View source for Irkutsk

{{Short description|City in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Expand Russian|topic=geo|date=April 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2011}}
{{Infobox Russian inhabited locality
| en_name                 = Irkutsk
| ru_name                 = Иркутск
| image_skyline           = Irkutsk Collage.png
| image_caption           = Clockwise, from the upper right corner: Clock Tower, Picture Gallery, Irkutsk panorama from the dam, Local Lore Museum, Khudozhestvenny Cinema, Kazan Church
| coordinates             = {{Wikidatacoord|Q6576|type:city|display=inline,title}}
| image_flag              = Flag of Irkutsk (Irkutsk oblast).svg
| flag_border             = no
| image_coa               = Coat of Arms of Irkutsk.svg
| holiday                 = First Saturday of June
| federal_subject         = [[Irkutsk Oblast]]
| federal_subject_ref     = <ref name="Ref40" />
| adm_inhabloc_jur        = [[City of federal subject significance|City]] of Irkutsk
| adm_inhabloc_jur_ref    = <ref name="Ref40" /><ref name="IrkutskO_charter" />
| adm_ctr_of1             = [[Irkutsk Oblast]]
| adm_ctr_of1_ref         = <ref name="Ref40" />
| adm_ctr_of2             = [[Irkutsky District]]
| adm_ctr_of2_ref         = <ref name="Ref40" />
| inhabloc_cat            = City
| inhabloc_cat_ref        = <ref name="IrkutskO_charter" />
| urban_okrug_jur         = Irkutsk Urban Okrug
| urban_okrug_jur_ref     = <ref name="Ref659" />
| mun_admctr_of1          = Irkutsk Urban Okrug
| mun_admctr_of1_ref      = <ref name="Ref659" />
| mun_admctr_of2          = Irkutsky Municipal District
| mun_admctr_of2_ref      = <ref name="Ref594">Law #94-oz</ref>
| leader_title            = {{ill|Heads of Irkutsk|lt=Head|ru|Главы Иркутска}}
| leader_title_ref        = <ref name="admirk.ru">{{cite web |url=https://admirk.ru/officials/95683/ |title=Мэр – Официальный портал города Иркутска |access-date=June 30, 2022 |archive-date=June 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601112240/https://admirk.ru/officials/95683/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| leader_name             = {{ill|Ruslan Bolotov|ru|Главы Иркутска}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://admirk.ru/officials/95683/ |title=Болотов Руслан Николаевич |website=admirk.ru |access-date=June 30, 2022 |archive-date=June 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601112240/https://admirk.ru/officials/95683/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| representative_body     = [[Duma]] of Irkutsk
| area_km2                = 277
| area_km2_ref            = <ref name="2014Area">{{cite web |url=http://www.gks.ru/dbscripts/munst/munst25/DBInet.cgi |title=Федеральная служба государственной статистики Российской Федерации – База данных показателей муниципальных образований |access-date=March 17, 2016 |archive-date=May 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527165217/https://www.gks.ru/dbscripts/munst/munst25/DBInet.cgi |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| pop_2010census          = 587891
| pop_2010census_rank     = 24th
| pop_2010census_ref      = <ref>{{ru-pop-ref|2010Census }}</ref>
| established_date        = 1661
| established_date_ref    = <ref name="Lantzeff" />
| postal_codes            = 664xxx
| dialing_codes           = 3952
| dialing_codes_ref       = <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.the-acr.com/codes/cntrycd2.htm#q |title=International Calling Codes – Pg2 |publisher=The-acr.com |access-date=March 26, 2013 |archive-date=March 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313182922/http://www.the-acr.com/codes/cntrycd2.htm#q |url-status=live }}</ref>
| website                 = https://irkutsk.ru/
}}
'''Irkutsk''' ({{IPAc-en|ɪər|ˈ|k|u|t|s|k}} {{respell|eer|KOOTSK}};<ref>{{Dictionary.com|Irkutsk|access-date=December 9, 2019 }}</ref> {{lang-rus|Иркутск|p=ɪrˈkutsk}}; [[Buryat language|Buryat]] and {{langx|mn|Эрхүү}}, ''Erhüü'', {{IPA|mn|ɛrˈxuː|}}) is the largest city and [[administrative center]] of [[Irkutsk Oblast]], [[Russia]]. With a population of 587,891 {{as of|2010|alt=as of the 2010 Census|post=,}} Irkutsk is the [[List of cities and towns in Russia by population|25th-largest city in Russia by population]], the fifth-largest in the [[Siberian Federal District]], and one of the largest [[types of inhabited localities in Russia|cities]] in [[Siberia]].{{Historical populations|3=1926|4=102733|5=1939|6=250181|7=1959|8=365893|9=1970|10=450941|11=1979|12=549787|13=1989|14=626135|15=2002|16=593604|17=2010|18=587891|19=2021|20=617264|source=Censuses<ref>{{cite web |title=(USSR) Urban population of the union republics, and their territorial units |url=https://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/census.php |access-date=October 5, 2024 |archive-date=September 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914185606/https://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/census.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{ cite web |url=http://www.perepis2002.ru/ct/doc/1_TOM_01_04.xls |title=Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года. Том. 1, таблица 4. Численность населения России, федеральных округов, субъектов Российской Федерации, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов - райцентров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203125040/http://www.perepis2002.ru/ct/doc/1_TOM_01_04.xls |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 3, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite web |url=http://krasstat.gks.ru/wps/wcm/connect/rosstat_ts/krasstat/resources/20d7bd804eba60379580f5263284271d/1.10.xlsx |title=Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Итоги по Красноярскому краю. 1.10 Численность населения гор.округов, мун.районов, гор. и сел. поселе |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222093629/http://krasstat.gks.ru/wps/wcm/connect/rosstat_ts/krasstat/resources/20d7bd804eba60379580f5263284271d/1.10.xlsx |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 22, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/tab-5_VPN-2020.xlsx |title=Таблица 5. Численность населения России, федеральных округов, субъектов Российской Федерации, городских округов, муниципальных районов, муниципальных округов, городских и сельских поселений, городских населенных пунктов, сельских населенных пунктов с населением 3000 человек и более - Итоги Всероссийской переписи населения 2021 года |access-date=October 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901194902/https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/tab-5_VPN-2020.xlsx |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 1, 2022 }}</ref>}}

Located in the south of the eponymous oblast, the city proper lies on the [[Angara River]], a [[tributary]] of the [[Yenisei River|Yenisei]], about 850 kilometres (530&nbsp;mi) to the south-east of [[Krasnoyarsk]] and about 520 kilometres (320&nbsp;mi) north of [[Ulaanbaatar]]. The [[Trans-Siberian Highway]] (Federal M53 and M55 Highways) and [[Trans-Siberian Railway]] connect Irkutsk to other regions in Russia and [[Mongolia]].

Many distinguished Russians were sent into exile in Irkutsk for their part in the [[Decembrist revolt]] of 1825, and the city became an exile-post for the rest of the century. Some historic wooden houses still survive. When the railway reached Irkutsk, it had earned the nickname of "The Paris of Siberia." The city was the center of bitter fighting in the [[Russian Civil War]] of 1918–20. Afterward, in the Soviet period, its architecture was dominated by the mandatory squared-up style. The city became a major centre of aircraft manufacture. The historic centre of Irkutsk is included in UNESCO's [[List of World Heritage Sites in Russia|tentative list]] of [[World Heritage Site]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=Centre historique d'Irkoutsk |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1166/ |access-date=October 30, 2023 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en |archive-date=May 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512134527/https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1166/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Etymology==
Irkutsk was named after the [[Irkut River]]. Its name was derived from the [[Buryat language|Buryat]] word for "spinning," and was used as an ethnonym among local tribes, who were known as ''Yrkhu'', ''Irkit'', ''Irgit'', and ''Irgyt''. The city was formerly known as ''Yandashsky'', named after the local [[Tuvan people|Tuvan]] chief Yandasha Gorogi.<ref>Dameshek (2002), p. 16</ref>

The old spelling of the city's name was «Иркуцкъ». Before the revolution, the city was called "East Paris", "Siberian Petersburg", "Siberian Athens".

