Chita in 1 Day: From the Bagulova Line to the Chita Datsan
Chita is officially recognized as one of the sunniest cities in Russia (it even surpasses Sochi in terms of sunny days). If you only have one day to explore this atmospheric city with its piercingly blue skies, I'm sharing my tried-and-true walking route from the central streets to the Chita Datsan, which will allow you to both admire the city's architectural masterpieces and experience its spiritual relics.
1. Lenin Square.
I began my route from the city's main square, Lenin Square. The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, destroyed in 1936, once stood on this site. Today, obelisks with bas-reliefs of the cathedral stand as a reminder of its existence at the entrances from Leningradskaya and Butina Streets. The center of the square's modern architectural ensemble is the monument to V. I. Lenin, set against the backdrop of the Transbaikal Territory Government building. To the north, it is flanked by the snow-white headquarters of the Transbaikal Military District (the Transbaikal Center for Scientific and Technical Information and Libraries is also located in this building).
2. The cultural quarter of Butina Street.
If you walk a little up Butina Street from the square, you'll see the city's main music venue—the O. L. Lundstrem Transbaikal Regional Philharmonic. Two more beautiful buildings are located nearby: the Rodina Cinema, built in the Stalinist Empire style with a colonnade, and the Orthodox Gymnasium.
3. Kazan Cathedral, the Alexander Nevsky Monument, and the Railway Station.
We walk down Butina Street from the Rodina Cinema to Privokzalnaya (Atamanovskaya) Square. Here we are greeted by:
· Kazan Cathedral—the main Orthodox church in Transbaikalia;
· a monument to Alexander Nevsky;
· the railway station building—its foundation stone was laid back in 1899.
4. Konovalov House.
From the station, we climb one block up Leningradskaya Street to Anokhina Street. On the left, the Konovalov House catches our eye—an example of early 20th-century wooden architecture. The building is also famous for its revolutionary past: in January 1906, the first five issues of the Zabaikalsky Rabochy newspaper were printed in its basement.
5. Pre-revolutionary classic.
Turn onto Anokhina Street. On the left, we see the building of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, which has never changed its purpose throughout its century-long history: since the time of the Russian Empire, it has always housed the region's main bank.
At the intersection of Anokhina and P. Osipenko Streets, we will find:
· the Federal Tax Service Office for the Trans-Baikal Territory (Merchant Vtorov Passage);
· Chita Institute of Baikal State University (formerly the Apartment Building of merchant B. L. Zazovsky).
The historical perspective of the street with these monumental buildings transports you to the atmosphere of pre-revolutionary Chita.
6. ODORA Park.
From the intersection of merchant streets, we climb up Polina Osipenko Street to Lenin Street, turn left, and walk to the Officers' Club building. We enter the famous ODORA Park (District Officers' Club of the Russian Army). We walk along its signature feature—the ceremonial Alley of Fame with an exhibition of historical military equipment. After passing through the park, we emerge onto Chkalov Street.
7. Historic Radio Mast and the Chita Datsan.
After leaving ODORA Park on Chkalova Street, turn right onto Leningradskaya Street and cross Zhuravleva Street up to the pine forest, where a red and white radio mast will appear on the right, and immediately beyond it, the brightly colored roofs of the datsan. It's a 25-30-minute walk from ODORA to the radio mast. If you don't feel like walking, you can take a taxi.
We pass a tall radio mast with a historic art fence. The graffiti on the fence vividly chronicles the region's communications history: from 1931 (the first radio) and 1967 (the Orbita station) to 2010—the launch date of digital TV and, symbolically, the opening year of the datsan.
We conclude the route at the Chita Datsan "Braibunling Dam." For the city, this datsan is not just a beautiful architectural complex, but also an important spiritual center, a symbol of cultural unity, welcoming visitors of all faiths. The Chita datsan is officially recognized as the second most important datsan in Russia after the Ivolginsky datsan in Buryatia.
A café serving Buryat cuisine operates right on the datsan grounds. Local buuzy (traditional Russian buuz) are the main culinary symbol of Chita.
My journey through Chita concluded at Kadala Airport with its atmospheric Stalin-era terminal building.