Chita: the friendly capital of Transbaikal

Chita appeared at the foot of the hills on the banks of the Chita River, in the place where it flows into Ingoda. Therefore the settlement was named after the river. It is known that the Russian Cossacks who arrived in 1653 in these lands arranged a winter residence here, from which the Chita prison was raised in 1711. And in 1851 Chita was given the status of a city. А customs office appeared in Chita in the XVIII century, where they received fees from Chinese and Manchurian merchants. Gradually, in search of a better life in the district, the peasants who moved from the western part of Russia settled here. For a long time Chita was the place of exile in Russia. Famous inhabitants of the city for many years were the Decembrists — members of the opposition movement in Russia, who organized an uprising in the Senate Square in St. Petersburg in December 1825. Many of them were sentenced to hard labor and sent to Chita in 1827. Their wives also joined them in the exile. Just these people who came from noble families, educated and enlightened, in the middle of the XIX century made a lot of efforts for the development and growth of this small city in the steppes of Transbaikal. Since that time a modest wooden church has been preserved in the city, the parishioners of which were the Decembrists and where the museum is now open.

Another interesting museum of local lore appeared in the city in 1896. The townspeople love it for interesting excursions and an excellent exposition devoted to the nature and animal world of the region. In 1900 the Trans-Siberian Railway was conducted through Chita. Thanks to the railway the city became a major transport hub. And in Chita since childhood they start training workers for the railway. Since 1974 a small Trans-Baikal children’s railway has been functioning in the city. Its length is about four kilometers. There are two stations on it, a switchman’s booth, a fire shed and even the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. For more than 40 years of functioning of this railway eleven thousand children have been trained here! And many of them subsequently linked their profession with the railroad.

A notable event in Chita is now the annual arts festival «Blooming Ledum» (Tsvetuschi Bagulnik), which usually takes place from mid-March to mid-April. This symphony and chamber music festival was held for the first time in 1974. Since 2006 the festival has gained an international status. In different years musicians of the world renown, including Mstislav Rostropovich and Zurab Sotkilava, performed here.

During the post-Soviet period Chita experienced a kind of religious revival. The Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which became the main temple of the Trans-Baikal Orthodox Diocese, and the Chita Datsan (Lamaist temple), which is the center of the attraction of the Buddhists of Transbaikal, were built in the city almost simultaneously. Datsan is an unusual place. On its territory one can turn Buddhist «drums», visit a lama and ask him for advice or an astrological forecast and even taste a traditional Buryat dish — poses from chopped meat (ground meat wrapped in dough and steamed) in a local café. Of course, poses will be found in other restaurants of the city too. Also it is worth tasting huushuur — fried burritos stuffed with chopped meat. The roe deer, elk or wild boar meat is served in popular restaurants of the city. Lovers of exotic, perhaps, will like the local tea, which is sure to drink here with milk. And lovers of desserts should learn about the excursions that take place at the local confectionary factory «Raduga». It has been open in Chita since 2004, and is very creative in its work. In particular, its employees believe that it is important to create products taking into account the tastes of different categories of citizens. Therefore here, among other things, there is a cake «Universitetskiy», which includes coffee and nuts — as professors and students of local universities wished.

Today Chita is a large and rapidly developing city with a population of 330 thousand people. In the city and its surroundings one can admire the hills with their rounded peaks, explore the most ancient archaeological sites, such as the Titovskaya Hill, or walk along the greenhouse winter garden in the Trans-Baikal Botanical Garden. It is equally interesting to notice how the city’s cooperation with neighboring China and Mongolia develops. Local people go shopping to both these countries by cars or buses. There is what to pay attention at, what to be surprised at and what to admire in Chita!

Get directions

The easiest way to get Chita is by airplane. The airport of Chita is called «Kadala». It serves mainly domestic flights, but it also receives international flights from Hong Kong, Antalya, Phuket, Beijing and Bangkok. In the future it is planned to receive and send aircraft to the countries of near and far abroad: Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea and Armenia. The flight from Moscow to Chita takes about 7 hours. One will have to spend about four days for traveling from Moscow to Chita by train.