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The daily life of the city is provided for by its social infrastructure. Its numerous shops, public catering facilities, trams, trolley-buses, buses, and "Metro" render services to its residents and visitors. The city has dozens of public libraries, cinemas, concert halls, children's music and art schools. Its Opera House, Drama Theatre, Musical Comedy Theatre, Theatre of Youth, Puppet
Shows Theatre, Philharmonic Society, and Circus are well known in the country. The museums of Ekaterinburg are famous for their unique collections.The city has a unique appearance. It seems that history itself is embodied in its streets and avenues, architectural ensembles and sights.More than 600 monuments of history and culture are located in the city, and 43 of them are considered to be top national monuments because of their special significance.
The heart of Ekaterinburg is its dam (Plotinka), that permitted the initial development of the city's industrial base. The dam was erected in 1723 and survived later two reconstructions. At present it is an impressive industrial monument of the 18th century. Unfortunately, very few buildings of the old factory area have been preserved. Now only afew buildings remained: the Museum of History of Architecture of the Urals, and the Nature Museum, both are located in the so-called Historical Public Garden. Situated here is also the oldest building of Ekaterinburg which dated from 1764 and that was recently reconstructed. At present this is the Fine Arts Museum.
Ekaterinburg of the 18th century was a town made of wood. However, the first stone buildings also appeared here during this period. At most these were administrative buildings, for example the Main Board of the mining factories, where the Urals Conservatoire is located now. In the late 18th and the early 19th centuries a new architectural style (classicism) influenced Ekaterinburg landscapes. The palace on Voznesenskaya Hill, with its luxurious park, is the most famous example of this style. Many churches and chapels made the city's panorama very beautiful and picturesque. In the beginning of the 20th century there were about 50 churches, and of this number only 6 still remain today. There are quite a few buildings in the constructivist style in the city. Typical of this style are such examples as the Main Post Office, the "Uralski Rabochi" printing house, the film studio, the famous White Tower, the "Dynamo" stadium, etc.
The Soviet Period brought new trends to Ekaterinburg's architecture: luxury and rationalism, which reflected the influence of both ideology and asceticism. New tendencies in the development of world architecture have also affected the city. Some of the most well known of these structures include the Military Headquarters, the Urals State Technical University (UPI), the Railway Administrative Building, and the Philharmonic Society.
The dynamics of contemporary life does have its effect on the city. However, good care of its cultural heritage helps to maintain the historical continuity of times and confirms the right of Ekaterinburg to the status of a historical city.
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