==History==
[[File:Irkutsk Kreml 1735.jpg|thumb|left|Irkutsk Castle in 1735]]

In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a ''zimovye'' (winter quarters) near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for collecting [[Yasak|fur taxes]] from the [[Buryats]]. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov built an ''[[ostrog (fortress)|ostrog]]'' (a small fort) nearby.<ref name="Lantzeff">{{cite book |last=Lantzeff |first=George V., and Richard A. Pierce |title=Eastward to Empire: Exploration and Conquest on the Russian Open Frontier, to 1750 |publisher=McGill-Queen's U.P. |year=1973 |location=Montreal }}</ref> The ''ostrog'' gained official town rights from the government in 1686.

The Irkutsk prison, founded in 1661 as an outpost for the advancement of Russian explorers in the Angara region, soon ceased to be only a defensive structure due to the advantage of its geographical position. According to historical documents, 10 years later, in 1671, here, in addition to servicemen and [[yasak]] people, lived "plowed peasants with their wives and children." A [[posad]] appeared, which gave rise to residential quarters of the future city. As for the prison itself, as its influence in the region grew, it was completely rebuilt twice (in 1669 and 1693), expanding in size.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://irk.aif.ru/irk_legend/irk_legend_details/78054 |title=Иркутский острог, кремль и крепость – три названия, одна легенда |date=September 6, 2010 |access-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-date=January 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127040646/https://irk.aif.ru/irk_legend/irk_legend_details/78054 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.irk.ru/news/blogs/archivarius/1014/ |title=Как застраивали Иркутск |date=December 23, 2015 |access-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-date=January 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122091302/https://www.irk.ru/news/blogs/archivarius/1014/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The fate of the prison was such that its military-defensive significance was less noticeable than other previously erected forts near the Angara, for example, Bratsk (1631) or Verkholensk (1644). However, its location at the crossroads of colonization, trade and industrial routes predetermined the role of Irkutsk in the history of Eastern Siberia. In 1682 it became the center of an independent region, and in 1686 it received the status of a city. Irkutsk at the beginning of the 18th century was divided into two parts: "small town", or the prison itself, and "big city". The first one started from the bank of the Angara and was a wooden fortress with adjacent buildings. These included the stone building of the provincial chancellery, the house of the vice-governor (former voivodship) with barns and cellars, the Church of the Savior. "Small town" was the administrative center of the vast Irkutsk province since 1731.<ref name="irkipedia.ru">{{Cite web |url=http://irkipedia.ru/content/irkutskiy_ostrog_vozniknovenie_i_osnovnye_etapy_razvitiya_goroda_irkutska |title=Иркутский острог. Возникновение и основные этапы развития города Иркутска |access-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-date=November 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191126184147/http://irkipedia.ru/content/irkutskiy_ostrog_vozniknovenie_i_osnovnye_etapy_razvitiya_goroda_irkutska |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the "big city", as the posad was called, the commercial and economic life of Irkutsk was concentrated. It was inhabited mainly by people from the northern regions of Russia: [[Veliky Ustyug]], [[Yarensk]], [[Pinega]], [[Solvychegodsk]], [[Pereyaslavl-Zalessky]], who brought their traditions, customs, and culture to Siberia.<ref name="irkipedia.ru"/>

The first road connection between [[Moscow]] and Irkutsk, the [[Siberian Route]], was built in 1760, and benefited the town economy. Many new products, often imported from [[China]] via [[Kyakhta]], became widely available in Irkutsk for the first time, including [[gold]], [[diamond]]s, [[fur]], [[wood]], [[silk]], and [[tea]]. In 1821, as part of the [[Mikhail Speransky]]'s reforms, Siberia was administratively divided at the [[Yenisei River]]. Irkutsk became the seat of the Governor-General of East Siberia.

[[File:Irkutsk-club.jpg|thumb|left|Irkutsk [[Assembly of the Nobility]] in the early 1900s]]
In the early 19th century, many Russian artists, officers, and [[nobility|nobles]] were sent into exile in Siberia for their part in the [[Decembrist revolt]] against [[Tsar]] [[Nicholas I of Russia|Nicholas&nbsp;I]]. Irkutsk became the major center of intellectual and social life for these exiles, and they developed much of the city's cultural heritage. They had wooden houses built that were adorned with ornate, hand-carved decorations. Many still survive today, in stark contrast with the standard [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] apartment blocks that surround them.

[[File:Irkutsk 1865.jpg|thumb|left|Epiphany Cathedral and central Irkutsk in 1865]]
By the end of the 19th century, the population consisted of one exiled man for every two locals. People of varying backgrounds, from members of the Decembrist uprising to [[Bolshevik]]s, had been in Irkutsk for many years and had greatly influenced the culture and development of the city. As a result, Irkutsk became a prosperous cultural and educational center in [[Eastern Siberia]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gentes |first=Andrew A. |date=2003 |title=Siberian Exile and the 1863 Polish Insurrectionists According to Russian Sources |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41051062 |journal=Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=197–217 |jstor=41051062 |issn=0021-4019 |archive-date=November 6, 2023 |access-date=November 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106003453/https://www.jstor.org/stable/41051062 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Isu - About Irkutsk |url=https://isu.ru/en/about_irkutsk/index.html |access-date=November 6, 2023 |website=официальный сайт ФГБОУ ВО «Иркутский государственный университет» |language=en |archive-date=November 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106003455/https://isu.ru/en/about_irkutsk/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Collections from Siberia and the Russian Far East {{!}} Digital Collections from Russia {{!}} Articles and Essays {{!}} Meeting of Frontiers {{!}} Digital Collections {{!}} Library of Congress |url=https://www.loc.gov/collections/meeting-of-frontiers/articles-and-essays/digital-collections-from-russia/siberia-and-the-russian-far-east/ |access-date=November 6, 2023 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA |archive-date=November 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106003453/https://www.loc.gov/collections/meeting-of-frontiers/articles-and-essays/digital-collections-from-russia/siberia-and-the-russian-far-east/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

From 1848 to 1861, Count [[Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky]] was the Governor-General. He [[Amur Annexation|annexed the Amur Territory]] to Russia, however, on the spot he showed unbridled despotism and extreme cruelty. Since the opening of communication along the Amur in 1854, on the way from St. Petersburg to the Pacific Ocean, the old Yakutsk tract began to decline. The population of the city is 28,000, of them there were 3,768 exiles.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://st-yak.narod.ru/index6-7-1.html |title=160-ЛЕТИЕ ЯКУТСКО-АЯНСКОГО ТРАКТА |access-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-date=January 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127204027/http://st-yak.narod.ru/index6-7-1.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1879, on July&nbsp;4 and&nbsp;6, a fire burned out of control, destroying the palace of the Governor General, and the principal administrative and municipal offices. Many of the other public buildings, including the government archives, the library, and the museum of the Siberian section of the [[Russian Geographical Society]], were completely ruined.<ref name=EB1911>{{EB1911 |wstitle=Irkutsk (town) |display=Irkutsk|volume=14 |page=796 |inline=1 }}</ref> Three-quarters of the city was destroyed, including approximately 4,000 houses.<ref name="Kennan">{{cite book |last1=Kennan |first1=George |title=Siberia and the Exile System |date=1891 |publisher=James R. Osgood, McIlvaine & Co. |location=London |pages=1–2 }}</ref> The city quickly rebounded, installing electricity in 1896. The first theater was built in 1897 and a major train station opened in 1898. The first train arrived in Irkutsk on August&nbsp;16 of that year. By 1900, the city had earned the nickname of "The [[Paris]] of Siberia."

