The conquest of Siberia and its incorporation into Russia began at the end of the 16th century with a campaign of Cossack squads led by Ermak and continued until the beginning of the 20th century. The main task of the Cossacks was to persuade the local tribes to come under the control of the "white king" and impose yasak (tax) on them. The squads moved mainly by waterways and, as they advanced, created forts or winter huts.
History of Ulan-Ude
In 1666, in the place where the Uda flows into the Selenga, a Cossack camp was founded, from which the history of the capital of Buryatia, Ulan-Ude, begins. The place was not chosen by chance - there was a road and there was a crossing for nomads. In 1775, Empress Catherine II granted the settlement the status of a city, which was named Verkhneudinsk. The new city became the center of the province, which included four districts - Udinsky, Selenginsky, Barguzinsky and Nerchinsky.
What was Ulan-Ude before
In those days, the city resembled a right-angled triangle and consisted of two parts. The city part was a wooden tower, which housed an artillery warehouse, a powder magazine and a guardhouse. In the suburb there were an office, barracks, grocery stores and trade shops, a wine cellar, drinking houses, an almshouse, three churches, four administrative buildings and more than a hundred residential buildings. In 1790, a public school was opened in Verkhneudinsk.
Between 1676 and 1680, on the site of the former winter quarters, a defensive structure was created - the Udinsky prison. Today, a memorial stone and two crosses are reminded of this event.
Ulan-Ude today
The city received its modern name in 1934. It consists of the Buryat words "Ulan" - red and "Uda" - the name of the river, which translates as "noon". The total area is 347.6 km². Despite the fact that the capital of Buryatia is a large and modern city, many buildings that are monuments of wooden architecture have been preserved there. They have survived more than one century and are protected by the state. But the main attraction of Ulan-Ude can be considered a unique monument to Lenin with a height of 7, 7 meters and consisting of one huge head of the leader of the world proletariat.
Where is Ulan-Ude
Ulan-Ude is located between Europe and Asia in Eastern Siberia. The city stands 130 km from Lake Baikal on the right bank of the Selenga, at the place of its confluence with the Uda River. This is one of the most beautiful places in Russia with a unique natural relief, mountain peaks, fields and forests. The climate here is sharply continental - cool summers and rather cold winters. Once upon a time, the "tea road" passed through the Udi prison, along which caravans moved to China. Now there is a tourist route with the same name. Local peoples are mainly Buddhist. The spiritual capital of the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia, the Ivolginsky Datsan, is located 30 km from Ulan-Ude. The building was erected by local Orongoi craftsmen.
It is here that the body of Lama Itigelov is located, which was brought into the world after a seventy-five-year burial. Since life processes are still going on in the body, even the official science recognized the lama alive.
The distance from Moscow to Ulan-Ude is 5637 km. You can get to Ulan-Ude by plane or by train along the Trans-Siberian Railway.