Welcome to Primorsky kray. Russian Far East.
RUSSIAN FAR EAST
PRIMORSKY KRAY
WELCOME TO VLADIVOSTOK
The morning of Russia. It begins at the shores of the Pacific Ocean, where mighty
waves meet the Ussury taiga, where the sea romance covers our city with a
special veil. It begins in Vladivostok.
Vladivostok ("Ruler of the East" from the Russian words vladet and
vostok) is the capital and the largest city of Primorye. With a population of
660,000 people and a total area of over 600 sq.km (230 sq. miles), it is also
the largest city of the Russian Far East and, of course, one of the most
interesting and remarkable cities of Russia. Vladivostok is among the ten most
prospective cities of the world, as determined by the special UNESCO Commission.
Of all the European-style cities it is the closest to the Asian Pacific region.
On June 20 (July 2), 1860 the military supply ship Manchur called at the Golden
Horn Bay to found an outpost of Vladivostok ("possess the East"). In
1862 it officially became a port. On April 28 (May 10), 1880 Vladivostok was
officially proclaimed a city and in 1889 - a fortress. The construction of the
Trans-Siberian Railroad that began in 1891 served as a jump-start for the rapid
growth of the city.
An integral part of Vladivostok is its port, a whole city on water. When dusk
falls the port's ships, moorings and cranes are ablaze with myriad of lights.
When large factory ships return after long voyages, they hear the music of there
home port. But Vladivostok is not only the eastern sea gateway of Russia. Here
begins the Trans-Siberian Railway, the longest in the world. The city is also an
important air crossroad. 9,288 kilometers lie between Vladivostok and Moscow. It
takes 6 days by train or 9 hours by plane to cover this distance.
Being the home base of the Pacific Military Fleet, Vladivostok was closed to
foreigners from 1930 till the 1990's. The only exception was made for US
President Gerald Ford who met the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev in Vladivostok
in 1974. In 1992, for the first time, Vladivostok was officially opened to
travelers from other countries.
Today Vladivostok is of great significance for the economic development of
the Primorye. The citizens are engaged in fishery, ship-repair, woodworking,
light and building industries. They produce porcelain, metal-working tools. The
activities of many citizens are connected with sea transport. A large part of
Russian merchant marine is concentrated here. When we say
"Vladivostok", we also mean heat power engineering, radio-electronics,
railway transport, higher educational institutions, science…
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Vladivostok excursions