[[File:Иркутск. Чешско-словацкие войска в Иркутске.jpg|thumb|Irkutsk in 1918]]
During the [[Russian Civil War]], which broke out after the [[October Revolution]], Irkutsk became the site of many furious, bloody clashes between the "[[White movement]]" and the "[[Bolsheviks]]", known as the "Reds". In 1920, [[Aleksandr Kolchak]], the once-feared commander of the largest contingent of anti-Bolshevik forces, was executed in Irkutsk. This effectively destroyed the anti-Bolshevik resistance.

Irkutsk was the administrative center of the short-lived [[East Siberian Oblast]], from 1936 to 1937. The city subsequently became the administrative center of [[Irkutsk Oblast]], after East Siberian Oblast was divided into [[Chita Oblast]] and Irkutsk Oblast.

The Irkutsk Region KGB estimated that 15-17,000 victims of the [[Great Terror]] were buried on the city outskirts but only after 1989 was the burial area explored and the city authorities declared it to be a memorial cemetery.<ref>{{cite web | title=IRKUTSK &#91;C&#93;** Pivovarikha graveyard &#91;P&#93; Executed | date=September 3, 2014 | url=https://en.mapofmemory.org/38-01 }}</ref>

During the communist years, the industrialization of Irkutsk and Siberia in general was strongly encouraged. The large Irkutsk Reservoir was built on the [[Angara River]] between 1950 and 1959 in order to generate hydroelectric power and facilitate industrial development.

[[File:Church of the Epiphany (Irkutsk).jpg|thumb|left|Epiphany Cathedral (built in 1718–1746)]]
The Epiphany Cathedral, the governor's palace, a school of medicine, a museum, a military hospital and the crown factories are among the public institutions and buildings.<ref name=EB1911/> The [[Aleksandr Kolchak]] monument, designed by [[Vyacheslav Klykov]], was unveiled in 2004. On July&nbsp;27, 2004, the Irkutsk Synagogue (1881) was gutted by a fire.

In December 2016, 74 people in Irkutsk [[2016 Irkutsk mass methanol poisoning|died in a mass methanol poisoning]], after drinking this toxic alcohol substitute.<ref>{{cite news |title=In Russia, Dozens Dies After Drinking Alcohol Substitute |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/19/world/europe/russia-bath-lotion-deaths.html |first=Ivan |last=Nechepurenko |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 19, 2016 |access-date=December 19, 2016 |archive-date=December 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161219211414/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/19/world/europe/russia-bath-lotion-deaths.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38395013 |title=Russia bath lotion poisoning: Putin orders crackdown as death toll rises |publisher=BBC |date=December 21, 2016 |access-date=December 21, 2016 |archive-date=November 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107081754/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38395013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2018, the BBC reported that men in Irkutsk had an average life span of only 63. The society had declined and their health had suffered markedly.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46617186 |title=Putin's Russia: Icy Siberia reveals cracks in society |author=Sarah Rainsford |date=December 29, 2018 |website=BBC.com |access-date=December 30, 2018 |archive-date=December 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230060412/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46617186 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In October 2021, it was reported that armed Russian OMON (Special Purpose Mobile Unit of the Russian National Guard) officers physically assaulted and tortured two Jehovah’s Witness couples as part of a round up of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/russia/Russian-Officers-Assault-Two-Married-Couples/ |title=Russian Officers Assault Two Married Couples |date=October 10, 2021 |website=jw.org |access-date=October 10, 2021 |archive-date=October 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010160819/https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/russia/Russian-Officers-Assault-Two-Married-Couples/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Geography==
Irkutsk is located about {{convert|850|km|mi}} to the south-east of [[Krasnoyarsk]], and about {{convert|520|km|mi}} north of [[Ulaanbaatar]], the capital of [[Mongolia]]. The city proper lies on the [[Angara River]], a [[tributary]] of the [[Yenisei River|Yenisei]], {{convert|72|km|sp=us}} below its outflow from [[Lake Baikal]] and on the bank opposite the suburb of Glaskovsk.<ref name=EB1911/> The river, {{convert|580|m|sp=us}} wide, is crossed by the [[Irkutsk Hydroelectric Power Station|Irkutsk Hydroelectric Dam]] and three other bridges downstream.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}

The [[Irkut River]], from which the town takes its name, is a smaller river that joins the Angara directly opposite the city.<ref name=EB1911/> The main portion of the city is separated from several landmarks—the monastery, the fort and the port, as well as its suburbs—by another tributary, the Ida (or Ushakovka) River. The two main parts of Irkutsk are customarily referred to as the "left bank" and the "right bank", with respect to the flow of the Angara River.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}

Irkutsk is situated in a landscape of rolling hills in the thick [[taiga]] that is typical in Eastern Siberia.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Frazier |first=Ian |date=August 3, 2009 |title=Travels in Siberia—II |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/10/travels-in-siberia-ii |access-date=January 7, 2024 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X |archive-date=January 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240107153257/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/10/travels-in-siberia-ii |url-status=live }}</ref>

The population has been shrinking since the late 1980s: {{ru-census|p2010=587,891|p2002=593,604|p1989=622,301}}. According to the regional plan, Irkutsk city will be combined with its neighboring industrial towns of [[Shelekhov]] and [[Angarsk]] to form a metropolitan area with a total population of over a million.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}

===Urban layout===
[[File:Cerkiew Kazańska w Irkucku 04.JPG|left|thumb|220px|Cathedral of the Theotokos of Kazan]]
The center of the historical part of the city is Kirov Square. In that place on July 6, 1661, Yakov Pokhabov laid a prison for collecting [[Yasak]], a tax collected from the local population with fur.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pribaikal.ru/events-culture0/article/10916.html |title=О ПРЕДЫСТОРИИ ИРКУТСКОГО ОСТОРГА |publisher=// pribaikal.ru |access-date=November 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110104347/http://pribaikal.ru/events-culture0/article/10916.html |url-status=live |archive-date=November 10, 2013 }}</ref> The architectural appearance of present-day Irkutsk has been born since the days of the wooden prison. The historic center of the city is now in its place. By the beginning of the 18th century, it had turned into a wooden fortress, which protected the inhabitants from the raids of nomads. A major fire of 1716 almost completely destroyed the fortifications, but in just a year new ones were built, already made of stone.

Of the buildings on the territory of the Irkutsk Kremlin of that time, the Savior Church has survived, the stone building of which was laid in 1706 in the north-western corner of the fort. Along with the Epiphany Cathedral, erected behind the eastern wall of the fortress and also preserved to this day, this is one of the oldest stone buildings in Siberia. The protective palisade and the moat, which once defended the Irkutsk fortress from the south, from the Angara bank to the Ushakovka River, existed until the middle of the 18th century.

In early Irkutsk there were no streets at all, the buildings approached the driveways with random turns and only with subsequent alterations were turned around with front facades. The first settlers did not orient their houses in relation to neighboring buildings either. When building a new house, the owners usually adhered only to the orientation of the windows to the south side. This is how the layout of the oldest part of the city took shape — from Angara to modern Karl Marx Street: the main directions of the streets repeat the outlines of the coastline, which, in turn, are crossed by transverse passages connecting the outskirts of the city with the center and overlooking the Angara bank.

