Siberia Pictures

The word vast is often over-used, but in relation to Siberia, which makes up more than three quarters of Russia, it is probably appropriate. Siberia is not just massive, though, it is beautiful. This page contains some Siberia pictures that I hope will give you an idea of its magnificence.

This is a Lake Baikal picture, taken during winter when the lake is covered by several feet of ice and can be crossed entirely on foot. The ice is so strong that people often drive across and, in the past, train tracks even used to be laid across the ice. This picture is taken from the 2010 Bergans Baikal expedition, in which a team of Czechs crossed the lake on foot lengthwise, and without support.

Lake Baikal thaws in the summer of course, and its natural beauty has earned it the title Pearl of Siberia. Swimming in the lake’s cold waters is said to add ten years to a person’s life although, if you find the water too cold to swimming, simply paddling in the lake can add a few years as well!

Nearby is the city of Irkutsk. Today, Irkutsk is a bustling metropolis, a student town and a tourist destination, but for the first few hundred years of its existence it was a frontier town. It only came to prominence when famous Russian aristocrats, known as the Decembrists, were exiled there. This painting is called Crossing the Angara in Irkutsk, by Nikolay Dobrovolsky (1837-1900). For me, this is one of the most beautiful pictures of Siberia you could see.

The main way that many people from outside of Russia see Siberia today is by traveling across Siberia by train, on the Trans-Siberian railway. The train’s route takes it from St Petersburg in the West, all the way to Vladivostok in the east, visiting major Siberian cities such as Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Irkutsk along the way. There are also branches to the railway that head south through Mongolia and onwards to China.

All of the Siberia images included in this article are copyright free, and can also be accessed on the Wikimedia Commons.