Siberian Black Ice Race 2012: Irkutsk - Gateway to Lake Baikal

This small town rapidly became a centre for intellectual, artistic and creative progress and these exiles shaped the development of this remote Eastern Siberian town into an important cultural and economic centre - even earning the name ‘the Paris of Siberia’ by the time the first train arrived in the city in 1900.

From architecture, through to literature and art, Irkutsk’s reputation as a creative outpost quickly spread, although subsequent events were to challenge the city to it’s very limits…

During the Russian Civil War, Irkutsk was the setting for many bloody battles between the ‘Whites’ and ‘Reds’ and many historic buildings were lost in a huge fire in 1879 along with three quarters of the city.  Despite such a dramatic and tumultuous past, Irkutsk has rebounded time after time and now offers EWR competitors a rich cultural experience.

The city is built next to the Angara River, which flows into Lake Baikal and a large reservoir was constructed in 1950 to help industrialisation of the region.   The Irkutsk River, after which the city is named, flows into the Angara opposite the city.  Climate is extreme and temperatures can range from extreme heat in the summer months to arctic conditions in winter, with a mean temperature in January of -19C.

It is this combination of a history of great creativity and the dramatic Siberian landscape that makes Irkutsk such a fascinating part of the Siberian Black Ice Race experience. 

To find out more about the race, click on the Siberian Black Ice Race tab or call one of our team at 01285 860 445.