Irkutsk

Irkutsk is the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, and one of the largest cities in Siberia.

Many distinguished Russians were sent into exile in Irkutsk for their part in the Decembrist revolt of 1825, and the city became an exile-post for the rest of the century. Some of the fine wooden houses still survive, contrasting with the dominant Soviet architecture. When the railway reached Irkutsk, it had earned the nickname of "The Paris of Siberia." The city saw bitter fighting in the Russian Civil War of 1918-20, and then became a major centre of aircraft manufacture.

Trans-Siberian Highway and Trans-Siberian Railway connect Irkutsk to other regions in Russia and Mongolia.