The hotel arranged for me to hire a taxi for the day to visit some sites I could not reach by walking. My first destination was the Open Air Museum of Taltsy. The museum has gathered wooden architecture from all over Siberia and it is one of the largest in Russia. The museum displays buildings and peasant life from the 1600 to the early 2oth century. The oldest actual building preserved is the Kazanskaya Church (1679) is the only wooden temple which was preserved in Siberia. And the Spasskaya Tower of Illim Stockaded-Town is the monument of the wooden defended architecture of the 17th century.
I have included photos of the most interesting but these are just a fraction of the interesting structures and Siberian life presented in the museum. I spent half of my last day wandering thru time and life as a Siberian, peasant, hunter, herder, and prospector.
Ater I had seen all I could at Taltsy I had my driver take me back to Irkutsk and began my Houses of Worship tour. First Stop was the Karzan Cathedral of Irkutsk. I was in luck because this venue actually allowed photos to be taken inside the church so I can share the beauty within as well as the architecture from the street view.
After Karzan I visited I made a quick walking tour of the Epiphany Cathedral, Savior Church built in 1706, The Church of the Assumption of our Lady – Gothic style Polish Catholic Church, and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Church. By the time I walked from the waterfront past the churches then past the Kirov’s Square and Park down to Karl Marx and had dinner (little did I know it would be my last real meal in over 24 hours) it was time to collect my bags and get back on the train for another 31 hours of monotony on my way to Ulan-Bator.
Photos attached: