Travel Guide Erdenet

Second city of the country with a little more than 98 000 sedentary people, Erdenet is the capital of Orkhonaimag. It seems today to add a little color to its face long remained pale. Major industrial site of Mongolia, almost entirely dedicated to copper, the city was founded in 1975 in an area where deposits had been discovered in the 1950s. The Erdenet Mining Corporation still operates the largest copper deposit in Asia, and the fourth largest in the world, right next to the city. The city is armed with energy pipes, like an octopus with tentacles. They run tirelessly towards the city center with its activity poles scattered between the train station, a large cultural center, stores and the market. Some statues or images of Lenin, as well as the plain concrete architecture, remind us of the great Russian influence of the past. Erdenet has become an autonomous municipality and is undergoing some development. Since 1977, Erdenet has been connected to Ulaanbaatar by train (a privilege) and seems to benefit from it. However, there is not much to see there. Erdenet and its surroundings will certainly serve as a stopover between Ulaanbaatar and the beautiful Lake Khovsgol.