Elista, Russia
Элиста
Elista is a regional capital of 106,971 people in Kalmykiya Republic, Russia, founded in 1865.
Why visit Elista
Townapedia lists 50 museums and landmarks, 9 parks and trails, 119 places to eat, 20 places to stay and 11 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Калмыцкий государственный драматический театр имени Баатра Басангова, Государственный театр танца Калмыкии «Ойраты», Национальный музей имени Н.Н.Пальмова and Верблюжий остров.
Weather in Elista
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Elista
Elista (Russian: Элиста́, [ɪlʲɪˈsta]; Kalmyk: Элст, Elst, [ɛləsˈtə]) is the capital city of the Republic of Kalmykia, Russia.
From the Wikipedia article Elista (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Elista on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do11
Калмыцкий государственный драматический театр имени Баатра Басангова
Cinema and theater · 0.7 km
21 улица им. А.И.Сусеева, Элиста
Tu-Su 11:00-18:00
Государственный театр танца Калмыкии «Ойраты»
Cinema and theater
201А улица Ленина, Элиста
Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00; Sa 09:00-17:00
Русский театр драмы и комедии
Cinema and theater · 1.0 km
23 улица М. Горького, Элиста
Государственный концертный зал Республики Калмыкия
Cinema and theater · 1.3 km
5 улица А.С. Пушкина, Элиста
Museums and landmarks50
Национальный музей имени Н.Н.Пальмова
Museum
9 улица Джангара, Элиста
Tu-We 09:00-18:00; Th 09:00-21:00, Fr 09:00-18:00; Sa-Su 10:00-16:00
Верблюжий остров
Monument and historic site · 1.3 km
5 3-й Каспийский проезд
Mo-Su 10:00-18:00
Мемориальный комплекс героев Гражданской и Великой Отечественной войн
Monument and historic site
Памятник участникам локальных войн
Monument and historic site · 3.6 km
38 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds9
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Restaurants and cafes119
Uralan
Restaurant · Калмыцкая Кухня · 1.1 km
9 улица им. Номто Очирова
Mo-Su 11:00-03:00
Пекарня Хлеббери
Cafe · Hot Dog, Donut, Coffee Shop, Regional, Russian, Dessert · 3.0 km
5 улица им. Н.С.Хрущева, Элиста
Mo-Su 08:00-21:00
Chipollino
Cafe · 1.1 km
255А улица Ленина, Элиста
Mo-Su 09:00-23:00
Coffee Garden
Cafe · Cake, Coffee Shop, Sandwich · 1.6 km
240 улица Ленина
Mo-Fr 08:30-20:00; Sa-Su 10:00-20:00
107 more on the map.
History
Elista was founded in 1865 as a small settlement, the name is from Kalmyk els(e)n 'sand(y)'. In November 1920, Elista became the administrative center of the Kalmyk Autonomous Oblast. By the early 1930s, Elista was transformed into a small city as the collectivization policies of Joseph Stalin forced many Kalmyks to abandon their traditional pastoral nomadic lifestyle in exchange for a modern, sedentary, and urban lifestyle. In October 1935, Elista was recognized as the capital of the Kalmyk ASSR.
In late 1942, the city was briefly occupied by the German army. Because of alleged collaboration between the ethnic Kalmyks and the Germans, on 27 December 1943 the Kalmyk ASSR was dissolved and its ethnic Kalmyk residents were forcibly exiled to Siberia. Russian people were brought in to repopulate Elista, whose name was changed to Stepnoy (Степно́й). It was called Stepnoy until 1957, when the survivors of the deportations were allowed to return from exile.
Some western tourists started to visit Elista from the mid-1990s, and more after it received publicity as the host city of the 1998 Chess Olympiad. The city is safe and has little traffic. On the outskirts of Elista, there are vast grasslands.
From the History section of Elista on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay20
Churches and places of worship17
Burkhan Bakshin Altan Sume
Place of worship · Gelug · 2.2 km
63 Клыкова, Элиста
Буддийский центр Алмазного пути традиции Карма Кагью города Элисты
Place of worship · Karma Kagyu · 3.6 km
Святая обитель теории и практики школы Гелуг
Place of worship · Gelug · 3.3 km
Церковь Святого Франциска Ассизского
Church · Catholic · 2.4 km
78 улица Ю.Клыкова, Элиста
Церковь Христиан Адвентистов Седьмого Дня
Church · Protestant · 1.1 km
1 Ростовский въезд, Элиста
Shopping67
Gas and EV charging25
Schools, colleges and libraries48
Национальная библиотека имени А.М. Амур-Санана
Library · 1.4 km
1 улица А. С. Пушкина, Элиста
Healthcare55
Map of Elista
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Elista Airport (ESL) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 9 km away.
- Arshan’ 5 km southwest, about 5 min by car
- Troitskoye 12 km north, about 12 min by car
- Remontnoye 54 km northwest, about 54 min by car
- Priyutnoye 62 km west, about 1 h by car
- Iki Burul 62 km southeast, about 1 h by car
- Divnoye 83 km southwest, about 1 h 30 min by car
- Yashkul’ 85 km east, 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
Loading what members have shared...
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
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Chess Set in Elista, Original uploader was Buzava at en.wikipedia, Public domain
- Дубовая роща в Элисте, Rartat, CC0
- Zolotojwsadnik, Rartat, Public domain
- Kalmyckijteatr, Rartat, CC0
- Мемориальный комплекс в честь героев гражданской и Великой Отечественной войны, Unknown author, CC0
- Nacbibkalmyk, Rartat, CC0
- MuzejElista, Rartat, Public domain
- Пагода2, Rartat, CC0
- Elista, Kalmykia, Russia - panoramio (4), Александр Юхименко, CC BY 3.0
- RodinaElista, Rartat, Public domain
- Buddaweliste2, Rartat, CC0
- Geden Sheddup Choikorling, Buzava at English Wikipedia, Public domain
- Chasonnjagerr, Rartat, Public domain
- Chasovnjasergija, Rartat, Public domain
- The memorial to V. I. Lenin in Elista, EKuvaeva, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Золотые ворота2, Rartat, CC0
- Мемориальный комплекс воинам 28-й армии, Alexandr Demidenko, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Панно "Цвети, Калмыкия!", Элиста, VovanAZ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- GShCh, Alexandr Demidenko, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Elista Burkhan Bakshin Altan Sume P5111379 2200, Alexxx1979, CC BY-SA 4.0
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