Irkutsk you always see

Irqutsk mixed from cinema23 on Vimeo.

Invisible Irkutsk

Lunu from cinema23 on Vimeo.

Good old Irkutsk 2011

I found some interesting shots while going through some files on my computer. 

This is a very old tram. 

Interior art work. 

Children's Railroadn on Youth Island

Since 1939 in Irkutsk.
The railway station is located near the educational building. Everything is real there: a cash department, a waiting room with playing machine, an inquiry office with computer network. In this office one can apply for any information from train schedule to flight timetable and traffic roads! In a small cosy cafe passengers can drink a cup of coffee or eat an ice-cream.

Work days: Wed, Tue, Fri, Sat, Sun.

Work hours:
10.40
11.30
12.20
14.30
15.20
16.10
16.50

Prices:
100
130
150

Its fun.

International Friendship Hostel Irkutsk

Welcome to Irkutsk.
International Friendship Hostel in Irkutsk

Best deal in the city!
Plus you get a free CD with Russian
folk songs and a postcard!

Welcome to East Sibera!

You can book directly by e-mail:
inbox@baikalclub.com
By text/call: +79041181075

OR via hostelworld
and hostelbookers.

Irkutsk Map

Don't forget to check updates on our recommended map of Irkutsk. Finally we start to add places to visit, and things to do. Tell us what would you like to be added there.
Thanks.

Irkutsk Circus

Welcome to Irkutsk Circus!

18 and 19 of December Grande Opening!
Tickets 300-700 electronic rubles. :)

Book now!

Continuing performances: 25-26 of December.
After New Year Everyday Circus Madness: 2-10 January!!!

Interactive Map of Irkutsk

Introducing interactive map of Irkusk city. Just go to Irkutsk section of our website.
If you travel to Irkutsk, this is the main thing you'll need.
Only best recommended and most important places.

From people who really love Irkutsk

Irkutsk to Beijing

We left Irkutsk with some friends from the hostel. The trip to the border with Russia is empty. That is the right word. Especially when you come closer to Mongolia the landscape is getting more empty, no trees, only some hills, grass, sheep and some occasional huts and buildings here and there. Fascinating was that our wagon was the last one on the train, so we could look out from the back of the wagon on the tracks.

At the Russian border town (forgot the name) the russian train personnel leaves the train and disappears. At first we thought we could only leave the train for some minutes, but soon it became apparent that we would stay on this station for quite some time. A locomotive began to shunt the wagons of our train from irkutsk from one track to other tracks. The motive for shunting was unclear for us but the mongolian driver was having fun and used his horn to cheer us up quite often. Shunting took 3 hours. The only wagon left on the track was our wagon, the wagon with all the bloody tourists. There were only 4 locals in it, the rest came from Europe and one guy from India.
When discovering the vicinity of the station, there was a little cafe with very unfriendly, very russian personnel. They sold cola and old potato fried bread. Bwahh! Outside however, there was an old woman with a pram. In the pram, there was no kid, but a big cooking pot filled with stew. Very nice! (there are relatively clean toilets (payed) on the platform in the direction of where the train came from).
With topped up stomachs, we went back to the station and found a relic locomotive from the better times of the USSR with a broadly smiling mongolian driver on it. I was the first to glance into the cockpit, he noticed and invited me into his 'cubicle'. NO RUSSIAN, NO ENGLISH, ONLY MONGOLIAN, were the only words he said. Did not matter at all, because sitting in the driver seat, pushing all the buttons was a childrens dream come true. The guy had loads of fun as well.
Luckily the weather was perfect, because before we knew, 7 hours of waiting abruptly ended when a parade of unfriendly russian border patrol women! came out of a building and commandeered everybody back to the train. Back in the train they took away our passports and started taking apart the wagon. I did not expect to discover so many hidden panels.
An hour later we were on our way to the mongolian border town. First we passed the russian fence with machine guns on it, very friendly guys. As we were in the only wagon behind the locomotive, the still smiling driver could see us hang out of the windows. While driving on a very curvy track at 50 km/h he started hanging out of the window as well, waving his arms, faced backwards that is...

In Mongolia the whole passport thing started again but only took an hour or so. At this station it is important to keep your wagon in sight, because it will be shunted to another passenger train that arrives from ulaan bataar. Funny thing happened when they started shunting. The border patrol had our passports, then the wagon started moving. Some guys panicked completely. Oh my passport, help, my passport is still not here! But after a few hundred meters the train stopped and was driven back to the passenger train.

