Yekaterinburg Introduction Walking Tour (Self Guided), Yekaterinburg

The Square of 1905, commonly referred to as "the square" by citizens, assumed its current shape in 1930 after the demolition of the Epiphany Cathedral. It is the combination of two pre-existing squares, Cathedral and Main Commercial Square. The square became the center of revolutionary events in the city during the early 20th century. On May 1, 1905, the first political demonstration and rally was held on the square. It was here on October 19, 1905, that the Bolsheviks revealed the Manifesto of October 17. The rally was interrupted by the Black Hundreds and the Cossacks, and the ensuing fight resulted in several deaths. In November 1919, the square was renamed Square of 1905 in honor of the revolutionary events that occurred here.

The Yekaterinburg City Administration building stands five stories tall and has an imposing clock tower. It is located on the Square of 1905 and is a major tourist attraction. Built during the Soviet Union period, it is to this day a spectacular sight to behold due to its marvelous architectural design.

The City Dam, more commonly referred to as Plotinka, is located in the heart of the city and is a must see attraction. It was built in 1723 and served as the base for the industrial expansion of the city. Today, it is home to a prominent monument of the Industrial Age, the statue of Tatishev and De Gennin. Due to its important historical value and its picturesque square, the Dam hosts numerous events.

The Sverdlovsk Art Gallery was founded in 1936 and was later renamed the Sverdlovsk Fine Arts Museum. In 1992, when the city returned to its historic name, it was renamed the Yekaterinburg Fine Arts Museum. The Ural Society of Naturalists provided the core of the museum's collection, and items were later added from the State Hermitage, the Tretyakov Gallery and the Pushkin Museum. The museum is known for its unique collection of Kashlinski art moldings and the world famous Kashlinski Iron-cast Pavilion, which received the Grand Prix award at the Paris Expo in 1900. Over the years the museum has grown into a major cultural center in Yekaterinburg.

The Keyboard Monument, created by Yekaterinburg artist Anatoly Vyatkin, is located on the second floor of the Iset River embankment. 86 concrete keys, weighing about 80 kilograms each, are arranged in the shape of a standard QWERTY keyboard. Many people visit the site, taking photos of this unique sculptural composition. This project cleverly combines the values of Western and Eastern civilizations. It represents Western technological culture, but maintains the tradition of Eastern stone gardens. The Keyboard Monument is thus perfectly situated, as it stands on the border of Europe and Asia.

The State Stone Cutting and Jewelers Art History Museum was founded in 1992. It is located in the city center on the former site of the Mining Drugstore, which is now preserved elsewhere as an important example of national architecture. The museum was designed by renowned Ural architect Michel Malakhov in 1821. The incredible mineralogical riches of the Urals have attracted the attention of local stone cutters for centuries. The earliest stone cutting tools in the museum date back to the 18th century. Multiple halls showcase the modern art of stone cutting, which continues to preserve the traditions of the past.

The State Academic Philharmonic is one of the best in Russia. On the opening day of the Philharmonic, the State Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of U.S. conductor Vladimir Savich, performed Tchaikovsky's "Sixth Symphony" and Respighi's "Pines of Rome". The latter was performed for the first time in the Soviet Union. The Philharmonic holds several music festivals throughout the year.

The Church of All Saints is a Russian Orthodox church, built from 2000 to 2003 on the site where the former Emperor Nicholas II of Russia and several members of his family and household were executed following the Bolshevik Revolution. The church commemorates the Romanovs, and its name is identical to that of the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma, where the Romanovs ascended the Russian throne. The complex includes two churches, a belfry, a patriarchal annex and a museum dedicated to the imperial family. It covers a total of 29,700 square feet. The main church was consecrated by patriarchs from all over Russia on June 16, 2003, 85 years after the execution of the Tsar and his family.