The curvature of the central streets and the disparity of the quarters formed by them, shows the spontaneous process of their formation. This is especially noticeable in the example of Basninskaya Street (now Sverdlova Street), which they tried to straighten with each new attempt to streamline the development. And it simply repeated the outlines of the log that once was here, formed, possibly, by the old lady of the Gryaznushka river, which connected Ushakovka and Angara.<ref>[Дамешек Л. М. и др. Иркутск в панораме веков: очерки истории города / Под ред. Л. М. Дамешек. — И.: Восточно-Сибирская издательская компания, 2002]</ref><ref name="irkipedia.ru"/>

In 1726, defensive fortifications (palisade) were built in Irkutsk, behind which the barracks of the local garrison were taken out. The construction of the palisade changed the process of the spontaneous evolution of buildings and influenced the formation of the city's layout in the most significant way. After the fortification was dismantled in 1790,<ref>Дамешек Л. М. и др. Иркутск в панораме веков: очерки истории города / Под ред. Л. М. Дамешек. — И.: Восточно-Сибирская издательская компания, 2002.</ref> a complete mismatch of street directions in the old and new parts of the city was revealed.

The state of development of the "pre-palisade" period is reflected in the first of the known plans of Irkutsk in 1729. Its main advantage is the fixation of the city's borders, which ran along the line of the modern Karl Marx Street. Between 1729 and 1768 in the space between Angara and Ushakovka, the first "zapalisadny" row of blocks is formed. A spontaneous settlement appears near the soldiers' barracks, first along the roads that approached the Mill and Overseas gates, and then between them. The development proceeded unevenly, the closest to the current state at that time were the fragments of buildings located in the area of Zamorskaya (Lenin st.) And Institutskaya (Oktyabrskaya Revolyutsii st.) Streets. Now it is, roughly, quarters No. 90, 91, 92.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}

The last third of the 18th century was significant both for the history of the city as a whole and for the formation of its buildings. With the formation of the Irkutsk province in 1764, Irkutsk became the center of the largest region in Russia—Eastern Siberia, which included Transbaikalia, Yakutia, the entire northeast to the Pacific Ocean. Irkutsk needed to expand, and by that time there were no enemies ready to lay claim to the city. The palisade was dismantled, and in its place appeared Bolshaya Preshpektnaya Street, now Karla Marxa Street, the only straight street in modern Irkutsk. The devastating fire of 1879 made its own adjustments to the construction laws as it was from here that the border began, beyond which it was forbidden to build from wood. This has divided the old Irkutsk into two parts: closer to the Angara river, mainly stone buildings remained, and on the other side, where there were once outskirts, the wooden Irkutsk grew.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.culture.ru/institutes/5658/istoricheskii-centr-irkutska |title=Исторический центр Иркутска. Подробная информация: расписание, фото, адрес и т. д. на официальном сайте Культура.РФ |access-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-date=October 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019191107/https://www.culture.ru/institutes/5658/istoricheskii-centr-irkutska |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://tochka-na-karte.ru/Attractions/344-Istoricheskij-tsentr-Irkutska.html |title=ИСТОРИЧЕСКИЙ ЦЕНТР ИРКУТСКА |access-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-date=March 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305195455/https://tochka-na-karte.ru/Attractions/344-Istoricheskij-tsentr-Irkutska.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Climate===
Irkutsk has a borderline [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Dwb'', bordering ''Dwc'', [[Trewartha climate classification]] ''Dcbc'', bordering on ''Ecbc'').

Irkutsk is characterized by an extreme variation of temperatures between seasons. It can be very warm in the summer, and very cold in the winter. However, [[Lake Baikal]] has a tempering effect, giving Irkutsk temperatures that are slightly less extreme than at similar latitudes elsewhere in Siberia. The warmest month of the year is July, when the average temperature is {{convert|+19|C}}; the highest temperature recorded being {{convert|+37.2|C}}. The coldest month of the year is January, when the average temperature is {{convert|−17.6|C}}, and record low of {{convert|−49.7|C}}. [[Precipitation (meteorology)|Precipitation]] varies widely throughout the year, with July being the wettest month, when precipitation averages {{convert|107|mm|sp=us}}. The driest month is February, when precipitation averages only {{convert|9|mm|sp=us}}. Almost all precipitation during the Siberian winter falls as fluffy, dry snow.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}

{{Weather box|location=Irkutsk (1991–2020, extremes 1820–present)
|metric first=yes
|single line=yes
|width = auto
|Jan record high C = 2.3
|Feb record high C = 10.2
|Mar record high C = 21.1
|Apr record high C = 29.2
|May record high C = 34.5
|Jun record high C = 35.6
|Jul record high C = 37.2
|Aug record high C = 34.7
|Sep record high C = 29.7
|Oct record high C = 25.6
|Nov record high C = 14.4
|Dec record high C = 5.3
|year record high C = 37.2
|Jan high C = −12.7
|Feb high C = −7.5
|Mar high C = 1.2
|Apr high C = 10.5
|May high C = 18.1
|Jun high C = 23.8
|Jul high C = 25.7
|Aug high C = 22.9
|Sep high C = 16.1
|Oct high C = 7.9
|Nov high C = -2.7
|Dec high C = −10.8
|year high C = 7.7
|Jan mean C = -17.6
|Feb mean C = -14.1
|Mar mean C = -5.5
|Apr mean C = 3.6
|May mean C = 10.4
|Jun mean C = 16.4
|Jul mean C = 19.0
|Aug mean C = 16.4
|Sep mean C = 9.5
|Oct mean C = 2.0
|Nov mean C = -7.6
|Dec mean C = -15.4
|year mean C = 1.4
|Jan low C = −21.4
|Feb low C = −19.1
|Mar low C = −11.1
|Apr low C = -1.9
|May low C = 3.7
|Jun low C = 10.1
|Jul low C = 13.5
|Aug low C = 11.4
|Sep low C = 4.6
|Oct low C = -2.4
|Nov low C = −11.5
|Dec low C = −19.1
|year low C = -3.6
|Jan record low C = −49.7
|Feb record low C = −44.7
|Mar record low C = −37.3
|Apr record low C = −31.8
|May record low C = −14.3
|Jun record low C = −6.0
|Jul record low C = 0.4
|Aug record low C = −2.7
|Sep record low C = −11.9
|Oct record low C = −30.5
|Nov record low C = −40.4
|Dec record low C = −46.3
|year record low C = −49.7
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 14
|Feb precipitation mm = 9
|Mar precipitation mm = 12
|Apr precipitation mm = 21
|May precipitation mm = 36
|Jun precipitation mm = 69
|Jul precipitation mm = 107
|Aug precipitation mm = 96
|Sep precipitation mm = 53
|Oct precipitation mm = 21
|Nov precipitation mm = 20
|Dec precipitation mm = 19
|year precipitation mm = 477
|Jan snow depth cm = 24
|Feb snow depth cm = 28
|Mar snow depth cm = 18
|Apr snow depth cm = 1
|May snow depth cm = 0
|Jun snow depth cm = 0
|Jul snow depth cm = 0
|Aug snow depth cm = 0
|Sep snow depth cm = 0
|Oct snow depth cm = 1
|Nov snow depth cm = 8
|Dec snow depth cm = 18
|year snow depth cm = 28
|Jan humidity = 81
|Feb humidity = 74
|Mar humidity = 63
|Apr humidity = 54
|May humidity = 53
|Jun humidity = 65
|Jul humidity = 72
|Aug humidity = 76
|Sep humidity = 75
|Oct humidity = 71
|Nov humidity = 78
|Dec humidity = 84
|year humidity = 71
|Jan rain days = 0
|Feb rain days = 0.04
|Mar rain days = 1
|Apr rain days = 9
|May rain days = 15
|Jun rain days = 18
|Jul rain days = 18
|Aug rain days = 17
|Sep rain days = 16
|Oct rain days = 9
|Nov rain days = 2
|Dec rain days = 0
|year rain days = 105
|Jan snow days = 21
|Feb snow days = 16
|Mar snow days = 13
|Apr snow days = 11
|May snow days = 3
|Jun snow days = 0.2
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 2
|Oct snow days = 10
|Nov snow days = 20
|Dec snow days = 23
|year snow days = 119
|Jan sun = 108.8
|Feb sun = 157.3
|Mar sun = 226.6
|Apr sun = 248.1
|May sun = 276.2
|Jun sun = 275.2
|Jul sun = 267.9
|Aug sun = 233.1
|Sep sun = 181.7
|Oct sun = 156.5
|Nov sun = 95.4
|Dec sun = 74.8

