Karaganda is a wonderful city in Kazakhstan. This settlement is known far beyond the borders of the state. First of all, it is known as the mining capital. And the sights of Karaganda, although they cannot boast of centuries-old architectural objects, attract attention with their ornateness and some special charm. Among them there are both monuments to outstanding personalities and natural treasures.
Karaganda is a modern metropolis with restaurants, shopping and entertainment centers, scientific institutions and many other institutions. The settlement itself can be considered an attraction, since it is the only satellite city in the country with more than two dozen villages and towns around it.
Monument to the famous phrase
It is best to start exploring the sights of Karaganda from the most popular monument in the country. This object highlights the cityamong all other settlements of Kazakhstan. One popular phrase made the name of the metropolis known to every person. It sounds like this: “Where, where? In Karaganda! . And it was to this phrase that a monument was erected in the metropolis.
Everyone who was not lazy uttered this phrase and did not even think about the fact that once tourists would see the sights of Karaganda, and the monument reflecting the essence of this statement would cause them the most admiration. In 1999, the idea to build a sculpture dawned on Bari Alibasov, a showman from Russia. He spoke about this in one of the TV shows. The idea aroused admiration from everyone, but it was realized only after many years: it was necessary to choose the best place, raise money for the construction.
The monument was unveiled at the end of May 2011. It was installed on the territory of the restaurant "Bear". The future symbol of the city was designed by Vikenty Komkov and Murat Mansurov. The architects did all the sculpting and installation work completely free of charge.
One of the few architectural objects
Very few sights of Karaganda are valuable architectural objects. But still there are a number of historical exhibits among them. One of them is the mausoleum of Jochi Khan. It is located 50 kilometers from the settlement of Zhezkazgan. The mausoleum was built in the distant XIII century. It became the place where the remains of Jochi Khan, the eldest son of Genghis Khan himself, are kept. The offspring of the great conqueror died near Mount Ulytau in 1227.
CityKaraganda, the sights of which we are considering, is known in the CIS countries largely due to this particular architectural structure. The portal-dome building is made of burnt bricks. The object itself is covered with a dome. Its outer side, made of two shells, collapsed. It was lined with turquoise tiles, and a drum with a complex 17-sided shape served as a support.
The arch of the portal was finished with the same turquoise tone tiles. The niche is covered with a semi-dome, where brick supports act as a support. With the help of a domed inner shell, a square chamber is blocked, in the depth of which a tombstone is placed.
New object
The city of Karaganda, whose sights will be interesting to see for every inhabitant of our planet, also has completely new cultural and religious sites. So, a completely new attraction is the Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Fatima. This is one of the most majestic buildings in the metropolis. The authorities were simply forced to build a church, since there was only one Catholic church in the entire Karaganda region, the Cathedral of St. Joseph. But all the parishioners could no longer fit in the temple. In 2012, a new cathedral was consecrated in memory of the victims of political repressions in the village of Dolinka.
This iconic building was inspired by Cologne Cathedral. In the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Fatima there is the largest organ in the Karaganda region.
Museum and Palace of Culture
Sights of Karaganda (photos with names can be seen in the article) are also museums. For example, the regional museum of local history, which stores collections of archaeological exhibits belonging to the Neolithic and Paleolithic eras, is considered to be a well-known object. Also on display are items dating back to the 13th-15th centuries BC. Today, the institution houses over 134 thousand units of monuments of spiritual and material culture of Kazakhstan.
The Miners' Palace of Culture is another popular object in Karaganda. All major events in the city are organized here. The central part of the building is a powerful six-column portico, which consists of octagonal columns. The pylons of the building and the walls are interconnected by openwork ganch arches. The portico is crowned with six sculptures: a miner, a builder, a shepherd with a lamb, a collective farmer with a sheaf, a warrior and an akyn with domra. An already beautiful landmark looks even better when illuminated at night.
Natural treasure
Sights of Karaganda (a photo with a description is in our review) cannot be considered without paying attention to an outstanding natural object. His name is Lake Balkhash. This reservoir ranks third in size after the Aral and Caspian Seas. This is a unique lake. Its originality lies in the fact that it is the only body of water on Earth, divided into two parts. Easternhalf is s alty. And the western half is fresh at this time. Isthmus of Uzyn Aral prevents mixing of waters.
Everyone can relax here: everyone will find something special for themselves. For swimmers, there is clear warm water here, and if you like to lie on the beach, then sandy clean coasts are at your disposal.
Other treasures of the city
Karaganda (attractions, photos are presented above) is replete with other "interesting things". For example, the ecological museum. It is considered the only facility of its kind in the Commonwe alth. By visiting this place, tourists will get acquainted with the history of the famous Baikonur Cosmodrome.
The Spassky Memorial is another attraction that deserves the attention of others. The history of the monument is related to the post-war period. Then prisoners of war from many European and Asian countries were sent to Kazakhstan. A monument was erected in their honor.
