The Golden Age of Ekaterinburg.	Images of Ekaterinburg Russia "Miners" Pharmacy .
	Of original Ekaterinburg – the fortress and then world's best iron-making works –there has survived next to nothing. Only the dam – or, to be more exact, just the body of it; its facade has been totally remodeled. So one can know Ekaterinburg of the 18th century only from old etchings. However it is still possible to have a glimpse of the town of the 19th century's early decades – which was its Age of Gold in both literal and metaphorical sense. It was the time when Ural merchants – those daring pioneers – found gold in Siberia. The discoverers' – mostly the so-called old-believers'– golden rule of the thumb was to keep away from the official capitals and authorities, so the shower of gold poured upon and into the capital of the Urals. Ekaterinburg became a place widely renowned for its gold-and-gems riches. The year 1814 saw the discovery of field gold (vein gold had been known since 1745); 1831ushered the era of mass output of inexhaustible Ural's emeralds which have been in great demand and fashion ever since; the emerald boom was preceded by the malachite one... Iron production was in full swing, gold was mined all over Ekaterinburg Valley, the lapidary works never stopped having expensive orders from the Emperor's Court, the Head of the Mining was omnipotent, the local merchants were rich...That epoch formed the architectural style of the Capital-in-the-rear: gray granite, white stone, columns and pillars of light hues, founded and forged metal, abundance of green trees and water – a variety of austere Classicism. Many foreign travelers wrote of the town's European appearance and considered it among the most beautiful places in Russia. That town exists no longer. Neither does the large river nor the navigable lake. Nor the golden domes of a host of churches. Nonetheless, there have remained separate buildings and even entire blocks that might give one an idea of what old Ekaterinburg used to be. . . . .	The Old Stone Bridge The Church of Ascension Ryazanov's houses The History Square. The Dam Rastorguyev- -Kharitonov's House