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Khabarovsk (English) Хабаровск (Russian)
—  Inhabited locality  —
Khabarovsk Cathedral
Location of Khabarovsk on the map of Russia
Coordinates: 48°29′N 135°4′E / 48.483°N 135.067°E / 48.483; 135.067Coordinates: 48°29′N 135°4′E / 48.483°N 135.067°E / 48.483; 135.067
Coat of arms
Holiday	Last Sunday of May
Administrative status
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Khabarovsk Krai
In administrative jurisdiction of	Khabarovsk Krai
Administrative center of	Khabarovsk Krai, Khabarovsky District
Municipal status
Municipal Status	Urban okrug
Mayor	Alexander Sokolov
Representative body	City Duma
Statistics
Area	372 km2 (143.6 sq mi)
Population (2002 Census)	583,072 inhabitants[1]
- Rank	25th
- Density	1,567 /km2 (4,100/sq mi)[2]
Time zone	VLAT/VLAST (UTC+10/+11)
Founded	May 31, 1858
Postal code(s)	680xxx
Dialing code(s)	+7 4212
Official website	http://khabarovskadm.ru/

Khabarovsk (Russian: Хаба́ровск, Russian pronunciation: [xʌˈbarəfsk]) is the administrative center and the largest city of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. It is located some 30 km from the Chinese border. It is the second largest city in the Russian Far East, after Vladivostok. The city became the administrative center of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia in 2002. Population: 579,000 (2005 est.); 583,072 (2002 Census);^[3] 600,623 (1989 Census).^[4]

The city lies at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, about 800 kilometers (497 mi) north of Vladivostok and is accessible from there by an overnight train running along the Trans-Siberian railway. Rail distance from Moscow is 8,523 kilometers (5,296 mi).

History

Earliest history of the region

The lands near the confluence of the Ussury and the Amur, where today's Khabarovsk stands, have been populated by many centuries by Tungusic people, probably related to the Jurchens of the past and/or the Nanais of the present day. Chinese expeditions reached this area as early as the first half of the 15th century, when the fleets of the Ming eunuch Yishiha sailed several times from Jilin City all the way to Tyr on the lower Amur.

17th century Russian explorers

In the middle of the 17th century the Amur Valley became the scene of hostilities between the Russian Cossacks, trying to expand into the region and to collect tribute from the natives, and the rising Manchu Qing Dynasty, intent on securing the region for itself.

Khabarov's Achansk

The Russian explorers and raiders of the 1650s set up a number of more or less fortified camps (ostrogs) on the Amur; most of them were in use for only a few months, and later destroyed. It is usually thought that the first such camp in the general area of today's Khabarovsk was the fortified winter camp named Achansk (Ачанск, or Ачанский городок), built by the Cossacks of Yerofey Khabarov in September 1651 after they had sailed to the area from the upper Amur. The fort was named after the local tribe whom Khabarov's people called "Achans".^{[5] [6]} Already on October 8 the fort was unsuccessfully attacked by joint forces of Achans and Duchers (who had good reasons to hate the Cossacks, due to their rather heavy-handed tribute-extraction tactics^[7]), while many Russians were out fishing.^[6] In late November, Khabarov's people undertook a three-day campaign against the local chief Zhakshur (Жакшур) (whose name is also known in a more Russian version, Zaksor (Заксор)), collecting a large amount of tribute and announcing that the locals were now subjects of the Russian Czar. Similar campaign was waged later in winter against the Ducher chief Nechiga (Нечига), farther away from Achansk.^[6] On March 24 (or 26) 1652, Fort Achansk was attacked by Manchu cavalry, led by Ninguta's commander Haise, reinforced by Ducher auxiliaries, but the Cossacks stood their ground in a day-long battle and even managed to seize the attackers' supply train.^[6] Once the ice on the Amur broke in the spring of 1652, Khabarov's people destroyed their fort and sailed away.^[6]

The exact location of Khabarov's Achansk has long been a subject for the debate among Russian historians and geographers.^[7][8] A number of locations, both upstream and downstream of today's Khabarovsk, have been proposed since Richard Maack, one of the first Russian scholars to visit the region, identified Achansk in 1859 with the ruins on Cape Kyrma, which is located on the southern (Chinese) shore of the Amur, upstream of Khabarovsk.^[7] The most widely accepted point of view is probably that of B.P. Polevoy, who believed that Khabarov's Achansk was located in the Nanai village later known as Odzhal-Bolon (Russian: Оджал-Болонь), located on the left bank of the Amur, closer to Amursk than to Khabarovsk. One of his arguments was that both Khabarov's Achan (sometimes also spelled by the explorer as Otshchan, Отщан), and Wuzhala (乌扎拉) of the Chinese records of the 1652 engagement are based on the name of the Nanai clan "Odzhal" (Оджал), corresponding to the 20th-century name of the village as well. (The name of the clan was also written as "Uzala", as in the name of its best known member, Dersu Uzala).^[7]

