Vladivostok

Main article: [Primorsky Krai]

Further information: [Far Eastern Federal District]

Overview

Vladivostok is a big city in Russia. It is the largest city in the area called Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District. It is on the Golden Horn Bay by the Sea of Japan. The city covers 331 square kilometers and had over 600,000 people living there in 2021.

Vladivostok is the second-largest city in the Russian Far East, after Khabarovsk.

History

Vladivostok used to be part of Outer Manchuria. It was founded as a Russian military base on July 2, 1860, after the Treaty of Aigun and the Convention of Peking. In 1872, it became Russia’s main naval base on the Pacific Ocean. This helped the city grow fast. By 1914, over 100,000 people lived there, including many from Asia.

After the Russian Revolution in 1917, the city was taken over by White Russian and Allied forces, including troops from the Japanese Empire. They stayed until 1922. Then the Red Army took control and made Vladivostok part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.

Today

Now, Vladivostok is a big Russian port on the Pacific Ocean. It is important for culture, business, science, and tourism. It is where the Trans-Siberian Railway ends and where the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy is based. The city mixes Russian architecture with its Asian setting, which is why it is called “Europe in the Far East.” Many foreign consulates and businesses are there. It also holds the yearly Eastern Economic Forum.

Even though it is on the coast, Vladivostok has cold winters because of winds from the Eurasian land and the cool ocean.

Names and etymology

See also: Names of Vladivostok in different languages

The name Vladivostok means 'Lord of the East' or 'Ruler of the East'. It comes from Slavic words meaning 'to rule' and Russian words meaning 'east'. People sometimes shorten the name to Vladik or "vdk".

The city was named in 1859 by Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky. The name was first used for the bay and then for the settlement. It sounds similar to another city called Vladikavkaz, which means "Ruler of the Caucasus".

In Chinese, the city was called Haishenwai or Haishenwei, meaning 'sea cucumber bay'. Today, it is called Fúlādíwòsītuōkè, but the older name is still used in places outside Mainland China.

In Japanese, the city is called Urajiosutoku.

Geography

The city of Vladivostok is at the southern tip of the Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which stretches about 30 kilometers long and 12 kilometers wide. The tallest point in the city is Mount Kholodilnik, rising to 257 meters above sea level. Another well-known spot is Eagle's Nest Hill, the highest point in the city center.

Vladivostok lies in the far southeast of the Russian Far East. It is closer to faraway places like Anchorage in Alaska and Darwin in Australia than it is to Moscow, the capital of Russia. It is also nearer to Honolulu in Hawaii than to Sochi in Southern Russia. The city is the easternmost point in Russia, farther east than any part of China or the Korean peninsula.

Climate

Vladivostok has warm, rainy summers and very cold, dry winters. Winters can get chilly, with temperatures often dropping below −20 °C. Snow falls during winter, but it usually doesn't pile up very high. The city sees a lot of rain during the summer, especially in August, the warmest month. Humid weather is common in summer. Occasionally, the area can feel the effects of typhoons and tropical storms coming from the Sea of Japan.

History

Main articles: History of Vladivostok and Timeline of Vladivostok

Foundation

Some Chinese historians think the city was once a Chinese settlement around the year 600 AD, called Yongmingcheng.

For a long time, Russia searched for a good spot in the Far East. Many places were tried, but none had a safe harbor near trade routes. After Russia made treaties with China, they took over the land where Vladivostok is now. The name Vladivostok first appeared in 1859. On July 2, 1860, Russian soldiers arrived and set up a military post.

Early history

In 1861, the first family moved to Vladivostok. By 1862, land was bought, and by 1870, the leader of the post was chosen. Vladivostok became Russia’s main port in the Far East in 1871, and a naval base was set up there.

By 1878, there were over 4,000 people living there. In 1880, Vladivostok became an official city. In the 1890s, many people moved there, and the city grew quickly after railways were built. By 1897, almost 29,000 people lived in Vladivostok.

World War I and Russian Civil War

See also: Far Eastern Republic and Provisional Priamurye Government

During World War I, Vladivostok was important for bringing in supplies for Russia.

After the Russian Revolution in 1917, Vladivostok was controlled by different groups. In 1918, it was taken over by forces opposed to the new government. By 1920, a new government was set up in the area, but fighting continued.

In 1922, troops loyal to the new government took control of Vladivostok.

Soviet period

When the new government took over, Vladivostok was in bad shape. Over the next few years, the city started to recover. Factories and ports began to work again.

In the 1930s and 1940s, Vladivostok was used to send people to work far away. The city was not attacked during World War II, but there was always a risk. People in Vladivostok helped support the war effort.

