Abakan is the largest city and the capital of the Russian Republic of Khakassia. The city was founded as a small fort in 1675 at the mouth of the Abakan River in the Yenisei. Back then it was called Abakansky Ostrog or simply Abakansk. There were residences in the fort, and although a smaller town gradually arose here, Abakansk remained a relatively small town. In 1923, the railway opened to the city, whose population reached 3,000 in 1926. During this period, the city first changed its name to Kherkassk and in 1931 to the present Abakan. Since then, the city has been continuously expanded, and today Abakan is home to approximately 180,000 inhabitants.

You can start a stroll in Abakan at Pervomayskaya Ploshad square, where the government building of the Republic of Khakassia is located to the north, and where the city’s Russian Drama Theater can be seen to the east. The drama theater opened in 1977 and is adorned with colossal mosaics of theatrical motifs. On Pervomayskaya Ploshad, a small park has been laid out, where the city’s statue of the head of state Lenin was inaugurated in 1970. From here you can walk a few streets west to Victory Park, where there is a monument to those who fell during the Second World War. The sculpture itself shows a Russian and a Khakassian soldier fighting the Germans side by side.

In the northern part of Abakan, you can visit the Cathedral of the Annunciation of Christ, which was built as the city’s cathedral in the years 1994-1999. The beautiful church offers a fine interior with, among other things, icons of Siberian saints. Next to the cathedral is a park where the domes of the church are reflected in the fountain and where you can see the Good Angel on Earth, one of Abakan’s most famous monuments. In the eastern part of the park you can see the Dream Gardens, there are some beautiful gardens, where you can see a miniature version of the Eiffel Tower among the fine greenery.

There are several interesting museums in Abakan, where you can see fine collections and learn more about the culture, nature and history of the city and the region. The leading museum is the National Museum of Khakassia, which depicts the history of Khakassia in an interesting way. In the museum there is art, effects and monuments, which, among other things, come from archaeological excavations. The main treasures of the museum are the famous Yenisei stone sculptures of the Okunev culture. You can also visit Abakan’s art gallery, which exhibits works from its own collection and organizes changing exhibitions.