Trips and Tales #52: More on Krasnoyarsk #1

14 Oct 2011

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"350-Year Anniversary" Square, Krasnoyarsk, Prospekt Mira

More on Krasnoyarsk

Out of the blue I discover recommendations for places to visit whilst in the city, all from a short-and-to-the-point tourist page. Literally “a page”, with one link… that returns directly back to the same page. How bizarre… Escaping this infinity-loop with the info on-board, I can reveal that aside from Stolby National Park (as mentioned last time), the Yenisei River, Prospekt Mira, the Local Regional Studies museum and “350-Year Anniversary” Square are also worth a look. Who am I to argue?

The main “drag” appears to be Prospekt Mira and the accompanying Krasnoy Armii, Lenina and Karla-Marksa streets. Hmm, I’m sure I’ve heard some of those names before somewhere…

The thing is, Prospekt Mira is presented as quite simply a pleasant place to ramble around: a street of shops, cafés and restaurants in a city that has retained much of its authenticity rather than being overly, generically “developed” into a grotesque “entertainment centre”. This sounds ideal to me anyway with my biased views: I don’t even like most modern precincts (except to cycle down, full-pelt after the shops have shut and the walking dead have drifted on…)

And… in Krasnoyarsk there are trees too, in the city centre no less… on both sides of the streets! I have seen photographic evidence.

A walk along the Yenisei River links the railway station to the “350-Year Anniversary” Square which contains yet more cafés. Is Krasnoyarsk the cafe capital of Siberia? Would that be a bad thing anyway? I see how those original recommendations link up … because close to the square lies the Local Regional Studies museum.

Out here they must surely take their heritage pretty seriously: this institution has been running since 1889, having been founded by local archaeology enthusiasts. It was closed for renovation from 1987 to 2001, that’s 14 years – the death of an era and the country’s re-birth into another. When the museum finally reopened in the new millennium, it had been not only reconstructed but expanded too… and with a faux Egyptian facade (…why Egyptian?) Well, such monumental effort and dedication is surely worth rewarding with a visit if you are passing through…

There are 11 exhibitions on permanent display, featuring a range of cultural, archaeological and historical material, as well as information relevant to the immediate area as well as wider Russia. There are even some Woolly Rhinos …and a section dedicated to the famous Tunguska explosion. Sounds great.

Krasnoyarsk really does sound like a good place to visit, but of course every Eden has its serpent, or in this case, ticks, active in forests and parks during most of the summer months. They bite, and a small percentage of these carry encephalitis (apparently ticks can carry several pathogens at a time). A quick read on encephalitis alone indicates that it can seriously mess you up. I’m not qualified to offer professional medical advice so if you are going to the region: get some …including knowing what a tick bite actually looks like, and the correct procedure to follow if you find one embedded in your person. I read on the web about contacting the local immunisation center at Prospekt Mira, #35, Krasnoyarsk …and about getting the beast, once carefully removed… to analysis… Like I said: get professional advice, people. And then… enjoy your stay.

Also, remember that as Krasnoyarsk lies directly on the upper Yenisei River (also written as Enisey River), it could well be a jumping point for the adventurer on the way to Irkutsk or who is seeking to explore more of the region – including the tributaries of the rivers that feed into the northern end of Lake Baikal.