|source 1 = Pogoda.ru.net<ref name="pogoda">{{cite web |url=http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/30710.htm |title=Pogoda.ru.net- Climate Data for Irkutsk 1991–2020 |access-date=November 8, 2021 |publisher=Weather and Climate (Погода и климат) |language=ru |archive-date=September 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924140802/http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/30710.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
|date=August 2010
|source 2 = [[NOAA]]<ref name = NOAA >
{{cite web |url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-2-WMO-Normals-9120/RussianFederation/CSV/Irkutsk_30710.csv |title=Irkutsk Climate Normals 1991–2020 |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |date=November 2, 2023 }}</ref>
}}

==Administrative and municipal status==
Irkutsk is the [[administrative center]] of the [[oblast]] and, within the [[subdivisions of Russia#Administrative divisions|framework of administrative divisions]], it also serves as the administrative center of [[Irkutsky District]],<ref name="Ref40">Law #49-OZ</ref> even though it is not a part of it.{{citation needed|date=October 2012}} As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as the '''[[City of federal subject significance|City]] of Irkutsk'''<ref name="IrkutskO_charter">Charter of Irkutsk Oblast</ref>—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the [[administrative divisions of Irkutsk Oblast|districts]].{{citation needed|date=October 2012}} As a [[Municipal divisions of Russia|municipal division]], the City of Irkutsk is incorporated as '''Irkutsk Urban Okrug'''.<ref name="Ref659">Law #88-oz</ref>

==Coat of arms==
{{Unreferenced section|date=November 2023}}[[File:Coat of arms of Irkutsk 1790.svg|thumb|The original version of the coat of arms]]

The [[coat of arms]] of Irkutsk features an old symbol of [[Transbaikal|Dauria]]: a [[Siberian tiger]] with a [[sable]] in his mouth. When the coat of arms was devised in 1690, the animal was described as a tiger ("babr", a bookish word of Persian derivation) with a sable in his mouth. This image had been used by the [[Yakutsk]] customs office from about 1642. It has its origin in a seal of the [[Siberia Khanate]] representing a sable and showcasing the fact that Siberia (or rather [[Yugra]]) was the main source of sable fur throughout the [[Middle Ages]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

By the mid-19th century, the word "babr" had fallen out of common usage, but it was still recorded in the [[Armorial of the Russian Empire]]. Furthermore, the tigers became extinct in this part of Siberia. In the 1870s, a high-placed French heraldist with a limited command of Russian assumed that "babr" was a misspelling of "bobr", the Russian word for "[[beaver]]", and changed the wording accordingly. This modification engendered a long dispute between the local authorities, who were so confused by the revised description that they started to depict the "babr" as a fabulous animal, half-tiger and half-beaver.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

The Soviets abolished the image altogether, but it was restored following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

==Economy==
===Energy===
The 662.4 MW [[Irkutsk Hydroelectric Power Station]] was the first cascade hydroelectric power station in the Irkutsk region. The construction of the dam started in 1950 and finished in 1958.<ref name="his">{{cite web |title=Irkutsk Hydroelectric Power Station History |url=http://en.irkutskenergo.ru/qa/1008.2.html |publisher=Irkutskenergo |access-date=September 7, 2010 |archive-date=March 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325234405/http://en.irkutskenergo.ru/qa/1008.2.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Industry===
The largest industry in Irkutsk is [[Irkut (company)|Irkut]], the Irkutsk Aviation Industrial Association,<ref>{{cite web |title=Irkutsk Aviation Industrial Association - Russian Defense Industry |url=https://nuke.fas.org/guide/russia/industry/iaia.htm |website=Federation of American Scientists |access-date=September 27, 2023 |archive-date=September 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927074232/https://nuke.fas.org/guide/russia/industry/iaia.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> which was set up in 1932 in the [[Transbaykal|Transbaykal region]] of the [[Soviet Union]]. It is best known as being the manufacturer of the [[Su-30]] family of [[interceptor aircraft|interceptor]]/[[ground-attack aircraft]]. The Russian government has merged Irkut with [[Ilyushin]], [[Mikoyan]], [[Sukhoi]], [[Tupolev]], and [[Yakovlev]] into a new company named [[United Aircraft Building Corporation]].<ref name="nyt_united_aircraft">"[https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/22/business/worldbusiness/22air.html?_r=1&oref=login Russian Aircraft Industry Seeks Revival Through Merger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107070040/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/22/business/worldbusiness/22air.html?_r=1&oref=login |date=November 7, 2015 }}." ''[[The New York Times]].'' February 22, 2006</ref>

===Transportation===
[[File:Вокзал. Иркутск.jpg|right|thumb|[[Irkutsk railway station]]]]
[[File:Трамвай № 4 в Иркутске на Напольной улице (январь 2018).jpg|left|thumb|225px|Tram in Irkutsk]]
[[File:Irkutsk (IKT - UIII) AN2335801.jpg|thumb|Irkutsk international airport]]
{{See also|The Eastern-Siberian Inland Navigation Company|Trams in Irkutsk}}

Important roads and railways like the [[Trans-Siberian Highway]] (Federal [[M53 highway (Russia)|M53]] and [[M55 highway (Russia)|M55]] Highways) and [[Trans-Siberian Railway]] connect Irkutsk to other regions in Russia and [[Mongolia]]. The city is also served by the [[Irkutsk International Airport]] and the smaller [[Irkutsk Northwest Airport]].

The Federal road and railway to [[Moscow]] and [[Vladivostok]] pass through the other side of the Angara River from central Irkutsk.

[[Trams in Irkutsk|Trams]] are one major mode of public transit in Irkutsk. Other modes are trolleybus, bus, fixed-route taxi ([[marshrutka]]) and cycling.

