Ulaanbaatar
The city of Ulaanbaatar was given its present-day name, which means “Red Hero” after the victory of the People’s Revolution during the foundation of the Mongolian People’s Republic. Over 1 million people live in Ulaanbaatar today. The capital city is also the economic centre of Mongolia.
The Gandan Monastery in Ulaanbaatar is one of the biggest Buddhist monasteries in Mongolia. Up to 1924, Ulaanbaatar was known as “Ikh Khuree”, which means “Great Monastery”. At the start of the 20th century, the Khuree contained twelwe big temples, and of the city’s 50,000 inhabitants 13,000 were Buddhist monks.
Along with the Gandan Monastery, there are many other places worth visiting in Ulaanbaatar, such as the National History Museum, the former winter palace of Bogd Khan, the State Library, which houses an exhibition of valueble historical books, the Choijin Lama Temple Museum, the Museum of Fine Art, the National Museum and the Natsagdorj Museum.
Of cource, the Mongolian cuisine can be sampled in many restaurants in Ulaanbaatar, but there is also a wide range of foreign specialities to be found – even German beer gardens.