Copyright Stephen Lioy - Photography and Travel Media

White House

Bishkek


The seat of government in Kyrgyzstan, the sidewalk out front of this Stalinist Modern construction is also the site of regular protests organised by local citizens representing a variety of causes.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Bishkek attractions

1. Ala-Too Square

0.18 MILES

Surveyed by a triumphant statue of Айкол Манас (Mighty Manas), Bishkek's nominal centre is architecturally neobrutalist in style but has a photogenic…

2. Panfilov Park

0.23 MILES

Packed with amusements and carnival rides, this city-centre park is particularly pleasant and popular with local families on summer weekends.

3. Lenin Statue

0.26 MILES

Having once dominated Ala-Too Square, Vladimir Ilyich turned his back on the mountains in 2003 and now lurks behind the National Historical Museum.

4. Sadykov Sculpture Museum

0.3 MILES

Worth a quick look for the variety of sculptures (both working models and finished versions) of famous Kyrgyz and fabled legends, though it's a small…

5. Statue of Kurmanjan Datka

0.35 MILES

Dedicated to the 'Queen of the Alay', this 19th-century stateswoman and tribal leader was famous in Kyrgyzstan long before being featured in a 2014 film…

6. Nissa Art Salon

0.37 MILES

Originally built as the St Nicholas Cathedral, the steeple was removed and this space converted to an art museum during the Soviet period. The building…

7. Dubovy Park

0.38 MILES

Where wide, green Erkindik (Freedom) Ave enters this pleasant central park, artists sell a range of locally themed paintings. There's a small open-air…

8. Frunze House-Museum

0.39 MILES

This modest museum forms a concrete shell around the thatched cottage that was allegedly the birthplace of Mikhail Vasilievich Frunze (1885–1925), for…