Native villages near the site of the future Khabarovsk according to an English map of 1773. The map is based on an earlier French map by d'Anville, which in its turn makes use of the data collected by Jesuit cartographers in 1709. The village closest to today's Khabarovsk is labeld Hitcha. Maack's "Cape Kyrma" site (thought by B.P. Polyakov to be the site of Stepanov's Kosogorsky Ostrog) is Heremo

B.P. Polevoy's view appeared to gain wide support among the Russian georgrapher community; petitioned by the Amur Branch of the Russian Geographical Society, the Russian Government renamed the village of Odzhal to Achan in 1977, to celebrate its connection with Khabarov's raid.^[7]

As to the Cape Kyrma ruins, thought by Maack to be the remains of Achansk, B.P. Polevoy identified them as the remains of another ostrog - namely, Kosogorsky Ostrog, where Onufriy Stepanov stayed a few years later.^[8]

Stepanov's raids

Another large group of Cossacks, led by Onufriy Stepanov, appeared in the area soon from Khabarov's departure from the Amur, and was active there until its destruction in 1658. Their attempts to penetrate into the Sungari to collect a tribute of grain suffered a setback in 1654, when a joint Manchu-Korean army met the Russian forces at the Battle of Hutong (hangul: 후퉁강 hanja: 厚通江 (混同江)), which was won by Manchu-Korean allied forces.

Four years later, in 1658, Manchu forces commanded by the military governor of Ninguta, Sarhuda and reinforced by the Korean contingent of 260 Korean musketeers and cannoneers sent by King Hyojong and commanded by Shin Ryu, met Onufriy Stepanov's near the mouth of the Sungari River, killing 270 Russians and driving them out of Manchu territory. Those campaigns are better known in Korean chronicles as "Suppression of the Russians" (Nasun Jeongbeol; hangul: 나선정벌 hanja: 羅禪征伐).

Qing Empire

After the Treaty of Nerchinsk (1689), the area become an uncontested part of the Qing Empire for the next century and a half. Modern historical maps of the Qing period published in China mark the site of future Khabarovsk as "Boli". All of the middle and lower Amur region was nominally part of the Jilin Province, run first out of Ninguta and later out of Jilin City.

French Jesuits who sailed along the Ussury and the Amur in 1709, preparing the first more or less precise map of the region. According to them, the indigenous Nanai people living on the Ussury and on the Amur down to the mouth of the Dondon River (i.e., in the region including the site of the future Khabarovsk) were known to the Chinese as Yupi Dazi ("Fishskin Tartars")^[9]

From Khabarovka to Khabarovsk

Old City Duma in Khabarovsk

In 1858, the area was ceded to Russia under the Treaty of Aigun. The Russians founded the military outpost of Khabarovka (Хаба́ровка),^[10] named after a Russian explorer Yerofey Khabarov. The post later became an important industrial centre for the region.

In 1894, a department of Russian Geographical Society was formed in Khabarovsk and began initiating the foundation of libraries, theaters, and museums in the city. Since then, Khabarovsk's cultural life has flourished. Much of the local indigenous history has been well-preserved in the Regional Lore Museum and Natural History Museum and in places like near the Nanai settlement of Sikhachi-Alyan, where cliff drawings from more than 1,300 years ago can be found. The Khabarovsk Art Museum exhibits a rare collection of old Russian icons.

In 1916, Khabarovsk Bridge across the Amur was completed, allowing Transsiberian trains to cross the river without using ferries (or temporary rail tracks over the frozen river in winter). By 1941 a rail tunnel was constructed as well.

After the defeat of Japan in WWII, Khabarovsk was the site of the Khabarovsk War Crime Trials, in which twelve former members of the Japanese Kwantung Army were put on trial for the manufacture and use of biological weapons during World War II. See Unit 731.

Tourism

Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Khabarovsk

Visitors to the picturesque city of Khabarovsk are likely to enjoy walking the broad Amursky Boulevard with its many vibrant shops and perhaps visit the local market. The city's five districts stretch for 45 kilometers (28 mi) along the Amur River.

Lenin Square in City centre

View along main Street

Recently, there have been many renovations in the city's central part, rebuilding with historical perspective. A popular attraction for visitors is a walking tour from the Lenin Square to Utyos on Amur via Muravyov-Amursky Street, where visitors can find traditional Russian cuisine restaurants and shops with souvenirs. There are many night clubs and pubs in this area. In Wintertime ice sculptures are on display on the cities squares and parks. Artist come from as far as Harbin in China.

Unlike Vladivostok, the city has never been closed to foreigners, despite its being the headquarters of the Far East Military District, and retains its historically international flavor. Once the capital of the Soviet Far East (from 1926 to 1938), since the demise of the Soviet Union it has experienced an increased Asian presence. It is estimated that over one million Chinese travel to and through Khabarovsk yearly, and foreign investment by Japanese and Korean corporations has grown in recent years.

