Bogd Khan Winter Palace

The Bogd Khan, the eighth Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, was the religious leader who became head of state when Mongolia declared independence in 1911, and this was his winter residence from 1893 until his death in 1924. It survived the destruction of the 1930s and became a museum, which is why it is one of the few complete pre-revolutionary complexes left in the capital: a set of temple buildings in Chinese style around courtyards, plus a two-storey European-style house. The collection is idiosyncratic and reflects the man: thangkas and religious sculpture including Zanabazar pieces, his ceremonial ger covered in the skins of one hundred and fifty snow leopards, gifts from foreign heads of state, stuffed animals from his private menagerie, and a set of ceremonial robes and boots.

What you actually see

• The temple courtyards - the surviving Chinese-style religious buildings.
• The snow leopard ger - his ceremonial tent covered in skins.
• Religious art - thangkas and sculpture including Zanabazar works.
• The European house - the two-storey residence with personal effects.

When to go

Year-round; the museum keeps regular hours and closes one or two days a week in winter. Mornings are quieter. The complex is largely unheated, so winter visits are cold.

Honest expectations

Buildings are unheated and can be very cold. Photography is charged extra and restricted in places. Labelling is limited in English. Some of the collection, particularly the taxidermy and the leopard-skin ger, is uncomfortable to modern eyes and is presented without much framing.

Nearby

Zaisan memorial and Bogd Khan mountain lie south; the city centre is north.