<gallery class="center" caption="" widths="220px" heights="220px">
File:Иркутск. Улица Ленина 2.JPG|Trolleybus
File:Иркутск. Улица Седова 1.JPG|Bus on Sedov Street
</gallery>

==Health==
Despite its remoteness, Irkutsk was reported in 2004 to have the highest [[HIV]] infection rate in Russia.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201207095215/https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A37342-2004Jun12/?language=printer "Russia Sees an AIDS 'Explosion'"] Washington Post, June 13, 2004</ref> Tens of thousands of drug addicts, mostly ethnic Russians in their mid to late teens are infected. The number of reported AIDS cases increased by more than 10,000% during the 1999–2000 period. Although the epidemic, which started in 1999, is reported to have slowed down, Irkutsk will lose tens of thousands of its working age population from 2010 onwards. This is one of the reasons Irkutsk's male life expectancy, at 53 years, is one of the lowest in all of Russia. Preventive measures are in place to prevent the spread of the epidemic to the generation which was born after the breakup of the USSR.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aegis.com/NEWS/AFP/2000/AF001299.html |title=AEGIS Security & Investigations - Los Angeles Private Investigator |work=AEGIS |access-date=December 5, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214152132/http://www.aegis.com/NEWS/AFP/2000/AF001299.html |archive-date=February 14, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thebody.com/content/world/art631.html |title=AIDS Epidemic Explodes in Eastern Europe |work=TheBody.com |access-date=December 5, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606112043/http://www.thebody.com/content/world/art631.html |archive-date=June 6, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |pmid=10994102 |issue=4 |title=[The HIV infection epidemic in the city of Irkutsk under the conditions of drug abuse prevalence] |year=2000 |journal=Zh. Mikrobiol. Epidemiol. Immunobiol. |pages=38–9 |last1=Zaznobova |first1=N. A. |last2=Ivanova |first2=N. V. }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://lists.resist.ca/pipermail/project-x/2006-April/012637.html |title=[pr-x] Russians dying of AIDS, drugs and despair |access-date=December 5, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irkutsk.org/fed/aids.html |title=WWW Irkutsk: AIDS problem in Irkutsk |access-date=December 5, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235635/http://www.irkutsk.org/fed/aids.html |archive-date=March 3, 2016 }}</ref>

==Culture==
[[File:Иркутский драматический театр.JPG|thumb|Irkutsk Academic Drama Theater]]

===Television and mass media===
There are state-owned and privately owned television stations in Irkutsk, including state company IGTRK<ref>{{cite web |url=http://irkutsk.rfn.ru/ |title=IGTRK – Irkutsk branch of the State Television and Radio Broadcast Company |publisher=Irkutsk.rfn.ru |access-date=February 7, 2014 |archive-date=April 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130417131413/http://irkutsk.rfn.ru/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> and private ones, such as AS Baikal TV,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://as.baikal.tv |title=AS Baikal TV |publisher=AS Baikal TV |access-date=February 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324001045/http://as.baikal.tv/ |archive-date=March 24, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> TV company AIST,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aisttv.ru/ |title=TV Company AIST |publisher=Aisttv.ru |access-date=February 7, 2014 |archive-date=March 1, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301113202/http://www.aisttv.ru/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> TV company Gorod,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gorodtv.ru/en/ |title=gorodtv.ru. Domain is, probably, for sale |website=gorodtv.ru |access-date=December 11, 2018 |archive-date=January 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111073214/http://gorodtv.ru/en/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and also other media outlets, like the VSP Newspaper Agency.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vsp.ru/ |title=VSP Newspaper Agency |publisher=Vsp.ru |access-date=February 7, 2014 |archive-date=February 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208014650/http://vsp.ru/ |url-status=live }}</ref> There is also a live webcam broadcasting from the city center.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ya.ru/showcaptcha?cc=1&form-fb-hint=2.47&mt=6B6E97358B200FA5D3053222BD4EDB19B11DA0D730F013A4B5E788153820F1CF1069AB2D818D51A2A918617353C544630F17A2CAA155C1C798164B25B0FAEA7448C561CBA57D80439A4B5A2F398C56BA360BD5D1D58DE1F0A00C2213EB1388DFC0F7D5112A813CB6548B300A0E3D7D4206145433E14D2EA8906DB31E966CC5FF32B31CA2DF1F7442B7EBA93EB4027CD79635B32BD9A533221B1369371C961AB0DEF356DFB6C6E1109FBF3C98F7561F3E73BE313A060BF1917B7631A7F36D6A3A8A1BA062B2985C300836456FA487D4781859633D6AB85A7A857F7B4F48D73E1094035785A56B6335618B55&retpath=aHR0cHM6Ly95YS5ydS8_bnI9MSZyZWRpcmVjdF90cz0xNzQ4ODUwOTUwLjAwMDAw_5c375768031251e6ea0f52eaa8f3d71f&t=2/1748850950/6665f08b1cb01a2ae0623a49802fbcd1&u=6682936167427391281&s=fd706e195a4948a5447a038163ac4000|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060401043702/http://as.baikal.tv/webcam/|url-status=dead|title=Яндекс|archivedate=April 1, 2006|website=ya.ru}}</ref>

===Education===
Irkutsk is home to the [[Irkutsk State Pedagogical College|East Siberian Education Academy]] (since 1909), [[Irkutsk State University]] (1918), [[Irkutsk State Medical University]] (1918), [[Baykalsky State University of Economics and Law]] (since 1932), [[Irkutsk State Technical University]] (since 1939), [[Irkutsk State Academy of Agriculture]], [[Irkutsk State Linguistic University]] (1948), [[Irkutsk State Railway Transport University]] (since 1975), and a number of private colleges: [[Siberian Institute of Law, Economics and Management]] (since 1993), [[Institute of Economics of ISTU]] (since 1996), and others.

===Science===
As Irkutsk is within the influence of the Siberian Division of the [[Russian Academy of Sciences]], there are nine research institutes located in the Irkutsk Academgorodok suburb: the [[V.B. Sochava Institute of Geography SB RAS|Institute of Geography]], the [[Energy System Institute]], the [[Institute of Geochemistry]], the [[Institute of System Dynamics and Control Theory]], the [[Earth's Crust Institute]], the [[Solar-Terrestrial Physics Institute]], the [[Institute of Chemistry]], the [[Limnological Institute]] (formerly located on Lake Baikal's shore), the [[Institute of Plant Physics]], [[Laser Physics Institute]] (a Branch of the Institute of Laser Physics in Novosibirsk).
A number of institutes conduct research within [[Irkutsk State University]]: the Institute of Biology, the Institute of Oil and Coal Chemistry and Synthesis, the Laboratory of Quantum Chemistry, the Institute of Applied Physics, the Interregional Institute of Social Studies, the Astronomical Observatory, and the Botanical Gardens.
The [[East-Siberian Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences]] is also located in Irkutsk and is represented by the following research organizations: the Scientific Center for Medical Ecology, the Institute for Paediatrics and Human Reproduction, the Institute for Microbiology and Epidemiology, the Institute for Medicine of the Workplace and Human Ecology, the Institute of Reconstructive and Restorative Surgery, the Institute of Surgery, and the Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics. Also, the [[Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Scientific and Technical Center]] has a branch in Irkutsk. Additionally, there are R&D institutes including [[GAZPROM]] [[R&D Institute]] (a Branch of a Moscow-based institute), the Irkutsk Institute of Rare and Precious Metals and Diamonds (Irgiredmet), part of the [[Petropavlovsk plc|Petropavlovsk]] Group of Companies.,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.petropavlovsk.net/ru/in-house-expertise.html |title=Аналитическая служба |publisher=Petropavlovsk.net |access-date=February 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100914132145/http://www.petropavlovsk.net/ru/in-house-expertise.html |archive-date=September 14, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the Vostoksibacademcenter of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences that publishes the Project Baikal journal.

