File:Apartment_buildings_in_Balykchy,_Kyrgyzstan,_2012-01.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Balykchy
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Balykchy () is a town at the western end of Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, at an elevation of about 1,900 metres. Its area is , and its resident population was 42,875 in 2021 (both including Orto-Tokoy). A major industrial and transport centre (wool and crop processing, lake shipping, rail terminal, and road junction) during the Soviet era, it lost most of its economic base after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the closure of virtually all of its industrial facilities.
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Place details
- Locality
- Балыкчы
- Region
- Ысык-Көл облусу
- Country
- Кыргызстан
- Population
- 42,875
- Timezone
- Asia/Bishkek
via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames
Key facts
- Settlement.official_name
- Balykchy
- Settlement.native_name
- Балыкчы
- Settlement.image_flag
- Flag of Balykchy.svg
- Settlement.image_shield
- Coat of arms of Balykchy.svg
- Settlement.pushpin_map
- Kyrgyzstan
- Settlement.pushpin_label_position
- bottom
- Settlement.pushpin_mapsize
- 300
- Settlement.pushpin_map_caption
- Location in Kyrgyzstan
- Settlement.subdivision_type
- Country
- Settlement.subdivision_name
- Kyrgyzstan
- Settlement.subdivision_type1
- Region
- Settlement.subdivision_name1
- Issyk-Kul Region
- Settlement.established_title
- Founded
- Settlement.established_date
- 1884
- Settlement.area_total_km2
- 38
- Settlement.population_as_of
- 2021
- Settlement.population_total
- 51305
- Settlement.population_density_km2
- auto
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Official name
- Рыбачье
- Population
- 48000
- Area
- 38
- Elevation
- 1900
- Official website
- www.balykchy.kg/index.php
- Image
- E8359-Balykchy-government-office.jpg
- Dialing code
- 3944
Show 3 more facts
- Commons category
- Balykchy
- postal code
- 721900
- P12749
- Elsdorf
via Wikidata · CC0
Travel guide
Understand
Balykchy is the gateway to Issyk Kul. It sits on the western bank of the lake. It used to be known as Ribachie (Рыбачие), Russian for fisherman, and after independence was re-named with the Kyrgyz word.
It is interesting to note the micro-climates of the Issyk Kul, especially around Balykchy as there is little green or snow at all times.
250px|thumb|Balykchy railway station
Eat
There are numerous vendors on the main road selling smoked lake fish which is quite popular. Prices are inexpensive and expect to be hoarded when stopping. There are also several stands selling the local honey.
Go next
If you wish to go to the smaller salt lake approximately one hour from the city, you should be able to hire a taxi from the local bus station. There is a meeting point for marshrutkas and shared taxis to Bishkek at the western entrance of the city—ask any local or shopkeeper for the "Avtovokzal".
Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)
~3 min read
Article
6 sectionsContents
- History
- Demographics
- Climate
- Transport
- References
- External links
Balykchy () is a town at the western end of Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, at an elevation of about 1,900 metres. Its area is , and its resident population was 42,875 in 2021 (both including Orto-Tokoy). A major industrial and transport centre (wool and crop processing, lake shipping, rail terminal, and road junction) during the Soviet era, it lost most of its economic base after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the closure of virtually all of its industrial facilities.
The main road from Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, to China, a part of the ancient Great Silk Road, passes through Balykchy before it starts its long and arduous way across the alpine ranges of Naryn Province in central Kyrgyzstan to the Chinese border at Torugart Pass. Plans for the rail road from the Chinese border to Balykchy, where the line from Bishkek currently ends, are under discussion. Two other roads go around the north and south sides of Issyk Kul to Karakol and then around the east end of the Kungey Alatau to the far southeast of Kazakhstan.
Gallery (5)
On the map
6 mapped locations