Ural Society of Natural Science Lovers

The Ural Society of Natural Science Lovers (abbreviated as UOLE or WOLE) was a Russian organization.

Functioning from the mid-19th to early 20th centuries, the organization supported the study of the natural sciences and history of the Urals.

At the time Yekaterinburg was a rapidly-growing center of industry and commerce, resulting in the rise of new class of wealthy businessmen.

[1] The driving force behind the formation of the society was Onésime Clerc, a Swiss-born teacher who had immigrated to Yekaterinburg and taken an interest in promoting the sciences.

[1][2] Clerc personally conducted research into the geology, metrology and herbology of the Urals, and these interests fit in with the purpose of the new organization.

Portraits of the UOLE's founders on display at the Museum of History and Archeology of the Urals, also known as the UOLE museum