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About the City
Yekaterinburg is the largest city in the Urals. Its location at the meeting point of Europe and Asia has made it a link between the country's two geographical regions. It is a modern city with a rich industrial history that is now actively developing its cultural and creative sectors, from contemporary art to its own film studio.
History
Yekaterinburg was founded in 1723 as an industrial town centred around an ironworks on the Iset River. Mining engineer Vasily Tatishchev selected the site, and construction was completed under the supervision of Wilhelm de Gennin. The city was named after Empress Catherine I. Within the first few decades, the Yekaterinburg ironworks became the largest in Europe.
From 1924 to 1991, the city was known as Sverdlovsk, in honour of the revolutionary Yakov Sverdlov. It underwent its most intensive development during the Soviet period, when large-scale industrial construction transformed the city. In 1991, its historical name, Yekaterinburg, was restored.
Geographic Location
Yekaterinburg is situated on the eastern slope of the Middle Urals, along the banks of the Iset River, 1,700 km east of Moscow. The city lies in the Asian part of Russia, close to the boundary with its European part.
The relatively low mountains enabled the construction of major transport routes through this area, including the Trans-Siberian Railway, linking the country's regions. Administratively, the city is part of the Ural Federal District and is the capital of the Sverdlovsk Region.
Landmarks and Attractions
The boundary between Europe and Asia passes close to Yekaterinburg and is marked by a granite obelisk at the seventeenth kilometre of the Moscow Highway. Other popular attractions include Lake Shartash, the Deer Streams Nature Park (Olenyi Ruchyi), the Seven Brothers Rocks, and the emerald waters of Lake Talkov Kamen.
Within the city, the Plotinka, the historic dam on the Iset River that marked the beginning of Yekaterinburg's construction, is one of its best-known landmarks.
Average Cost of Living
Cost of a minimum food basket: RUB 7,500
Subsistence minimum per capita: RUB 17,500
Average monthly salary: RUB 89,000
Figures are for 2025
Time Zone
UTC+5:00
Transport Links
Airport:
Koltsovo International Airport, one of the country's largest transport hubs
Public transport:
metro, trams, trolleybuses, and buses
Climate
Overview:
temperate continental climate with sharp fluctuations in temperature
Temperature:
approximately −15 °C on average in winter and +18 °C in summer, rising to +30 °C or higher on some days
Precipitation:
approximately 600 mm per year, mostly in summer and often as thunderstorms and heavy showers; precipitation is lowest in March
Interesting Facts
The city has a diverse cultural scene, including a contemporary art centre, an annual street-art festival, and British, Japanese, German, French, and other international cultural centres.
Yekaterinburg is home to the State Opera and Ballet Theatre, the State Theatre of Musical Comedy, a philharmonic hall, a drama theatre, its own film studio, and the Rossiya Documentary Film Festival.
Yekaterinburg is one of the centres of Russian rock music.
According to the Numbeo Safety Index, Yekaterinburg ranks among the world's 150 safest cities.