Travel Guide Kiakhta ())

A border town, 220 km south of Ulaanbaatar, the Eastern Gate of Russia, Kiakhta was founded in 1728 on the border between Russia and Mongolia. A centre for trade between Russia and China, it remained rich and prosperous until the beginning of the th century. From its good years, it keeps beautiful churches and cathedrals painted by Italian and Russian artists. The history of the city and the entire region is well represented in its Historical Museum, founded in 1890 and one of the most interesting in Siberia. The city saw all major expeditions to Central Asia, guided by famous explorers (Kozlov, Prjevalsky, Obroutchev and Potanin). However, the advent of the Trans-Siberian region lost its prestige in Kiakhta: Tea from China was now transported by rail through the Manchuria. The Ulaanbaatar line - Beijing, via Ulaanbaatar, is 25 km from Kiakhta.