The name of the city of Tulun has Turkic roots. According to one version, the toponym is translated as “leather bag”. The city received such an unusual name due to the peculiarities of its geographical location. The fact is that the settlement is surrounded by a river, which seems to encompass it in a semicircle.
This version is also confirmed by one of the dictionaries of Türkisms in the Russian language, which indicates that the word "tulun" is translated as a skin that has been removed entirely, without being ripped open.
According to another version, the word “tulun” is of Yakut origin and is translated as “valley”.
It is noteworthy that the founding date of Tulun has not been preserved in history. But the first mentions of this picturesque city date back to the 18th century. The traveler Johann Gmelin, who was a member of the academic detachment of the Kamchatka expedition, wrote about him. Less than 30 years later, the Moscow highway was laid through this city, and after another 130 years, the Trans-Siberian Railway was launched through Tulun. The city met the first train in 1897.
At the beginning of the 20th century, several manufacturing enterprises were opened in Tulun at once. This is a brick, sawmill, distillery, brewery. A large steam mill was built here, and industrial coal mining began on the outskirts of the city.
At the same time Tulun received the status of a city, but 2 years after its acquisition, Tulun again became a village. The reason for this was the political games of the leadership at that time. The lost status was returned to the city after another 3 years.
A powerful leap in the industrial sphere in Tulun came in the post-war period. In the 50s of the last century, hydrolysis, glass, car repair and electromechanical plants were built here, light and food industries were expanded and modernized. In the same period, the selection direction was actively developing. More than 70 crops have been bred in Tulun.
The coal mining industry flourished in the vicinity of the city, two new open-pit mines were launched - Azeisky and Tulunsky. A little later, another Mugun section appeared. Millions of tons of coal were exported from here every year. It was used for the needs of energy and utility companies throughout the Irkutsk region and far beyond its borders.
The active growth of production also contributed to the rapid development of the social sphere. Residential neighborhoods began to grow, infrastructure and cultural attractions appeared.
Today the main attractions of the city are the Leisure Center "Siberia", the regional recreation center "Prometheus". Among the cult objects of Tulun, it is worth noting the Intercession Church, founded in the 18th century, as well as the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.