# Irbit

Irbit (Russian: Ирби́т eer-BEET) is a town in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, about 203 km from Yekaterinburg by train or 250 km by car on the right bank of the Nitsa River. It is crossed by long distance railway Yekaterinburg–Tavda–Ustye-Akha and by road traffic routes, directed to Kamyshlov, Artyomovsk, Turinsk, and Tyumen. Total area of the town is approximately 64 km². Population: 42,578 (2005 est.)

## Get in

There are a few direct trains from Moscow and more frequent trains from Yekaterinburg.
Buses run several times a day from Yekaterinburg to Irbit.

## Get around

The city is well served by several bus routes running approximately every 20 minutes, and by frequent marshrutki (fixed route taxis) and several taxi companies. Maps of the city are available from the Konica kiosks and book shops.

## See

* Irbit State Museum of Fine Art. It contains some important works including etchings by famous European artists. It is the only museum in Russia specializing in engravings.
* Irbit State Motorcycle Museum. It was created as a State Museum of the Russian Federation to protect the former IMZ Factory Museum from sale and dispersal. The museum was opened in 2004 as the Irbit Motorcycle Museum. The keystone of the museum was the collection of the Design Department of the IMZ factory acquired by local authorities in 2002. It is temporarily housed in a building at 100a Ulitsa Soviestskaya, in Irbit, while a permanent home is built in Ulitsa Lenina. It received the status of a State Museum of the Russian Federation in 2006. The museum contains an extensive collection of production, racing and prototype bikes from the IMZ-Ural Factory, and many foreign models from a wide range of manufacturers. The collection is unique in its display of the development of the Russian heavy motorcycle.
* Irbit Ethnographical Museum.
* Irbit Motorcycle Factory, 100 Ulitsa Soviestskaya.
* Sretenskaya Church. One of the two remaining churches in Irbit. It's at the edge of the historic Yamarka area and is undergoing restoration.

## Do

Irbit offers plenty of cross-country skiing, with trails stretching for kilometres. There are some downhill skiing runs as well. It will take you about 5 minutes to get to the Ski Base from the centre of the city by taxi. In summer the same area provides enjoyable hiking trails.
The Irbit Bike Show (Ирбитский байк слёт) is held every year at the end of July. It is organised by the local bike club as a celebration of the town's importance as a manufacturer of heavy motorcycles (see IMZ-Ural) in the Soviet Union and in Russia. Thousands of riders from throughout the Sverdlovsk region and other parts of Russia attend, and increasingly more foreign riders are attending.
Irbit round of the Russian Motorcross championships are held every August at the Hippodrome.

## Eat

Staraya Melnitsa (The Old Mill) located on Sovietskaya St is the oldest restaurant in the city and has a good reputation. There is a pleasant café opposite in Detski Mir (Children's World). Another restaurant is found behind the Hotel Nitsa.

## Drink

In Summer, beer tents pop-up in various locations throughout the city.

## Sleep

Accommodation is limited to a few hotels.
* Hotel Nitsa, ☏ +7 34355 37-510.
* Hotel Povorot, 75 Svobody St, ☏ +7 34355 37-100.
* Irbit Glass Factory, ☏ +7 34355 29-366.