Communication in a Changing Society

The city of Krasnoyarsk: being open-faced to the whole world

An amazing place was chosen to build the city of Krasnoyarsk – in the interstream area of a small river Kacha on the one side and the abounding river Yenisey on the other. Founded by the Cossacks under the command of Andrey Dubensky in 1628, the fort became then one of the most beautiful cities in the country.

Krasnoyarsk is situated among unique landscapes and mountainous sceneries. The mighty Siberian forest and the National Nature Reserve “Stolby” surround as if they enclose a city in an embrace.

Krasnoyarsk celebrated its 384th birthday. The city lives in the here and now and faces the future with confidence. Year by year, the metropolis assumes new forms and patterns, combining European luxury and Asian harmony. Housing estates are growing, - and embankments and squares, parks and monuments, shopping malls and entertainment centres are being built. Aiming for the image of the capital cities, Krasnoyarsk accepts the latest innovations without losing its unique Siberian identity.

Over the last decade the city has seen much change. The stone-block streets, bright shop-windows, cafés, homely squares – all these things and many others are a feast to the eye.

Modern buildings live in harmony with renovated merchant residences of the 19th century in the age-old streets. Iridescent fountains play their melody on the Theatre Square, the fountain “Seven Rivers” cascades to the mighty Yenisey and skillfully illuminates Krasnoyarsk “Big Ben” looks at night as if it is hovering high in the sky. Now it’s a common thing for the city to see plant sculptures in summer and ice figures in winters. In other words, like being in a fairy-tale you have a chance to meet exotic flower animals such as elephants, tortoises, and giraffes, to mention a few.

Krasnoyarsk is known as the Siberian city of fountains. The celebratory element of the summer city and the integral part of squares decoration are the 133 fountains located there.

The “son et lumière” fountain in the Theatrical Square is one of the most beautiful places in the city and the square itself is "the Krasnoyarsk version of the Paris cafes on the Champs-Élysées" where businessmen find it suitable to communicate. Moreover, the Square is a paradise for lovers’ tete-a-tete conversations.

A cascade fountain, “Siberian Rivers”, takes up the steps of the Theatre Square down to the Yenisey embankment. The length of the whole water ensemble accounts for more than 20 meters. A distinctive feature of the city is the fountains spouting from the bottom of the Yenisei River.

Restoring and protecting historic landmarks and features of the traditional way of life natives of Krasnoyarsk cherish the history of their city. Today there are 166 objects of cultural property of regional and national significance in Krasnoyarsk. City dwellers truly love their city and consider it their native home. Every year in April, more than 200 000 residents take part in “subbotnik “, - a volunteer work for the cleaning and beautification of the city. Comfortable urban environment and the positive image of Krasnoyarsk form a new type of a resident. It is the city patriot, who is really a master of his city.

The capital of Krasnoyarsk Territory is frequently internationally recognized. Nowadays Krasnoyarsk is open to the world in terms of juridical, political and investment spheres. It is increasingly frequent becoming the venue for forums, symposia and large international festivals (for example, Bach’s music festivals, which are organised by the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart, together with Krasnoyarsk City administration, have been held in Krasnoyarsk since 2000). Krasnoyarsk’s sport tournaments are also widely known.

Investors’ appeal to Krasnoyarsk is growing. Four hundred million dollars has already been invested in the city's economy. In addition, a strong cooperation with the International Bank for reconstruction and development is rapidly strengthening.

Town Day is an event of great significance for Krasnoyarsk. The festive occasion begins at the chapel, the talisman of the city on Karaulnaya Hill, a place sacred for many generations of Siberians.

The flag of the city grandly waves on high and lots of many-coloured balloons are shot up in the air. The festival occasion starts at the square near the Comedy and Music Theatre and goes down Mira street towards a place called “Strelka”. In the evening the citizens are ready to watch the most amazing and memorable spectacle – a grandiose half-hour of fireworks.

To love Krasnoyarsk, first of all, means to love the river of Yenisey. The great river is more than 4 kilometers in length and its image lives in the mind of every resident of the city. The Yenisey breaks any border and thereby creates a feeling of freedom, infinity, great vastness which a person living on its banks belongs to. A river going through a city is always a spectacular decoration for the landscape and a vivid power at the same time.

The Yenisey’s banks are a particular world within the city, it’s gorgeous face. This is tamed nature, with which the citizens communicate in their own way. Everyone has his own affair with the beloved river. Looking like “the necklaces of the river”, the bridges have a special role. They are always characterized as reliable, beautiful and elegant parts of the city.

It has been a long time since the residents of the left bank of the river took a fancy to the Kacha’s riverwalks with their elegant lights, romantic summerhouses and small pedestrian bridges. Recently, right in the mouth of the river a big playing ensemble called “House of Childhood” (“Dom Detstva”) designated to orchard children has been built. Every element and detail of the ensemble serves to the aims of harmonization with the environment and reminds about art styles of the previous times.

