Irkutsk tops the list of Siberia's most beautiful cities

But today this city - with many traces from its tsarist past - is thriving, as proven by its second place in a national contest for the most beautiful city. 

Close to Lake Baikal, and a popular stopover the Trans-Siberian railway, it came second only to Russia's Germanic window on the Baltic, Kaliningrad, previously known as Konigsberg, in a contest organised by news agency Russian Business Consulting.

The judges named the 'White House' of Irkutsk - the early 19th century 'Empire' style mansion of  the Sibiryakovy merchants - as one of the most spectacular buildings in the city. 

It is now home to the Irkutsk state University library, but it is just one of many magnificent historic buildings in a city once known as the 'Paris of Siberia'.

Two other buildings selected as 'the city's architectural business cards' were the Shastin merchant's mansion and the Trubetskoi's house. 

'Irkutsk is rather special for being very tolerant to whoever was sent to serve their terms there at the end of 19th century,' said the citation from the RBC organisers.

'Every nationality sent there left their landmarks, for instance there is a stunning Polish pseudo-Gothic church with a spectacular organ; a synagogue, a mosque; and, of course, the very beautiful Znamenskiy women's monastery'.

Undoubtedly, the city is one of Russia's historic treasures. 

It was from here - in the middle of Siberia - in the 19th century that trading outposts were adminsitered as far afield as Fort Ross in California (1812-42) and Fort Elizabeth on the island of Kauai in Hawaii (1817-53).

The buildings identified by the judges conjure images of the past, of a different age, when Irkutsk was known around the world.

'We found ourselves in the midst of a scene of civilisation such as we had not witnessed since setting foot on Russian soil,' said American Lionel F Gowing in 1889 after calling in on the city during a sledge journey across Siberia.

'Sledges with well-groomed horses and glittering harness were galloping along the road, and ladies paced the sidewalks dressed in furs of designs which showed that Parisian fashions are not neglected by the mantle-makers of Irkutsk'.

The full list of the seven most beautiful cities is Kaliningrad, Irkutsk, Vladimir, Kazan, Sochi, Arkhangelsk and Nizhniy Novgorod.