Ekaterinburg was founded as a town-metallurgical plant, on the banks of the Iset’ river. The name of the river comes from Bashkir language and means “full of fish”. The first building in the city was Water Tower, it is still situated on its place.

Right in the middle of the city there is a Dam built in 1723! It is made from larch, so it has never been renovated! The Dam is one the most favourite places for walking, we tenderly call it “Plotinka”.

Next to the Dam there’s a monument of fathers-founders of the city: the Generals Vasiliy Nikitich Tatishchev and William George de Gennin.

They chose the name for their new town: after Russian tsaritsa-empress Ekaterina the First. The Saint Patroness of the city is St. Ekaterina, who is also the patroness of all the skills and science. The author of the monument is Pyotr Chusovitin.

On the City Day our Fathers-Founders appear as a sculpture made of sand.

On the Northern side, the Dam makes a City Pond. Every summer on its surface an International Yacht Competition is hold; it’s a very attractive show! We can see very impressive amazing fireworks on the City Day, Victory Day and other holidays.

During summer days you can boating or sailing here. But in winter the Pong is frozen and covered with ice, and people cross it, walking on the thick ice. Schoolchildren like to ski here.

In August, on the City Birthday there is an exhibition of the sand sculptures in the place of Plotinka. For example, there’s a sand sculpture of famous Urals author, fairy-tale-teller Pavel Petrovich Bazhov.

On the Southern side of the Dam the water falls down into the river as a small