In 1952, Vladivostok became a closed city, meaning foreigners were not allowed to visit. In the 1960s, the city started to grow with new buildings and transportation.

Modern period

In 2012, Vladivostok hosted an important meeting of world leaders on Russky Island near the city. New bridges, buildings, and a university campus were built for this event.

In 2018, Vladivostok became the main city for a large part of Russia’s far east region.

In 2020, the city had unusual freezing rain that caused problems with electricity and water for many homes.

Politics

Vladivostok’s city administration is led by the City Council. The council helps manage local issues and plan for the city’s growth. It also handles the city’s budget and property.

The City Council has the main power to make laws. It began in 2001, and elected deputies have been managing city matters since then. The council has 35 members who are chosen by the people of Vladivostok.

Administrative and municipal status

Vladivostok is the main city for managing the area known as the krai. It works together with five rural areas and is called Vladivostok City Under Krai Jurisdiction. This gives it the same importance as the districts in the area. For city management, Vladivostok is called Vladivostoksky Urban Okrug.

Administrative divisions

Vladivostok is split into five parts, called administrative districts. These are Leninsky, Pervomaisky, Pervorechensky, Sovietsky, and Frunzensky.

Local government

The city has a special group called the City Duma that helps make decisions. The top leader of the city is called the head. There is also a group that helps run the city day-to-day.

The City Duma started in 1875 when people were first chosen to help lead. Big changes happened after 1917 when everyone, including women, could vote. The old City Duma stopped meeting in 1922. Later, a new group took over until 1993 when changes were made again. The current City Duma started working in 2017 with 35 members helping to guide the city.

The head of Vladivostok leads the city and chooses people to help run it, following rules set by higher laws and the city's own rules.

Demographics

Vladivostok had a population of 603,519 people in 2021, with even more people living nearby. The city's population has grown a lot over time, except during tough periods like the Russian Civil War and after the Soviet Union ended in the 1990s. In the 1970s, over 500,000 people lived there, and in 1992, the number reached its highest point at over 648,000.

The city has more women than men and many older people. Most people in Vladivostok today are Russian, but there are also small groups of Koreans, Chinese, and people from Central Asia like Uzbekistan.

Cityscape

The city of Vladivostok grew around its port. It started as a small military outpost with basic buildings like barracks and a church near the northern edge of Golden Horn Bay. In 1868, the city’s layout was planned with rectangular blocks, each containing eight plots. The city’s first architect designed the main street, which followed the coastline of the bay.

When the Siberian Fleet moved to Vladivostok in the 1870s, the city expanded quickly. New streets were built, and the city spread along the shores and up the hills. By the end of the 19th century, the city’s layout centered around two main streets: one running parallel to the bay and the other crossing it. The railway station was built at their meeting point, giving most areas a view of the water.

In the Soviet era, new building plans were made. Multi-story buildings replaced the old wooden houses, and large structures appeared on the outskirts. Though Vladivostok was far from World War II fighting, it was not heavily developed during that time. Later plans focused on building new districts and improving transportation, including a bridge across the bay. As the city grew, buildings were constructed up the slopes of nearby hills.

Economy

The main industries in Vladivostok are shipping, fishing, and its naval base. Fishing is the biggest part of the city's work, making up most of the city's money. Other food production also helps.

Importing cars from Japan is another important job for many people, like car sellers, repair workers, and shipping staff. Vladivostok sells many cars each year to other parts of Russia. The Russian government wanted to make more cars closer to home, which made it harder for this business. To help, a car factory was moved to Vladivostok in 2009, giving jobs to about 700 locals.

Seaport

Main article: Port of Vladivostok

See also: Free port of Vladivostok

Vladivostok is an important port that links the Trans-Siberian Railway to the Pacific Sea. The port moves many kinds of cargo and serves passengers and goods. In 2018, the port handled over 21 million tons of cargo.

Tourism

Vladivostok is a popular place for tourists because it is close to many countries in Asia and has a special mix of European culture. It is part of a plan to grow tourism in the Far East, with ideas to open branches of famous museums like the Mariinsky Theater, Hermitage Museum, Russian Museum, Tretyakov Gallery, and the State Museum of Oriental Art. The city has many places to stay and visit, including over 11 sanatoriums along Amur Bay. Many people visit Vladivostok, with around 3 million tourists in 2017 from places like China, South Korea, and Japan. The city also has many hotels and travel companies, making it a busy place for travelers.

Transportation

The Trans-Siberian Railway links European Russia to Vladivostok, the most important Pacific Ocean port in Russia. The railway was finished in 1905 and goes from Moscow to Vladivostok through several big Russian cities. One part of the railway, called the Chinese Eastern Line, goes into China through Harbin. Today, Vladivostok is the main starting point for the Trans-Siberian part of the Eurasian Land Bridge.