Khabarovsk is served by Khabarovsk Novy Airport with international flights to East Asia, Southeast Asia, European Russia, and Central Asia.

Sports

• Khabarovsk is home to a Kontinental Hockey League franchise, Amur Khabarovsk, which plays its home games at the Platinum Arena. It is the easternmost-based team in the league.
• FC SKA-Energiya Khabarovsk is the city's best football team, playing in the Russian First Division which is the second tier of Russian football since 2002 season.
• SKA Neftyanik plays in the highest division of the Russian Bandy League.

In 1981 the city hosted the Bandy World Championships.

Notable residents

• Birthplace of NHL and Russian hockey great Alexander Mogilny
• Birthplace of 2005 Miss Russia winner Alexandra Ivanovskaya
• Birthplace of Russian filmaker Sergei Bodrov
• Birthplace of professional cycler Andrei Tchmil

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Khabarovsk is twinned with the following sister cities:^[11]

• Bucheon, South Korea
• Niigata, Japan
• Harbin, China
• Villeurbanne, France
• Anchorage, Alaska, United States
• Portland, Oregon, United States
• Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Climate

References

• A.M. Bodisko. From life of Khabarovsk. Khabarovsk, 1913.
• Nikolay P. Kradin. It is protected by the state: The Monuments of Architecture in Khabarovsk. Khabarovsk: Chastnaya kollektsiya, 1999. 192 p. ISBN 5-7875-0011-3

External links

• Khabarovsk city Administration
• Khabarovsk travel guide from Wikitravel
• (Korean) Manchu-Korean expedition against Russian expansion (나선정벌 (羅禪征伐)
• (Korean) map of the Manchu-Korean expedition against Russian expansion (나선정벌 (羅禪征伐)
• (Russian) Major problems of Russian-Korean relationship
• (Russian) CHINA AND RUSSIA relationship and history

Cities and towns in Khabarovsk Krai Administrative center: Khabarovsk Amursk · Bikin · Komsomolsk-on-Amur · Nikolayevsk-on-Amur · Sovetskaya Gavan · Vyazemsky

From Wikitravel

Khabarovsk carved in ice in preparation for the annual Ice Fantasy festival

Khabarovsk (Russian: Хаб́аровск, khah-BAH-ruhvsk) is a city on the Amur river in the Russian Far East, near the Chinese border. If you happen to run into rainy weather and bore yourself to tears, don't blame us, but you might want to make a concious effort to stop here. Often overlooked due to it's proximity to Vladivostok, Khabarovsk could easily be a highlight in the long line of predominately dull cities along the Trans-Siberian. But while most cities look their best when the sun is out, only in few is the effect as profound as in Khabarovsk - attractive parks, beaches, outdoor beer tents with live music, pretty girls promenading and classic architecture awaits if the weather gods favour you. Although even if you are unfortunate, the city houses some of the best museums east of Moscow.

Understand

Overlooking the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, Khabarovsk is one of the Russian far east major cities. With a growing population nearing 600.000 residents, Khabarovsk is not only the 2nd largest city in the Russian Far East, it also the capital of both Khabarovsk Krai and the Far Eastern Federal District. Unlike Vladivostok, the city has never been closed to foreigners, and retains a distinct international feel, rare for the Russian provincial centers, a feeling propped up by an increasing Asian presence with arrivals from Asian countries now numbering over a million each year. Asians in turn come here to experience a piece of Europe close to home, and have had the fortunate effect that the city is spending huge swaths of money renovating the city, which old classical buildings was spared much of the destructive effects of the civil war, to provide it's visitors with just that feeling. For Europeans however, Soviet city planning has unmistakeably taken it's toll, but it is still far more attractive than your average Siberian city.

The climate is temperate and monsoonal, with a cold, dry winter and a hot and humid summer. The average temperature for a full year is a just 2°C, but covers over wide span of monthly averages ranging from a bone chilling -20°C in January to a quite warm +21°C average in July. The city sees 686 mm worth of precipitation in a year, but unfortunately the lions share falls in the warm summer months. Climate wise June is often the best month for a visit.

The Former city Duma is one of the oldest buildings in the city

The lands near the confluence of the Ussury and the Amur, where today's Khabarovsk stands, have been populated by many centuries by the indigenous Tungusic people, Chinese expeditions reached this area as early as the first half of the 15th century, and in the mid-17th century the Amur Valley became the scene of hostilities between the Russian Cossacks, trying to expand into the region, and the rising Manchu Qing Dynasty, determined on securing the region for itself. After nearly a century of skirmishes between the Chinese, Koreans and Cossacks, one of those involving Russian explorer Yerofey Khabarov, which name the city later adapted. the Treaty of Nerchinsk (1689) made the area an undisputed part of the Chinese Qing Empire. According to French Jesuits mapping the Ussury and the Amur rivers in 1709, the site of future Khabarovsk were known to the Chinese as Yupi Dazi ("Fishskin Tartars").

