CITY · BURYATIA

Ulan-Ude.

Ulan-Ude, the capital of Buryatia, lies where the Uda meets the Selenga, about 100 km southeast of Lake Baikal. It is known for the giant Lenin head on its main square and is one of the centres of Tibetan Buddhism in Russia, with the Ivolginsky Datsan just 23 km away.

Region: Buryatia
Population: 435,067 (2025)
Founded: 1666
Airport: Baikal · UUD

Good news & stories

30 September 2026

Buuza

Buryat buuza: a dough yurt with broth inside

Why buuza have an opening on top, what goes into the filling, how to eat them properly and where Sagaalgan comes in.

Food and traditionsUlan-Ude, Republic of Buryatia

All good news

History

The settlement was founded in 1666 as the Udinskoye winter outpost and later became known as Udinsk. It received town status in 1775 and was renamed Verkhneudinsk in 1783. Rebuilt after a fire in 1878, it was reached by the Trans-Siberian Railway in 1900 and in 1920 briefly served as capital of the Far Eastern Republic. On 27 July 1934 it was renamed Ulan-Ude, Buryat for "red Uda".

Culture & traditions

The Ivolginsky Datsan opened in 1945 as the only Buddhist centre in the USSR; today it is the seat of the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia and keeps the body of Hambo Lama Itigelov. The city has the Ulger puppet theatre, founded in 1967, and an open-air Ethnographic Museum covering everything from the Slab Grave culture to the 20th century, including an Old Believer church. The Odigitrievsky Cathedral is built in Siberian Baroque style. On the central square stands the Lenin head, 42 tonnes and 7.7 m tall, unveiled in 1971.

Sport

Ulan-Ude is the hometown of Olympic archer Inna Stepanova. The gymnast Oksana Omelianchik and chess grandmaster Zhamsaran Tsydypov were also born here.

Food & drink

The best-known dish of Buryat cuisine is buuz, steamed dough pockets filled with minced mutton or beef, onion and garlic. A small opening is left at the top so the steam does not burst them, and they are eaten by hand. They are made in especially large numbers for Sagaalgan, the lunar New Year.

Practical information

Flights land at Baikal Airport. The city is on the Trans-Siberian Railway and is also the starting point of the Trans-Mongolian line to Ulaanbaatar and Beijing; the Baikal federal highway runs through it too. Local time is Moscow plus 5 hours. The climate is steppe-like, with long cold winters and warm summers, so summer is the best season, ideally combined with a trip to Lake Baikal.

What to see

Lenin head — a 42-tonne, 7.7 m monument on the main square.
Ivolginsky Datsan — the centre of Russian Buddhism, 23 km from the city.
Ethnographic Museum — open-air houses and places of worship of the Transbaikal peoples.
Odigitrievsky Cathedral — a church in Siberian Baroque style.
Hambyn-Hure — a Buddhist datsan within the city.
Mount Komushka — a panorama over the city.