A new railway station now is one of the greatest objects built in Krasnoyarsk over the decade. Today the citizens have a new set paved square – exclusive one due to the fact that it is decorated with heraldic symbols. The Lion with a sickle and a shovel is the heraldic symbol of Krasnoyarsk.

Krasnoyarsk takes up a territory for 37 000 hectares. One of the characteristics of a modern building process is an architectural desire to turn the suburbs into the elite residential areas of capital level.

Many goals have been achieved in the sphere of Krasnoyarsk professional sport. The most popular kinds of sport here are ball hockey, rugby, rock-climbing, freestyle wrestling, biathlon, sledding, ice-speedway, ski mountaineering and many others.

All in all, Krasnoyarsk has 1176 sport buildings. Wide-scale international sport tournaments are usually held in the Palace of Sports named after Ivan Yarigin with its capacity of 5000 of viewers and in the Ice Palace of Sports called “Arena “Sever” (“Arena “North”) and in many other places. For the whole country Krasnoyarsk is famous as the city of health and fitness initiatives implementing the idea of a healthy, active lifestyle.

The National Nature Reserve “Stolby”, which is situated on the right bank of the Yenisei 6 kilometers outside the city, is the living soul of Krasnoyarsk. “Stolby” is more than a kilometer of thick mountain Taiga among which the cliffs and the rocky massifs of a fanciful form are scattered.

“Stolby” takes a special place in the system of Krasnoyarsk symbols. Thebaic stone monoliths create not only a unique style of the city, but also largely form its special atmosphere.

The widely-known artist Vasiliy Surikov, who lived in Krasnoyarsk for almost all his life, said, “I’ve seen the Swiss and Italian Alps, but I’ve never seen a wonder like this…”.

Thanks to “Stolby” a special new popular movement was formed at the end of the 19th century. The natives of Krasnoyarsk call it “stolbism”, which means the art of rock climbing without any equipment and insurance. The phenomenon of Krasnoyarsk culture also includes special language, folklore, its own traditions and careful attitude to the nature, warm humor, and the cult of friendship. The word “Freedom” traced out on the Second Stolb at the beginning of the 20th century symbolizes the main value and achievement of stolbism.

The most widely visited part of “Stolby” is called “Aesthetic”. It is a place for the most remarkable rocks such as “Small Elephant” (the Slonik Rock), “Feathers” (the Peria rock), “Grandpa” (the Ded rock) and the highest rock - the Second Stolb (90 meters from the bottom to the top). In the neighbourhood of the Stolby there is a unique Krasnoyarsk flora and fauna park called “Royev rouchey.” It took up the main idea of stolbism which is the respect for all creatures of nature, everything that grows and breathes. Also it picked up the slack from “a petting zoo” where people helped injured or homeless animals to get on well. Careful protection and clear forest air create convenient conditions for the life of Siberian and exotic animals.

Among all the religions, living in harmony in the city, the Orthodox Church is traditionally considered to be the most popular and large one playing an important role in developing Siberian people’s spirituality and religion tolerance. Today Krasnoyarsk has 46 Orthodox Churches, chapels and temples, 23 churches belonging to other Christian branches, 5 temples dedicated to different world religions (Islam, Judaism, Buddhism). The citizens are keen on respecting faith and culture of other peoples.

The whole world knows the main symbols of Krasnoyarsk – the Chapel, Kommunalniy Bridge and the no less famous “Stolby”. The most remarkable and memorable historical and cultural Krasnoyarsk images are associated with the names of wrestler Ivan Yarigin, artist Vasily Surikov, singer Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and writer Victor Astafiev. For every resident of the city these names as well as all the city symbols are a sign of the relationship with those who once lived and live on the banks of the Yenisey. Nowadays the city symbolics unites historical traditions with the dynamics of modern life.

The famous Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Chapel on the Karaulnaya Mountain was conceived as a sign of eternal memory of those who died defending the fort against enemy invasion. Krasnoyarsk citizens preserved their shrine, which became an important landmark in the panorama of the city and a symbol of Krasnoyarsk. But the symbols of modern time such as the Clock Tower of the Krasnoyarsk city hall (“Big Ben”), the monument of the city founder Andrey Dubenskiy, the Historical Gates to the City built at the foundation place of the first Krasnoyarsk fort are also notable.

Moreover, Krasnoyarsk cannot be thought separately from well-known writer Viktor Petrovich Astafiev. His literary works have been translated into many languages. The respect of Krasnoyarsk residents to his literary contribution is shown through another symbol of Krasnoyarsk – a monument “Tsar-Ryba” (Queen Fish) at the viewpoint near Divnogorsk. It is a generalized character of the writer’s same-name novel which symbolizes an invisible power of the nature, a hidden soul of the Yenisei.

Krasnoyarsk is the city providing confidence in tomorrow, a city famous for its remarkable people, and everyone who loves it understands that this is the place on earth where one desires to live! To live enjoying happy moments, meeting the dawn in the native city, where each day brings a renovation.