In 1858, the area was ceded to Russia under the Treaty of Aigun. The Russians founded the military outpost of Khabarovka (Хаба́ровка), named after Yerofey Khabarov. The post later became an important industrial centre for the region. And the Russian Geographical Society began founding libraries, theaters, and museums in the city. Since then, Khabarovsk's cultural life has flourished. Much of the local indigenous history has been well-preserved in the Regional Lore Museum and Natural History Museum and in places like near the Nanai settlement of Sikhachi-Alyan, where cliff drawings from more than 1,300 years ago can be found.

The Trans-Siberian first reached Khabarovsk from Vladivostok 1897, while the complete railway to Moscow did not see completion until 1913, tree years later, in 1916 the Khabarovsk Bridge across the Amur was completed, allowing Transsiberian trains to cross the river without using ferries. The city was occupied by the Japanese for much of the Russian civil war which may offer some explanation to the many old buildings still standing around the city center.

Get in

By plane

Khabarovsk Novy Airport (ICAO: UHHH, IATA: KHV) Khabarovsk's airport mainly functions as a refueling and emergency landing point for polar flights between North America and Asia. The main carriers in the region are Asiana Airlines, Dalavia (now bankrupt), Vostok Airlines, and Far Eastern Aviation. There are scheduled passenger flights to Khabarovsk from Japan, China, North Korea and South Korea, and Israel. Asiana serves Khabarovsk 3 times/week from Seoul.

Khabarovsk Railway station

Khabarovsk station, listed as Habarovsk 1 in most train schedules, is major stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway. There are several trains each day bound for Vladivostok (800 km) and Moscow (about 8500 km) along the main Trans-Siberian line. Other options include trains #325 for Tynda or #351 for Komsomolsk and Vanino, all on the Baikal-Amur Mainline. Vanino is an interesting option as it allows ferry connections to Sakhalin and further on to Wakkanai in Japan - More details in the Russia to Japan via Sakhalin itinerary.

By boat

If you want to go to places upstream on the Amur river, the Meteor speedboats will often be your transport of choice, i.e. during the summer, when the river is navigable. However, in 2008, the water level in the river was at a historic low, so that the Meteor traffic had to be stopped. If Meteor traffic functions normally, you can go some 1,000 km downstream, until the Ul'chi municipal district (rayon), a region mostly inhabited by indigenous Ul'chi people.

• Fuyuan In spring and summer there are daily hydrofoil services to Fuyuan in northeastern China, departing from the ferry terminal facing the Amur river.
• Komsomolsk If you are heading for the BAM line up north, an interesting option is to take a hydrofoil cruising up the Amur river to Komsomolsk (6 hours), and catch a train from there.

Get around

The best thing to start with is to walk around the center part of city. Have a nice walk from Lenin square to Amur river via the main street, Muravieva-Amurski. You will find all sorts of shops and places to eat.

By Tram

The city has a network of four tram lines (there is no line 3 or 4). The most useful section for visitors is the stretch of the network running from the main railway station along Amursky Boulevard, before making a left turn down Volochaevskaya St (near the market), and crossing Mureava Amursky Street one block west of Lenina Square, it then continues south intersecting Lenina Street roughtly at it's halfway point, before a stop at the botanical gardens (Lines 1,2 & 6). The remainder of the network mainly extends into the sleepy suburbs. Line 5 serves the North, Line 1 and 2 the South along Krasnoreleiskaya St ()

The Far East Regional Museum

The Far Eastern Museums

There is a fantastic cluster of top notch museums along Shevchenko Street, just behind the tall blue-domed Church of Theotokos on Komsomolskaya square towards the river and stadium. Not only are the museums some of the best in the far east, they also have their home in some impressive century old buildings dating back to before the revolution. After a visit, the nice river promenade is just a short walk away, so you can wash all that new found knowledge away with some pivo's in good company.

• Far East Regional Museum (Хабаровский краеведческий музей), 11 Shevchenko St, ☎ +7 (4212) 312 054, [1]. 10AM-6PM. One of the oldest museums in the Russian far east, laid out in 6 sections in an impressive 1894 red-brick building. For the most part it's leaps and bounds ahead of the regions other museums, and with nearly half a million artefacts in the collection, they can afford to be picky about what they display. The ethnographic section with displays of indigenous cultures from around the Amur is unusually informative, but the zoology section is also worth a look, stuffed animals galore! To top it of, it has actually seen some substantial renovations lately, and they even have some English captions here and there! well worth the 140 rubles.  edit

