Intersection of Komsomolskaya and Obrucheva in Bratsk — Online Webcam

Bratsk — A City on the Angara

Bratsk is one of the largest industrial centers in Irkututsk Oblast, located in the Siberian taiga on the shore of the Bratsk Reservoir. The city's history began in 1631, when a Cossack detachment led by Maxim Perfilev founded the Bratsk ostrog (fortress). Today, more than 219,000 people live here, and the city remains an important transportation hub of Eastern Siberia.

The city is unique in its layout: it consists of several residential districts separated by taiga wilderness. The Padunsky district, where our webcam is installed, is one of the oldest and most developed areas of Bratsk. A significant portion of the city's infrastructure is concentrated here, including administrative buildings, shopping centers, and educational institutions.

Padunsky District: History and Development

The Padunsky district began to be built up in the 1960s in connection with the construction of the Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station. The first residential buildings appeared here even before Bratsk officially received city status in 1955. The district quickly transformed into a well-appointed residential area with a developed network of shops, schools, and kindergartens.

Today, Padun is a modern urban district with standard Soviet-era buildings and new residential complexes. The streets here are wide, with good road surfaces, and green zones with trees and shrubs have been preserved between the buildings. This is exactly the view our online camera captures: neat multi-story buildings, well-kept courtyards, and busy traffic at the intersection.

Komsomolskaya and Obrucheva Streets

The intersection of Komsomolskaya and Obrucheva Streets is one of the key transportation junctions in the Padunsky district. Komsomolskaya Street was named in honor of the Komsomol members who participated in the construction of the Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station and the city. Obrucheva Street is named after Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev — an outstanding Soviet geologist and geographer, explorer of Siberia, and academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

The intersection has well-developed infrastructure: traffic lights are operational, pedestrian crossings are equipped, and road markings are applied. In the right part of the frame, a commercial building with a distinctive red facade is visible — one of many retail and service enterprises serving local residents. Traffic at the intersection is quite intense, especially during rush hours when citizens commute to and from work.

Bratsk Reservoir and the Yangela River

In the background of the broadcast, a wide expanse of water is visible — this is the Bratsk Reservoir, one of the largest artificial bodies of water in the world. Its volume is 169 cubic kilometers of water, and its length reaches 570 kilometers with a maximum width of 25 kilometers. The reservoir was created as a result of the Angara River being dammed by the Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station, and its filling was completed in 1967.

The Yangela River, after which our camera is named, flows into the Bratsk Reservoir in the Padun area. This is a small river that, before the reservoir was created, was a tributary of the Angara. Today, its mouth lies within the city limits, and from a bird's-eye view, you can clearly see how the waters of the Yangela flow into the vast artificial reservoir. The opposite shore of the reservoir presents a typical Siberian landscape: hills covered with coniferous forest.

Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station — A Giant on the Angara

The Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station, located in the northern part of the city, is one of the largest hydroelectric power plants in Russia. Its construction began in 1954 and became one of the grandiose Komsomol construction projects of the Soviet era. The station played a key role in the development of not only Bratsk but all of Eastern Siberia, providing electricity to aluminum smelters, pulp and paper mills, and other industrial enterprises.

The reservoir formed by the dam changed the region's landscape: significant territories were submerged, including areas of the Angara's former course. However, it also created a unique recreational zone for city residents. In summer, the shores of the reservoir turn into beaches, and in winter — into endless snowy expanses for skiing.

What You Can See on the Camera

Our webcam broadcasts in real time a top-down view of the intersection of Komsomolskaya and Obrucheva Streets in the Padunsky district of Bratsk. In the center of the frame is a major road junction with functioning traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, and clear road markings. Cars continuously move along the roads, creating a typical urban scene.

On the left and right sides of the intersection, multi-story residential buildings of standard construction are located, with visible green spaces — trees and shrubs — between them. In the right part of the frame, a commercial building with a red facade catches the eye. In the background, a view of the Bratsk Reservoir opens up: a wide expanse of water with the opposite shore, where the hilly outlines of the Siberian taiga are visible.

The camera operates around the clock, allowing you to observe the life of the intersection at any time of day. During the day, you will see busy traffic and pedestrians, and at night — the glow of streetlights and rare vehicles. In the lower left corner of the broadcast, the date and time of filming are displayed, allowing you to accurately synchronize your viewing with real time.