Gorno-Altaisk

Gorno-Altaisk (other spelling is Gorno-Altaysk) is an administrative center and the only town in the Altai Republic. Gorno-Altaisk is located in the north-western part of the Republic in the intermountain basin in the branches of the mountain range Iolgo at the height of 270-305 meters above the sea level. The mountain valley with a mild climate was inhabited in the ancient times. This is indicated by the materials of archeological monuments. The most ancient monument located on the territory of the town is Ulalinka. It is an early Paleolithic complex on the river Ulalinka opened in 1961. The age of this complex is from 300 thousand to 1.5 million years.

The historical name of the town is Ulala. In 1824 first Russian settlers moved here from Biysk and founded the village of Ulala. Its further development was closely linked to the activity of the Altai religious mission. In 1831 the main camp appeared in Ulala where missionaries and priests used to gather. Later some Biysk merchants moved to the village. For several decades Ulala turned into a major trading center in the Biysk district of the Tomsk province. In 1932 the village of Ulala was renamed in Oirot-Tura town.

The territory of modern Gorno-Altaisk is 95.5 sq.km. The town spreads in the intermountain valley surrounded by mountains Tugaya (641 m) in the north and Komsomolskaya mountain (427 m) in the south. Gorno-Altaisk lies on the Maima river which flows into the Katun.

The distance from Gorno-Altaisk to Moscow is 3641 km, to the nearest railway station situated in Biysk is 100 km. The Gorno-Altaisk airport is 6 km away from the centre of the town.

The climate of the town is continental with hot summers and cold winters with often thaws. The warmest month is July. The coldest month is January. Due to the peculiarities of the landscape of Gorno-Altaisk there observed microclimatic differences in certain areas of the town. It is important for gardening. 47.5 % of the town area is occupied by mixed forest.

The population living on the territory of the Gorno-Altaisk comprises more than 60.0 thousand people (2014). Representatives of various nationalities and confessions live and work peacefully here side by side.

Gorno-Altaisk is a cultural, economic and administrative center of the Altai Republic. Nowadays it is a modern town with a developed infrastructure, a number of health-caring, educational cultural institutions. It h ospitably welcomes the guests from different parts of Russia as well as all over the world. The capital of Gorny Altai can offer the guests various types of accommodation.

In recent years there opened a number of new enterprises of public catering of Japanese, Italian, Uigur, Altaian and Russian cuisine. Food court in the largest in the Republic shopping and leisure center"Maria-Ra" and the coffee house "Traveler's coffee" enjoy special popularity among the citizens and guests of the town. Annually during the warm period outdoor seasonal cafes and restaurants start their work in Gorno-Altaisk.

The town administration pays a close attention to a healthy lifestyle of the citizens. Any inhabitant and the visitor of Gorno-Altaisk can visit sports centers to support themselves in a good physical form, to observe competitive fights, to be a fan of a favorite team.

The swimming pool, the Dynamo stadium, two alpine skiing tracks on Tugaya Komsomolskaya mountain, Spartak stadium are the most popular sport facilities.

It is nice just to walk around Gorno-Altaisk enjoying fine mountain landscapes, neat European-styled streets, cozy court yards, squares and parks. In summertime the city is simply buried in green. Sets of flower beds, alpine hills appear even in the yards of the apartment houses. All the town visitors note the cleanness and greening in Gorno-Altaisk. Beautiful squares and parks with comfortable benches and arbors make the city very home-like.

Talking about objects of culture it is necessary to mention the National Drama Theater. This majestic building executed in the Altai national motives can't leave anyone indifferent.

The pride of Gorno-Altaisk is the National Museum named after V. Anokhin where expositions of the nature, ethnography and archeology of Altai are presented. More than 50000 exhibits will tell you about the history of this region

Nicely equipped natural water springs became the real sight of the city. They enjoy special popularity among citizens and guests. All the year round people come to get healthy water with high content of silver and other elements.

· Make up 10 questions to the text. Work in pairs

Дата добавления: 2015-07-20