ABOUT CITY & Khabarovsk Territory
Khabarovsk is situated along the Amur river, the main waterway of the Far
East. Khabarovsk is next to the Trans-Siberian Railway connecting Moscow with
Vladivostok.
Khabarovsk, one of the oldest cities of Amur region, was founded and
developed according to ancient urban construction rules: located on a high river
bank, facing a wide and spacious river, built for a population consisting of
military, crafts and trade people. Its position attracted everyone who ever
lived on the Amur river or floated over it. According to historical
records, in 1644 Vasiliy Poyarkov, an explorer of the Amur river, was the first
who stopped right here with his team and spent many days. Just a few years later
Yerofei Khabarov visit this very place. But the history of exploration and
development of Khabarovsk is connected to the name of G.I. Nevelskoy. He was the
first person who determined this location as the best and convenient for the
city which in the future would become the key to the entire Russian Far East. In
February, 1854 he addressed a request to General-Governor N.N. Muravyov to
arrange a military post. On May 18, 1858, by the old calendar, the military post
Khabarovka was established. It was named after Yerofei Khabarov, the Cossack
explorer who
two hundred years before founded the first Russian settlement on the Amur
river. In 1864 the topographist M. Lyubensky made the first master plan
of a future city. In 1865 Khabarovsk had about 200 houses and 1294 residents.
The first builders of the city were soldiers and officers of 13th East-Siberian
battalion commanded by captain Y.V. Dyachenko who were sent there as Russian
border guards. Three ridges of distant branches of Sikhote Alin
mountains where the first streets were built became the historical part of the
settlement. The first settlers called them 'hills': Military Hill, Middle Hill.
Of all the former hills the name of the only one has preserved - Cossachya Hill
or simply Cossachka. A river cargo port is located at its foot today. At
first Kabarovka was settled mainly by servicemen. The military post also
attracted salesmen - people from the Baikal region and Siberia, Orenburg and
Perm, Kazan and Kursk, Nizhniy Novgorod and Kiev, Bessarabia and Ryazan, Moscow
and Petersburg. Military and government officers came to Khabarovka only for a
few years looking for preferential service records and promotion.
Soldiers, Cossacks, merchants, handicraftsmen and peasants stayed for a long
time or forever forming the base of Khabarovsk citizens, - the people who
started to worry about roads, about schools opening, medical institutions and
self-rule possibilities. In 1873 Kababarovka was visited by its famous
visitor, the Great Prince Alexei Alexandrovich, who became the first imperial
family 'Chief' of the Far East. His visit left its trace, the first and
main street of Khabarovka was named Alexeevskaya and the first educational
establishment, a primary school opened opened in 1875, was called Alexeevskoye.
The next visitor was Prince Nikolai who in 1891 replaced Alexei Alexandrovich as
'Chief', whose name would soon be found to an even greater extent in the city.
His arrival was dated to the opening of the monument of N.N.
Muraviov-Amursky. Only in 1893 the city received its current name of
Khabarovsk. The fast development of the city at the end of 18th - and
beginning of the 19th cc was connected with the construction of large railways
in the Far East. In 1891 construction of the Ussuriisky rail line, the most
distant part of the Trans-Siberian railroad, was begun. And in 1897 travel
between Khabarovsk and Vladivostok had already started. After the
Russ-Japanese war the construction of the Amursky section of the Trans-Siberian
railroad began. After that the railroad bridge across Amur river was built
(1913-1916) and it was called 'The Miracle of the 20th Century'. It was
the last point in this greatest construction project. The climate of
Khabarovsk is a monsoon climate. Winter in
Khabarovsk is long, the coldest month is January. Even in the warmest days of
January the air temperature drops below -23º C. Winter winds bring cold and dry air from
Siberia, but you can sunburn even at the temperature of -12-15º C on the
South of the Area at the western slopes of Sikhote-Alin Mountains, the only
place in Russia with so many sunny winter days. White snow, fairytale winter
attire of cedar taiga, plenty of animals traces create a good winter ecological
tourism. Summer winds from the Pacific Ocean bring cloudy and rainy weather.
Summer is hot and humid. Summer comes to Khabarovsk
at the beginning of June and lasts for three months and usually it's the time of
the largest amount of rain. The warmest month is July. Air temperature
reaches 30-32º C and some days it goes up to 35-40º C. September
is still warm and sunny, colored with gold leaves. Today
Khabarovsk is the capital of the Khabarovsk Territory and one of the largest
cities in the Russian Far East with a population of 650 000. It's situated on 3
gigantic hills overlooking the mighty Amur river. Khabarovsk displays a
remarkable richness of architecture that includes elegantly restored 19th
century buildings, historic monuments, sanctuaries and museums. Muravyov-Amursky
street is the most popular place for walking. If you have just a
few hours for sightseeing in suburbs of Khabarovsk you'll get a plenty of
indelible impressions! The Recovery Center of Wild Animals is
just 150km away from the city. You can see a tiger, a black bear, a maral
and many other inhabitants of Ussuri taiga. The Ethnographic Complex in
Sikachi-Alyan village is worth seeing. You'll get acquainted with
arrangement of dwellings of Neolithic man and his way of life (5-7 thousand
years ago). You'll see wares of Nanaj people and their ancestors, visit their
dwellings made at the end of the 19th-beginning of the 20th centuries. Lotus
lakes, "Tiger House" Urochishche and ecological
path of the Bolshehehtsirsky Reserve are not far from the city
also.
And we can't help saying some words about ice-fishing, dressed troikas of
horses and pancakes during the old Russian holidays "farewell of
winter", various icy figures decorated the main square of Khabarovsk city
on the New Year's Eve. You are welcome to Khabarovsk and its
suburbs!
You are welcome to Khabarovsk! | 
