HISTORY

Up until the establishment of the Mongol Empire, different forms of nomadic states had subsequently appeared and vanished over the centuries and millenia. In 1206 Genghis Khan completed the unification of all major Mongol tribes. In obedience to the strictest state-imposed discipline, peoples of Zabaikalye participated in the conquest wars of Genghis Khan and his heirs. 

After the collapse of his empire, the Mongol state continued to exist despite numerous feudal clashes. The nomadic tribes of Zabaikalye and Predbaikalye (the region west of Baikal) always remained a part of this state. 

In the 16th century the Russian empire began to expand its boundaries towards the East. The grand historic events had a considerable impasct on the lives of the peoples inhabiting this territory. In 1666, Russian Cossacks built a wooden fortress on the high bank of the Uda River. This fortress would soon turn into a large merchant city Verkhneudinsk and later become the capital city of Buryatia under the new name of Ulan-Ude. 

The establishment of stable boundaries by Russia led Buryat tribes to be isolated from the rest of the Mongol world. The tsar's government installed itw own system of administration in Zabaikalye, but local government was still in the hands of Buryat nobles controlled by the East Siberian administration. Traditional caravan routes connecting Russia to the countries of Southeast Asia, as well as the construction of the Trans-Siberian railroad that crossed  the territory of Zabaikalye contributed to the intensive economic development of the region during the 18-19th centuries.

The October revolution of 1917 led to further integration of Zabaikalye with Russia, and in 1923 the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was established. In 1936 the official name of Buryatia became Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Due to changes in the administrative-territorial division of East Siberia, in 1937 several districts were excluded from Buryatia, and on their basis there were created two autonomous Buryat districts. They were admitted to Buryatia's neighboring regions: the Aginsky district became a part of Chitinskaya oblast and the Ust-Ordynsky district was included into Irkutskaya oblast. In that same year, Buryatia was renamed into Buryat Autonomous Socialist Republic. 

The Soviet period of Buryatia's history is closely related to all positive and negative events in the history of the entire nation. Over the decades of Soviet rule a relatively developed agricultural and industrial complex was formed in the Republic. In Buryatia, over 60 branches of economy, including such strategicvally important ones as aircraft construction, machine construction, energy, coal, mining, and timber processing industries, were connected to other USSR economic regions. Most large plants on the territory of Buryatia specialized in military industrial production, which in part caused a relative isolation of the republic.

Among the achievements of the Soviet period one could list positive processes in the spheres of education, science, and culture. The Buryat Scientific Center of the Siberian Division of the Academy of Sciences, along with its research institutes, four institutions of higher education, over 20 technical and vocational schools constitute an enormous scientific and professional potential that to a large extent determines future progressive economi development of the republic. 

On October, 8, 1990 the state sovereignty of the Buryat Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed, along with a refusal to have the status of an autonomous republic. On March 27, 1991, the Parliament of Buryatia eliminated such definitions as “Soviet” and “Socialist” from the name of the republic, and the republic's new name became simply the Republic of Buryatia. Today the sovereign republic has its own Constitution and  legislative and executive power. In 1994, the first President of Buryatia was elected. 

Buryatia is a place where different religions and confessions peacefully co-exist. The most popular religions are traditionally Buddhism and Russian Orthodoxy. Buryatia is also the center of Russian Buddhism. The first Buddhist women's monastery (convent) is being built in the republic. 

Buryats are the indigenous population of the republic. Buryat culture societies function in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kyiv, and Irkutsk. There are more than 300 registered public organizations and associations in Buryatia. Overall, the social and political atmosphere in the republic is traditionally quiet and non-hostile.

ULAN-UDE, CAPITAL CITY OF BURYATIA

The city of Ulan-Ude is the administrative, political, economic, and cultural center of the Republic of Buryatia. It is one of the oldest large cities of Siberia and the Far East.  

Ulan-Ude is located in a very picturesque surrounding. Mountains covered with coniferous forests encompass the city on its sounthern and northern sides, and to its west lies the Ivolga valley. The beautiful rivers Uda and Selenga carry their swift waters through the city. The history of establishment and development of Ulan-Ude is closely interconnected with the historical process of Buryatia's voluntary annexation to the centralized Russian state, as well as with the history of Buryats and Russians living together and exploring together Zabaikalye, the richest Siberian region.

The history of Ulan-Ude, much like the history of most old Siberian cities, starts with the building of a winter house. In 1666, a troop of Russian cossacks built a small wooden house on the high rocky bank of the Uda River. The house received the name of "Uda's Cossack Winter House," and its main purpose was to be a place where yasak (retribution)  could be collected.   

Further development of this little settlement into a small town and then a city was facilitated by its beneficial geographic location at the crossroads of major trade routes of Russia, China, and Mongolia. Taking into account the convenient geographic and strategical location of the Uda's settlement, the government of Moscow decided to build there an ostrog, i.e.a military town. In 1689, the town was completely built and was named Verkhneudinsk. In 1690, the Verkhneudinsk ostrog received the status of a city.

Starting from the 1680's, Verkhneudinsk, according to the administrative-territorial division,  was a part of the Irkutsk military district. Located at the Ruissian-Chinese-Mongolian trade route, Verkhneudinsk soon became one of major Russian trade centers in the East. By means of collecting trade tariffs and fees Verkhneudinsk was a place where Russia's foreign trade operations were cotrolled.

Enterpreneurship in Buryatia has a rich history. Starting from 1780, Verkhneudinsk regularly hosted a number of trade fairs. Some time later, the construction of the Merchant Rows (1791-1856) was started in the center of the city, and this monument of architecture remains in a functioning condition to this day. Among the best-known merchats of that time one could name Mitrofan Kurbatov, Pyotr Frolov, Iakin Frolov, Pyotr Trunev, etc. 

Industrial development in Ulan-Ude was facilitated by the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway that went simultaneously on both sides, the east and the west, during the period of 13 years (1892-1905). On August 15, 1899, inhabitants of Verkhneudinsk celebrated the arrival of the first train.

The Trans-Siberian Railway linked Verkhneudinsk to the rest of Russia, and by 1913 the city's population had reached 13,000.

Today Ulan-Ude is a large industrial center of the Republic of Buryatia.