# ULAN BATOR - MONGOLIA



## Rinchinlhumbe (Dec 20, 2008)

view from Zaisan monument. All the buildings in the foreground were recently constructed. Back in 1999 you could only see meadows from here

source: www.panoramia.com




EDIT: this one's too big








and from the other direction:



some middle class housing













the White House in Washington DC


again, Zaisan at night



bank building



city centre






orthodox church



Golomt Towers at night



new highrise construction. These twin towers might be Mongolia's highest building some day.
(Source: www.geu.de)



another one, the other side is completely blue glass (www.geu.de)



next time I will show you traditional Ulaanbaatar, like this



well, rather like this


----------



## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

I looked up world temperatures the other day - Greenland Nuuk +3C, London -6, Berlin -12...


...Ulan Bator -33.

That's cold enough to throw a bucket of water in the air and see it come down frozen.

One of the dangers at such temperatures is taking a leak in the open. If you leave any 'drops' behind, they may freeze to the skin, and unknown to you - hey presto you get frostbite - leading to later amputation.


----------



## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Very nice pics :cheers: ^^


----------



## Rinchinlhumbe (Dec 20, 2008)

mixture of www.panoramio.com and www.flickr.com




ger district



..with gers slowly vanishing



and wooden buildings popping up everywhere



abandoned houses



grafitti



soviet apartment block

...


----------



## Rinchinlhumbe (Dec 20, 2008)

coloured houses at Zaisan hill, just outside town



street scene



emerging skylane. But lack of efficient urban planning is lending the city a chaotic appeal without any green




power station causing smog and pollution although the main reason for the very high pollution level are ger ovens


----------



## Rinchinlhumbe (Dec 20, 2008)

common sight



contortionist






one of the shabby parts of town: ger district and apartment blocks



typical newly built homes


----------



## Rinchinlhumbe (Dec 20, 2008)

snooker, popular sport






where city ends, nature begins



city of contrasts



following pictures show Gandan monastery



...one of 3 monasteries in town which survived the stalinist purges in the late 1930s



asnd the only one in Mongolia which kept its function as a religious worshipping site - mainly to give foreign visitors the impressions of a tolerant government which allows free religious practice to its population



another monastery. Meanwhile a lot have been either restored or rebuilt. amongst some churches and even a mosque


----------



## Rinchinlhumbe (Dec 20, 2008)

Datei nicht gefunden













Die Dateien unter http://load.imageshack.us/ konnten nicht gefunden werden.







* Könnte der Eintrag umbenannt, gelöscht oder verschoben worden sein?
* Enthält die Adresse einen Rechtschreib-, Groß-/Kleinschreibungs- oder anderen Schreibfehler?
* Haben Sie ausreichende Zugriffsrechte für den angeforderten Eintrag?

hno:hno:hno:hno:hno:hno:hno:hno:hno:hno:hno:hno:


----------



## drunkenmunkey888 (Aug 13, 2005)

Is it just me or do other people see a strong resemblance with Scandinavian cities too? Its like Ulan Batar is an emerging Nordic city


----------



## -X- (Dec 13, 2008)

resembles a lot of russian cities


----------



## Coffeestreet (Jun 26, 2010)

drunkenmunkey888 said:


> Is it just me or do other people see a strong resemblance with Scandinavian cities too? Its like Ulan Batar is an emerging Nordic city


Indeed it looks like a Nordic city, yet not as wealthy. It has Russian architecture influence naturally and I like it very much. Mongolia's architecture was influenced by Russian architecture, which in its turn was influenced by the German architecture. On the other hand, the Nordic architecture was also influenced by German architecture.
It's only a matter of time that Mongolia's architecture is in kinda identity crisis now. But it should tidy itself up soon. And it will be of Nordic influenced again.
Both by tradition and practicality. The Nordic designs are also meant to fit the Nordic climate after all, like Mongolia's.


----------



## Coffeestreet (Jun 26, 2010)

Major Deegan said:


> There are two sides toUlaanbaatar, one is meant for tourists, the other is where most of ordinary people live. Sure, along central throughfares Ulanbatoor may look nice and tidy, but don't get any illusions: the rest 98% of Mongolia's only real city is nothing to write home about.


