side of the intersection, the original mansion of the first half of the 19th century has been preserved - the estate of the official Stakhiev. Today the honorary consulate of Austria is located here. Opposite is the Nazarov estate, within the walls of which a clinic is located. Another attraction of Turgenev Street is the Maev House, built in the mid-19th century and an example of local wooden architecture. The wooden house of Alexander Sudakov, who became rich in the production of paper bags, is also interesting for its history. In the revolutionary year of 1917, the industrialist left Yekaterinburg, but returned with the White Guards and organized in his house the production of money for Admiral Kolchak, who accepted the title of Supreme Ruler of Russia.

The house of Ivan Redikortsev, a well-known geologist in the Urals, is also located on Turgenev Street. Owning this building, Redikortsev built another dwelling next door (at the corner of modern Karl Liebknecht and Klara Zetkin streets), which later became known as the Ipatiev House - after the last owner's name. In 1918, the Bolsheviks requisitioned the building and imprisoned the royal family here. In the basement of the Ipatiev House, the Romanovs and their servants were shot. The ill-fated house was demolished in 1975, following a secret order from the Politburo. At the very beginning of the 2000s, the Church on the Blood grew on this site, consecrated in 2003. Today, this majestic five-domed structure in the Russian-Byzantine style is the most famous landmark of Yekaterinburg, the center of the cult of Nicholas II and the entire martyred imperial family.

Turgenev Street leads to Voznesenskaya Hill, which is crowned by the stone temple that gave it its name - the oldest in Yekaterinburg. Its construction was completed in 1818. The Church of the Ascension, built in the late Baroque style, delights with its architectural forms and elegant decor, made in blue and white colors. The church operated until 1926, when it was closed by the Bolsheviks. At one time there was a school here, then a museum of atheism, which saved the temple from demolition. Finally, the building was transferred to the Sverdlovsk Museum of Local Lore - there was a repository for exhibits that were not included in the exhibition. In the 1990s, services began to be held in the temple again. In 1998, a funeral service for the discovered remains of the Romanov family took place within its walls, then they were sent to St. Petersburg and buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. It was no coincidence that the memorial service was held in the Church of the Ascension: this is the closest church to Ipatiev’s house, and it was from this church that the priest who gave communion went to the royal prisoners.

On the northern slope of Voznesenskaya Gorka there is the Rastorguev-Kharitonov estate, an impressive architectural ensemble built at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries according to the canons of classicism. On the territory of the complex there is a park and a small lake with an island. Adjacent to the buildings is a luxurious English garden, founded in 1826 and known as Kharitonovsky.

On the border of the Green Grove park, in the Leninsky district of Yekaterinburg, there is the famous Novo-Tikhvin Convent, which was the largest in the Urals in the 19th century. Its main relic was the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, lost in the post-revolutionary years. The monastery, closed and partially destroyed under Soviet rule, began its revival in 1994. Today, reconstruction continues on the territory of the newly operating monastery. The main temple of the monastery - Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, founded in the first half of the 19th century, was recently restored. In 2008, the nuns re-painted the Tikhvin Icon and consecrated it in Tikhvin.

The Holy Trinity Cathedral (19th century), located on Rosa Luxemburg Street and captivating with the majesty of its forms and richness of decoration, also survived the era of militant atheism. This is the main temple of Yekaterinburg, services are held here daily.

Between Lenin Avenue and Kuibyshev Street there is a pedestrian part of Vayner Street. Before the revolution it was called Uspenskaya, but now it is called the “Ural Arbat”. The historical street, known since the 40s of the 18th century, has always been the main promenade of the city. Here rich merchants built their mansions and opened shops and shops. In the 19th century, the best hotels and restaurants in the city were located here. And today, Weiner Street, whose architectural appearance intertwines the features of several eras, is a favorite place for walks for citizens and tourists. It’s nice to walk here, looking at ancient buildings, original sculptures and compositions, and shopping.

