Yekaterinburg – City of Infamy

Yekaterinburg is in stark contrast to Irkutsk with former bovver boy Boris Yelstin being a former rising star in the Yekaterinburg communist party. He introduced a number of changes to the city including the destruction of many old buildings to modernize the city. 


He even went as far as destroying the cellar building where the Romanovs were killed (last Tsar of Russia) as he was worried about the cult following it was creating. Stayed at the Trans Hotel, which was close to most things in the city so we got plenty of walking in.

Fortunately a number of magnificent buildings including a few old churches have survived. The crowning piece in the new Yekaterinburg is the Church of the Blood, a new church dedicated to the new saints of the Tsar’s family and servants, built on the site of their execution. The church is very controversial as it has the most expensive icons created in Russian history dedicated to the creation of them as saints. Even how they were canonised in the Russian orthodox faith is controversial as it was based on the manner and bravery of their deaths rather than as martyrs dying for their faith.  Lenin must be turning in his grave at how the Romanovs are now revered (well he would be if he wasn’t embalmed and on public display in Red Square).  

 

 

The city is lovely to walk around with a lake as the central theme, trams and lots of statues. 

 

Interesting the travel maps we picked up with walking routes only show non-soviet statutes and places of interest. The huge Lenin statue in front of the town hall gets no mention at all.

Went to the local zoo, which is in the heart of the city. There were a few bears, sable, fox and many other wearable animals on display. Unfortunately it was like the bad old days of Taronga Park Zoo when the bears were held in concrete pits.  Plenty of turtles of many different species were there - must have been a special on them and they are all kept in a hot house.

PETA has no influence here as everyone wears real fur with lots of shops selling them with no additional security. Walked into one store that had AUD2000.00 sable fur on the rack with no wires or security on it. Michael would not buy it for me, as it could not be worn at home. Besides, the fur looks better on the animals than on me! In the markets they sell sable and fur hats.

We re-board the train bound for Moscow.  Journey will take 24 hours so only sleeping there for one night. The train is the Rossija again so looking forward to that.