Elista.

History

The settlement of Elista was founded in 1865; its name is linked to a Kalmyk word for "sandy". In 1920 it became the centre of the Kalmyk Autonomous Oblast, and it received town status in 1930. German troops briefly occupied Elista in 1942, and in December 1943 the Kalmyks were deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan; until 1957 the city was called Stepnoy. After the people returned, Elista became the capital of the republic again.

Culture & traditions

The city's main temple is the Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni, opened in 2005 and described in sources as the largest Buddhist temple in Europe. Elista also has other Buddhist temples, stupas and the Orthodox Kazan Cathedral. Its stages include the Kalmyk drama theatre, the Russian Drama Theatre and the Dzhangar youth theatre. The Exodus and Return memorial of 1996 commemorates the deportation of the Kalmyks.

Sport

Elista is known as a chess city: in 1998 it hosted the 33rd Chess Olympiad, for which the City Chess complex was built. The football club Uralan played in the country's top division in the 1990s and 2000s. From 1967 to 1991 the city had a speedway team, Typhoon.

Practical information

Elista's airport has flights from Moscow and cities in southern Russia. A rail branch runs to Divnoye, and a direct train to Moscow resumed in 2016; buses connect the city with major towns of the south. The climate is dry and sharply continental, averaging about −6 °C in January and +25 °C in July, with more than two thousand hours of sunshine a year. Spring and early autumn are the best times to visit.

What to see

• Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni — the largest Buddhist temple in Europe
• Pagoda of Seven Days — a pagoda with a prayer wheel
• City Chess — the chess quarter built for the 1998 Olympiad
• Exodus and Return memorial — remembering the deportation of the Kalmyks
• Druzhba Park — springs and monuments in a city park