Vladivostok — the city and port in the Asian part of Russia, the largest city in the Russian Far East, the administrative center of Primorsky Region and Vladivostok City District. Vladivostok is located on the Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula and islands in the Gulf of Peter the Great, the Sea of Japan.
It was formed back in 1860 when a military post was established in the Golden Horn Bay which name has not been changed by the city throughout its existence. The first settlers living in tents on one of the coastal hills were three dozen military personnel.
The first civil residents of the settlement were merchants and peasants, and later the rumor about Vladivostok has spread throughout the world. After some time, in the early 20th century, the city was inhabited by the British, Poles, Jews, Scandinavians, Italians and, of course, representatives of neighboring countries. For this reason, buildings of various religious denominations were erected in the city.
For merchants, Vladivostok turned out to be a very attractive place where trade developed and roads were built, residential districts and industrial enterprises were erected.
The construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway connecting the region with the entire Russian Empire served as a significant impetus to the development of the city.
The fact that the city had strong military and naval bases was not left unattended for foreigners. Therefore, provocative acts from outside and merchant ships sailing from various parts of the world were just few.
The development of the naval base and strategic location of the city led to that the city was closed by the authorities in 1958 for free visits. Only residents or invited citizens having special permission could get here. In 1991, the decree was canceled and today Vladivostok has become a very attractive city for tourism.
The city has enough points of attraction and places to relax. The city reverently preserves its maritime traditions which are manifested in almost all of its interior life.
The name “Vladivostok” is derived from the words “own” and “East”. The unofficial Chinese name for the city is 海参崴 (pronounced as “haishenwei” or “haishenwai”) which means “sea cucumber bay”. This name can still be found, although there is an official Chinese transcription: 符拉迪沃斯托克.
Major attractions of Vladivostok city:
One of the oldest museums in the city of Vladivostok is PRIMORSKY STATE UNITED MUSEUM NAMED AFTER V.K. ARSENIEV introducing its visitors to the history and nature of the Primorsky Region.
The famous building is VLADIVOSTOK FORTRESS MUSEUM. This is a complex of unique long-term defensive installations built in the late XIX - early XX centuries in Vladivostok and its environs. During the construction, the experience of the Russo-Japanese War was taken into account, so the fortress is the most strong out of all the fortresses that were built and rebuilt that time.
Vladivostok Oceanarium was opened in 1991. The Oceanarium is a marine museum that includes live and dry expositions dedicated to the nature of the Pacific Ocean, tropical seas, rivers and lakes of the Far East, the Amazon and Africa.
VINTAGE CAR AND MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM. The Historical and Technical Museum of Vintage Cars and Motorcycles in Vladivostok is the only museum of its kind in Russia registered with the Russian Union of Museums on January 01, 2002. The museum has a unique collection of Soviet and foreign motor vehicles and motorcycles of the 20th – 70th of the XX century which includes more than fifty antique cars and motorcycles of various countries and makes.
MEMORIAL SUBMARINE C-56. C-56 submarine, the museum ship, is a branch of the Military and Historical Museum of the Pacific Fleet, located on the Naval Embankment in the city of Vladivostok. C-56 Guards Submarine decorated with the Order of the Red Banner is a unique monument to the military history of Vladivostok.
MEMORIAL SHIP MUSEUM “RED PENNANT”. The Soviet patrol ship, originally a yacht, is one of five ship museums built in pre-revolutionary times in Russia.
On the central square of Vladivostok, there is MEMORIAL TO THE FIGHTERS FOR THE SOVIET POWER IN THE FAR EAST, it is one of the symbols of the city.
VLADIVOSTOK RAILWAY STATION. In 1893, a solemn consecration of the Railway Station was performed, and railway traffic was opened. The authors of the project were architect P.E. Bazilevsky and V.A. Planson. The Railway Station in Vladivostok was expanded and built up in the image and the likeness of Yaroslavl Railway Station in Moscow creating architecturally completed stations at both ends of the Trans-Siberian Railway. On the western façade, there is the mosaic coat of arms of Primorsky Region, and on the east there is the coat of arms of Moscow.
VLADIVOSTOK MARINE STATION. According to historical data, the Marine Station began its existence back in 1903. The Maritime Station is the largest maritime station in the Far East and the Pacific coast of Russia. The Station is a complex of structures consisting of the Station building, mooring area of the port and the viaduct connecting it with the station square of Vladivostok.
VLADIVOSTOK FUNICULAR is a funicular system in Vladivostok, the only one in the Russian Far East. It has been operating since May 1962. It is located on the Orlinaya Hill facing the Golden Horn Bay. Now in Russia there are only two operating funiculars: in Sochi and Vladivostok.
NIKOLAEVSKIYE TRIUMPHAL GATES (TSESAREVICH ARCH) were built in 1891 by the decision of Vladivostok City Council “to perpetuate the memory of His Imperial Highness the Successor Nicolas Aleksandrovich Tsesarevich’s visit to Vladivostok”, the future Emperor Nicholas II. The author of the project is Konovalov, a military engineer. The original arch was destroyed in 1927 - 1930 and recreated in 2003.
TSESAREVICH EMBANKMENT extends from Matrossky Garden Square to Tsyrk Bus Stop, which is located almost in the center of the city. It offers stunning views from here. Korabelnaya Embankment, C-56 Memorial Complex, Monument to the Merchant Fleet Sailors and the Heroes of the Russo-Japanese War are located near Tsesarevich Embankment.
EGERSHELD LIGHTHOUSE IN VLADIVOSTOK. Egersheld Lighthouse is located at the end of Shkot Peninsula, Tokarevskaya Koshka. It is located at the end of a long bar, almost in the middle of the Eastern Bosphorus Strait. The lighthouse bears the name of Gustav Khristoforovich Egersheld, an explorer of the Peter the Great Gulf.
Anna Shchetinina Garden Square is a symbol of Vladivostok, the first woman in the world to be a deep-sea master. From the observation area, there is a beautiful view of the waters of the Eastern Bosphorus Strait, bridges, Russky Island and Elena Island, ships on the roadstead and ships arriving and departing for voyages.
On September 02, 2012, Memorial Complex “The City of Military Glory” was opened. The Memorial is dedicated to the courage, perseverance and mass heroism shown by the defenders of the city in the struggle for freedom and independence of the Fatherland in the World War II.
Primorsky Aquarium is located a few kilometers from Vladivostok on Russky Island. This is a branch of the Russian Academy created by order of the President of the Russian Federation. The building of Primorsky Aquarium was erected in the form of a huge beautiful white shell with an area of more than 37,000 square meters. About 15,000 cubic meters of water splash in its aquariums! And the largest aquarium took the honorable third place in the world!
Vladivostok is a European culture city located close to the countries of the Asia-Pacific Region. This factor plays a huge role in attracting tourists from the neighboring Eastern countries.