Ekaterinburg

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Ekaterinburg is the capital of Western Siberia. The city got rich on the Gold Rush in the C18th, but today is primarily a Steel Town. The city has always been reasonably prosperous, as one can see from the number of patrician houses and mansions around the city centre. Contrary to popular rumour, the city's name (which translates as "Catherine's City") is not due to Empress Catherine II ("the Great"), but an earlier Catherine. Catherine I was the second wife of Tsar Peter the Great, and it was her practical good sense which helped establish this important industrial and mining centre - so Peter named the city in her honour.

Ekaterinburg was most notoriously the scene of the assassination of the Romanov Royal Family in 1918. There were, of course, TWO Revolutions in 1918. The earlier one, in March, resulted in an understanding between the Tsar and the new Provisional Govt - if the Tsar agreed to abdicate, he and his family would be allowed to live quietly in Russia. However, when the Socialists organised the October Revolution in the same year, to overthrow the Provisional Govt, the Royal Family felt a lot less safe with the new rulers, and tried to escape to France... but they were arrested before even reaching the Russian border. From there, they were taken to House-Arrest captivity in Ekaterinburg, in the "Apatiev House", which is where the story really begins - and ends. Click here for more details on the event itself.

Sightseeing in Ekaterinburg

• Site of the Apatiev House, where the Royal Family were murdered in 1918. There is a small memorial on the site you can visit - a new Cathedral is due to be built here.
• The Military Museum is worth visiting - Ekaterinburg has been a major military centre, and the Military is at the centre of the city's history. In addition to Army history, you can see some of the weaponry designed and produced in Ekaterinburg, including the famous T-34 tank, and the "Katyusha" ("little Katie") Rocket Launcher.
• The city's other Museums are also worth visiting - including the Geology Museum, with massive precious stones and gold ore on show.
• You can also take an excursion out of the city to the Europe/Asia Border Marker - yes, this is where continents meet!

Visiting Ekaterinburg

Ekaterinburg is a very "normal" Russian city, and gives you a good idea of what life is like in an average city for Russians today. We offer Family Home-Stays, to give you more of a flavour of real life today. Ekaterinburg is also home to Russia's Number #1-selling Progressive Rock band, Nautilus Pompilius. You can hear one of their songs ("Apostle Andrei") playing now (if you are using MS-Explorer and have a Sound Card), and there are several others of theirs scattered around our website!

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Trips featuring Ekaterinburg include: The Russia Experience Super Siberian Experience The Mammoth

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