Kyrgyzstan: Karakol – Holy Trinity Church
Karakol was founded by Russians troops garrisoned at this edge of the Russian empire in 1869, who built a wooden church here. An earthquake destroyed it in 1889 and a brand new and much larger church was built in 1895, up to this day remaining the tallest building in town at 26 m (85 feet) high. The church was closed and abandoned during the Soviet times since 1917 until Kyrgyz independence in 1991, when it finally reopened and was meticulously restored to its century-old glory, including the onion-domed newly-gilded tops. The church is located in the center of Karakol and there are many old historic 19th century Russian buildings around.
