Sverdlovsk Oblast.

History

People have lived here since ancient times: in 1890 the Shigir Idol, a wooden sculpture about 11,000 years old, was found in a peat bog near Kalata. Russian settlement began around the turn of the 17th century, with Verkhoturye founded in 1598. In the 18th century the region filled with ironworks, and the Demidov family built the famous Nevyansk Tower. Yekaterinburg was founded in 1723 by Vasily Tatishchev and Georg Wilhelm de Gennin. The family of Nicholas II was killed here in 1918, and during the Second World War more than 200 factories were evacuated to the region.

Culture & traditions

Yekaterinburg has one of the largest numbers of theatres in Russia, including an opera and ballet house. The city is known as the home of Ural rock, where Nautilus Pompilius and Chaif got their start. It is also linked to Pavel Bazhov, author of the Ural folk tales. The Sverdlovsk Regional Museum of Local Lore displays the Shigir Idol, and the Yeltsin Center opened in 2015. The Church on the Blood stands on the site where the royal family died.

Nature

The Ural Mountains run north to south through the oblast; the highest peaks are Konzhakovsky Kamen (1,569 m) and Denezhkin Kamen (1,492 m). The main rivers are the Tavda, Tura, Chusovaya and Ufa. The region has a national park and several nature parks, the best known being Oleni Ruchyi. Some 66 mammal species and 228 bird species live here.

Sport

Yekaterinburg is home to Avtomobilist in hockey, FC Ural in football and UMMC Yekaterinburg in basketball. In 2018 the city hosted four matches of the FIFA World Cup.

Food & drink

The Urals are seen as one of the homelands of pelmeni: the dumplings entered Russian cuisine as Russians settled the Urals and Siberia. The word itself comes from Finno-Ugric languages and means 'bread ear'. Most locals are Russian, with Tatars the second-largest community, and both traditions show at the table.

Practical information

The main airport is Koltsovo in Yekaterinburg, one of the busiest in Russia; the Trans-Siberian Railway crosses the oblast, and Yekaterinburg has had a metro since 1991. Local time is Moscow plus two hours. Winters are long and cold (around −16 to −20°C in January) and summers short and warm (about +20°C). Summer and early autumn are best for mountain walks and the nature parks.

What to see

• Church on the Blood, Yekaterinburg — on the site where Nicholas II's family died
• Shigir Idol at the regional museum — a wooden sculpture some 11,000 years old
• Nevyansk Tower — the Demidovs' tower with a 'whispering' chamber
• Oleni Ruchyi Nature Park — the region's best-known nature park
• Verkhoturye — an old town founded in 1598
• Yeltsin Center — a museum and cultural venue in Yekaterinburg

Cities on the map

• Yekaterinburg 1,536,183