Historical Gandan monastery established in 1809 played an important role in forming the city, as it became the largest learning center of Tibetan Buddhism at that time. In 1930, Ulaanbaatar was still a town of gers and small wooden houses, but following the end of WWII Soviet Russian wave rushed through Mongolian land and started the construction of western styled buildings and major city developments which continued until the democratic revolution of 1990. Although most of the residential apartments, offices and factories are identical to that of any Soviet era cities, Ulaanbaatar’s skyline has dramatically changed following the boom of modern high-rise buildings in 2010's. Today Ulaanbaatar is a unique combination of Soviet architecture, old Buddhist monasteries and modern metropolitan areas.