Trips and Tales (Part 36)
Ekaterinburg
There’s an asteroid named after it, and a ballistic-missile-carrying submarine… It had an (accidental) outbreak of military-manufactured anthrax… A U-2 spy plane was shot down over it and the pilot captured… It was destined to be the emergency capital, in the event of Moscow falling during an attempted coup in 1991… The last Tsar, family and loyal assistants were all murdered there… It was also the stomping ground of a certain Boris Yeltsin, famous for jolly, impromptu attempts at conducting an orchestra on global television (oh, and some presidential stuff too, including ordering the demolition of the Ipatiev House, site of the Tsar’s death)… Finally, there’s the occasional reactor leak in the general area, but we’d better not go there (either figuratively or literally).
Ekaterinburg is also referred to as Yekaterinburg, after Yekaterina (English: Catherine): both Saint Catherine and Peter the Great’s wife, Catherine I. To add further confusion, from 1924 to 1991 it was also known as Sverdlovsk, after the Bolshevik party leader and subsequent Soviet Chairman, Yakov Sverdlov.
That’s enough of a selection of high-and low-lights for now, I think. Those were the ones that jumped out at me. Try joining the dots (hardened conspiracy theorists only).
The city was founded in 1723 and now ranks as Russia’s third largest, with a population just over 1.3 million. It is located just East of the Ural mountains, whose proximity (along with varied air currents) means quite changeable weather under a general “humid continental climate”. Lakes and forests surround Ekaterinburg on the plain leading away from the Urals, the city itself being situated on the Iset river, flowing 606 km from its mountain source to the much longer Tobol.
It is a centre of high productivity, with industry centred on machinery and metal manufacturing, a formidable scientific research capacity and numerous educational institutions; a sound basis for “investing in the future”. Ekaterinberg seems also to treasure the best of the past too, preserving a heritage of wood and stone buildings – constructivist and Soviet Neo-Classical – alongside modern edifices of capitalism. Currently there are over 600 monuments of cultural and historical significance, some being of national importance.
The city fares well culturally, with dozens of libraries and some notable theatres for which it is renowned; numerous museums and active scenes for various flavours of the performing arts; a literary quarter celebrating major names and periods of the written heritage; installed modern art; and the notable “Ural Rock” festival, considered significant on a national scale.
One of the city’s most notable features in terms of recreation is the large “City Pond”, formed by centrally damming the Iset River. Great for letting off steam on boats or jet skis. For more serene pursuits, prior to reaching the dam the Iset runs alongside parks and walkways, perfect for leisurely exploration.
Just a block away from the dam is the commemorative “Square”, a reminder of the 1905 revolution (yes: 1905) and doubling as an “Ice Town” playground in the winter. In contrast, Ascension Hill reveals a beautiful park, housing the estates and dwellings of notable Russians and the Christ Ascension Church (the city’s oldest).
No summary is complete without mentioning the “Church on the Blood”. Ipatiev house, the murder site of the Romanovs: destroyed by Yeltsin to remove an embarrassing pilgrimage site, the house was subsequently replaced by the stately “Church on the Blood”. Solemn, beautiful and magnificent. What a difference a century makes.
Next time: Trips and Tales (Part 37)
On the beaten track in Ekaterinburg, where The Church on The Spilt Blood in Honour of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land commemorates the murder-site of the Romanovs, last royal family of Russia.
[Photo by ingalatvia]