Vladivostok is the main air center in the Russian Far East. Vladivostok International Airport (VVO) is home to Aurora, a subsidiary of Aeroflot. The airline started in 2013 by combining SAT Airlines and Vladivostok Avia. The airport was upgraded in 2013 with a new runway for all kinds of planes. Terminal A was built in 2012 and can serve 3.5 million passengers each year.

International flights go from Vladivostok to Japan, China, the Philippines, North Korea, South Korea, and Vietnam.

You can travel to Vladivostok from many big cities in Russia. Flights to Seattle, Washington were available in the 1990s but are no longer offered. Vladivostok Air flew to Anchorage, Alaska from July 2008 until 2013 before joining Aurora.

Vladivostok is where the Ussuri Highway (M60) begins, heading to Khabarovsk. This is the far eastern part of the Trans-Siberian Highway, which goes on to Moscow and Saint Petersburg through Novosibirsk. Other main roads go east to Nakhodka and south to Khasan.

Urban transportation

On June 28, 1908, Vladivostok's first tram line started along Svetlanskaya Street, beginning from the railway station on Lugovaya Street. On October 9, 1912, the first wooden trams made in Belgium began running. Today, public transport in Vladivostok includes trolleybuses, buses, trams, trains, funiculars, and ferryboats. The main city routes are Downtown—Vtoraya Rechka, Downtown—Pervaya Rechka—3ya Rabochaya—Balyayeva, and Downtown—Lugovaya Street.

In 2012, Vladivostok hosted the 24th Summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). To prepare for the event, the city's infrastructure was renewed and improved. Two large cable-stayed bridges were built in Vladivostok: the Zolotoy Rog Bridge over Golden Horn Bay, and the Russky Bridge from the mainland to Russky Island, where the summit took place. The Russky Bridge is the second longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.

Education

Vladivostok has many schools and places to learn. In 2015, there were 114 schools with about 50,700 students. These schools include kindergartens, primary schools, middle schools, high schools, special schools, and extra learning centers.

The city also has special schools called gymnasiums and lyceums, and some schools where students can study subjects more deeply. The city holds contests for students and gives scholarships to those who do very well.

In 2016, new branches of the Academy of Russian Ballet and the Nakhimov Naval School opened. There are also many colleges and universities. The largest is the Far Eastern Federal University, where over 41,000 students study.

Other universities in the city include:

• Far Eastern Federal University
• Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service
• Pacific State Medical University
• Maritime State University
• Far Eastern State Institute of Arts
• Far Eastern State Technical Fisheries University
• Pacific Higher Naval School
• Branches of the Russian Customs Academy
• The International Institute of Economics and Law
• Far Eastern Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia
• Saint Petersburg University of the State Fire Service of the Ministry of Emergencies of Russia

Media

Vladivostok has many newspapers and radio stations. The biggest newspaper is Vladivostok News. It reports on local and international events. Another paper, Zolotoy Rog (Golden Horn), covers economic news. Novosti (News) is liked by young people for its entertainment and cultural stories. There is also an online newspaper called the Far East Times for visitors.

Nineteen radio stations serve the city. Popular ones include Radio VBC, which plays rock music. Radio Lemma offers news and songs, and Vladivostok FM has local news and popular music. The local station "Vladivostok" also broadcasts news and music on certain weekdays.

Culture

Galleries and showrooms

Art museums in Vladivostok started in the 1950s. In 1960, the House of Artists was built for exhibitions. By 1965, the Primorsky State Art Gallery became its own place, and later, a special gallery for children was created there. In 1989, a modern art gallery called "Artetage" opened.

In 1995, the Arka gallery showed its first 100 paintings from a collector named Alexander Glezer. This gallery takes part in shows around the world. In 2005, another private gallery named "Roytau" opened. Today, places like "Salt" and "Zarya" are busy with modern art.

Music, opera, and ballet

Vladivostok has its own pops orchestra. The famous Russian rock band Mumiy Troll comes from this city and often performs there. In 1996, the city hosted the VladiROCKstok International Music Festival. This event brought together many music fans and featured popular bands from places like St. Petersburg and Seattle.

Now, Vladivostok holds another yearly music festival called Vladivostok Rocks. This three-day event lets new artists meet famous professionals and perform for new audiences.

The city also has the Primorsky Regional Philharmonic Society, which organizes concerts and orchestras. In 2013, the Primorsky Opera and Ballet Theater opened. By 2016, it became part of the famous Mariinsky Theater. The Russian Opera House is home to the State Primorsky Opera and Ballet Theater.

