The Eastern Siberian city of Irkutsk is one of the oldest and most attractive Siberian cities. It has a long and eventful history which reflects fully the history of Siberia. Siberia (meaning Sleeping Land) is a vast territory of this Russia.

Irkutsk began as a Cossack settlement in 1661. A new trading outpost was built near the confluence of two rivers, the Angara and the Irkut. The name of the city originates from the name of the river Irkut (meaning Fast Flowing River), which came from the language of native Siberians belonging to Mongolian ethnic clan. In the past, Irkutsk was a consumer city which had to import many products from other areas. It was not until the end of the 19th century that great industries began to develop. The first industrial enterprise in Irkutsk was a brick factory. Prior to it commencing operation, Irkutsk had been a town of log structures. The great fire of Irkutsk in 1879 destroyed nearly 80% of the central area of Irkutsk. The town was rebuilt quickly and its recovery was aided by the construction of the TSR and especially by the completion of the link around Lake Baikal in 1905.
 
The main sightseeing structures of the city are:  The church of Our Saviour, which is considered to be the oldest stone structure in Irkutsk, the building of the Regional Administration (locally called the Grey House), and the War Memorial opened in 1975, when the country celebrated the 30th anniversary of the victory in the 2nd World War. Epiphany Cathedral was the third stone structure in Irkutsk built in the same style as the Church of Our Saviour. Also the Roman Catholic Church which is locally called the Polish Cathedral in Kirov Square (the central square of Irkutsk). Once called Tikhvinskaya, it was renamed in 1935 after S.Kirov, one of the Soviet leaders and revolutionaries who in the beginning of the 20th century illegally lived in Irkutsk in order to revive the Party here. Znamensky Cathedral, (or the Cathedral of the Omen) was founded in 1683 as a nunnery to glorify the apparition of our lady. The stone church was built in 1762. The Russian word Znamenye, which gave the cathedral its name, corresponds to the English Omen and comes from the name of the most respected icon of the cathedral. The monument to Alexander III was built to commemorate the coming of the first train to Irkutsk in 1898. The construction started during the rule of Alexander III, and he thus became the patron of the construction of wooden houses.