Often called the Siberian Paris, Irkutsk is one of the largest and most beautiful cities in Siberia, Russia. The city boasts magnificent churches, whose histories date back centuries. Irkutsk was founded in 1661 on the place of the junction of the Angara and the Irkut Rivers. The Irkut River gave the name to the city. At first, it was just a little wooden town, but it developed very fast, and 25 years later Irkutsk was given the status of the city. Today Irkutsk is one of the largest economic, industrial and cultural centres of Eastern Siberia. The citizens of the city believe that Irkutsk means for Siberia as much as Paris for France and London for England.

Begin at the historical centre of Irkutsk on the Angara coast. The history of the city began on Kirov Square. Nearby, see the Savior Church, which is considered the oldest stone building in all of Eastern Siberia. Visit the Epiphany Cathedral, a Roman Catholic church. Explore the Znamensky Monastery and the illustrious collection of icons at the Holy Cross Church. Walk along the main street of the city, Karl Marx Street, to the Angara River. There is the Irkutsk Drama Theater, the Irkutsk Regional Museum, and many other buildings built in the early 20th century. Proceed to the central embankment of Irkutsk at Angara River, which is a favourite place for walks and mass celebrations. Away from the embankment, visit an interesting historic district, the buildings of which appeared in the early 18th century. Due to a large number of wooden buildings, this area has formed a special historical zone of the city. Explore the heart of the blacksmith and pottery workshops and souvenir shops. 

Then pay a visit to Decembrists' museum in Irkutsk - the Trubetskies’ house museum, the Volkonskies’ house museum. This museum was opened in the former houses where the families of Sergey Trubetskoi and Sergey Volkonskiy lived. The museums’ expositions which are devoted to Decembrists’ life in East Siberia, in convict prisons, in deportations. The family life of Decembrists, their household articles, furniture, musical instruments are presented in the museum as well.

The first Decembrists arrived in Irkutsk in the summer of 1826. They were given hard labour, or forced to work in factories or prisons. As the Decembrists were the Russian nobility and intelligentsia, they made a considerable impact on the cultural, historical and political development of the eastern Siberian region. In their spare time, the Decembrists taught the younger generation and the peasants maths, languages, medicine, natural sciences and music. A particularly important role in the life of Irkutsk society was played by Grand Duke Sergey Volkonsky, a veteran of the 1812 Great Patriotic War, and one of the leaders of Decembrists’ Society. Volkonsky was sent to a village near Irkutsk, where he cultivated the fields with the peasants teaching them advanced farming methods. His house in Irkutsk became a centre of cultural and spiritual life. Among other famous Decembrists’ houses in Irkutsk, there is the house that belonged to Grand Duke Sergey Trubetskoy and his wife Yekaterina Trubetskaya (who was the first woman to leave to follow her husband to Siberia). The Decembrists also made a great contribution to the history, geography and political ideas of Irkutsk and Siberia in general. Nowadays, people from all over the world come to Irkutsk to learn about the destiny of the “state criminals” who dared to rebel against the monarchy in December 1825 and were exiled to Siberia. Most of their houses are located in the centre of Irkutsk.