The Kharitonov Palace is arguably the grandest palatial residence in the Urals. This Neoclassical townhouse was commissioned in 1794 by Lev Rastorguyev, an Old Believer merchant and landowner. The main house was built on the so-called Annunciation Hill in Yekaterinburg. The nearby Annunciation Church was built at the same time. The palace takes its present name from Pyotr Kharitonov, Rastorguyev's son-in-law. He inherited the property in 1824 and employed architect Mikhail Pavlovich Malakhov to connect the buildings with a series of covered passageways. An English park on the grounds was also commissioned by Kharitonov. His harsh treatment of the serfs gave rise to a bevy of legends about a network of underground chambers and passages where his peasants were tortured. In 1837 Kharitonov was officially censured for his cruelty, put on trial and condemned to life imprisonment in Kexholm Fortress.

This temple, built in honor of the Lord's Ascension, is one of the oldest Orthodox churches in Yekaterinburg. The temple was founded in May 1770 and was consecrated on September 19th of the same year. Originally the church was a small wooden structure. By 1789, however, the church building had fallen into disrepair, and, at the request of the parishioners, it was decided to build a two-story stone church. The ground floor was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the top floor to the Lord's Ascension. Throughout the 19th century, the temple was repeatedly reinforced and expanded. In 1834, the clergy and parishioners decided to attach two chapels on the southern side and two chapels on the northern side of the temple and to add a new porch. In 1926 the church was closed. It subsequently served as a school and later as a museum. On February 15, 1991, during the Feast of the Purification, the liturgy was once again served.

The Black Tulip Memorial is a recreated cargo space of a military transport plane that used to transport the bodies of dead Russian soldiers back home from the Afghan war. Such aircraft were called "Black Tulips" by the Afghan veterans. In the center of the memorial is the figure of a seated soldier with a gun, surrounded by metal pylons engraved with the names of the soldiers killed during the war in Afghanistan. The monument is made of metal with a special coating. The central figure of the monument weighs 4.5 tons and stands 4.7 meters tall. The height of the pylons is 10 meters. The names of the 240 soldiers killed in Afghanistan are carved on the ten pylons of the monument. After the anti-terrorist operation in Chechnya, granite plates with the names of servicemen killed in Chechnya and Dagestan were added to the memorial.

Ural State University was founded in 1920. It was an exclusive educational establishment composed of several institutes, which later became independent universities and schools. In 1936 the university was named after one of its founders, Russian author Maxim Gorky. It is the second oldest university (the oldest being Urals State University of Mines) in the Middle Urals and one of the most prestigious universities in Russia. It offers degrees in dozens of scientific and educational fields and has 53 graduate programs.

Yakov Mikhaylovich Sverdlov, also known under the pseudonyms "Andrei", "Mikhalych", "Max", "Smirnov", "Permyakov", was a Bolshevik party leader and an official of the Russian Soviet Republic. After the 1917 February Revolution he returned to Petrograd from exile and was re-elected to the Central Committee. He played an important role in planning the October Revolution. Research in 1990 by the Moscow playwright and historian Edvard Radzinsky uncovered Sverdlov's role in the murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family. Sverdlov ordered their execution on July 16, 1918, which took place in the city of Yekaterinburg. A close ally of Vladimir Lenin, Sverdlov played an important part in persuading leading Bolsheviks to accept the controversial decisions to close down the Constituent Assembly and to sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.

The Opera and Ballet Theater was established in 1912, and it remains a significant cultural venue in Yekaterinburg. It was built on Drovyanoy Square (now Paris Commune Square) on the former location of a wooden circus building, which had stood on the site since 1896. The facade of the Opera and Ballet Theater faces Lenin Avenue. Over the entrance there is an ornate balcony with balustrades and a sculpture of the three Muses. Inside, the auditorium is in the shape of a horseshoe. The theater (known in Soviet times as the Academic Opera and Ballet Theater of A. V. Lunacharsky) was designed by civil architect Vladimir Nikolaevich Semenov in a style similar to the Vienna and Odessa Opera Houses.