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Kirensk, Russia
Киренск
Kirensk is a town of 13,308 people in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, founded in 1630.
Why visit Kirensk
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 1 park or trail, 7 places to eat, 1 place to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Weather in Kirensk
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Kirensk
Kirensk (Russian: Киренск, IPA: [ˈkʲirʲɪnsk]) is a town and the administrative center of Kirensky District in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kirenga and Lena Rivers, 950 kilometers (590 mi) north of Irkutsk, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 12,640 (2010 census); 13,712 (2002 census); 16,137 (1989 Soviet census).
From the Wikipedia article Kirensk (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Museums and landmarks3
Ерофею Хабарову и всем первопроходцам земли Киренской
Monument and historic site
Памятный камень на месте строительства острога в 1631 г.
Monument and historic site
Parks, trails and playgrounds1
Restaurants and cafes7
History
It was founded in 1630 by the Cossacks under Vasily Bugor as a winter settlement called Nikolsky pogost. Along with Ust-Kut, it was one of the two main portages between the Yenisei and Lena basins. In the 1630s, Yerofey Khabarov ran a salt works here. In 1665, it was renamed Kirensky Ostrog. In 1775, it was granted town status. In the 19th century, a large number of political prisoners were forcibly resettled here, among whom was Józef Piłsudski.
Under Stalin there was a Gulag transit camp in the town. In 1991, over eighty bodies were found buried in the basement of the former NKVD building. All were said to have been killed on a single day in 1938 and all were killed by blows on the head, apparently to hide the noise. That same year they were reburied in the town (Khabarovskoe) cemetery.
During the construction of the Baikal–Amur Mainline, goods were shipped up the Kirenga to Magistralny. In the 1970s, a dam was built across one mouth of the Kirenga (the place was originally an island) to reduce flooding and ice jams. In 2001, there was a major flood.
From the History section of Kirensk on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay1
Shopping7
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries2
Healthcare3
Map of Kirensk
29 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Kirensk Airport (KCK) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 3 km away.
- Alekseyevskaya 19 km northeast, about 19 min by car
- Markovo 79 km southwest, about 1 h 15 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
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Privet iz kirenska, Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
- Улица Советская, 19 в Киренске 07.06.2017, Artem Svetlov, CC BY 2.0
- Улица Советская, 31 в Киренске 07.06.2017, Artem Svetlov, CC BY 2.0
- Троицкая церковь (Киренск), Н.А. Пономарёв, Public domain
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