About Krasnoyarsk

Krasnoyarsk is the largest business, industrial and cultural center of Eastern Siberia and is the capital city of Krasnoyarsk Territory. It is located pretty much in the center of Russia on the Yenisei River. The city was founded in 1628 by Cossacks led by Andrey Dubenskoy was initially named Krasny Yar. Krasnoyarsk got city status in 1690 when Siberia was finally annexed to Russia. In 1822, it became the center of the Yenisei province. At present the population of the Krasnoyarsk agglomeration is 1,186,000 inhabitants.

History

Krasnoyarsk was founded as a Russian border fort in 1624 by Andrey Dubenskoy in order to protect the frontier from attacks of natives who lived along Yenisei and its tributaries. From its early days, Krasnoyarsk had to assert its right to exist in an armed struggle with the Kyrgyz rulers that ended only in the early XVII century. The culture of the Russian population of Krasnoyarsk and the whole of Siberia developed as a variant of North Russian culture. Daily life here had its own peculiarities. People here wear fur clothing, hats, shoes, and gloves, sewn from Chinese cotton and silk shirts, coats, sashes, tunics, shawls more often than people in the European part of Russia. They eat wild game, fish and use wood and Chinese porcelain dishes instead of clay pots.

Krasnoyarsk is the most important crossroads in Siberia for water and land transportation on the Moscow-

Siberian road. However, the influx of people from outside was very little. In the 18th century, Krasnoyarsk was the largest commodity distributing center in the district. In socio-economic terms, Krasnoyarsk was a developed city that was the center of trade and commerce. In 1834 the Central Park was built. In 1845 the foundation for the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin was laid.

During the Russian Empire, Krasnoyarsk was the city for political exiles. After the suppression of the uprising of 1825, many were exiled to Krasnoyarsk.

The city continued to develop further with the discovery of gold mines in the region and with the construction of railway lines in the city in 1895.

As per a trade agreement with Great Britain in 1893, a ship carrying construction material for the railways set sail from Scotland under the command of English Captain Wiggins. This ship crossed the Arctic Ocean, the Kara Sea and reached Krasnoyarsk through Yenisei. This expedition first established the sea route from north Europe to Siberia.

In 1913, the eminent Norwegian polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen reached Krasnoyarsk. In his book ‘Through Siberia-The Land of the Future’, he later recalled: ‘So, we reached Krasnoyarsk—our goal which we strived to achieve for so long... We visited the city park which is recognized as the best in all of Siberia…The city’s streets are wide and straight, there are stone houses on the main streets, but most of the buildings are made out of wood. Krasnoyarsk is beautifully situated on the left bank of the Yenisei, in a valley surrounded by mountains...’

Places to Visit

A huge fire in 1773 destroyed the Krasnoyarsk prison and almost the entire city – only 30 buildings were left standing after the fire. Sgt Geodesy Peter Moses was sent from Tobolsk to rebuild the city and he gave the city an entirely new, Petersburg-type linear layout. This was the beginning of the modern Krasnoyarsk. The city is divided in two by the Yenisei River.

The Krasnoyarsk Pillars is a landmark of the city of Krasnoyarsk and has been nominated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Chapel is an architectural monument of local significance. The Chapel, as a major symbol of the city, decorates the Russian 10-rouble notes.

The Railway Bridge over the Yenisei River was awarded the Grand Prix and Gold Medal of the World Exhibition in Paris for architectural excellence and superior workmanship in 1900 along with the Eiffel Tower.

Pervaya Bashnya is the tallest building in the Urals.

Trinity Cemetery is the oldest surviving cemetery in Krasnoyarsk.

The Black Volcano is an extinct volcano located in the Berezovsky district of Krasnoyarsk region

The Children’s Railway built in 1936 in the Gorky Culture and Leisure Park is the first of its kind in USSR and Russia.

Every day at exactly 12 noon, a cannon shot is fired on the mountain Karaulnaya.

The Krasnoyarsk Flora and Fauna Park ‘Swarms Creek’ is one of the largest zoos in Russia. The 'Swarm stream’ has the largest collection of species from the Urals, Siberia and the Far East.

The Central Park build in 1828 as a municipal garden was a pine forest covering the ground from Yenisei River to Kacha River

The Victory Memorial is one of the main attractions of the city of Krasnoyarsk.

The memorial was built in 1975 on the 30th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

The St. Nicholas Boat Museum is located on the waterfront in Krasnoyarsk on the bank of Yenisei River. The steamer was built in 1886 in the city of Tyumen. The crown Prince of the Russian Empire – Emperor Nicholas II arrived in Krasnoyarsk on this ship on July 1, 1891

Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre opened its first season in 1978. The repertoire of the theatre is almost the entire opera and ballet classics.

Krasnoyarsk Museum Center is the largest in Siberia presentation platform of contemporary art in Siberia. It forms a creative community and cultural environment in the city and the region.

Andrey Dubensky Monument located at the top of the Krasnyy Yar hill after which the city was named is a monument to the founder of Krasnoyarsk- Andrey Dubensky. The monument was erected in 2003 to coincide with the 375th anniversary of the city.

Church of the Intercession - an architectural monument of the XVIII century, is the oldest surviving stone building in Krasnoyarsk. It is an Architectural monument of the Yenisei Siberian baroque school .

Yenisei Stadium is the home ground of Yenisei-one of the most renowned hockey teams in Russia.

The Arc de Triomphe was built to celebrate the 375th anniversary of Krasnoyarsk in honor of the people of Krasnoyarsk who gave their lives in the defense of the homeland.

The Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Chapel is an architectural monument of local significance. It is a major symbol of the city of Krasnoyarsk.

The Eiffel Tower in Krasnoyarsk is a miniature copy of the Eiffel Tower in Paris and is as tall as 5-storyed building. It is constructed using eight tons of steel and is located in a park close to the French restaurant. At night the tower’s contours are illuminated by over a thousand light bulbs.

Life in Krasnoyarsk

Average rent:

Single Room: 4000-6000 rubles / month ($135-200 / month)
Studio apartment: 10000-15000 rubles / month ($330-500 / month)
One-bedroom apartment: 12000-18000 rubles / month ($400-600 / month)
Two-bedroom apartment: 17000-30000 rubles / month ($550-1000 / month)

Transport

Road transport: approx 16 rubles ($ 0.53)

Transport card: 100 rubles. (3.31$), Top-up: 350 rubles (11.6$). This is valid for trips on buses, trolley buses and trams. The cost of a single trip is 14 rubles (0.46$)

Websites giving information about Krasnoyarsk:

http://www.krskstate.ru

http://www.admkrsk.ru/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.kgs.ru

http://www.krasme.ru

http://www.krasstudent.ru

http://www.gokrk.ru

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