• Far Eastern Art Museum (Дальневосточный художественный музей), 7 Shevchenko St, ☎ +7 (4212) 328 338. Tu-Su 10AM-5PM. Established in the thirties and now housed in the building of a former officers club. Them seem to take most pride in their collection of Far Eastern aboriginal art, but they also have a rare collection of ancient Russian religious icons and Japanese porcelain. And in the classic exhibition they have a few painters you may have heard of like Titian and Garofalo, but also some more unknown Russian masters. Foreigners 150 rubles.  edit

• Far Eastern Military Museum (Военно-исторический музей ДВО), 20 Shevchenko St (across from the Art Museum), ☎ +7 (4212) 326 350. Tu-Su 10AM-5PM. Also has it's home in an impressive building from the turn of the 20th century, this one was the state bank up until the 1930'ties. Weapons galore propped up by medals and other memorabilia. If you are not interested in these sort of things, you can probably give it a miss, but they have a few cool war propaganda posters from the great patriotic war and a luxury officers railway carriage from the twenties in the courtyard, if you need to entertain yourself for a while while any male company goes into boy mode.  edit

Tugged away just across the next street behind the military museum you also find the Archeology museum on Turgeneva street.

• Museum of Archaeology (Хабаровский музей археологии), 86 Turgeneva St, ☎ +7 (4212) 324 177, [2]. Tu-Su 10AM-5PM. Part of the regional museum but located in a attractive seperate building, which, before the October revolution got him, was owned by the owner of a local brewery. Finds from the dawn of man up until the middle ages. Their collection of ancient ceramics is interesting, and the Sikachi-Alyan petroglyphs and Sheremetyevsky inscription replicas, is also worth a look.  edit

• Far Eastern Railway Museum (Музей истории Дальневосточной железной дороги), 40 Vladivostokaya St, ☎ +7 (4212) 383 035, [3]. M-F 9AM-5PM. A small museum which houses a previously private collection of around 2000 original artefacts, documents, models and photographs telling about the history and construction of the Far Eastern Railway.  edit

• Fedotov Exposition Hall (Выставочный зал имени Федотова), 47 Karla Marksa St, ☎ +7 7(4212) 211 154. Temporary exhibitions of professional painters, sculptures, designers and other artists from the far east. The exhibits changes monthly.  edit

• Geological Museum (Геологический музей Хабаровска), 15 Lenin St, ☎ +7 (4212) 215 370. 10AM-6PM. in a beautiful 19th century building, once belonging to a prominent local merchant family, this museum as the name would imply, have a huge collection of rocks and minerals. even some from outer space; like a few moon fragments brought home to earth by automatic stations and one of the worlds largest iron meteorites which crashed into the Sikhot-Ailin mountains in the forties. If you are not into stones, you could check out the small section on tools and equipment related to prospecting in the region or the collection of prehistoric plant and animal fossils. Outside the museum there is a few large monoliths of minerals, ores and rocks  edit

• Khabarovsk City History Museum (Музей истории Хабаровска), 85 Lenina St (Exit Dynamo park to the east and walk along the Platinium Arena turn right when the road ends until Lenina St), ☎ +7 (4212) 412 706. Actually, the youngest museum in town, only opened in 2004. A small museum with details the history of Khabarovsk from it's inception up until today. Covering the pre-revolutionary period, the October revolution and the civil war in Khabarovsk, the city during World War II up until the Perestroika and modern Khabarovsk. The collection is mainly made up of everyday items, photographs and documents from private donations Foreigners 300 rubles.  edit

The Transfiguration cathedral in winter blue

• The Arboretum (Хабаровском дендрарии), 71 Volochaevskaya St, ☎ +7 (4212) 22 34 01. May-Oct, advance reservations required. Founded in 1896 as a experimental laboratory, it was transformed into an a 12 hectare (27 acre) botanical garden in the thirties. It's a nice place for a stroll among the many trees, bushes and flowers, about 800 different kinds of them gathered from nearly every continent, some exotic medical plants also grow here.  edit

• Cathedral of the Transfiguration (Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral, Преображенский Кафедральный собор), Lenina St. Christianity is alive and well in Russia, as this golden domed church towering above Khabarovsk is evidence of. Only completed in 2004, at 83 meters it's the 3rd tallest church in all of Rusia - inside it's not that impressive, just merely large. The monastery, or rather the Theological Seminary, right next to it, is also worth a look a brief look from the outside. Opposite facing the Amur is a war memorial "Вечный огонь" meaning the eternal flame, rather kitschy but good Amur views, the whole thing is labeled as the Ploshchad Slavy or the Square of Glory.  edit

• Dynamo Park (Парк Динамо), 62 Karla Marksa St (South side of Karla Marksa St, just north of Lenina square). A quite attractive park spreading over 30 hectares, immensely popular with locals on sunny days, and the water ponds to the south is popular for splashing and cooling down. There are several nice, quirky statues cut from huge wooden logs dotted all over the park which can be interesting to trace down in a small treasure hunt for adults. There is also a handful of running amusements, cafés and beer gardens dotted around the park. Just across the street from the eastern entrance, Khabarovsk local ice-hockey team battles it out the premier Russian league in the Platinum arena.  edit

• Vsevolod Sysoyev Far Eastern Zoo (Дальневосточная столица немыслима без зоопарка), 25 Pervomaiskaya St, ☎ +7 (4212) 647-556. Daily 10AM-6PM. Opened only in 2002, this smallish zoo have around 40 different species, mostly regional fauna like Ussuriysk bears and tigers and the Far Eastern Leopard.  edit

The city beach with the Cathedral of the Transfiguration towering above.

