Life in Yakutsk


Yakutsk is the capital city of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). It is situated on the Lena River. It used to be a small wooden fort built in 1632 by Russian Cossacks who were exploring Siberia/ Nowadays it is a big city with the population of more than 250,000 people. The city of Yakutsk presents a mixture of modern tall buildings, Soviet time blocks of apartments and old wooden houses. The city was built on permafrost, a layer of frozen soil hundreds of meters deep which never melts. Most of the constructions are on stilts so that the heat from the buildings does not melt the layers below.

In the winter Yakutsk is shrouded in “habitation” fog, brought about when the air is so cold that hot air from houses, people and cars cannot rise. It is not a good idea to walk out in the streets of the city in winter when the temperature falls below -40C. But you can enjoy yourself visiting one of the museums or theatres of Yakutsk. Major attractions include the Natural History Museum, that covers the history of the region, both of man and of flora and fauna, the University Museum of Archeology and Ethnography, the Museum of Mammoth, the Fine Arts Museum.

             Buluus

The cultural life in Yakutsk is vibrant. The performances year round are at Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Sakha and Russian Drama Theatres. You can enjoy folk dances at the Dance theatre. It is fascinating experience to live in this cold but hospitable city. Yakutsk welcomes you!

 Triumph Sports and Entertainment Complex

Practical Information

Moscow time +6 hours Distance between Moscow and Yakutsk - 8468 km Code for calling Yakutsk from outside the city: +7-4112 How to get to the city from the airport: Public Bus 4, 14, 5, 18 to the center of the city. One passage in a bus costs 18 roubles. If you plan to come to Yakutsk in winter you should take the warmest clothes possible – fur hats, woolen scarves, mittens, warm boots, winter coats. The locals wear long fur coats, reindeer fur boots with thick felt soles, fur hats. The temperature might fall below -50C during the coldest months in December, January and February.

           Yakutsk

Student Life

Students live in the University Residence Halls (dormitories) in furnished rooms for two with a shared shower, laundry and kitchen facilities. There is s Social Center at the University where different student festivals, concerts and contests take place. There are good facilities for indoor sports – basketball, gymnastics, wrestling, fitness classes. Students can also swim in a swimming pool all the year round and play football in a well equipped open-air stadium and summer. The University Library services provide a learning environment with collections of literature to support classroom work, including a wide range of books as well as periodicals and other materials in all fields of science. The University Archeology and Ethnography Museum contains exhibits reflecting history of Yakutia beginning with the Store Age up to the present time.

        Dolgun Swimming Pool

Arrival

Please let us know of your flight details so that we could meet you at the airport in Yakutsk. REGISTRATION PROCEDURE

You will be registered at University and in the Immigration office upon your arrival in Yakutsk. For that you will need to submit your passport and a migration card. You are also advised to bring 2 photos for a student card and 4 photos for visa extension. Important! Please note that the photos should be matte (not glossy) and of 3x 4 size.

OTHER THINGS YOU CAN BRING

- laptops to use it in the dormitory - brochures, leaflets about your institution, city, country 
dormitory