Krasnoyarsk is a city with a four‑century destiny, where every era has left its unique mark. Founded in 1628 as the Krasny Yar ostrog (fortress), it has come a long way from a border outpost to a major industrial and cultural center of Siberia. Over the centuries, the city has carried the spirit of pioneers: trade routes intertwined here, industrial giants were born, and generations of talented scientists, artists, and engineers were raised.
Krasnoyarsk Fortress, 1692
Krasnoyarsk was founded in 1628 by a detachment of Cossacks led by Voivode Andrey Dubensky as a military ostrog. Initially, it was called Krasny Yar, which means «Beautiful Shore». To protect the southern borders of the Yenisei district from nomads, the Cossacks established the Krasny Yar ostrog, which over time became one of the largest fortresses in Siberia.
Map of the Russian Empire. Late 19th century. Collection of the Museum of Local History
On December 12, 1822, the Yenisei Governorate was established. Krasnoyarsk became the capital of the governorate.
City Theater, 1879‑1885
In 1873, on the initiative and at the expense of the second‑guild merchant I. O. Krauze, the first wooden building of the Krasnoyarsk Theater was constructed.
Krutovsky House on Starobazarnaya Square, 1900‑1910
On February 12, 1889, the first public library of Krasnoyarsk was opened on the initiative of members of the Society for the Care of Primary Education in the Krutovsky house on Starobazarnaya Square (now 11 Karatanova Street). It was located on the first floor of a two‑story mansion owned by Mikhail Andreevich Krutovsky, a gold miner originally from the city of Vyazniki in the Vladimir Governorate. His heirs, Vladimir Mikhailovich Krutovsky and Lyubov Mikhailovna Rozing, were among the founders of the city's first public library.
Passenger Building at the Station, 1906
The first building of the Krasnoyarsk railway station was constructed in 1895 according to the design of architect N. M. Solovyov. At that time, it was the only second‑class stone station on the Central Siberian Railway. Its area was 217 square meters. The station building housed two waiting halls (first and second class), a luggage storage room, and a buffet.
View of the Krasnoyarsk Station Railway Junction, 1918‑1919
The arrival of the first train in Krasnoyarsk on December 6, 1895, was a major event in the city's life. The local newspaper enthusiastically wrote: «December 6, 1895, should mark the beginning of a new era in Siberia in general and for the Yenisei region in particular». Interestingly, the first train traveled at an average speed of 4 kilometers per hour. It took five days to reach Krasnoyarsk from Tomsk.
View of the Krasnoyarsk Station Railway Junction, 1918‑1919
Preparations for the construction of the railway bridge across one of the largest obstacles on the Trans‑Siberian Railway route — the Yenisei River — began in 1895. On August 30, 1896, a solemn ceremony marked the laying of the first stone in one of the supports. The construction was completed in record time for that era — less than three years. The railway bridge across the Yenisei was built according to the design of Professor Lavr Proskuryakov from the Moscow Imperial Technical School. More than two thousand people worked on the bridge, and with assistants, their number reached ten thousand. The bridge's length across the Yenisei was one kilometer, with span widths of 144.9 meters and the height of the metal trusses at the parabola's vertex being 20 meters. On March 28, 1899, the railway bridge across the Yenisei was commissioned. The day before the opening, on March 27, the bridge underwent tests. They were taken very seriously: two fully loaded railway trains filled with rails were driven onto the bridge. In 1900, the railway bridge, along with the Eiffel Tower, was awarded the Grand Prix and a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris — «For architectural perfection and magnificent technical execution». Later, UNESCO scientists called the Krasnoyarsk railway bridge «the pinnacle of human engineering thought».
U River Station, 1965‑1970
The tradition of stately permanent stations appeared in the country only in the 1930s. One of the first such structures was the Northern River Station in Moscow (1937). It was this design that Moscow architects looked to when, in the late 1930s, they were asked to create a design for a river station for Krasnoyarsk. Construction of the building lasted from 1949 to 1952. The main work was carried out by the Norilsk Mining Plant, which was extremely interested in developing shipping on the Yenisei. In 1958, the station building design was awarded a silver medal and a certificate of honor at the World Exhibition in Brussels. Soon, the river station became part of the Krasnoyarsk River Port. In 1986, the building became an architectural monument of regional significance and was placed under state protection.
Communal bridge, 1965
On August 14, 1960, the last concrete was poured into the final semi‑dome, and on August 12, 1961, builders laid the final slab on the bridge connecting the Central and Sverdlovsky districts of the city. The beautiful 2,300‑meter‑long bridge was erected in just four years. This giant was 23.4 meters wide and 26 meters high. At the time of its construction, it was the longest bridge in Asia. The builders of the Communal Bridge, A. I. Bakhtin, N. A. Bogdzel, I. P. Kalinnikov, P. A. Egorov, and K. K. Ivasheva, were awarded the Lenin Prize for the development and use of a technology for constructing and closing the bridge arches without supporting supports, which made it possible to significantly reduce the time required for construction. construction and reduce its cost. The bridge itself, thanks to this technology, was included in the UNESCO reference book "Bridge Construction of the World." The bridge crossing over the Yenisei River is a complex engineering structure and is considered unique in the practice of Soviet and foreign bridge construction both in its design and in the way construction and installation works were organized.
Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Power Station, 1963.