Another interesting corner of Yekaterinburg is the Literary Quarter. It is located between the banks of the Iset and Karl Liebknecht Street. Here, as part of the United Museum of Writers of the Urals, more than a dozen exhibitions are concentrated, housed in ancient mansions where famous writers lived. There is also a chamber theater, a concert venue, and interesting monuments. In the Literary Quarter, it is interesting to look into the house-museums of the writers Mamin-Sibiryak, Fyodor Reshetnikov, and explore the museum of dolls and the children's book “Wonderland”. The house-museum of the well-known Ural storyteller Pavel Bazhov, located 2.5 km from the Literary Quarter, is definitely worth a visit. The log house has retained its authentic appearance. Here Bazhov created his most famous works, including the collection “Malachite Box”. Adjacent to the house is a garden with old apple trees, rowan trees, and linden trees, planted once by the writer himself.

Entertainment

There are about 50 theater stages in Yekaterinburg. Among them, the Yekaterinburg State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, built in the architectural style of the Vienna Theater, shines. The first season within its walls opened back in 1912, the troupe made its debut with Glinka’s opera “A Life for the Tsar.”

There are many cinemas in the city, the oldest of which is Salyut, which dates back to 1912. In recent years, more and more new cinema halls have been appearing in Yekaterinburg, opening in numerous shopping and entertainment centers. There are twelve of them in Greenwich alone. In addition to cinemas, large shopping centers also have theme parks and play areas for children.

Curious travelers, as well as children, will be interested in visiting the interactive scientific amusement park “Newton” (Radishcheva St., 1) with 8 thematic sections dedicated to the basic laws of the universe. No less interesting is the park of wonders “Galileo” (Lenin Ave., 50), located in the huge pavilion of the Sverdlovsk film studio.

In Yekaterinburg you can go to a large zoo where about 1000 animals live. In the very center of the city (Lenin St., 49), the pavilions of the Butterfly Park are located. Here, in an exotic garden equipped with benches and decorative fountains, fabulously beautiful tropical butterflies flutter. In addition to them, this strange world is inhabited by miniature birds, iguanas, snakes, scorpions, creepy Madagascar cockroaches and spiders. In the mini-zoo you can see lovely peacocks, red squirrels, hedgehogs, and rabbits. You can feed them by purchasing special food from a local store. Extreme lovers should go to the park named after. Mayakovsky, where the Mowgli rope park operates.

The nightlife of Yekaterinburg is very rich. There are more than 50 clubs and bars open here, open until the morning. The largest dance floor in the city is located at the Med club (Shevchenko St., 9). The pretentious Pushkin Central Club (8 March Street) with two dance floors is popular. Club "DeBOSH" (Chelyuskintsev St., 106) is known for its incendiary show programs with striptease. On Pervomaiskaya, 75-A, there is an entertainment club for adults of the 911 network.

Camping

Within the boundaries of Yekaterinburg there are many reservoirs where citizens flock when the sun begins to get hot. The shores of lakes and ponds are often equipped with changing cabins and toilets. Many vacationers splash in the water, despite convincing recommendations from Rospotrebnadzor to avoid swimming due to severe water pollution within the city. Access to most equipped recreation areas is free.

In the park area, on the shore of Lake Shartash, there is the SunDali entertainment complex with its own sandy beach. On the territory there is a cafe, a banquet tent, a night club, a playground for children, a football field, an ATV track, and an open-air drive-in cinema. In winter there is an ice skating rink.

In the vicinity of Yekaterinburg, near numerous lakes, there are recreation centers offering different levels of service, and in some places there are mini-water parks with swimming pools. You can also camp in your own tents on the banks of reservoirs. The water in country lakes at first glance looks clean, but it is worth remembering that in 2019 Rospotrebnadzor recognized only one lake in the Sverdlovsk region as suitable for swimming - Shchuchye, and it is located 400 km from Yekaterinburg.

Extreme lovers can raft along the Chusovaya River. Rafting trips are organized by Ekaterinburg travel agencies; routes last from 1 to 12 days. The journey along the river begins in the village of Sloboda, near the Chusovaya recreation center, which is 90 km from Yekaterinburg. The cost of the adventure is from 1,900 to 14,800 rubles per person, depending on the duration of the rafting.

In winter, you can go skiing in the vicinity of Yekaterinburg. The nearest ski complex “Mount Pilnaya” is located 38 km from the city. There are 5 trails that stretch for 3 km. The elevation changes are very moderate, about 100 m, so experienced skiers prefer the slopes of Volchikha, the highest mountain in these parts. The ski complex located here has four slopes and an extensive snow park. The ski season on Volchikha lasts until mid-March.

Shopping

There are many supermarkets and shopping malls in Yekaterinburg. The most luxurious of them are located in the city center, where the Greenwich shopping center alone occupies an entire block. There are shops representing world brands, as well as a huge hypermarket. The Rainbow Park shopping center is also popular among city residents, famous not only for its range of goods, but also for its luxurious park with a Ferris wheel. Tourists always look into the pompous shopping center "Passage" on Vainera Street, 9. All large stores have souvenir departments where you can buy products made from Ural gems, elegant malachite boxes, magnets, clothes, dishes with logos of Ekaterinburg sights, nesting dolls are sold everywhere, popular among foreigners.

For unique souvenirs and gifts, you should go to the Ural Souvenir boutique (1 Pervomaiskogo Street) or the Symphony of Gifts store (11 Proletarskaya Street). Here you can purchase designer jewelry made from natural stones, designer items made from bronze, wood, and paintings made from stone.

On the Artists' Alley, which has moved from Vayner Street to a site near the Geologicheskaya metro station, trinkets and interior items made of serpentine, jasper, and malachite are sold. Ladies will love jewelry made from tourmaline, lapis lazuli, rock crystal, and agate.

In the city souvenir shops you can also find the famous Tavolga ceramics and Sysert porcelain. Beautiful painted porcelain dishes are also sold in the monastery shop at the Novo-Tikhvin Monastery. Here you should also pay attention to lace and woven products. All products offered in the shop are created by the hands of local nuns.

Cafes and restaurants

In each of the districts of Yekaterinburg, many culinary establishments offer their services - from restaurants and pizzerias to snack bars and dumpling shops. In many of them you can taste Ural cuisine, represented mainly by dumplings stuffed with sauerkraut, radish, meat, fish, as well as pies stuffed with bird cherry, carrots, and raspberries. Marinated mushrooms, berry jam, and fruit drinks are usually offered to the table. You can have a snack in a mid-level cafe for 200-300 rubles, and a hearty lunch for 500 rubles.

Fine dining restaurants are concentrated in the city center. The pompous restaurant “Troekurov” (Malysheva Street, 137) with excellent Russian cuisine is very famous in Yekaterinburg. Not far from it, on the 50th floor of the Vysotsky skyscraper, there is the Panorama A.S.P. restaurant, which serves European and Asian cuisine. Fans of Mediterranean gastronomy should check out the Dolce Vita restaurant, located on Rue Rosa Luxembourg, 4. At the same address is Le Grand Café, a luxurious establishment with authentic French cuisine. In fashionable, expensive restaurants in Yekaterinburg, the average bill per person is at least 2,000 rubles.

Where to stay

There are more than 300 hotels, mini-hotels, hostels, and guest houses in Yekaterinburg, designed for both wealthy clients and guests on a limited budget, as well as numerous business travelers. The most luxurious hotel in the city is located on Boris Yeltsin Street, which runs along the banks of the Iset. Here guests are offered comfortable rooms with original designer interiors, a swimming pool, a restaurant with excellent food, a sauna, a spa center, and a gym. Accommodation prices at this hotel range from 9,000 to 22,190 rubles per night per room. On the same street, on the 9th floor of the Yeltsin Center, the five-star Residence Hotel is located. Here, without leaving the building, you can go shopping, work out at the fitness club, look into the museum named after the first president of Russia, and explore the gallery of modern art. Daily accommodation in the “Residence” will cost from 8,600 to 18,300 rubles.

The five-star Atrium Palace Hotel and Vysotsky, located in the very center of Yekaterinburg, offer lower prices for accommodation - respectively from 4,600 and 5,700 rubles per day. A 10-minute drive from the airport towards the city is the Ramada by Wyndham Yekaterinburg, famous for its heated outdoor pool, excellent restaurant and spa. Wealthy city dwellers like to spend weekends here, especially during the cold season. Accommodation prices in this hotel start from 5,000 rubles.