Khabarovsk

A popular place in summer, this provincial city on the banks of the Amur River has a relaxed, "seaside resort" atmosphere, and a surprisingly European feel for a city only 25km from China. The city also has Korean and Armenian minorities, and it is a joke that the Japanese, who occupied the city in the 1920s, are now back in occupation not with soldiers, but tourists and businesses. Nevertheless, the tree lined streets bustle with street vendors, the architecture is attractive 19th century thanks to Khabarovsk's founder, Count Nikolai Muravev Amursky, in 1858.

Strategically located on the hills overlooking the Amur River, Khabarovsk was founded as a military outpost in 1651, during the first wave of Russian colonization. The town gained importance during the nineteenth century as a trading outpost, and today it is one of the most important and promising cities of the Russian Far East. Khabarovsk is a pleasant city, with wide, tree-lined boulevards, a popular beach, and an interesting museum of ethnography and local history. This city also has a strong connection to immigration after the Russian Civil War to countries such as, Australia, Canada, New Zealand the U.S and Britain.

The city of Khabarovsk is the administrative center of a Krai (territorial unit), and situated on the right bank of the Amur river. It was founded in 1858 as a strong point for the area, in honour of Yerofi Khabarov a Russian explorer who after a number of trips to the Amur region made the first ever map of the Amur River.

In 1880 Khabarovsk received its city status. The city is still one of the more prominent cities in the far east and has become to be known as a Russian gateway to the pacific due to its geographical position in terms of river, railway and air transports. Over one hundred industrial enterprises are located in the city, representing machine building, metal working, chemical and oil-processing. The city has three theatres, a concert hall, seven museums and a Cathedral of Assumption. The municipal Art Museum boasts a representative collection of both Russian and Foreign artists. Buildings erected in the early 20th century give a western Russian look to Khabarovsk which is complimented by a good rang of parks and gardens. The people are a mix of all peoples from Russia. During the Stalin years people were forcibly relocated to Khabarovsk and so a wide range of folk traditions prevail.

There are approximately 325 animal species in the nearby forests where you can find wild boar, himalayan and brown bears, Manchurian deer, sable, lynx and even tiger. To get a glimpse of the wildlife a cruise down the Amur river or a visit to a fishing farm would be ideal. Tourists are encouraged to participate in a wide range of activities involving trips into exotic areas of the Siberian taiga and the Kamchatka peninsula.

Museums:

• The Far East Art Museum;
• N.I.Grodekov Khabarovsk Regional Museum of Local Lore (founded in 1894);
• Military-Historical Museum of the Far Eastern Military District;
• Museum of Khabarovsk History (opened in 2004);
• Geological museum