In addition to these listings there is also a Drama Theatre and a Childrens Theatre but they are probably not of much interest unless you speak Russian. Non the less, The city has a fairly vibrant cultural life.

• City Beach (Хабаровска пляж). Pictured on the right, on the River Promenade just below the cathedral is hugely popular on warm summer days and packed with sunbathers, so much so, that it's easy to forget you are over 300 kilometres away from the nearest piece of coast. It is possible to take a quick dip, but stay very close to land as the current is strong, and keep in mind there is old world Chinese and Russian industries downstream. Usually there is some inflatable slides set up for kids.  edit

• Gadara Childrens park (Детский парк им. Гайдара), 2 Leo Tolstoy St. Is a small amusement park opposite the large Dynamo park to the north of the center. Mainly amusements for kids, with a small roller-coaster, bouncy castles, swings etc., and a few cafés for eating. Most interresting if you have kids, but there is a gaming arcade at the north end with a bowling alley, slot machines and fusball tables for the more grown up.  edit

• Khabarovsk Circus (Хабаровский цирк), 120 Krasnorechenskaya St (Gagerin Park), ☎ +7 (4212) 365 622. Performances: F 16;Sa-Su: 12 & 16. Khabarovsk circus had a brand new home constructed a few years back, in a impressive building in Gagerin Park, there will usually be guest performances from all over Russia or even China, as well as from a range of circus animals - including of course, bears. 60 rubles.  edit

• Theatre of Musical Comedy (Хабаровский краевой музыкальный театр), 64 Karla Marksa St (in Dynamo Park), ☎ +7 (4212) 227 021, [4]. The oldest theatre in Khabarovsk Krai performs classical and modern operettas as well as occasional comedies in a huge bombastic building in Dynamo park. The massive 900 seat hall is also the city's main concert venue  edit

• Triada Pantomime Theatre (Театр пантомимы Триада), 27 Lenina st, ☎ (4212) 31 31 81, [5]. Established in the waning days of the Soviet union, this institution has outlived communism, and is still going strong after 30 years. The name is kick to Greek word for trinity, means to signify the three purposes of Pantomime; to laugh, cry and excite. Done through simple entertaining shows that is often meant to convey a deeper philosophical idea. Besides pantomime show they also play comedic clown acts and traditional theatre. The hall seats around 90 people  edit

• Ice Fantasy Festival (Ледовая Фантазия), ☎ +7 (4212) 628 088 (order@feic.ru), [6]. Annual ice sculpting competition that has been held in January every year since 2001. Attracts some of the sculptors from the much grander and more famous Harbin festival. Worth a look if you're in town.  edit

Muravyov-Amurskiy street is one of the the city's main thoroughfares and lines with shops and attractive buildings.

The Vyborg Market (Международный торговый центр "Выборгский") on Vyborgskaya Street is a huge and very lively market, with not only local Russians but also a visible example of the proximity to China - many Chinese traders selling imported products of every variety under the sun, e.g. domestic appliances, toys, cutlery and clothing, from from their home country. There is also a couple of huge indoor halls with locals selling fruits, vegetables and meat. It's well worth a stroll, even if you don't plan on buying anything.

• The Central Department store (ЦУМ - Центральный универмаг г. Хабаровска), 23 Muraveva-Amur St (About half way between Lenina sq and the cathedral), ☎ +7 (4217) 304 195. 3 floors of high-end shopping in a nice old building, renovated inside out a couple of years back, but it's actually the oldest business in the city. Fashion, electronics, watches, perfumery and other stuff along those lines. Also has a ATM that takes international credit cards.  edit

Eat

The local cuisine primarily consists of traditional Russian restaurants and different Asian-style places. Italian food is also common. However, there's a great variety of cheap fast-food outlets on the streets. Prices start from $3 for good snack to $5-10 at the Golden Bird fast food chain. Meals in small restaurants are available for $10-20. If money is not a concern, you can dine with a view of sunset and the Amur River at Hotel "Inturist" for $50-100.

The cliff facing the Amur is an icon of the city, the buildings in the background are parts of the Museum cluster on Shevchenko Street. Café Utyos is the building in the foreground.

