In this article, discover five essential locations selected from our Urbex Russia Map, which features over 500 abandoned places across Russia, carefully documented for unique and immersive explorations.

Urbex Russia in Yekaterinburg offers the most geologically and historically layered urban exploration in the Urals. The "Gateway to Siberia" was founded in 1723 as a fortress factory on the Iset River — and for three centuries the Ural Mountains surrounding it yielded iron, copper, gold, and gemstones that shaped Russia's industrial identity. Today, derelict 18th-century mining infrastructure, cursed merchant estates, abandoned Soviet factories, and Ural mountain mine ruins make Yekaterinburg one of the richest urbex destinations in the country.

Why Yekaterinburg Is One of the Best Urbex Destinations in Russia

Yekaterinburg's abandoned places operate on a longer timescale than any other Russian city in this series — not Soviet decades but Imperial centuries. The Ural mining industry created ghost settlements that predate Moscow's industrial revolution by a hundred years. Combined with the post-Soviet collapse of heavy manufacturing, the city offers urbex across three distinct eras: Imperial mining ruins, Soviet factories, and post-1991 abandonment — all within the dramatic landscape of the Ural Mountains.

📍 All locations below are referenced on our Urbex Russia Map — GPS coordinates, access notes, condition ratings, and explorer reports included.

1. Rastorguev-Kharitonov Estate – The Cursed Merchant Mansion (Known Location)

The most legendary abandoned estate in Yekaterinburg. The Rastorguev-Kharitonov Estate was built by a merchant family in the early 19th century — and almost immediately became associated with tragedy. A daughter drowned herself in the pond to escape an unwanted marriage. Five children of another family member died consecutively in infancy. The builder fell from a window under suspicious circumstances. In 1837, the surviving family abandoned the estate entirely. No one has lived there since. The ghosts are said to still roam the park. Today the decaying wings and overgrown grounds attract urbex photographers and dark tourism enthusiasts from across Russia.

👉 Story: Built in the early 1800s by merchant Lev Rastorguev. A series of family tragedies — unexplained deaths, suicides, and mysterious accidents — led the family to believe the estate was cursed. Abandoned in 1837 after the builder's death under suspicious circumstances.

🔗 More on Yekaterinburg's historic sites: Advantour – Yekaterinburg Travel Guide

2. Berezovsky Gold Mine – Russia's Oldest Gold Mine, Ural Mountains (Known Location)

The most historically significant mining ruin in the Urals. Berezovsky was the site of Russia's first gold discovery in 1745 — a find that triggered the Ural gold rush and transformed the Russian Empire's economy. For two centuries the mine operated continuously, producing gold that helped finance Peter the Great's successors. Sections of the original 18th-century infrastructure — shaft heads, ore processing buildings, and workers' quarters — now stand abandoned on the outskirts of the modern town, while deeper underground workings remain partially accessible.

👉 Story: Russia's first gold discovered here in 1745, launching the Ural gold rush. The mine operated for over 200 years. Modern consolidation of the Russian mining industry left the original Imperial-era infrastructure stranded — too historical to demolish, too expensive to restore.

🔗 More on Berezovsky: Wikipedia – Berezovsky, Sverdlovsk Oblast

3. The Abandoned Ural Copper Mine – Sverdlovsk Oblast (Exclusive on our Map)

Open-cast mine workings carved into the Ural rock face, derelict ore processing facilities with original Soviet equipment in place, and a workers' settlement emptied when the deposit ran dry — the most visually dramatic mining urbex in the region.

👉 Story: The Ural Mountains contain some of Russia's richest copper deposits, mined intensively throughout the Soviet era. When deposits were exhausted or extraction became uneconomic after 1991, entire mining complexes were closed overnight — leaving their communities stranded and their infrastructure intact.

📍 Exact location available on our Urbex Russia Map.

4. The Abandoned Soviet Metallurgical Plant – Yekaterinburg Industrial Zone (Exclusive on our Map)

Blast furnaces silhouetted against the Ural sky, cavernous rolling mills with original machinery still in place, and a workers' canteen where the menu board still lists the lunch of the last shift.

👉 Story: Yekaterinburg was one of the Soviet Union's most important metallurgical centres, processing the iron and copper ore of the surrounding Urals. Post-1991 restructuring closed dozens of plants — leaving heavy industrial ruins in the middle of one of Russia's most important cities.

📍 Exact location available on our Urbex Russia Map.

5. The Abandoned Ural Mountain Sanatorium – Yekaterinburg Outskirts (Exclusive on our Map)

A Soviet sanatorium perched on the forested slopes of the Ural Mountains — grand dining halls with painted ceilings, treatment wings with hydrotherapy equipment still in the corridors, and panoramic terraces overlooking the taiga.

👉 Story: The Ural Mountains' clean air and mineral springs made the region ideal for Soviet sanatoriums serving factory workers and Party officials. When state healthcare funding collapsed after 1991, the mountain sanatorium network was abandoned simultaneously — their settings as spectacular as their interiors are decayed.

📍 Exact location available on our Urbex Russia Map.

Urbex Russia – Safety & Legal Reminder

Urban exploration in Russia carries specific risks. Trespassing is illegal, and penalties vary significantly by location. Always:

• Research each site thoroughly before visiting
• Explore with at least one other person
• Wear protective gear — mask, gloves, and sturdy boots
• In Ural mountain sites: prepare for rapid weather changes
• Never force access or cause damage to any structure
• Respect the spaces and leave no trace

The urbex code applies everywhere: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."

❓ FAQ – Urbex Yekaterinburg

What is the most famous abandoned place in Yekaterinburg?
The Rastorguev-Kharitonov Estate is the most historically atmospheric — an early 19th-century merchant mansion abandoned after a series of family tragedies and left untouched since 1837. The Berezovsky Gold Mine, Russia's oldest gold discovery site (1745), offers the most extraordinary industrial heritage.

How do I get to Berezovsky from central Yekaterinburg?
Berezovsky is located approximately 12 kilometres northeast of Yekaterinburg city centre. Take marshrutka route 14 or 109 from the central bus station — the journey takes approximately 30 minutes.

What makes Yekaterinburg unique for urbex compared to other Russian cities?
Yekaterinburg is the only major Russian city where Imperial-era mining ruins from the 18th century coexist with Soviet metallurgical plants and post-1991 abandonment — all against the backdrop of the Ural Mountains. The depth of industrial history here exceeds any other Russian city in this series.

🎯 Conclusion

Yekaterinburg offers the most historically deep urbex Russia experience outside Moscow and Saint Petersburg — a city where an estate cursed in 1837 stands beside Russia's oldest gold mine, and where Soviet blast furnaces cast long shadows over mountain sanatoriums. Every abandoned place here is shaped by the same geology: the Ural Mountains, the richest mineral deposit in Russian history, and the industries they made possible and eventually destroyed.

Thanks to our Urbex Russia Map, you get access to over 500 unique locations for a safe and immersive exploration experience — with GPS coordinates, access ratings, photos, and explorer reports for every spot.

🗺️ Explore the full Urbex Russia Map →