===Literature===
Irkutsk plays a crucial role in Jules Verne’s 1876 novel ''Michael Strogoff''. In the novel Strogoff is the heroic courier of the Czar Alexander II entrusted with delivering a critical dispatch to the Czar’s brother in Irkutsk with vital information about a rebellion brewing in Siberia. Irkutsk was home to Russian writer [[Valentin Rasputin]]; many of his novels and stories take place in the [[Angara River|Angara]] Valley. An essay on the cultural history of Irkutsk (and another one about the nearby Lake Baikal) is included in Rasputin's non-fiction collection [[Siberia, Siberia]], which is also available in an English translation. Irkutsk also figures prominently in descriptions by foreign travelers, including the so-called British "Blind Traveler" [[James Holman]], who was suspected of spying and conducted back forcibly to the frontiers of [[Poland]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}
<ref>Michael Strogoff by Jules Verne, Charles Scribner's and Sons, 1927</ref>

===Museums===
[[File:Exaltation of the Cross Church, Irkutsk, Russia.jpg|thumb|The Church of the Cross (1747–60) is a pinnacle of the [[Siberian Baroque]] architecture]]

Irkutsk<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/russia/siberia/irkutsk |title=Irkutsk – Lonely Planet Travel and Information Guide |publisher=Lonelyplanet.com |access-date=February 7, 2014 |archive-date=December 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231202842/http://www.lonelyplanet.com/russia/siberia/irkutsk |url-status=live }}</ref> is a point of interest for tourists with its numerous museums and old architecture. The [[Taltsy Museum]] ({{langx|ru|[[:ru:Тальцы|Тальцы]]}}), located on the Angara {{convert|47|km|sp=us}} south of Irkutsk, is an open-air museum of Siberian [[vernacular architecture|traditional architecture]]. Numerous old wooden buildings from villages in the Angara valley, which have been flooded after the construction of the [[Bratsk Dam]] and [[Ust-Ilimsk Dam]], have been transported to the museum and reassembled there. One of the centerpieces of the collection is a partial recreation of the 17th-century ''ostrog'' (fortress) of Ilimsk, which consists of the original Spasskaya Tower and the Church of Our Lady of Kazan transported from the flooded ''ostrog'' in the mid-1970s, to which an exact modern copy of another tower of the  ''ostrog'' and the Southern wall of the fortress were added in the early 2000s.<ref>[http://babr.ru/?pt=news&event=v1&IDE=3423 В «Тальцах» завершается реконструкция южной стены Илимского острога] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214032721/http://babr.ru/?pt=news |date=February 14, 2009 }} (Re-creation of the southern wall of the Ilimsk ''ostrog'' in the Taltsy Museum is approaching its completion) {{in lang|ru }}</ref>

The [[Botanic Garden of the Irkutsk State University]] known as the "Irkutsk Botanic Garden" is the only [[botanic garden]] as a living [[museum]] in Irkutsk Oblast and Baikalian [[Siberia]]. Its mission is "to protect and enrich the flora of the Lake Baikal area and the world for people through public education, collection, propagation, research, and conservation of plants". The garden is mainly an educational and scientific tool for the [[Irkutsk State University]] and maintains the largest plant collection of living plants in Eastern [[Siberia]] (more than 5,000 plant taxa), a herbarium, and a seed bank. It occupies {{convert|27|ha|acre}} within Irkutsk city, {{convert|70|km|0|abbr=on}} west of Lake Baikal. It has a federal status of especially protected land and a nature memorial of Irkutsk.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}

===Theaters===
Irkutsk is home to several theaters, including the Okhlopkov Drama Theater, one of Russia's oldest.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.themoscowtimes.com/beyond_moscow/irkutsk.html |title=Irkutsk: Libertine Legacy by the Lakeside &#124; Beyond Moscow |newspaper=The Moscow Times |access-date=March 26, 2013 |archive-date=May 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503093506/http://www.themoscowtimes.com/beyond_moscow/irkutsk.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Sports==
[[File:ЛД Байкал.jpg|thumb|Ice palace]]
[[Bandy]] is popular in the city. There are several clubs, most notably [[Baykal-Energiya Irkutsk|Baykal-Energiya]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baikal-energy.ru/ |title=Хоккейный клуб "Байкал-Энергия". Официальный сайт |publisher=Baikal-energy.ru |access-date=March 26, 2013 |archive-date=March 8, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308123553/http://www.baikal-energy.ru/ |url-status=live }}</ref> of the [[Russian Bandy Super League]], which can draw spectator crowds of 30,000.<ref>{{youTube|KI7DHW6S2uc|baikal-energy bandy }}</ref> It is also the centre of women's bandy in Russia with the club [[Rekord Irkutsk|Rekord]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bandynet.ru/files/mimages/IMG_0409.jpg |title=Archived copy |access-date=December 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100220021845/http://www.bandynet.ru/files/mimages/IMG_0409.jpg |archive-date=February 20, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> which provides most players to the national team.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bandy2010.com/news3.html |title=Bandy2010.com |publisher=Bandy2010.com |access-date=March 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502135104/http://www.bandy2010.com/news3.html |archive-date=May 2, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the 2019 national championship, four teams were from Irkutsk and only two were from the rest of the country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rusbandy.ru/news/12991|title=Дмитрий Буров: Будущее хоккея с мячом за крытыми ледовыми аренами - Архив новостей - Федерация хоккея с мячом России|website=rusbandy.ru}}</ref>

In Irkutsk, there are 384 sports facilities, of which 200 are municipal ones. Among them there are 23 swimming pools, 14 ski bases, a sports palace, 154 courts, 165 gyms, an athletics arena, a racetrack, 7 stadiums—[[Trud Stadium (Irkutsk)|Trud]], [[Rekord Stadium|Rekord]], Dynamo, Zenit, Aviator, Lokomotiv-2, sports complex of Irktusk and the main football arena—Lokomotiv.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Региональное законодательство - Иркутская область. Официальный портал |url=https://irkobl.ru/sites/minsport/law/region/ |access-date=February 20, 2022 |website=irkobl.ru |archive-date=February 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220051746/https://irkobl.ru/sites/minsport/law/region/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[2012 Women's Bandy World Championship]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://baikal-bandy.ru/ |title=WCS 2012 home page |publisher=Baikal-bandy.ru |access-date=February 7, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208023331/http://baikal-bandy.ru/ |archive-date=February 8, 2014 }}</ref> was hosted in Irkutsk and received praise from [[Federation of International Bandy]].<ref>{{cite web |author=emh solutions |url=http://worldbandy.com/news.asp?newsid=120&title=A%20very%20well%20organized%20World%20Championship%20for%20Women%20in%20Irkutsk%20made%20a%20great%20success |title=A very well organized World Championship for Women in Irkutsk made a great success |publisher=Worldbandy.com |access-date=February 7, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203064323/http://worldbandy.com/news.asp?newsid=120&title=A%20very%20well%20organized%20World%20Championship%20for%20Women%20in%20Irkutsk%20made%20a%20great%20success |archive-date=February 3, 2014 }}</ref> [[2014 Bandy World Championship]] was played in the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://baikal-bandy.ru/ |title=XXXIV Champ Of World Bandy |publisher=Baikal-bandy.ru |access-date=February 7, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208023331/http://baikal-bandy.ru/ |archive-date=February 8, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=emh solutions |url=http://worldbandy.com/news.asp?newsid=644&title=Russia%20world%20champions |title=Russia world champions |publisher=Worldbandy.com |access-date=February 7, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219110707/http://worldbandy.com/news.asp?newsid=644&title=Russia%20world%20champions |archive-date=February 19, 2014 }}</ref> The final of [[Russian Bandy Super League]] 2016 was played at [[Rekord Stadium]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http://www.rusbandy.ru/news/8962 |title=Google Translate |website=translate.google.com |access-date=December 11, 2018 }}</ref> The [[2019 Bandy World Championship]] was scheduled to also be hosted in Irkutsk.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.worldbandy.com/filer/Agenda_for_Annual_Congress.pdf |title=Annual Congress in Sandviken, Sweden on Jan 30 2017 2017-01-28 |access-date=February 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171204144410/http://www.worldbandy.com/filer/Agenda_for_Annual_Congress.pdf |archive-date=December 4, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The decision was reconsidered, though.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://www.rusbandy.ru/news/10964/ |title=Google Translate |website=translate.google.co.uk |access-date=December 11, 2018 }}</ref> Then it was thought that Irkutsk might get the right to host the 2020 tournament instead, if [[Federation of International Bandy|FIB]] was given guarantees that the planned indoor arena would be ready for use in time.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://www.rusbandy.ru/news/10968/ |title=Google Translate |website=translate.google.co.uk |access-date=December 11, 2018 }}</ref> It will also be an [[List of indoor speed skating rinks|indoor speed skating arena]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://www.rusbandy.ru/news/12089/ |title=Google Translate |website=translate.google.co.uk |access-date=December 11, 2018 }}</ref> Its construction started in October 2018<ref>{{cite web |url=https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://www.rusbandy.ru/news/12317/ |title=Google Translate |website=translate.google.co.uk |access-date=December 11, 2018 |archive-date=December 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201218144119/https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://www.rusbandy.ru/news/12317/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and is expected to be ready for use by March 2020, just in time for the Bandy World Championship.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://www.rusbandy.ru/news/12356/ |title=Google Translate |website=translate.google.co.uk |access-date=December 11, 2018 }}</ref>

