Chunoyar

Chunoyar is placed in the Siberian forest country associated with the wider Bratsk region. Taiga, rivers and long winters form the setting for travel and hunting in the Angara basin.

Russian expeditions reached the Bratsk area in the 1620s to collect tribute from Buryat communities. In 1631 an outpost was established at the junction of the Oka and Angara rivers. It became a base for Russian activity in the region, and its wooden fortifications survived in part.