Centre historique d'Irkoutsk

The Historic Center of Irkutsk is an enigmatic entry on Russia’s Tentative List. Its official description is in French and just rambles on about its general history, architectural styles, street plan and renovation projects. There seems to be no focus what the prospective WHS should entail: “a large number of preserved architectural monuments of different periods and styles (Siberian baroque, classicism, art nouveau, "Russian style", local traditions, Gothic, Byzantine, Asian architectural art, constructivism)” suggests a broad approach, while it seems logical that OUV could be found somewhere in its renowned wooden architecture.

Irkutsk, the largest city in Eastern Siberia, was founded in 1661 as a military fortress that imposed taxes on the indigenous population in the form of animal fur. The city also developed as a commercial and administrative center due to its location on various trade routes with Mongolia and China such as the Tea route. Today it is slightly more chaotic than the big cities in western Russia, but I liked it. One really encounters a completely different side of the country. At the cozy Central Market, you’ll find Mongolian, Buryatian and Chinese tradesmen selling nice thick woolen socks, cheese and honey. And of course there are Russian females with buckets full of blue and red berries for sale too.

The city does not have any unforgettable monuments, but it is known for its relatively large number of wooden houses. In 1879 there was a big fire in the city center, after which it was decided …

I was in Irkoutsk in June 2008. If anyone wants to see the old Siberian Russian wooden architecture, please hurry up, not much is left of what was once a typical XIX century town. Old houses are deminishing all the time and they are constantly replaced by "modern" architecture. There are no plans (at least they are not visible) to halt that process, only a few houses in historic center were carefully restored. All others are just left on their own. Very sad. But nevertheless the old Russian Siberian architecture is fantastic, all wooden ornaments are very interesting. If they only preserve ...