Yekaterinburg, one of the most interesting cities in the Urals, is full of tourist attractions. Each era of the city’s history is embodied in its architecture: the merchants’ houses and old schools, strict constructivism and bold modern sculptures. The main attractions are linked by a tourist route 6.5 km long, called the “red line”. You can complete it in about half a day, following the red markings on the road.
Life is always in full swing on Yekaterinburg’s main street, Prospect Lenina with its many shops, museums and other cultural venues. Here, you’ll find one of the most beautiful buildings in Yekaterinburg – the arty Dom Sevastyanova from the late 19th century. Tourists are attracted by the pedestrianised Ulitsa Veinera with its many restaurants and fun contemporary sculptures. A favourite place among young people is the banks of the “Plotinka” urban reservoir, where all the city festivals are held. And the spirit of old times can be felt by visiting shady Kharitonovsky Gardens with its pavilion near the Kharitonov-Rastorguev country estate from the early 19th century.
Yekaterinburg’s museums are definitely worth a look. The Museum of the History of Jewellery and Lapidary Art of the Urals has a large collection of natural and man-made stone masterpieces. The small, cosy A.S. Popov Radio Museum, with its collection of vintage receivers, and the V.S. Vysotsky Ekaterinburg Museum features personal belongings of the singer and poet, is dedicated to the great people who lived and stayed in the city. Also of interest is the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Centre, which tells the story of the controversial president. This impressive list ends with the Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts with its collection of paintings, applied arts and crafts and a unique cast ironwork – the pride of the Urals.
Yekaterinburg does not forget its history. There’s the new Church on the Blood, built on the site of the demolished (and sadly infamous) Ipatiev House, where the royal family was shot. The graceful Church of the Ascension of the Lord, reinstated as a church, shines gently between the tree branches. Near the “Great Ural” hotel, where Vysotsky stayed, is one of the most romantic monuments for the singer, as if playing a serenade to his beloved wife Marina Vladi. And a monument to the keyboard, apparently, represents its modern history.
Opening times and tickets:
Museum of the History of Jewellery and Lapidary Art of the Urals: 11.00 – 18.00 (Wednesday – Sunday, Thursday: 12.00 – 20.00). Tickets 200 roubles, entrance to the Emerald room 300 roubles.
A.S. Popov Radio Museum: 11.00 – 18.00 (Tuesday – Saturday). Tickets 150 roubles.
V.S. Vysotsky Ekaterinburg Museum: 11.00 – 19.00 (Wednesday – Saturday), 11.00 – 18.00 (Sunday). Free admission.
Boris Yeltsin Presidential Centre: 10.00 – 21.00 (Tuesday – Sunday). Tickets 250 roubles.
Ekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts: 11.00 – 20.00 (Tuesday – Thursday), 11.00 – 19.00 (Friday – Sunday). Tickets 200 roubles.