The only Buddhist region in Europe

The fragrance of joss sticks hangs in the air, while the constant murmur of monks reciting their mantras can be heard. When you experience a ceremony in the Golden Temple of Elista, you'd be forgiven for believing that you're no longer in Europe. In fact, Elista is the capital of Kalmykia, the autonomous federal republic of Russia that lies between the Caucasus Mountains and Caspian Sea in the southern Russian steppes. Geographically, it is part of Europe and is the continent's only predominantly Buddhist region.

A region with an eventful history

The Kalmyk nomads, a Mongol subgroup, came here about 400 years ago. They brought their faith with them from Asia, and have held on to it since then, even though doing so wasn't always easy over the course of history. The republic was dissolved in 1943 under the reign of Stalin, spiritual leaders were persecuted, and the temples destroyed. The entire Kalmyk people were deported to Siberia and only allowed to return home after the end of Stalinism in the 1950s. Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990, Buddhism has flourished again in Kalmykia. There are now temples, pagodas and religious statues everywhere, especially in the capital city of Elista.

Spiritual encounters in Kalmykia

For DW reporter Hendrik Welling, the trip to Kalmykia was one of the most extraordinary experiences of his exploration of extreme places in Europe. He visited the Buddhist republic for the series "Europe to the Maxx" on DW's lifestyle and culture magazine Euromaxx. He not only met the spiritual leader of the Kalmyks, but also tried his hand at traditional overtone singing. Find out what that sounds like in our video.

About 160,000 of the almost 300,000 Kalmyks are Buddhist. Their spiritual center is the Golden Temple in Elista, which opened in 2005. The Dalai Lama himself blessed its location on a visit. At 9 meters (30 feet), the temple's statue of Buddha is the tallest in Europe.

The Golden Temple also houses a museum in which the Buddhist traditions of the Kalmyks are illuminated. The entire complex is open to visitors, which means that non-Buddhists can also turn the prayer wheel and try to get a bit closer to understanding the meaning of life. 

How to visit

Address: Republic of Kalmykia, Russia

Getting there: By plane via Moscow to Elista

Special tip: Play chess in the central Lenin Square in Elista in the evening. Chess is Kalmykia's national sport, and in many places have large public chessboards where people play.

The accompanying book

See Europe at its most extreme: The series "Europe to the Maxx" on DW's lifestyle and culture magazine Euromaxx makes makes it possible to experience Europe's superlatives — from extraordinary architecture to spectacular landscapes and unique cultural phenomena. The accompanying book "111 Extreme Places in Europe That You Shouldn't Miss" was published in cooperation with Emons Verlag.It's an alternative travel guide that's both informative and entertaining, perfect for avid travelers, fans of Europe and anyone who likes to show off unusual trivia knowledge. It's full of guaranteed record breakers!

This article was translated from German.