Taltsy open-air museum

CORRECTION — Above the subscriber’s letter about a Trans-Siberian Railway trip and an excursion to Lake Baikal (Aug. ’14, pg. 73) in Russia, the photo described as having been taken in the “Cossacks Village” actually shows the Taltsy Museum of Wooden Architecture.

The open-air museum features authentic 17th- to 19th-century buildings transported there from other parts of Siberia. 

I’ve visited it twice, on July 13, 2011, and July 15, 2013, and, from one of our journals, I know that it is located 47 kilometers from Irkutsk and 23 kilometers from Listvyanka. The highway there is very modern, with very little traffic, so it’s an easy drive from either place.

While it is not easy to get there without a hired car and driver, it is very much worth the trouble, as you’ll get a real picture of what life was like in Siberia in the old days. It’s a fascinating place.

JONATHAN HAYES

Corvallis, OR