98% is a big exaggeration. A blow up by either an emotionally-charged local complainer or a foreigner seeking to say something extraordinary.
Mongolia's population is relatively small and easy to put into statistics. According to the 2009 statistics, Ulaanbaatar population is 1,200,000 and it has 150,000 yurts. Given that the average family is 5 persons, there're 750,000 people living in yurts. It's 63% of the city population (1,2 million). And the government is aggressively replacing them with apartment blocks from this year and on. To speak of information closer to reality than some emotional estimations. Btw, 2010 is a census year. Soon we'll have a better update.


----------



## Coffeestreet (Jun 26, 2010)

Rinchinlhumbe said:


> you're right, but did i say that UB is a rich city? the living standard is broadly improving, that's it
> I do not think our opinions differ too much...
> 
> in Western countries, Mongolia is mostly regarded as a backward, dead poor country. The image as a herder's nation, their history of "brutal" Chingis Khan, who intimated the "civilised" Europeans" often serve as an embodyment of backwardness.
> ...


Don't be manipulated by someone who likes to complain something. Stand by your own views. Nobody has the authority to dictate your opinion just by the virtue of being a local or from a neighboring country. Mongolia is not really similar to Central Asia actually. Not as much as people imagine. So, don't worry about voices from there. You know Mongolia as much as they or russians do, even more.


----------



## fozzy (Nov 13, 2007)

Quite a surprise!!!!!!!!! good looking city


----------



## Marsupilami (May 8, 2005)

my comment will not sound nice, but the architecture of the city sucks...


----------



## ikops (Jun 12, 2008)

Ah well, at least you are giving your honest opinion.


----------



## Pegasusbsb27 (Sep 5, 2005)

Wow.. Once one the closest communists countries! We hardly had news about Mongolia's life in the 70's!!! This city was then, a truly legend. Nice to see how beautiful it is! More pictures please!


----------



## Russells (Apr 16, 2010)

Hmm..my friend was to UB two years ago.
Maybe it resembles some russian cities...but, to be honest, Ulan-Bator is much poorer than any big siberian city. It resembles some russian province in 80-90s (but with certain asian features).

I heard that there are ancient ruins around the mongolian capital.
Any UB forumers?


----------



## T.Ishikawa (Jan 17, 2010)

wow! Thank you for share these pics!


----------



## mopc (Jan 31, 2005)

still very soviet


----------



## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

For once again interesting photos from Ulan Bator


----------



## Chadoh25 (Dec 28, 2007)

Great Photos!


----------



## drunkenmunkey888 (Aug 13, 2005)

Coffeestreet said:


> Indeed it looks like a Nordic city, yet not as wealthy. It has Russian architecture influence naturally and I like it very much. Mongolia's architecture was influenced by Russian architecture, which in its turn was influenced by the German architecture. On the other hand, the Nordic architecture was also influenced by German architecture.
> It's only a matter of time that Mongolia's architecture is in kinda identity crisis now. But it should tidy itself up soon. And it will be of Nordic influenced again.
> Both by tradition and practicality. The Nordic designs are also meant to fit the Nordic climate after all, like Mongolia's.


I feel like once Mongolia becomes an extremely wealthy socialist country (which I feel like can totally happen within our lifetimes due to tiny population and blossoming economy), it would very much resemble Scandinavia. Much of Ulan batar's architecture does look a lot like those from Helsinki, just more spread out


----------



## Ultros (Apr 21, 2005)

This photo looks like it's the end of the world...










I don't think I've ever seen a more bleak image!


----------



## JuanPaulo (Feb 26, 2004)

Photos from Ulan Bator. Not taken by me, credit to all their authors.


----------



## JuanPaulo (Feb 26, 2004)




----------



## travelworld123 (Sep 24, 2008)

Rinchinlhumbe said:


> The soviets tore down almost every building which was erected before 1920 giving the city a dull appeal but that does not mean, UB was without history. The citys history is rather rooted in the people's culture, if you take a second look the city starts to grow on you.


