MOSCOW/KRASNOYARSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd August, 2021) OSCOW/KRASNOYARSK, Russia, August 2 (Sputnik), Denis Chernyshenko - A Sputnik correspondent has visited the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, which hosted the 2019 Winter Universiade.
What's out in Siberia, anyway? Dense forests, inexhaustible mineral resources, endless snow and wild bears ... Krasnoyarsk is busting these myths, being a big, modern and very beautiful city.
The Tsardom of Russia defeated the Siberian Khanate in the late 16th century and thus entered the seemingly expanse of western Siberia.
In the following decades, the Russian forces advanced farther to the east, reaching the Yenisey River, where they founded the towns of Turukhansk, Yeniseysk and Krasnoyarsk.
Krasnoyarsk, founded in 1628, was a southern border fortress that protected the new Russian lands from the neighboring Yenisei Kyrgyz people, who besieged the town several times, including the 1679 siege by the combined army of the Yenisei Kyrgyz and the Dzungar people.
The Yenisei Kyrgyz managed to contain the spread of the Russian state in Siberia for several decades but were finally defeated, which opened a path for Moscow to the far east.
In the early 19th century, Krasnoyarsk became the center of the Yeniseysk Governorate, replacing Yeniseysk as the main city in the region. As for many other Siberian cities, the key economic event for Krasnoyarsk was the opening of the Trans-Siberian Railway in the late 19th century. The railway bridge across the Yenisey River received an award at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris.
The city witnessed major unrest during the 1905 Russian Revolution and fierce fighting during the Civil War, while in the ensuing Soviet era it became a large industrial center.
In 2019, Krasnoyarsk hosted the Winter Universiade, becoming the third Russian city to host the event after Moscow (1973) and Kazan (2013).
Krasnoyarsk is known for its difficult ecological situation, the city sometimes facing the so-called "black sky", when it's engulfed in dense smog that complicates breathing. The phenomenon is caused by the activities of multiple factories, including the Krasnoyarsk Aluminum Smelters, one of the biggest aluminum smelters in the world, as well as by the city's location in a basin.
Fortunately, we did not seen "black sky" in Krasnoyarsk, but it is rather difficult to breathe in the city because of the air pollution.
At the same time, Krasnoyarsk is a very green city � in the middle of the city there are several big islands fully covered with forests and parks turned into recreation zones. The city is also surrounded by hills and small mountains covered with forests which form a very picturesque view even from the city center.�
While many towns and cities in the European part of Russia were devastated during World War II, Siberian settlements remained untouched and preserved many buildings constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
As Krasnoyarsk was an administrative center of the governorate in the 19th century, there are many historical buildings in the city from this era. Especially impressive is the Krasnoyarsk Local History Museum, which is built in an ancient Egyptian style.
There are also several interesting museums in the city, including the museum of great Soviet writer Viktor Astafyev and painter Vasily Surikov, who were born in or near Krasnoyarsk. Surikov is well-known for his historical paintings "The Morning of the Streltsy Execution," "Boyarina Morozova," "Menshikov in Beryozovo," "The Conquest of Siberia by Yermak Timofeyevich" and "Suvorov Crossing the Alps", while Astafyev for his many novels, including "The Cursed and Killed" and "Tsar Fish."
The Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Chapel, built in the 19th century on the top of Karaulnaya Hill, is a symbol of Krasnoyarsk depicted on the 10-ruble note. And fans of French culture may visit a small replica of the Eiffel Tower in the northeastern part of the city.
In the southern outskirts of Krasnoyarsk one may find the fantastic Stolby Nature Reserve, located in the foothills of the Eastern Sayan Mountains.
The unbelievable complex of rocks among the dense taiga forests attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. In 2007, the Stolby Nature Reserve was submitted to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
It took us some eight hours to cover about twenty kilometers (over twelve miles) through the mountainous and forested areas with fantastic views, as well as well-organized routes with cafes and other tourist facilities.
Despite the majestic beauty of Krasnoyarsk and the Stolby Nature Reserve, this area has not turned into a full-scale mecca for tourists from Russia and other countries � which will change in the future, one hopes.
