Ufa, the capital of Bashkortostan, is a medium-sized, quiet and pleasant place on the bank of the Belaya River. Located on the western slopes of the Ural Mountains, Ufa is an industrial city in which mining and electrical equipment, refined petroleum, forest products, chemicals, synthetic rubber, and processed foods are manufactured. Founded in 1574 as a fortress, it became the first Russian town in the area called Bashkiria in 1586. The magnificent natural scenery of Ufa and its surroundings depends on the city's location in the forest and steppe zone and on the nearness of big rivers. It is not surprising, therefore, that the beauty of the land was noticed by people of the ancient past. The city is decorated with numerous monuments and buildings combining modern and Old Russian architectural styles. Some of the biggest buildings of the 20th century in Ufa are the S.T.Aksakov House (now the State Opera and Ballet House of the Republic of Bashkortostan), the Grand Siberian Hotel (Officers' Mess), the College of Commerce and the School of Trade (Aviational College Now the building houses the Opera Theatre, as well as the House of Soviets. The Khakimov Mosque is the only one in the region double - minaret Muslim mosque built in 1907-1908 by a merchant A. Khakimov. The Lenin Memorial Centre has the house where Lenin stayed. Not far from the site, there is a whole street of wooden Bashkir houses from the 1900s.