The dam on the River Iset, usually called Plotinka, is the small piece of infrastructure around which Yekaterinburg began. The original 18th-century ironworks needed controlled water power, and the modern city still gathers around the same bend of the river, now with promenades, museums and public squares around it.
It is one of the best places to start a walk through central Yekaterinburg because the city's layers are unusually visible here: industrial origins, Soviet civic space, contemporary towers and weekend crowds all sit within a few minutes of each other. Come in the evening if you want the liveliest atmosphere.