• Café Utyos» (кафе «Утёс»), 15 Shevchenko St, ☎ +7 (4212) 399 774. The name means The Cliff in Russian, very appropriate as the restaurant is located an unusual art nouveau building from the forties on top of the tall cliff dominating the waterfront. It has a large balcony with spectacular views of the Amur, beneath the restaurant spreads out over two floors serving Japanese and western fare a bit on the expensive side, though dining with a grand view is the draw here, rather than the food which leaves a bit to be desired. Mains 800-1500 rubles.  edit

• Chilly (Чили), 23 Leningradskaya St, ☎ +7 (4212) 391 919, [7].  edit

• Chocolate, 74 Turgeneva St. (near the cathedral), ☎ 420 097. A stylish, modern looking cafe-like eatery with an international menu, cappuccino, and free wireless access.  edit

• R-Cafe, 52 Pushkina St (On Lenin square), ☎ +7 (4212) 610 233, [8]. Daily 10AM-midnight. Stylish café designed by a Moscow architect. An expansive fusion'isque menu, but they actually pull of most of the dishes quite nicely. Also works if you want a drink, although it's on the expensive side with mains going for 700-2000 rubles.  edit

• Scalini, 18 Muravyov-Amurskiy St., ☎ +7 (4212) 305 837. Pricey but good Italian restaurant, though the service might wind up feeling a bit pretentious out here in the far east.  edit

• The Old Tower Café (Кафе Старая башня), 2A Moskovskaya St, ☎ +7 (4212) 227 523. 10AM-2AM. Fitted into a nice old water tower, this place is very local, but gets points for the good atmosphere you are rewarded with after walking up the many stairs.  edit

• The Russian Restaurant (Русский Ресторан), 9 Ussuriiski Blvd, ☎ +7 7 (4212) 306 587, [9]. noon-1AM.  edit

Bars at the river promenade

Locals will happily teach you how to drink Russian-style. People are very friendly, and in general you will find lots of locals who would love to practice their English. Don't miss an offer to visit a Russian "banya" (sauna) somewhere outside the city.

For the most part you should avoid the pubs and bars if weather permits, and indulge in the many beer tents instead. The River Promenade (Набережная Хабаровска) below the large cathedral is a lively place in the summer months, open air cafes in large tents, dot the promenade along the river. Most bars play different styles of music, and there is usually a live music going on in one of the tents. Young crowd, and some open till very late. This is also the starting point for a host of river boats, taking the party going crowd on short cruises down the river with loud music banging out the speakers. Dynamo Park (Парк Динамо) also has some beergarten style watering holes along long benches beneath coloured lanterns and Russian schlagers blasting out the speakers.

• Hospital, 3B Muravyov-Amurskiy St., ☎ +7 (4212) 448 427, [10]. Hottest club around, but getting in will usually prove tricky if you are not a "member", but it is doable - especially if you are a English speaking westerner.  edit

• Neba Nightclub (Неба), 46 Turgenev St, 5th floor, ☎ +7 (4212) 613 959, [11]. Nebo (Sky) was a popular and spacious up-scale 3 floor club, with a large dance floor on the ground level. Authorities shut it down along with hundreds of other clubs following a deadly nightclub fire elsewhere in Russia. Owners are working hard on reopening as Neba (Heaven), but when authorities will give the go ahead remains to be seen.  edit

• Rio (Ночной клуб «Рио»), 49 Lenina St, ☎ +7 (4212) 238 420. W 9PM-4AM,Th-Sa 9PM-6AM,Su 9PM-3AM. If the weather is bad you can try this place, a large club with multiple floors, but the atmosphere leaves a bit to be desired - think caged dancers and all that jazz. cover charge 100-200 rubles.  edit

• Sense Café (кафе Sense), 22a Postysheva St, ☎ +7 (4212) 452 010. Cafe which serves a descent coffee, and also works if you want a bite, all while you browse their free wifi. Sometimes there are live music to accompany your drink.  edit
• Velicano (Ночной клуб «Velicano»), 67A Zaparina St, ☎ +7 (4212) 326 390. Th & Su 9PM-3AM,F-Sa 9PM-6AM. It's a bit Russian, but nice non-the-less, has 2 dance floors and competent bartenders. Cover charge 150-350 rubles.  edit

Learn

The Pacific National University [12], formally a Polytechnic Institute is now a full fledged university, with over 21.000 students enrolled. Have a single Masters programme in Computer Sciences in cooperation with a German university which is taught in English.

Sleep

No hostels and not many unrenovated soviet rooms, so accommodation is pretty steep - on the other hand the situation is not much different from virtually the rest of Russia. If the situation is desperate and you have a valid ISIC card, you could try to see if the university will hook you up with a room in their dorms - though call ahead instead of showing up on the day. If not, rooms can go as low as 1000 rubles (€25) if you look around and book well ahead of arrival.

