Chita, Russia

From Freepedia

Chita (Russian: Чита́) is a city in Russia, and functions as the administrative center of Chita Oblast in eastern Siberia. It stands at the confluence of the Chita and Ingoda rivers and on the Trans-Siberian Railway, 500 miles east of Irkutsk, at 52°03′ N 113°28′ E

Population: 316,643 (2002).

Known since 1653, the settlement achieved town status in 1851.

After 1825 several of the Decembrists suffered exile to Chita, and thus, Chita is on occasion called the “City of Exiles”. Many of the Decembrists were intellectuals and members of the middle class, and consequently their arrival had a positive effect. The well-educated exiles made an effort to educate the citizens of Chita and pursue trade. Through these efforts, the City became a major trading portal in Siberia, particularly since the natural resources of the area included timber, gold and uranium.

In 1885 the population had reached 5,728, in 1897: 11,480.

From 1920 to 1922 Chita served as the capital of the Far East Republic.

From the 1930’s through the end of communism, Chita was a closed city. During this period, foreigners were prohibited from travelling to Chita as were many Russians. The basis for the closing of the city was apparently its proximity to China and military installations.

Architecture

Chita is laid out in a grid pattern, which is rare in Russia.

Architecturally, Chita is a clash of styles. Foremost, Chita is populated with five-storey [[[communist concrete buildings]]. In contrast to these soviet signatures, Chita is also populated with individual homes made primarily out of wood, the equivalent of those you would see in any mountainous area.

During World War II, a significant number of Japanese soldiers were taken by the Russians as prisoners of war. Through whatever machinations present at that time, they were put to work in the construction industry. In the centre of Chita you will find buildings with a definite hint of Japanese style. The buildings are not overtly Japanese, but they definitely differ from the other styles present.