Balagansk, Russia
Балаганск
Balagansk is a town of 4,195 people in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, founded in 1961.
Why visit Balagansk
Townapedia lists 2 parks and trails, 3 places to eat and 5 attractions in and around town.
Weather in Balagansk
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Balagansk
Balagansk (Russian: Балага́нск) is an urban locality (a work settlement) and the administrative center of Balagansky District, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. It is located on the left bank of the Angara River, downstream from Svirsk and 285 kilometres (177 mi) by road northwest of Irkutsk and to the southeast of Sayansk. Population: 4,109 (2010 census); 4,307 (2002 census); 4,136 (1989 Soviet census).
From the Wikipedia article Balagansk (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do5
Parks, trails and playgrounds2
Restaurants and cafes3
Schools, colleges and libraries3
History
Balagansk was founded in 1654 on the left bank of the Angara River opposite to the mouth of the Unga River by the Cossack detachment led by Dmitry Firsov in the course of Russian colonization of Siberia. Its name is derived from the word "Bulagat", literally meaning sable hunters, a Buryat tribe. From 1655, mass settlement started in the area; eventually, a colony was built and iron mining developed. In 1658, Ivan Pokhabov, the administrator (prikazchik) of Balagansk, caused an outbreak and many Russians were killed by them. Balagansk Fortress (ostrog) was built in Balagansk; the Buryats were attached to it and paid tributes to the Russians. Buryats grew to dominate the area and on April 1, 1818, seventeen clans of the Balagansk Buryats met and adopted a memorandum to submit to the Russian authorities. In their memorandum they raised six issues and also provided action to be taken on each of them which related to courts, private law, criminal law, the rights and duties of the chief Taisha and heads of clans.
From the History section of Balagansk on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Healthcare1
Map of Balagansk
14 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
- Ust’-Uda 19 km north, about 19 min by car
- Novonukutskiy 41 km southwest, about 41 min by car
- Sayansk 58 km west, about 58 min by car
- Zalari 61 km southwest, about 1 h by car
- Tyret’ Pervaya 61 km southwest, about 1 h by car
- Zima 67 km west, about 1 h by car
- Kimil’tey 71 km west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Kutulik 75 km south, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Osa 87 km southeast, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Page built November 4, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.