Millions of Russians Vladivostok is perceived as a mysterious, incredibly distant city located on the edge of the country. To get from the western part of Russia to the capital of Primorye, you have to overcome thousands of kilometers and pay impressive amounts for tickets. Therefore, before the trip, it is better to first learn about all the beautiful places in Vladivostok, interesting sights, historical facts, so that later you will not regret what was lost.
And there is something to see in Vladivostok. Even the landscape itself is able to amaze a resident of the European part of Russia with its unusualness. On the shores of the sea bays, playing in all shades of blue, city streets are laid right on the slopes of the hills, and the curved, long bay of the Golden Horn deeply cuts into the central part of the city. The beautiful places of Vladivostok do not have any single tone, they represent an amazing mixture of western and eastern cultures, pre-revolutionary architecture and monuments of the Soviet period, ultra-modern buildings and almost wild nature. But first things first.
Railway and marine stations
Those who arrived by train begin acquaintance with the beautiful places of Vladivostok from two stations: the central railway station and the sea station located a hundred meters from it. The railway station appeared in the city at the end of the 19th century, it was wooden, small and did not correspond to the status of the rapidly developing Vladivostok. Therefore, in place of the old building in 1912 a new one appeared, which was immediately recognized as one of the most beautiful stations on the Trans-Siberian Railway.
The facade is made in the style of the best examples of Russian architecture of the 17th century, but it is not overloaded with unnecessary decorative details. The central part of the building is the lobby with turrets and columns, which extends to the forecourt and passes over the railway tracks. The main station building resembles Russian towers with pitched roofs.
Maritime Station - a legacy of the Soviet Union. Its building, resembling a white ship, was built on the shores of the Golden Horn in 1959 and can hardly claim the title of the most beautiful place in Vladivostok, but this is the king who makes a magnificent retinue. An unusual atmosphere reigns at the seaport: majestic liners stand on the pier, sightseeing boats come and go, foreigners scurry about, souvenir sellers make noise and barkers on excursions ... In short, life is in full swing.
Golden Horn
Vladivostok grew out of a small military post, which in 1860 was organized by Russian sailors on the banks of a convenient and spacious bay. For similarity with the famous Istanbul Bay, the bay was named the Golden Horn. The ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet and cruise liners, the graceful Golden Bridge, the city streets approaching the water itself, the Ship Embankment, the Marine Station are all individual details intertwined into the integral appearance of the Golden Horn.
Ship Embankment
If a tourist is looking for beautiful places in Vladivostok where he can take a walk, then he must visit the Ship Embankment. Celebrations are held here, from here the townspeople and visitors admire the May 9 salute, call the huge ships at the port, as if flying over the water with the Golden Bridge and sea sunsets.
There are military monuments on the embankment: an obelisk at the landing site of the first Russian sailors, a monument to Solzhenitsyn, a museum-ship "Red Pennant", a submarine S-56. In the adjacent Admiral north stands the restored Arch Tsesarevich, which was erected in 1891 in honor of the arrival of the future Tsar Nicholas II in Vladivostok.
Svetlanovskaya street
Parallel to the Ship Embankment lies the main street of the city - Svetlanovskaya, crossing a five-kilometer broken Vladivostok from west to east, although in the sixties of the 19th century it was very short and was called American. According to one version, this name was given due to the fact that immigrants from America opened a hotel, restaurants and trading houses on the street. The street got its current name in 1873 in honor of the frigate "Svetlana", on which the great prince Alexei, son of Tsar Alexander the Second, entered the Golden Horn. In the period from 1924 to 1992, the street bore the name of Lenin.
Svetlanovskaya, of course, is one of the most beautiful places in Vladivostok for photo shoots. The traveler will find here tenement houses of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and museums, theaters and monuments, cafes and restaurants, hotels and shops. The most notable sights include the Vladivostok State Department Store, the monument to Vysotsky, the house of the Governor General, and the central square or, as the townspeople call it, the Square of the Fighters of the Revolution is considered the pearl of the street.
It is not inferior in size to the metropolitan Red Square. Before the revolution, there was a quiet city park on this place, in Soviet times, a square was made from the park, on which a grandiose sculptural ensemble was established: in the center stands a 30-meter tall figure of a trumpeter, a Red Army soldier, two groups of sculptures are located on the sides of it, the left one is dedicated events of 1917, the right - to the partisans who fought with the interventionists and the White Guards in 1922.
Aleutskaya street
One of the first streets of the city is named after the Russian schooner Aleut, it was her sailors who cut a clearing in the dense coastal forest in 1862, which later became one of the most beautiful places in Vladivostok. Since 1923, it bore the name of October 25th, but in 1992 the historical name was returned. Two-kilometer street begins near the central station and crosses Svetlanovskaya perpendicularly.
There are several notable historical buildings on Aleutskaya: railway station, shipping company, Far Eastern Archive (No. 10), the Briner House (No. 15), the former Zolotoy Rog Hotel and Hotel (No. 20), but the Gray Horse (No. 17) deserves special attention. and No. 19) - this is how the Vladivostok people called the first skyscraper in Primorye, built in 1939 for railway workers. The eight-story building is crowned with sculptures of proletarian architecture: a miner, a Red Army soldier, a collective farmer and a pilot.
Ocean Avenue
From the square of the Fighters of the Revolution, the main city avenue - Oceansky literally takes off on the hillside. In the 19th century, it was a Chinese street, around which the Chinese settled, as well as criminals, beggars and other dubious personalities. In 1907, the street was renamed Ocean Avenue, but it could only be removed from slums and notoriety in Soviet times.