Very early in the morning you are woken up by the provodnitzas, still some 50 km away from ulaan bataar. The landscape has completely changed again. No grass anymore, only dust and stones, the sheep are still there, but what they eat, I have no clue. The sun was coming up, everything had a golden lining. In Irkutsk we booked beds in a hostel called Golden Gobi. Arriving on the platform still sleep drunken, a kind women from this hostel welcomed us in well spoken english, something that would amaze us some more times in the coming days. We were driven to the hostel in a minibus that had no strait axles anymore and not a single panel that still had its original shape. Cars are strange in mongolia. Lots of people in UB have 4x4s that would be considered top class luxury SUVs in the states or europe. Even in the countryside, the nomads are driving new passenger cars imported from japan through the steppe. There is no real business to earn money with in Mongolia, apart from herds and tourists...
In the hostel a small breakfast with bread, marmalade and tea was served. The start in this hostel was good, but later it seemed the family was particularly fond of its guests when you booked something with their tour guides. If you did not, like us, they did not like you. Showers were ok though, not always warm, but after 4 days living in a tent between sheep, goats and camels, that doesn't matter anymore.
Next day we discovered UB and had our 'orientating' lesson with the organization that would let us travel among nomad families in the inland, Ger-to-Ger. In the evening we discovered the best, probably the only, good western kitchen restaurant in UB, called Veranda. It is close to the central square. Although you might think that we are cultural barbarians eating steaks instead of local dishes, this was actually a good idea. We didn't know that by that time though.

Next day very early we left the hostel to take a bus to Sansar, a small village (actually, 5 huts along a road) 300 km west of UB. At the bus station our bus was already loading people and lots of luggage, no animals though. After leaving UB, where the roads are particularly bad, the road became of western quality. Actually, it was a road build with development money. After 100 km though it abruptly stopped. The bus left the road and continued off road. I have never seen anything like it. Sometimes it could go 40 km/h but most of the time it was navigating big humps and pits/ditches. After 20 km, the road continued as if there was no discontinuation in between.

At Sansar we were met by a local who brought us to our first family where we would spend a day and a night. The first family was a bit distant. My brother made a lot of effort to communicate through the small dictionary we got at ger-to-ger. The father was drunken most of the time, but he managed to put us on camels for a walk to the other side of the valley. Oh and btw, the landscape is breathtaking in this area. Sometimes it looks like what you would imagine on Mars. Mountains are rolling through the landscape. Herds of horses are galloping through the open grassland and everywhere you can discover little white spots, the gers where the nomads live.
After the ride on camels, our bottoms would hurt for another two days, we got our first meal. Dried sheep/goat meat (mutton) with home made pasta, cooked on a stove, heated by camel excrement. Very tasty actually, but as you get it three times a day, you have had enough after 4 days. Not something for people with a sensitive stomach. Some families also make their own yoghurt. I come from a country where they make excellent yoghurt, but this was so fresh! It was prickly on your tongue.
The next day we walked with camels to our next family, where we rode horses onto a mountain and back. Again, the view is beyond imaginable. This family was much nicer. The mom and dad where actually working together in a manner I am used to. Nothing traditional wife and husband thing. In the evening it started raining and storming. Amazing enough, you don't notice any of that in the Ger, until you have to pee. I nearly lost my clothes while trying. This was actually the first rain in the year, we're talking mid May. Our next family was so happy because of the rain, that they did not have time to show us around. They were all way too drunk. Straight walking was impossible for them. Instead we rode horses with grandpa, who trained horses for the yearly horse racing festival in mongolia, the most important thing that happens in a mongolian year. He brought us to a place where you can see five different climates in a stretch of 4 km. Green, rounded hills, then the kind of grass you expect in your garden, then water with living creatures in it like frogs, then dunes that could come from the sahara and last but not least, very sharp and bare, red mountains. The strangest thing.

