Yekaterinburg (Екатеринбу́рг), Russia

Yekaterinburg (Russian: Екатеринбу́рг, also written as Ekaterinburg) is the fourth largest city in Russia. The city of 1.35 million people is the administrative capital of Sverdlovsk Oblast. It observes the Yekaterinburg Time (UTC+6).

Yekaterinburg, Russia, with the Church on the Blood
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ekaterinburg_Riverside.jpg
Author: Alex Kofman
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Yekaterinburg is 1,667 km (1,036 mi) to the east of Moscow. It is also to the east of the Ural mountains, at the border between European Russia and Asia. It experiences a humid continental climate with short, mild summers and long, cold winters.

The warmest month in Yekaterinburg is July, when average high temperatures rise to 18.5°C (65.3°F). Coldest month is January, when the average low temperature drops to -16.8°C (1.8°F). For five months, from November to March, temperature may remain below 0°C. July is the wettest month with 80.7 mm (3.177 in) of precipitation.

Yekaterinburg was founded in 1723 and named after Empress Catherine I (Yekaterina), the consort to Peter the Great (Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov). It was here in Yekaterinburg that the last tsar of Russia, Nicholas II was murdered, along with his entire family, on 17 July, 1918.

Church of Nativity, Yekaterinburg
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%A5%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BC-%D0%A0%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B0-%D0%A5%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0-%D0%95%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B1%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B3-6.JPG
Author: Порфирий
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After Yekaterinburg fell to communist rule, the city was renamed Sverdlovsk, in honor of Bolshevik party leader Yakov Sverdlov. It was known by that name from 1924 until 1991, when the collapse of the Soviet Union made the name fall out of favor, and it reverted to its historical name, Yekaterinburg. Yekaterinburg was also the home city of Boris Yeltsin, who went on to become the first President of the Russian Federation. He made it the reserve capital for Russia in case the political situation in Moscow become too volatile.

Today Yekaterinburg is a developed city with its economy supported by machinery, metal processing and other commercial enterprises. The city is building the tallest skyscraper in Russia outside of Moscow, called Antey 3.

Afghanistan War Memorial, Yekaterinburg
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AfghanistanWarMemorialInYekaterinburg.Right.2005.0717.jpeg
Author: Lipsio
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Visiting Yekaterinburg

Yekaterinburg is served by Koltsovo Airport (SVX), located 16 km southeast of downtown. It was a military airbase from 1928 until 1943, when it was turned to civilian use. The airport receives flights from Moscow, St Petersburg, Astana, Bangkok, Beijing, Dubai, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Istanbul, Minsk, Munich, Phuket, Prague and Tel Aviv among others.

Yekaterinburg is also a stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway, so you can also take the there from Moscow, Beijing, Ulaanbaator or Vladivostok.

Sights & Attractions in Yekaterinburg

Church Upon the Blood, Yekaterinburg
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iglesia_sobre_la_Sangre.jpg
Author: Alejandro Navarro Moya
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Chapel of the Revered Martyr Grand Dutchess Yelizaveta Fyodorovna
Chapel honoring the great aunt of the Imperial Family who was similarly murdered by the Bolsheviks.
Church upon the Blood
New, colossal Byzantine-style church at the site where Tsar Nicholas II was murdered.
Metenkov House-Museum of Photography
Museum exhibiting photographs related to old Yekaterinburg.
Museum of Architecture and Technology
Former mining-equipment factory and mint today housing museum displaying machinery used in the mining industry.
Museum of Fine Arts
Museum showcasing work by Russian artists. It also houses the prize-winning Kasli Iron Pavilion which was exhibited at the 1900 Paris Expo.
Nevyansk Icon Museum
Museum showcasing Nevyansk religious icons from the 17th to the 20th century.
Plotinka
Literally the Little Dam, this is a small dam marking the spot where the city was first established in 1723. The Monument to the founders of Yekaterinburg is located in the vicinity.
Railway Museum
Housed in an old train station, the museum provides details of the history of the railway in the Urals.
Romanov Death Site
The site where Tsar Nicholas II and the Russian Imperial Family were murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918. The house was demolished by Boris Yeltsin to prevent it becoming a shrine to monarchist sympathisers, and the site is today marked by an iron cross and a marble cross.
Statue of Yakov Sverdlov
Soviet-era statue of the person whose name was given to Yekaterinburg from 1924 to 1991.
Ural Geology Museum
Museum with a comprehensive catalogue of regional minerals, and includes a collection of meteorites.
Urals Mineralogical Museum
Museum displaying thousands of examples of minerals, stones and crystals.

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