• Ali Hotel (Гостиница «Али»), 17 Mukhin St, ☎ +8 (4212) 217 888. Is an up-scale (5 star) choice with 24 rooms overlooking the city ponds. has Swimming pool, Casino and fitness facilities. 11.000-16.000 rubles.  edit

• Amur Hotel (Гостиница «Амур»), 29 Lenina St, ☎ +7 (4212) 221 223, [13]. Classic building on Lenina street, lost some of it grand old-world charm when it was renovated back in 2005, and the 78 rooms are for the most part very kitschy. 1250-3900 rubles.  edit

• Intourist Hotel (Гостиница «Интурист»), 2 Amursky Blvd, ☎ +8 (4212) 326 507, [14]. 283 rooms divided into singles, doubles and triples, all have air condition and Sat-TV. Big, Bombastic and Soviet in appearance, but at least the service have much improved since those days, though you may still find it lagging compared to western standards. Accepts major international credit cards. 2500-6000 rubles.  edit

• Parus Business Center Hotel (Бизнес-Центр Парус), 5 Shevchenko St, ☎ +7 (4212) 327 270, [15]. Possibly the best located hotel in town, though the noise from the river promenade is reported to sometimes get disturbing for those of the 82 rooms which are facing the Amur river. Unusually for Russia parts of the hotel are located in a classic pre-soviet brick building, and the rooms are spotless in the new wing. On-site Bar, Spa/Sauna, Restaurant and conference/meeting facilities. 3.500-5.500 rubles with suites going up to 16.000 rubles.  edit

• Zarya Hotel («Заря» гостиница), 16/81 Vladivostokskaya St, ☎ +7 (4212) 327 075, [16]. Some of of 62 rooms used to be cheapies, but they've all been renovated, so don't count on that any more. On the other hand, the rooms are really nice for the price range. It's a bit away from the centre, but not too far from Dynamo park and the railway station, and there is a free internet cafe (requires key) for paying guests. The young staff is lovely and unusually helpful, the old staff acts like you're a western spy. 2200-5800 rubles.  edit

Contact

The General post office at 28 Muravyov-Amurskiy St has around 20 computers with internet access called Internet Mir (Интернет Мир) for 50 rubles per hour, entry is to the right of the main entrance. If you plan on calling anyone Khabarovsk is UTC +10 (or 7 hours ahead of Moscow).

• Chinese Consulate General (Генеральное Консульство Китайской), Lenin Stadium, ☎ +7(4212)328390 (gcchina@gcchina.khv.ru, fax: +7(4212)649094), [17].  edit

• Japanese Consulate General (Генеральное консульство Японии), 46 Turgenev Street, ☎ +7(4212)413044 (jp-consul@sovintel.ru, fax: +7(4212)413047), [18].  edit

• Dalgeo Tours (Дальгео Турс), 78 Turgenev St, ☎ +7(4212)318830 (postmaster@dalgeo.khv.ru), [19]. 9.00 - 17.00. One of the best organized travel agencies in the Russian far east, has English, Chinese and Japanese speaking staff available. Can assist with train tickets, ferry bookings for 700 RUB, and organizing Visas. Also hosts a range of local tours.  edit

Get out

If you like hunting or fishing than there are plenty of things to offer. Join professional hunters for ride on Himalaishian bear or have great time fishing in mountains with no one 50 km around. Where else you can do it??

Aerial photo of Khabarovsk, clearly showing the Amur and Ussuri River confluence.

• Bogorodskoye (Богородское) The district centre of Ul'chi rayon, should be reachable within one day on the Meteor boat. However, be prepared that getting back is harder than getting there. Whereas you can easily book your ticket downstream in Khabarovsk, return tickets are available only on the vessel itself, they are sold on a first come - first serve basis. Bogorodskoye is starting to develop eco tourism. To get to the surrounding villages, you need to hire a boat, as many of them are accessible only through waterways. Please be respectful to the indigenous peoples, which have gone through a long history of marginalisation and oppression and many of whom still live in deep poverty nowadays. If you want to know more about indigenous cultures, you can also try to contact the Association of indigenous small peoples of Khabarovsk Kray, which has its office in the city of Khabarovsk, please look here for their current contact (search for "Хабаровск").

• Sikachi-Alyan (Сикачи-Алян) Á a national village inhabited by indigenous Nanai people, located some 70 km upstream on the Amur river. Close to the village you can find old petroglyphs, carved into stones on the banks of the amur, dating back some 20,000 years. If you don't find them, you might ask in the village for advise. Everyone should know them. Sikachi-Alyan also has a little museum, where you can learn much about indigenous culture, including shamanism, history and of course about the petroglyphs. However, you should probably know Russian or have an interpreter.

Irkutsk ← Birobidzhan ←

W  E

→ Ussuriysk → Vladivostok

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Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

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Khabarovsk

Wikipedia

English

Proper noun

Khabarovsk

1. A large city in the far East of Russia, administrative centre of Khabarovsk kray.

Translations

Synonyms

• Boli
• Achansk
• Khabarovka