In 2018, doctors in Montreal began prescribing visits to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) for patients experiencing depression, anxiety, and other health issues. This innovative approach to mental health treatment was launched under the initiative of the MMFA in collaboration with Médecins francophones du Canada (MFdC). The program allows physicians to provide patients […]

The “green line” is a self-guided tour of Irkutsk, which goes around the center of the city with several stops along it. The path is about 5k long, and can take anywhere from 2-3 hours, or even a whole day if you were to stop at even half the museums it passes. I found this […]

Irkutsk, far from Moscow at the other end of the vast Russian empire, was once a major exile destination for dissident aristocrats and intellectuals. Because of this, it grew into a center of culture and learning to all of Siberia and also became a focal point for early transport and communication infrastructure efforts that sought […]

Irkutsk City Dump Museum Fifth kilometer of Aleksandrovskiy Highway Free The Irkutsk city dump museum is one of the strangest places I have ever been in my life—not just for the fact that it exists, which is weird enough in and of itself, but for what’s in it. The dump/museum is probably about a 20-minute […]

Why Kirov Square is the Place to Go in Irkutsk By Selene Palomo   Students! Are you looking for a place to picnic, take a break, or attend festivals? Kirov Square will definitely be able to offer you all of those things. Kirov Square is located between the streets of Lenin and Sukhbaatar, just across the […]

IGU Botanical Garden / Ботанический сад, ИГУ Ул. Кольцова 93 9:00 — 18:00 Irkutsk is better known for its Siberian taiga than for tropical flora, and in the dead of winter it can feel particularly gray and lifeless. However, it’s a well-kept secret that there’s always one place you can go if you’re pining for […]

V. P. Sukachev Mansion / Усадьба В. П. Сукачёва Ул. Декабрских Событий 112 Hours: Tues.-Sun. 10:00 – 17:30 Entrance: 100 rubles, free for students with Russian student ID. Phone: 8(3952)53-12-24, Website: www.sukachoff.ru The house-museum is a peculiarly Russian institution; in most Russian cities one can find small, underfunded museums preserving the apartments and possessions even […]

The City History Museum of Irkutsk / Музей истории города Иркутска ул. Франк-Каменецкого, 16а Open 10 am to 6 pm Entrance: 50 rubles general admission, 25 rubles for students with ID The City History Museum of Irkutsk is a relatively lesser-known museum located not far from the Volkonsky Decembrists Museum and the bus station. The museum […]

The Angarsk Clock Museum / Музей часов города Ангарска ул. Карла Маркса 31 (г. Ангарск, остановка “Музей часов”) Entrance: Adults, 50 rubles. Students with ID, free. Photography permit, 50 rubles. Transportation: 15-70 rubles (bus for 70 rubles, elektrichka 20-50 rubles, depending on student status) The Clock Museum in Angarsk makes for a great day trip outside […]