Central Yekaterinburg: how to live by the city pond
Central Yekaterinburg: the city pond, Vaynera Street, Lenin Avenue and the metro. Who the centre suits and what three addresses show.
Contents 9 sections
What the district is like
Central Yekaterinburg grew up around the city pond and the dam on the Iset River. Lenin Avenue, Malysheva Street and 8 Marta Street run out from it, and between them lies Vaynera, a pedestrian shopping street.
There is no single answer to which district this is: officially the centre is split between several administrative districts, and the borders run right along the main streets. Locals just say "the centre" and mean anywhere you can walk to the pond from.
Errands on foot
Most of the offices in the city are here, along with the theatres, the philharmonic, the universities and the shopping arcades. Every block has shops and cafes. Yekaterinburg has a single metro line, and three of its stations are in the centre: Dinamo, Ploshchad 1905 Goda and Geologicheskaya. Trams run along Lenin Avenue and 8 Marta Street.
There is less greenery than one would like. The embankments of the pond and the Iset, the Kharitonov Garden and the arboretum on 8 Marta Street are the main places, with dense building in between.
What we measured
We scored a building on Lenin Avenue, one on Vaynera Street and one on 8 Marta Street: the main thoroughfare, the pedestrian street and the road south.
| Address | Score | Groceries | Station or stop | School | Park | Noise and air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenin Avenue, 51, Yekaterinburg | 90.7 | 5 min | 12 minPloshchad 1905 goda | 3 min | 2 min | −1.0 |
| Vaynera Street, 9, Yekaterinburg | 90.3 | 3 min | 4 minPloshchad 1905 goda | 6 min | 6 min | −1.0 |
| ulitsa 8 Marta, 46, Yekaterinburg | 84.3 | 8 min | 2 minGeologicheskaya | 9 min | 2 min | −1.0 |
Map numbers match the table rows. Use the plus button to zoom in.
Shops and transport score predictably in the centre; watch how much noise and air take away. That is covered on How the score works.
Who it suits
- People who work in the centre and do not want to spend time commuting.
- Students and young professionals.
- Couples without children who want an evening life.
- People without a car.
What it costs you
Malysheva and 8 Marta are jammed with traffic, the main streets are noisy and flats are expensive. There is no vacant land, so new towers rise right against old courtyards. Quiet green blocks are few.
The housing
The stock is very mixed. Constructivist buildings from the 1920s stand next to Stalin-era blocks on Lenin Avenue, Brezhnev-era panel buildings and glass towers of recent years. The condition of the older houses needs a particularly careful look.
What to check
Find out which way the windows face and whether a tram turns nearby: you will hear it at night. Look at the map for construction planned on the next plot. Walk to the embankment and judge how close it really is.
Without a car
The centre is the one part of Yekaterinburg where a car gets in the way. Parking is paid, and the tram or the metro gets you to work faster.
Neighbours
To the west, past Moskovskaya Street, begins VIZ, with its own pond and new towers. South along the metro line lies Botanichesky, calmer and cheaper.