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia}}

Irkutsk is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Международные отношения |url=http://admirk.ru/Pages/internationalrelationships.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222022321/https://admirk.ru/Pages/internationalrelationships.aspx |archive-date=February 22, 2020 |access-date=February 4, 2020 |website=admirk.ru |publisher=Irkutsk |language=ru }}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* {{flagicon|POL}} [[Częstochowa]], Poland
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Eugene, Oregon|Eugene]], United States (suspended in 2022)<ref>{{cite web |title=Eugene suspends sister city in Russia |url=https://www.klcc.org/politics-government/2022-07-20/eugene-suspends-sister-city-in-russia |publisher=KLCC |access-date=February 4, 2020 |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030031945/https://www.klcc.org/politics-government/2022-07-20/eugene-suspends-sister-city-in-russia |url-status=live }}</ref>
* {{flagicon|KOR}} [[Gangneung]], South Korea
* {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Haute-Savoie]], France
* {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Kanazawa]], Japan
* {{flagicon|CZE}} [[Karlovy Vary Region]], Czech Republic
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Pforzheim]], Germany
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Province of Pordenone|Pordenone Province]], Italy
* {{flagicon|BIH}} [[Prijedor]], Bosnia and Herzegovina
* {{flagicon|CRO}} [[Primorje-Gorski Kotar County]], Croatia
* {{flagicon|CHN}} [[Shenyang]], China
* {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Strömsund Municipality|Strömsund]], Sweden
* {{flagicon|MNG}} [[Ulaanbaatar]], Mongolia
* {{flagicon|BLR}} [[Vitebsk]], Belarus
<!--Vilnius - not twinning-->
{{div col end}}

==Notable people==
{{Main|List of people from Irkutsk}}

* [[Nikolai Polevoy]] (1796–1846), editor, writer, translator and historian
* [[Innocent of Alaska]] (1797-1879), archbishop, linguist, architect, missionary 
* [[Vladimir Alexeyevich Kornilov|Vladimir Kornilov]] (1806–1854), naval officer who took part in the [[Crimean War]]
* [[Alexei Pavlovich Fedchenko]] (1844–1873), naturalist and explorer
* [[Vladimir Shevyakov]] (1859–1930), Russian biologist who died in Irkutsk
* [[Nikolay Vtorov]] (1866–1918), industrialist
* [[Alexander Kolchak]] (1874–1920) Russian Civil War leader, executed at Irkutsk  
* [[Nikolay Okhlopkov]] (1900–1967), Soviet actor and theatre director
* [[Mikhail Romm]] (1901–1971), Soviet film director
* [[Nikolay Kamov]] (1902–1973), leading constructor of the Soviet-Russian Kamov helicopter design bureau
* [[Mikhail Mil]] (1909–1970), Soviet aerospace engineer
* [[Konstantin Vyrupayev]] (1930–2012), Soviet wrestler and Olympic Champion
* [[Boris Volynov]] (born 1934), Soviet cosmonaut
* [[Alexander Vampilov]] (1937–1972), Soviet playwright
* [[Rudolf Nureyev]] (1938–1993), Soviet ballet and contemporary dancer and choreographer
* [[Olga Buyanova]] (born 1954), Honored Master of Sports coach in Rhythmic gymnastics of the USSR and Russia
* [[Oleksandr Shlapak]] (born 1960), Ukrainian politician, bureaucrat, and former Minister of Finance of Ukraine
* [[Anatoli Ivanishin]] (born 1969), cosmonaut
* [[Oxana Kostina]] (1972–1993), Soviet individual rhythmic gymnast
* [[Aleksandr Averbukh]] (born 1974), Israeli Olympic athlete who competed in the pole vault
* [[Denis Matsuev]] (born 1975), classical pianist
* [[Maria Bruntseva]] (born 1980), volleyball player
* [[Nina Kraviz]]  (born 1982), DJ, musician, producer
* [[Olga Zhitova]] (born 1983), volleyball player
* [[Olga Kurban]] (born 1987), heptathlete
* [[Alexey Negodaylo]] (born 1989), bobsledder
* [[Angelina Zhuk-Krasnova]] (born 1991), athlete specializing in the pole vault
* [[Darya Dmitriyeva]] (born 1993), Russian rhythmic gymnast
* [[Nazí Paikidze]] (born 1993), Georgian-American chess player
* [[Ekaterina Vedeneeva]] (born 1994), Russian-Slovenian rhythmic gymnast

==See also==
{{Portal|Siberia}}
* [[Immaculate Heart of Mary Cathedral, Irkutsk]]
* [[Irkutskoye Slovo]]

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
* {{RussiaBasicLawRef|irk}}
* {{RussiaAdmMunRef|irk|adm|law}}
* {{RussiaAdmMunRef|irk|mun|list|irkutsk}}
* {{RussiaAdmMunRef|irk|mun|list|irkutsky}}
* Brumfield, William. ''Irkutsk: Architectural Heritage in Photographs'' // Moscow: Tri Kvadrata Publishing, 2006.  {{ISBN|978-5-94607-061-4}}
* {{nowrap|Polunina N.M., Korobov S.A., Sutton J.M., Korobova G.W.}} Her Majesty&nbsp;— Queen of Siberia // Publishers Korobov.&nbsp;— Irkutsk, 2008.

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
{{NIE Poster|Irkutsk (city)|Irkutsk}}
* [https://admirk.ru/ Official website of Irkutsk] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009193712/https://admirk.ru/ |date=October 9, 2021 }} {{in lang|ru}}
* [http://irkutsk.jsprav.ru/ Irkutsk Business Directory] {{in lang|ru}}
* [http://russiatrek.org/irkutsk-city Irkutsk city architecture views]
* [http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/10/04/irkutsk_cultural_crossroads_in_russian_asia05002.html Irkutsk: cultural crossroads in Russian Asia] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130417221135/http://rbth.ru/articles/2010/10/04/irkutsk_cultural_crossroads_in_russian_asia05002.html |date=April 17, 2013 }}

{{Irkutsk Oblast}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Irkutsk| ]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Irkutsk Oblast]]
[[Category:Irkutsk Governorate]]
[[Category:Populated lakeshore places in Russia]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1686]]
[[Category:World Heritage Tentative List]]
[[Category:1686 establishments in Russia]]