Khabarovsk is the industrial, transport, administrative and cultural center of the Khabarovsk region. Khabarovsk was founded in 1858 as a military outpost, and is 8532km east of Moscow.

The city stands on the right bank of the Amur River, in Sredneamursky lowland, just 30 km away from the border with China. Its population is 580.7 thousand persons (as of January, 1st 2010). The city takes the area of 386.4 square km.

Khabarovsk is famous for its fur craft. Its numerous parks, riverside paths and historic downtown area make Khabarovsk a favorite place with visitors to the region. Russian masterpieces, early Slavic icons and a collection of Western European art can be enjoyed in the beautifully restored Fine Arts Museum overlooking the Amur River. It is within 30km of the Chinese border, but still retains a strong European feel and influence, most notably in the form of distinctive 19th century brick buildings and broad tree-lined main streets.

The city planning is quite simple. There are three major streets: Seryshev, Muraviev-Amursky and Lenin. Muravyov-Amursky Street, the main and most beautiful street of the city, with a number of shops, administrative buildings, cinemas, and theaters (The Drama Theater, The Youth Theater). In Khabarovsk there are about forty hotels of different levels of service.

History:

The city of Khabarovsk was founded as a military outpost by soldiers under the command of captain Dyachenko. The city was originally named Khabarovka in honor of a Vologda peasant and later a Siberian dealer Jerofei Khabarov - one of the first in the exploration and settlement of Siberia of the 17th century. On April 28, 1880 Khabarovka received the status of city, and in 1884 it officially became the capital of the Priamurskoye General-Governorship. However, only in 1893 the city was given its current name of Khabarovsk.

With promotion of the Governorship’s rank and construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, the city started to grow rapidly, attracting more and more settlers. In 1924 Khabarovsk became the center of the Far Eastern Krai (Region), the successor of the Priamurskoye General-Governorship and the Far Eastern Republic, and in 1938 - the center of the Khabarovsky region.

Today Khabarovsk is one of the major cities of the Russian Far East in regards to its population (over 615,000 residents), territory (the total area covers 370 sq. km) and industry. It is also an acknowledged center of science, culture and international tourism in the Russian Far East. The location of the city as a gateway of overland, water and air ways connecting the landlocked regions of Russia with the countries of the Pacific Ocean basin makes it a powerful transportation junction for the Far East.

Major Sights of Khabarovsk:

The magnificent three-kilometer-long bridge over Amur River built in 1916 still remains the symbol of Khabarovsk.

The very first monument in Khabarovsk was a monument to Count Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky set up in 1891. It was taken down in 1925, and then restored exactly in 1992. By the way, the city has an entire avenue of park sculptures of the 1940s-1950s.

Churches:

The St. Bishop Innocent of Irkutsk Church founded in 1870 is the main orthodox church of the city. It was constructed on the place of a wooden church. During the Soviet period it was used as a planetarium.

The Holy Transfiguration Cathedral (2004) is considered the third largest of all orthodox churches of Russia, after Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow and St. Isaac Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

The Saint Seraphim of Sarov Church (2008) is based on the style of Russian Orthodox architecture.

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

Galleries and Exhibitions

Fedotov Exhibition Hall, Art-podvalchik, SKV-gallery, House of Folk Art

Theaters

The Khabarovsk Regional Drama Theater;

The Khabarovsk Regional Puppet Theater;

The Khabarovsk Regional Musical Theater:

The Khabarovsk Regional Theater of the Young Spectator;

The Khabarovsk Regional Philharmonic Society;

Musical Comedy Theater;

"Triad" Pantomime Theater;

Bely (White) Theater

Ancient Rock Carvings

Close to the national Nanay village Sikachi-Alyan, 75 km away from Khabarovsk on basalt rocks there are ancient carvings of masks, animals, birds and anthropomorphic images - altogether around 300 pictures.

The most ancient of them date back to the early neolith (7-6 millennia BC). Amur petroglyphs are coevals of the Egyptian pyramids. On one of the boulders the image of a horse was found. Archeologists say that horses dwelled near Amur only in the Ice Age. It is the most ancient petroglyph. Several thousands petroglyphs are scattered around the banks of Amur River. Not all petroglyphs are known yet. Many of them were carried away to the bottom by flood waters of Amur and so there was no time to sketch them, but only see. Some of them were turned upside down due to the pressure of ice flows during an ice drift and nobody knows now, which of the turned boulders is hiding a stone image.

One can visit here the ecological and tourist center WELCOME. It includes the open-air museum “Goldsky manor of 19 century”, dwelling of an early man, an ecological track and an exhibition hall with items of Nanay culture.