Ganina Yama near Yekaterinburg

What happened at Ganina Yama?

In the early hours of 17 July 1918 Nicholas II, Alexandra, their five children and four servants were shot in the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg. That morning the bodies were trucked into the forest north of town and thrown into an abandoned mine shaft here — the pit was so shallow the water barely covered them.

The killers came back the next night and moved the remains down the old Koptyaki road to Porosenkov Log, where they lay hidden until the late 20th century. The Russian Orthodox Church, however, treats Ganina Yama as the place where the family’s bodies were destroyed, which is why the monastery stands here.

The name is older than the tragedy. In the 19th century a contractor called Gavriil bought the plot hoping for gold; villagers from nearby Koptyaki called him Ganya, and his pits became “Ganya’s Pit”. Later the mine supplied iron ore to the Verkh-Isetsky ironworks before it was abandoned.

What to see at the monastery

• The pit — at the centre of the grounds, ringed by a wooden walkway. You walk around it; you can’t go down.
• Church of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers — the “Tsar’s Church”, the first to be built and the closest to the pit.
• Church of the Derzhavnaya Icon — the main church. The original burned in 2010 and was rebuilt in 2014; the museum is in its lower floor.
• St Nicholas Church — easy to spot by its cluster of small domes.
• Churches of St Seraphim, St Sergius and St Job — Job matters here because Nicholas II was born on his feast day.
• The gate church of the Iveron Icon above the entrance, where most visitors start.
• The museum — nine rooms of photographs, documents and personal belongings, plus a reconstruction of the Ipatiev House basement room. Open until 16:30, visited with a monastery guide.
• The pine forest itself — boardwalks and paths between the churches, quiet on most days of the year.

Is Ganina Yama worth visiting?

Yes, if the Romanov story is part of why you came to Yekaterinburg. With the Church on the Blood in town, it completes the story: one marks where the family died, the other where the bodies were taken. The setting — dark wooden churches among tall pines — is striking in any season, and especially in snow.

If you have no interest in the Romanovs or in Orthodox churches, it is a long round trip for what will look like a quiet forest monastery. In that case the city centre will give you more for half a day. Without context the site says little, so read up before you go or take a guide.

Ganina Yama tours from Yekaterinburg

A guided tour from the city is the easiest option for foreign visitors: transport both ways and a guide who explains the history, usually 3–6 hours including the Church on the Blood and often Porosenkov Log. Ask for an English-speaking guide when you book.

The monastery runs its own 50-minute tours of the grounds, the museum or the architecture, daily from 9:00 to 18:00, booked by phone or through its website. These are in Russian, and the price is given on booking rather than published.

There is also a free monastery audio guide on the izi.travel app, with an overview route and themed walks. Download it in town — mobile signal in the forest can be patchy.

Entrance fee and opening hours

Entry to the grounds is free and there are no tickets. City guides give the grounds as open daily from about 6:00 to 21:00; the monastery’s own website gives hours only for tours (9:00–18:00) and the museum (until 16:30).

Candles, donations and monastery tours are paid on site. Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards have not worked in Russia since March 2022, so carry some cash in roubles — for the bus fare as well.

Avoid the night of 16–17 July unless you want to join the pilgrimage: tens of thousands of people walk here during the Royal Days festival. A weekday morning is the calmest time.

How long do you need?

Plan on about 90 minutes on site: a loop of the walkway around the pit, a look inside two or three churches, and time in the forest. Add half an hour if you visit the museum with a guide.

By bus the whole trip takes half a day, because there are two to three hours between departures — pick your return bus before you set off. With a taxi or a tour, 3–4 hours covers Ganina Yama and Porosenkov Log together.

Ganina Yama, Church on the Blood or Porosenkov Log

With one day, YesGo would pair the Church on the Blood with Ganina Yama. Porosenkov Log is for those who want the full story: there is little to see, but it is where the remains later buried in St Petersburg were found.

How to do it right

• Take the 8:52 bus on a weekday and you arrive as the first tours start, before any coach groups.
• Walk the boardwalk around the pit first, then go into the churches — the layout makes more sense that way.
• The museum closes at 16:30, so an afternoon arrival may leave no time for it.
• It is noticeably colder in the forest than in the city; dress for it in winter.
• Return buses are two to three hours apart — don’t leave your choice to the bus stop.
• Photos outside the churches are fine; ask before photographing monks or inside during services.
• A tour from the city that combines the Church on the Blood, Ganina Yama and Porosenkov Log is the most efficient way to see the whole Romanov story.

Questions