Although it was a big adventure, it was so nice to drive back to UB with the prospect to have a shower and eat steaks in the Veranda again! After eating we decided to go out and find a club with the head of Stalin in it, a relic of the communist period. Other tourists in the hostel told us that they also searched for it, but couldn't find it. We thought they were amateurs, so we got into a taxi and asked the driver to bring us there. He put us at the side of the road at a stretch of buildings that didn't look particularly attractive. But the buildings weren't the biggest problem, the drunken people were. Mongolian guys get drunk, not the girls, and when they do, some of them get aggressive. They don't look for foreigners in particular, but if your are in reach they will hit you. Don't make too much eye contact!
We didn't find the club, but were drawn into a basement full of mirrors and dancing locals. The guy at the door, 2 by 2 by 2 meters, brought us to a empty space of little bars tables and stools and gave us a beer. Within no time, the empty spots were taken by mongolian girls only. I guess they don't get to see blond people very often. I started reasoning, if these girls are the girlfriends of some guys, who are also here and they are drunk, then we might have a problem. I wasn't finished thinking and the whole mirrored wall came down on one side of the basement. Two guys had started a fight. The bouncer took the guys and threw them out like you see in a cartoon. Music was out, everyone back to their places. After 10 minutes the mess was gone and the music started again. This was apparently a normal thing in UB. We didn't feel very comfortable though and left the premises. On the way back in the cab, we almost got caught up in a traffic accident. Mongolian drivers put their foot down if you are walking on a zebra. The trick is to cross the road lane by lane. Traffic lights are for amateurs.

Early in the morning we left UB with the diesel train to Beijing. At first I thought it was a steam train because of the smoke, but that was just because the engine was still cold. The first stretch the train is rolling through a hilly landscape trying to get up the mountain with lots of black smoke, the track is making almost circles in the process. After a few hours we stopped at a little city that marks the beginning of the gobi desert. Climate change. From 9 C in the morning to 35 in the shadow in a few hours. Then the crossing started. Clouds of dust would come into the wagon regularly, even when all the windows were closed. The dust is so fine, you can see it as mist and taste it. Your hair is getting sticky, you can do all kinds of strange things with it. The ventilator in the compartment is a welcome treat (although no net of steel is build around it, so let your long hair not get caught up in it). In the evening we reached the border with China, where the platform is occupied by soldiers standing exactly 5 meters apart. Some piece of mozart is blasting through the night to welcome us in china. After passport checks, the train is shunted backwards into a big shed. The whole train fits in it. Every wagon is decoupled and lifted with everybody in it. The bogies are changed from wide gauge to standard gauge and then rolled back to the station, where you can buy your last supply of chengiss khan vodka.

After waking up, the first thing you notice is that the track is so smooth. Look out of the window and you see that everything, EVERYTHING, is brand new. The diesel locomotive seems out of place here, high speed tracks are normal. Left and right of the tracks you can see russian build nuclear powerplants in numbers that shock. If the Chinese are building a building, they build 20 flats at the same time, not one. Another regular sight is that of oxen pulling a plow with a farmer behind it. So much about the difference between rich and poor.
After arriving in Beijing, the first thing you have to do is navigate the big square in front of the station. It is packed with people, so tight, that it is almost impossible to walk. At the street side of the square there is a taxi stand. Our guide said that it is easy to get a taxi in Beijing and they are cheap. It couldn't be more wrong. There was a row of people of at least 300 waiting for cabs that weren't there. We circumnavigated the row and got an offer from a taxi driver. He would bring us to the hotel for only 140 euros. We told him to rip off some other tourists and he suddenly could say dirty words at us in english. Very strange.

Although the temperature was close to 35C and humidity at 100% we decided to walk with our bags to the hostel, some 6 km. (one tip: don't pack too much. choose your clothes in layers. put everything you think you need on your bed and then leave half of it at home. although you are going to the end of the world, it doesn't mean there is nothing to buy there. as things are mostly incredibly cheap in russia, mongolia or china, just buy it there if you need it) On the way to the hotel we got an offer from a lady in a three wheeled motorcycle cab. We negotiated a price and were happy tourists. Arrived at the hotel, I gave her the money and she asked where the rest was. The rest? This was what we negotiated right? No the price was for only one person. :-) Very funny. Stupid tourists. Anyway, in Amsterdam we would have paid 5 times more. The Beijing Jade international youth hostel, 15 minute bike ride from the forbidden city, was perfect. Personnel was inflexible, but room and breakfast was ok.