Museums

The Vladimir K. Arseniev Museum of Far East History, opened in 1890, is the main museum for the whole area. It has several branches in Vladivostok and other places. The museum’s collection includes important stones from a temple built in the 1400s that came from the lower Amur area.

Movie theaters

In 2014, Vladivostok had 21 movie theaters that showed films many times. Many of these theaters, like Ocean, Galaktika, and Moscow, were built a long time ago but have been updated. The Ocean theater has the biggest screen in the Far East, measuring 22 by 10 meters. It is located in the city center near Sports Harbor. Together with the Ussuri theater, it hosts the Pacific Meridians film festival every year since 2002. Since 2014, the Ocean theater also has an IMAX 3D screen.

Theaters

The Maxim Gorky Academic Theater, named after the writer Maxim Gorky, started in 1931 and shows plays, musicals, and shows for children.

Vladivostok has five professional theaters. The Primorsky Regional Academic Drama Theater named after Maxim Gorky is the oldest theater in the city. It opened on November 3, 1932.

The Primorsky Pushkin Theater was built between 1907 and 1908 and is a key cultural spot today. Other theaters opened between the 1930s and 1940s include the Drama Theater of the Pacific Fleet, the Primorsky Regional Puppet Theater, and the Primorsky Regional Drama Theater of Youth.

In 2012, a granite statue of the actor Yul Brynner was placed in Yul Brynner Park, right in front of the house where he was born on Aleutskaya Street.

Parks and squares

Vladivostok has many beautiful parks and squares. Some well-known ones are Pokrovskiy Park, Minnyy Gorodok, Detskiy Razvlekatelny Park, Park of Sergeya Lazo, Admiralskiy Skver, Skver im. Neveskogo, Nagornyy Park, Skver im. Sukhanova, Fantaziya Park, Skver Rybatskoy Slavy, and Skver im. A.I.Shchetininoy.

Pokrovskiy Park used to be a cemetery before it became a park in 1934.

Minny Gorodok is a large park that used to be a military base. It was built in 1880. When it became a park in 1985, it included lakes, ponds, and a place to ice-skate.

Detskiy Razvlekatelny Park is a fun place for children near the city center. It has a carousel, games, a Ferris wheel, cafes, an aquarium, a movie theater, and a stadium.

Admiralsky Skver is a famous spot near downtown. It is an open area with a big arch called the Triumfalnaya Arka. Nearby, there is a museum about the Soviet submarine S-56.

Sports

Vladivostok has many sports teams. There is a football club called Dynamo Vladivostok that plays in the Russian Second Division. The city also has an ice hockey club named Admiral Vladivostok that competes in the Kontinental Hockey League's Chernyshev Division.

There is also a basketball club called Spartak Primorye in the Russian Basketball Super League.

In the past, another football club named Luch Vladivostok was a main team until it stopped operating. Vladivostok has a motorcycle speedway club called Vostok Vladivostok. Every year, the city holds different competitions.

Pollution

See also: Animal welfare and rights in Russia, Siberian fur trade, and List of power stations in Russia

Some people who care about the environment in Vladivostok think parts of the city are not very clean. They say this is because of factories and industries around the city, like building and fixing ships, making power, printing, farming animals for fur, and digging up minerals.

The city’s location makes it harder to keep clean. Some busy parts of Vladivostok are in low areas where wind does not blow the dust and smoke away easily. Also, there is not much snow or plants in winter to help trap and clear away dust.

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia

Vladivostok has many friendship cities around the world. Some of these cities include Akita in Japan, Busan in South Korea, and Dalian in China. In 2010, special arches with the names of these friendship cities were placed in a park in Vladivostok. From the city's ferry port, ships travel to places like Donghae in South Korea and Sakaiminato on the island of Honshu in Japan.

Notable people

Main category: People from Vladivostok

Vladivostok has been home to many interesting people. They work in different fields such as art, sports, and science.

A few examples include:

• Alexandra Biriukova, an architect who helped design buildings.
• Anna Shchetinina, a captain who led ships.
• Diana Ankudinova, a talented singer.
• Eugene Kozlovsky, a writer of stories and books.
• Igor Tamm, a physicist who studied energy and matter.
• Ilya Lagutenko, a singer and musician.
• Lilia Akhaimova, a gymnast who performed flips and moves.
• Mikhail Koklyaev, a strongman known for his strength.
• Natalia Pogonina, a chess player with great strategy skills.
• Vladimir Arsenyev, an explorer who discovered new places.

Many other people from Vladivostok have made important contributions in many different areas.