In September 1961, the first cubic meter of concrete was laid at the construction of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station. The first unit of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station was launched on November 3, 1967. A total of 5.7 million cubic meters of concrete were laid during the construction of the dam body. The capacity of the hydroelectric power station is 6 thousand MW. The average annual electricity generation is 20.4 billion kWh. The hydroelectric power station dam forms a large The Krasnoyarsk Reservoir. The reservoir covers an area of approximately 2,000 square kilometers. To create this reservoir, 120,000 hectares of agricultural land had to be flooded and nearly 14,000 buildings had to be relocated.
Central Stadium, 1978.
The grand opening of the Krasnoyarsk Central Stadium, one of the best stadiums in the RSFSR. Under the direction of People's Architect Vitaly Vladimirovich Orekhov, construction of the stadium on Otdykha Island lasted 2.5 years (it is listed as a cultural heritage site, and in 1969, Vitaly Orekhov won the All‑Union Competition for Young Architects in Moscow with this design). The original capacity was 32,500 seats. Currently, the Central Stadium of the Krasnoyarsk School of Olympic Reserve is A multi‑sport stadium with a capacity of 22,500 people, it is the home arena for the Yenisei football club and the Russian national rugby team.
Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Power Station, 1976.
The Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Power Plant has been accepted for commercial operation. This powerful hydroelectric power plant is the main producer of electricity in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and is one of the most efficient power plants in Russia. Its average annual output is 19.6–20.4 billion kWh. The share of the Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Power Plant in Russian electricity production amounts to 2.8%, while its share in the volume of hydropower generation reaches 13.5%. The installed capacity of its 12 hydroelectric units is 6 million kW. According to this indicator, the Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Power Plant is among the ten largest hydroelectric power plants in the world and ranks second place in Russia.
Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater, 1980
The grand opening of the opera and ballet theater took place on December 20, 1978. It was timed to coincide with the 350th anniversary of Krasnoyarsk. The first production at the theater was A. P. Borodin's opera Prince Igor. During the first theater season, 13 premieres were presented: the ballet Swan Lake, the opera The Barber of Seville, the ballet Carmen Suite, the opera Eugene Onegin, the ballet Giselle, and others. Today, the Krasnoyarsk State Opera and Ballet Theater named after D. A. Hvorostovsky is one of the most visited and beloved cultural venues among city residents.
October Bridge, 1996
On August 29, 1986, a big celebration was held on Tatyshev Island dedicated to the opening of traffic on the Oktyabrsky Bridge, which connected two major districts — Leninsky and Sovetsky. It got its name due to the fact that the first stone was laid on November 7, 1977, on the 60th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution.
Ward polar bears
The park was opened on August 15, 2000. The park is home to 697 species of animals and 1,017 species and 1,935 varieties of plants of the collection fund. 454 species are listed in the international Red Book.
View of Krasnoyarsk
The Order of Peter the Great is the highest public award of the Russian Federation and is awarded for outstanding services to the Fatherland, contributing to prosperity, greatness and glory Russia.
City signal cannon shot on Karaulnaya Gora
In August 2001, a cannon, the famous 1938 M‑30 howitzer, was installed on Karaulnaya Gora in Krasnoyarsk in memory of the founding Cossacks of Krasnoyarsk. With a blank shot, she announces the arrival of noon.The idea to install a signal cannon in Krasnoyarsk belongs to the Cossacks. They were the founders of the prison "on Krasny Yar" and conducted military operations using "cannons and squeaks." The 1938 M‑30 howitzer was brought from a military unit located in the village of Taskino.
SibGU named after M. F. Reshetnev
A regional branch of the Federation of Cosmonautics has been established in Krasnoyarsk. Krasnoyarsk was chosen because the city is the largest space center in Siberia, it has the only powerful complex of rocket and space industry enterprises in the east of Russia - the Scientific and Production Association of Applied Mechanics named after Academician M. F. Reshetnev. Up to 70% of Russian artificial Earth satellites for various purposes are being built in the city on the Yenisei, production of sea‑based rockets and upper stages for heavy rockets has been launched, the Siberian Aerospace University, several research centers and schools for young cosmonauts operate. On April 13, 2003, a delegation headed by President of the Federation of Cosmonautics V. V. Kovalenko arrived in Krasnoyarsk.
Siberian Federal University
On November 8, 2006, the Siberian Federal University was established by combining four leading universities in Krasnoyarsk. Siberian Federal University (SFU) is the first of ten Russian federal universities established in Krasnoyarsk in 2006 by order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.
Beaver Log
On December 3, 2006, the Bobrovy Log fan park was officially opened, which became an all‑season recreation area. In winter you can go skiing in the park, and in summer you can sunbathe by the pool.The total area of the complex is over 80 hectares, the area of trails with artificial snow cover is 40 hectares. Fanpark capacity: ski season — up to 5 thousand people per day, summer format — up to 10 thousand. a person staying at the complex for a one‑‑time period. Bobrovy Log Fan Park is the only new‑generation all‑season complex outside the Urals, using world‑class technologies and containing unique facilities.
Nikolaevsky Bridge, 2017
The Fourth Bridge in Krasnoyarsk spanned from Sverdlovskaya Street on the right bank to Volochaevskaya Street on the left bank. It has a length of 1,273 meters, six‑lane traffic and two two‑level interchanges on the right and left banks, the total length of which is five kilometers.