In Beijing do one thing: rent a bike and travel by bike. The bike roads are separated from the normal roads, traffic is reasonably safe and if you have some experience, driving a bike is not a problem. The bike is fast, you see a lot of things and you can decide what to do. Beijing has excellent food markets on the street, you can visit the silk market for clothes that costs 20x more in europe or usa and buy tea in one of the specialized tea shops. The forbidden city is a must and around it you can find a lot of nice little street restaurants. We ate a sichuan hot pot at such a terrace. Two blond guys completely red in the face from the peppers. They laughed at us, but the food was good!

By Douwe Braakman.

Irkutsk Museum of Regional Studies

The Irkutsk's museum of regional studies is one of the oldest museums in Russia. It was founded in 1782. Mr. Erick Lacksman, an honoured member of the Russian Academy of Sciences was assigned to organize the museum. At first the museum was housed in a single room in the town's public library. Later on since 1805 the Irkutsk's provincial Grammar school became in charge of the museum.

In 1854 the museum was handed to the East Siberian Department of the Emperor's Russian Geographic Society. This event was a major landmark in the life of the museum. After 1854 the museum's collections were enriched with the artifacts gathered by Mr. R. Maak's expedition in 1853 (the region of the river Vilyui), by Mr. A. P. Shyapov's expedition in 1856 (the region of Turuhan), by Mr. I. A. Lopatin's expedition and by Mr. P. A. Kropotkin's expedition. They were as well enriched with the artifacts gathered by Ms. I. D. Chersky, A. P. Chekonovsky, V. I. Dybovsky, B. Godlevsky (polish rebels exiled in Siberia).

In 1879 during the Great Fire of Irkutsk all the collections, all the books in the library and the building of the museum perished. By raising money to erect a new stone building of the museum the citizens of Irkutsk best proved their love to the motherland, demonstrated their desire to learn more about it and to give this knowledge to the future generations. In October 6, 1883 the new building of the museum was opened with solemnity. This building erected in the Moorish style was designed by the architect Baron Rosen. The building itself became a monument to the famous explorers of Asia because their surnames were engraved on its frieze. In the new museum actively worked such outstanding scientists as Ms. N. M. Yadrintsev, G. N. Potanin, D. A. Klements, V. A. Agapitov, M. P. Ovchinnikov and others. In 1898 the museum successfully took part in the World Exhibition in Paris. By the end of the XIX-th century the museum housed more than 20 000 artifacts.

After the Great October Revolution (1917) the museum received extra accommodations, the needed finances and initiated the systematic researches of this vast province. In the museum in the early years of the Soviet Power were engaged in research such famous scientists as Ms. A. P. Okladnickov, M. M. Gerasimov, G. F. Debets, F. A. Kudryavtsev, Mrs. V. I. Mihailovsky, Ms. P.P. Horoshih, M. K. Odintsov, V. I. Podgordunsky and B. I. Lebedinsky.

In 1920 in the museum there appeared the Department of Natural History.

In 1936 the museum was divided into two parts: the Museum of Regional Studies and the Art Gallery.

By December, 1970 the Prince Trubetskoy's premises in Irkutsk were completely restored. And a new Decemberists Museum was opened there. Then fifteen years passed and in December, 1985 after eleven years of restoration the Prince Volkonsky's premises in Irkutsk were opened for visitors.

From 1982 to 1994 the Irkutsk's Museum of Regional Studies was part and parcel of the Irkutsk's State United Museum. The Irkutsk's State United Museum was a methodical centre for the whole province.

In 1982 in the building of the former Church of Our Saviour (this monument of the XVIII-th century had been restored for a long time) the Exhibition Department was opened.

With the purpose of the museumification of cities and regions of the Irkutsk province the Irkutsk's Museum of Regional Studies in January, 1992 organized a special Methodist Department.

The Artifact Depository of our museum is the largest one in the East of Russia. The museum pieces stored there have to do with the material and spiritual culture of the peoples of Central Asia. The majority of the museum pieces were gathered in the exploring expeditions held by the outstanding scientists, members of the East Siberian Department of the Emperor's Russian Geographic Society.

The ethnographic collections on the peoples of Siberia, Far East, Kamchatka, Korea, China and Mongolia include about 30 000 museum pieces. The unique archeological collections include 100 000 museum pieces and among them there are nephrite artifacts belonging to the Neolithic Age. The Photograph Department of the museum's Depository houses 40 000 photos. Besides all this the museum's Depository houses the collection of the Orthodox cult objects as well as the largest collection of the Orthodox silverware manufactured by the Irkutsk silversmiths. The collections in the Department of Natural History (including 10 000 museum pieces) characterize the Fauna, the Flora and the Natural Resources of the Irkutsk province.

The museum has a library which is one of the richest libraries on Siberian studies in Russia. In this library there are about 90 000 books, newspapers, magazines, journals, materials concerning the expeditions and researches carried out by the scientists of the East Siberian Department of the Emperor's Russian Geographic Society.

In the library there is also a collection of the old Chinese books (XVIII - XIX-th centuries), numbering 440 volumes.

Source: official website of museum.

Tihomirovy Fund

The Tihomirovy family - mama (Olga), papa (Mikhail) and three children (Mikhail, Darya and Anastasia) - could not think for a long time that their lives would be connected with horses. 

As all romantic girls, young Olga was dreaming to ride sometimes. But there was almost no horses in Irkutsk at that time, and she was busy with journalism job. 

But as soon as she learned about recently opened Riding school, she took three her children there. They were 7 to 13. Later Tihomirovy met Malakhovskie family of private horse owners - mother and daughter. Olga and Marianna Malakhovskie were truely passionate, and their horses were always clean, never hungry, very kind and tender. Despite they were doing usual ‘riding rent’, we could only learn the very best from how they treated their horses. This is how Tihomivory got their first skills in working with horses. This lead to the idea to create a small club, joining with Malakhovskie. This “niche” was free in Irkutsk. Darya Tihomirova started attending courses in local hippodrome. There was a lot to learn, so Olga herself decided to ride a horse too. She was amazed to find out how much better she started to feel immediately. It became clear that the direction of work should be helping people with disabilities. 

A bit later Darya and Olga visited Moscow to attend the seminar of British trainers of hippotherapie. The trainers not only demonstrated greatest skills but taught them to treat a horse as a partner. “The horse working in hippotherapie should be happy” - these words Olga remembered forever. 

In 2000 new social organization was created: Irkutsk Social Charitable Tihomirovy Fund of Treating Disabled Children with Horseback Riding. 

Thanks to kindness of the director of historical museum “Decabrists in Siberia” Evgeniy Yachmenev, the horses found their home inside the museum, near Volkonskiy house. This blessed place with little stable has become the starting point for the growth. 

With sponsorship help, two first horses were purchased from Malakhovskie, who could not participate by that time. Buyan and Pinki horses are still healthy and work with us. 

Working with disabled children has made it clear very fast - it is much more complex than Tihomirovy could ever imagine. It was very difficult from professional point of view, and it brought great social responsibility. 

It was also clear that this work could not make profit. Disabled children were and are still treated for free. But the results were so inspiring that there was no doubt - the idea was right. 

It should be noted that Irkutsk community reacted very actively and positively. Thanks to many journalists, the project was highlighted in the press, and a famous local newspaper “Chestnoe slovo” was dedicating the whole list of each issue to the Fund for some time! 

Over the time, people from hippodrome (where Darya attended the courses) started joining the Tihomirovy Fund, including Larisa Vlasenko - the only trainer in Irkutsk region with sports master dergee at that time. She gave a lot to Fund volunteers. 

Since the first days of Fund work, there is a lot of help coming from Oksana Shumilova - experienced rehabilitation specialist, taking a great interest in Fund idea and later becoming excellent riding trainer. 

We also need to thank Natalia Rakitina, young doctor who put a lot of effort to help the Fund, and many others! 

Year by year, all participants have been improving their experience and skills. Our workers constanly attend various courses in Moscow, St. Petersbourg, and Fund founders also invite foreign specialists to Irkutsk. 

The biggest problem has been, and still is, the lack of horse riding specialists in Irkutsk area. The only solution was to grow our own specialists. Olga and Mikhail had no choice but to build their own innovative business model, facing lack of money, resources and staff. 

Together with Main Administration of Education of Irkutsk Region and specialists of regional natiralusts club, Fund worked on developing such business model. After serious expertises, this project received status of Federal experimental area. 

After this job was completed, the organization had its own model of surviving and developing, which still successfully works and improves. The idea of this model is moving forward in all directions a the same time, and great motivating of all participants. 

The process is built in such a way that young people coming to work with horses are watching complicated but exciting process of treating disabled children, and get motivation to participate in it. This results in deeper self-evaluation of their activities, makes them work harder to improve their skills. This naturally leads to sports achievements. 

So, sports achievements of trainers motivate disabled children to succeed in their own sports programs. And it also helps them to fight their disabilities, because they clearly see it is possible to win. 