It is a busy traffic artery and the center of urban life. There are shops, monuments of pre-revolutionary architecture, business centers, the main market, the Palace of Pioneers, the administration of Vladivostok, the Monument to the sailor who returned from the voyage. The Ocean Avenue ends near the central park and Pokrovsky Cathedral. Experienced tourists in their reviews advise starting to climb the avenue to turn around more often: they have amazing views of Bortsov Square, the bay and the ships.
Pushkinskaya street
This quiet street running along the hills parallel to Svetlanovskaya is one of the most picturesque and beautiful places in Vladivostok. In 1861, on the site of modern Pushkinskaya there were hills cut by ravines. In this place appeared military barracks, the first city church and hospital, because of which a short street was given the name Hospital.
In 1887, in honor of the anniversary of the death of the great Russian poet, the street was renamed Pushkinskaya, at the beginning of the 20th century two more streets were added to it, so it regained its present appearance. Remaining only about two kilometers long, Pushkinskaya Street contains many attractions: the Pushkin Theater and a monument to the poet; the house-museum of the writer Sologub; Lutheran Church; old houses.
There is a funicular on this street, which raises tourists 70 meters to a viewing platform for a moderate fee, from where you can take memorable photos. Beautiful places of Vladivostok are clearly visible. Those who do not like to use transport can climb 368 steps of a nearby staircase.
Cable-stayed bridges
In reports on a trip to the capital of Primorye, you can almost always find rave reviews about the amazing cable-stayed bridges. Since the end of the 19th century, the authorities have seriously discussed the construction of bridges across the Golden Horn and to the Russian island. It even came to substantive projects, but they only came to fruition in the 21st century, when in 2012, with a difference of several days, traffic on both cable-stayed bridges was opened.
The Golden Bridge is almost a kilometer and a half long and hovers above the bay at an altitude of 60 meters, the highest point of its pylons is at the level of 226 meters from the surface of the water. It is not only the most important transport facility of Vladivostok, but also a symbol of the city.
The Russian bridge is even more impressive: its length exceeds 3 kilometers, the highest point is at a height of 321 meters, and from the roadway to the water - 70 meters. In the dark cable-stayed cables glow with the colors of the national flag. The construction of the facility was the beginning of the rapid development of the infrastructure of the Russian island, which before could only be reached by sea.
Russian island
Without a doubt, Russky Island is one of the most visited and beautiful places in Vladivostok. The nature of the island attracts both citizens and visitors. Forests, hills, steep banks, sand and pebble beaches help to forget that a big city is very close. In addition, in Russian there is a dolphinarium and a large aquarium, military forts and coastal batteries, a monastery. But the main asset of the island is its wonderful nature and diverse beaches, making it the most suitable and beautiful place in Vladivostok for tourism and outdoor activities.
Parks
Central Pokrovsky Park was once the central city cemetery. Then it became too small for Vladivostok and gradually turned into a prestigious cemetery, where officers and the rich and famous Vladivostok residents found peace. In 1923, the Soviet government closed the cemetery, and in 1936 it was turned into a city park.
Pokrovsky Park is a favorite place of citizens and one of the most beautiful places in Vladivostok. Lovers, parents with children, pensioners often come here. At the entrance to the park stands the Intercession Church with a complicated history. It was built and consecrated in 1902, in the 30s, during the anti-religious campaign, it was destroyed and a monument to Lenin was put in its place. In 1992, everything was repeated in the reverse order: the monument to Ilyich was dismantled, and in 2007 a new Orthodox church of the Assumption was opened in the park.
It is not necessary to go to the Ussuri taiga for those wishing to get acquainted with the wildlife of Primorye, it is much easier and more informative to visit the largest botanical garden in the east of Russia, assigned to the Far Eastern branch of the Academy of Sciences. The garden occupies almost 170 hectares, but is perfectly organized. Convenient paths, signs and signs have been arranged for visitors to help understand more than 800 species of Ussuri plants collected here.
On Sportivnaya Embankment there is a very small Carousel park, however, for the delight of children, 26 different attractions and a 27-meter observation wheel from which you can see the Amur Bay and the hills of Vladivostok are working in it.
Museums
There are many museums in Vladivostok for every taste. Among the most notable and interesting are:
- The ship "Red Pennant." It is a branch of the city's Military History Museum and is a real ship. The “Red Pennant” was launched in St. Petersburg in 1910 and at first it was a yacht that was used in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky for civil and administrative purposes. However, he was rebuilt into a patrol ship and participated in the Civil and World War II.
- Submarine S-56 is another symbol of the city covered with glory. Built in 1939, the submarine became one of the most successful submarines during the Second World War. She sank four enemy ships with torpedoes and placed more than three thousand deep mines, for which she received the guard rank and the Order of the Red Banner. S-56 was withdrawn from naval combat personnel in 1955, and in 1975 it was turned into a museum.
- Military History Museum. Dedicated to the history of the Russian Pacific Fleet. It began work in 1950, when it exhibited items brought from scientific expeditions to the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka. The collection is constantly growing. Today, the museum’s exposition does not fit in the building, some of the exhibits — primarily military equipment — are in the open.
- Primorsky art gallery, founded in 1965 on the basis of the Russian Museum, the Hermitage and the Tretyakov Gallery.
- Auto Museum with a very interesting exhibition of rare models of motorcycles and cars. In six rooms you can see the rare products of the Soviet, German and Japanese automobile industries.
- The Vladivostok Fortress is an amazing open-air museum that tells not only about the impregnable city fortress that repelled the attack of the Japanese squadron in 1904, but also about the general history of artillery and fortification. In addition, beautiful places of Vladivostok and the waters of the Amur Bay are visible from the fortress.