Does anyone have any photos of Ulaanbaator before the Soviets ruled? like what this city looked like in it's 'traditional' times?

I'm interested in Mongolia and the be honest, I don't really like how it's all 'soviet' looking now. What would a Mongolian city look like if it weren't ruled by the Soviets?


----------



## sasikumar (Jul 19, 2010)

*The average Mongolian to become U.S. dollar millionaire by 2014*

check out this. 

http://www.2point6billion.com/news/...ork-reform-in-the-mongolian-economy-8777.html

the Mongolian economy is about to take off in a very big way. Massive mineral reserves are about to transform the wealth of this landlocked country.
UB will be Asia's dubai soon:banana::banana::banana::banana:


----------



## eddeux (Jun 16, 2010)

sasikumar said:


> check out this.
> 
> http://www.2point6billion.com/news/...ork-reform-in-the-mongolian-economy-8777.html
> 
> ...


Dubai is in asia though.  and hopefully UB doesn't build up like Dubai then burst later on. I'm still excited for its future, of course!!


----------



## Arman1 (Jul 26, 2008)

I liked some of the buildings. Especially the Parliament building and the house looked like a sail. In general, Ulan Bator, very reminiscent of Soviet cities. I wish prosperity of Mongolia's neighbors from Kazakhstan


----------



## Occit (Jul 24, 2005)

I like the lasts pics...are very interesting! :yes:


----------



## Antonio227 (Mar 10, 2006)

Very interesting.

A part of the world that you don´t read about frequently (here-in the local media).


----------



## xxxriainxxx (Nov 26, 2007)

Just got back from Mongolia. Very BEAUTIFUL country. I cant wait to be back.


----------



## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

This is one country I've always wanted to visit. Somehow, the open, empty steppe and the Gobi desert just look like the most beautiful places to me. I hope all goes well for Mongolia.


----------



## hellospank25 (Feb 5, 2008)

xxxriainxxx said:


> Just got back from Mongolia. Very BEAUTIFUL country. I cant wait to be back.


and where are your photos? opcorn:


----------



## xxxriainxxx (Nov 26, 2007)

hellospank25 said:


> and where are your photos? opcorn:


Some of my captures of Mongolia. First batch..will post some more in the coming days. 


Wildlife










The sands










Philippines in Mongolia










River Tuul and the steppes


----------



## travelworld123 (Sep 24, 2008)

mongolia and ulaanbaataar seems so mysterious and unknown. It's very interesting!

I wonder what Ulaanbaataar will look like in 50 years time


----------



## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

fascinating, beautiful photos from Mongolia....:cheers2:


----------



## Beku (Jul 4, 2010)

del.


----------



## RobertoBancrofth (Jan 13, 2011)

Parece muito uma cidade Russa


----------



## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia by Chaloos, on Flickr


----------



## Beku (Jul 4, 2010)

awesome pic!


----------



## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia by Chaloos, on Flickr


----------



## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Really good, very nice photos from Mongolia


----------



## travelworld123 (Sep 24, 2008)

great photos! Looks very different to other East/South East Asian cities!!


----------



## el palmesano (May 27, 2006)

seems amazing the city


----------



## brianmoon85 (Oct 14, 2006)

This city has its own charms!! AWESOME!!


----------



## tita01 (Oct 21, 2011)

beautiful!


----------



## Beku (Jul 4, 2010)

Credits to photographer Sainjargal


----------



## Reapvkz1 (Mar 18, 2011)

I like Mongolia!


----------



## Ismael Co (Feb 3, 2012)

looks like such a nice place!!!


----------



## crskyline (Oct 23, 2009)

èđđeůx;74036317 said:


> Dubai is in asia though.  and hopefully UB doesn't build up like Dubai then burst later on. I'm still excited for its future, of course!!


I think sasikumar is smart enough to know dubai is part of the asian continent. But in today's media influence social context, asia really means "far east", just like asia meant "south asia (india)" about a century ago.


----------

