Gorno-Altaisk

Gorno-Altaisk is the only city in the Altai Republic and the capital of the region. It was founded in 1830 as a place called Ulala. During the existence of the city it has been changing the names for several times – after Ulala it was called Yorot-Tura and after that Gorno-Altaisk

The history of the city began when the Russian missionaries came to this territory and the first cases of turning the Altai people into Christians happened there. Simultaneously with the missionaries, merchants from the nearest territories who opened shops, selling cattle, fur skins and cedar nuts, appeared in the settlement,.

Today Gorno-Altaisk is an administrative, cultural and industrial centre of the republic.

Speaking about cultural life of the city, one of the oldest sights here is the Republican Museum of Local History.

Gorno-Altaisk is situated in picturesque valley on the banks of the Maima River. It is surrounded by mountains, thick birch groves and coniferous forests. Not very far from the city centre there is a ski resort, which is open for tourists from December to March.

The city was very popular in 1960-70s, when during the excavations on the banks of the Ulalushka River the traces of primitive people were found by academician Okladnikov. Now their ancient tools, which were found there, can be seen in the coat of arms of the city.

For tourists, who are very interested in speleology, it will be quite interesting to visit Ulalinskaya Paleolithic site and see this mysterious place with their own eyes. Other places of interest near the city are the Kamyshlinskiy Waterfall and Tavdinskie Caves.

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