The great job has also been done on planning and building new Equestrian Center, because the historical museum “Decabrists in Siberia” could not fit the volume of job any more. 

Today, the team of Tihomirovy Fund is happy to work in new Equestrian Center in Granovschina village of Irkutsk region. And in winter time, they work in two places at the same time, Granovschina and historical museum! 

The organization is growing and helping more and more children, thanks to its sponsors and partners.

Visit Tihomirovy Fund Website for more info. 

Irkutsk Virtual Tour

This is great video, very nicely made! 34 minutes across Irkutsk, catching the most important stuff. After watching you will have a good image of what to expect when you travel to Irkutsk city in winter, near lake Baikal.



Bruno, you did a really good job! Thank you very much for this video!

Timetable for Krugobaikalka 2010

Wednesdays at 08:16 from Irkutsk railway station, return in Irkutsk around 21:00-22:00

Thursdays at 09:00/09:30 from the Irkutsk Drama Theatre, address: Karl Marx str.14, return in Irkutsk around 22:00

Fridays at 06:55 from the Irkutsk railway station, return in Irkutsk around 20:00

Saturdays at 08:16 from the Irkutsk railway station, return in Irkutsk around 21:00-22:00

Sundays at 09:00/09:30 from the Irkutsk Drama Theatre, address: Karl Marx str.14, return in Irkutsk around 22:00

Dry Frogs

Recently met my friend Benjamin in Irkutsk. We got aquainted on Olkhon Island. And he told me that they recorded a song and a music video with a company of Irkutyanins. I really liked this video. Music is very energetic!

Thanks to Baikal

But Irkutsk is an exception. On first sight, it seems like just another flat Siberian city, undistinguished in orientation or architecture, having the usual Lenin and Marx streets, the Musical and Drama Theatres, the Philharmonic Hall, Orthodox Churches and the Eternal Flame dedicated to those who died fighting the Second World War. But if you dive a little deeper, the city is littered with backpacker- hostels serviced by friendly English speaking staff - a concept alien to the rest of Russia! This little ecosystem of hostels is no accident because even at 70 km away, Irkutsk is the closest city to the worldґs deepest lake, Baikal that sustains this ecosystem by attracting travellers from all over the world.

Thanks to Baikal, Irkutsk became an exception for yet another reason. I was no longer alone on the Trans-Siberian; I had made 5 new friends. It was Ryan and Tom in the compartment next to mine, who were speaking in English. They along with their friends Katy, Lizzie and Gary were going to Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia for 6 weeks as volunteers from the University of Edinburgh to work with children on protection and development. But before heading to Ulaanbaatar, they too were going to spend a couple of days exploring Irkutsk and Baikal...

The easiest way to get to Baikal from Irkutsk is through mini-buses that run on the hour. So off we went; the 6 of us cramped together in one of these to Listvyanka, a tiny village on the shore of Baikal. Baikal - the "Pearl of Siberia"; the deepest lake in the world; an ocean in the making that with the rift in the tectonic plates over millions of years will split the Asian continent into two! The phrase "crystal clear" must have been coined by someone standing at Baikalґs shoreline. Even from a distance, we could see the plants and rocks below. Baikal seemed like a thin sheet of silvery mirror placed delicately between the tree-covered rocky cliffs around and their undisturbed upside-down reflections!

A quotation from here.

Irkutsk and Baikal (Listvyanka) in February

Web Album: Baikal February 2009

Artsiberia

From Artsiberia:

"The idea and the goal of the project is to promote Siberian art and to encourage knowledge about the cultural heritage of the Eastern Siberia through art exhibits and exchanges, and the publications of books and articles, cards and posters.

All requests related to cooperation, exhibits, lecture series, publications and art and citizen exchanges are welcomed."

You can find many images of siberian art, also religious buddist and orthodox art. Very interesting and 'real' subjects.

How does Irkutsk look like?

I found a great website about Baikal region with a huge collection on real-life photos. It is about Irkutsk mostly. Actually this website existed for a long time, but I've just 're-found' it. It is in russian, but english speaking people can use some of the features available on this website, like dayly-updated photo collections.



Photos showing Irkutsk city;



people, who live in Irkutsk and around Baikal;



Baikal, for shure.



NOTE: There is a navigation tool on top of each photo. You can use it to switch to different photos.