Yekaterinburg through the eyes of an biker

Yekaterinburg (Russian: Екатеринбу́рг, also romanized Ekaterinburg) is the fourth-largest city in Russia with a population of 1,398,889. Internationally Yekaterinburg is best known as a city where the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed in 1918.

After the February Revolution, the former Tsar Nicholas II and his family were taken captive and held as prisoners during the Russian Civil War. Tsar Nicholas and his family were at first kept at the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoe Selo outside St. Petersburg. Alexander Kerensky, leader of the provisional government feared for their safety and moved them to the former Governor’s mansion in Tobolsk. Later they were transferred to the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg. With the advance of the White Russian forces towards Ekaterinburg, and fears of a potential attempt to liberate them grew, the local Bolshevik leaders after consulting with the Kremlin in Moscow decided to execute the former imperial family. In the early hours of July 17, 1918, the former imperial family, Tsar Nicholas Alexandrovich, Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, Grand Duchess Olga, Grand Duchess Tatiana, Grand Duchess Maria, Grand Duchess Anastasia and Tsarevich Alexei were taken to the cellar of the Ipatiev House and murdered.

If you are interested in Russian history read the eyewitness report of the Tsar killing at http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/nicholas.htm

For the people who love reading about the Cold War years I found some interesting information. There was an anthrax outbreak in Yekaterinburg (then Sverdlovsk) in April and May 1979, which was attributed to an anthrax release from the Sverdlovsk-19 military facility.

Here are a few photographs of the city:

The City Hall of Yekaterinburg.

One of the many beautiful buildings in the city.

Next to modern buildings are still such old wooden buildings.

Lenin, as always present.

Again THAT word 🙂

Cathedral on the Blood stands on the site of the Ipatiev House, where the Romanovs – the last Royal Family of Russia – were murdered.

This statue is called “The Lovers” and is in its simplicity striking beautiful.

Russian music touches the soul and carries the sound of silence that prevails on the steppe.

I met interesting people here and will write later about these short but interesting encounters.