The city was established as a Russian military fort in 1720, one of a chain of fortifications built along the Irtysh to mark and defend the southern frontier of the Russian Empire. Little of the original structure survives — the city grew over and around it — but a monument and some reconstructed sections of the old palisade near the city centre mark the site of the original fortress.
The monument is modest but historically significant: this is the origin point of the entire settlement. The plaques explain (in Russian and Kazakh) how the fort evolved into a mining and trading centre as Russia expanded into Central Asia. The surrounding area along the river embankment is pleasant for a walk, and the view across the Irtysh gives some sense of why the location — at the confluence of two rivers, guarding the approach to the Altai — was strategically chosen.