Blagoveshchensk: gold and dinosaurs

Blagoveshchensk emerged as an outpost of Russia in the Far East. The first Cossack detachment led by Vassili Poyarkov appeared here in 1644. And in 1653 the legendary pioneer Yerofey Khabarov built the first prison here. At the end of the XVII century Russia ceded the Amur region to China. The interest in the region revived again after the Amur expedition of Admiral Nevelsky in 1849-1855. In 1856 a hundred Cossacks, led by Travin, founded the military outpost of Ust-Zeysky. First of all, the Cossacks built a small Church of St. Nicholas out of timber. It was destroyed in 1980 and rebuilt in 2010. In 2003 in memory of the first settlers a monument was erected on the western outskirts of the city: cast-iron figures of an officer and two Cossacks.

In 1858 Governor General of the Russian Far East Nikolay Muravyov brilliantly completed the diplomatic process by signing the Treaty of Aigun with China on the border on the Amur. As a result, Muravyov received the title of Count, and Ust-Zeiskaya Stanitsa — a status of the Russian town. At the same time on the initiative of Archbishop Innokentiy, who arrived with the governor, a church was built in the village in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Mother of God. Thanks to this temple the city subsequently received its name — Blagoveshchensk (that means good news). In 1924 the church burnt down, but its main shrine — the oldest Far Eastern Albazin Icon of the Mother of God — was not damaged. In 2002 the congregation adopted the new Annunciation cathedral. And seven years later next to the church a monument was erected to the founders of the city — Count Muravyov and Archbishop Innokentiy.

In 1865 private gold mining was allowed in the Amur region, which led to a rapid growth of the city. A plan was approved for the construction of Blagoveshchensk on the plain between the Amur and Zeya rivers with wide streets intersecting at right angles. By the end of the XIX century several metallurgical plants appeared there, and wood processing, trade and river transportation were developing. In 1899 the first match factory in the Far East was established. In 1890 the town was spoken about in St. Petersburg, where Dmitry Peshkov, a Cossack from Blagoveshchensk, got on horseback for six months. In the same year the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov traveled to Blagoveshchensk, and a year later the future Emperor Nicholas II visited the city. To his visit the townspeople installed a 20-meter Triumphal Arch on the bank of the Amur River and built a pavilion-exhibition of achievements in gold mining. The collection of that pavilion formed the basis of the first museum in the Far East — the Amur Regional Local Lore Museum. Now it occupies one of the most beautiful buildings in the city — the brick building of the former «Knut & Albers» department store of 1911, which was owned by the Germans and which existed in the city till the end of the 1920s. In the museum one can find out about the bones of dinosaurs found in the territory of Blagoveshchensk at the beginning of the 20th century. By 1911 they had collected a whole skeleton, which is now stored in the Russian Geological Institute in St. Petersburg. The so-called cemetery of dinosaurs preserved the remains of the last dinosaurs living in Asia. And the largest dinosaur skeleton in Russia was found in 2004 near the city.The first brick building in Blagoveshchensk was the Church of the Intercession built in 1883. In the historical center of the city there were also brick buildings of the telephone station of 1900, the women’s gymnasium of 1911, the house of the military governor of 1912, the merchants’ rows of 1909 and the railway station of 1913 in the Art Nouveau style. The Transfiguration of Our Lord Catholic church of 1903 is now occupied by the male Havre Archangel Monastery.

At the beginning of the 20th century Blagoveshchensk was in the focus of interests of the neighboring China. But in 1924 the city officially became part of the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, the proximity of China has always influenced the life in the city and the gastronomic predilections of its inhabitants. Today Chinese restaurants operate in the city, and dishes from neighbors are often found in the home cooking. For example, chisanchi — fried in a wok potatoes with aubergines and carrots with dressing from starch, vinegar, soy sauce and spicy seasoning «mala xian». Popular Korean fast food is steamed pyan-se pinched with cabbage and minced meat. As for the Russian cuisine, it is worth to taste soup with sauerkraut. At any time of the year one can find fish dishes with pink salmon, sockeye salmon, and coho salmon or Pacific herring. They generally like salty and as a snack often prefer salted fern. The herbal liqueur «Amur», infused with taiga herbs, is popular among tourists. Local residents also recommend tasting arkharinsky honey collected in the south of the Amur region. Sweet goods of the confectionery factory «Zeya»: jujube, chocolate sweets and crispy biscuits are among the traditional souvenirs from Blagoveshchensk.

The festival «Amur Autumn» is the main event in the cultural life of Blagoveshchensk. Since 2003 new Russian films and non-repertory theatres with famous actors have been brought to Blagoveshchensk. А festival of historical fencing is held in the city park in late May. The City Day in Blagoveshchensk is celebrated in the first Saturday of June. Mass festivities are held on Lenin Square. Every July the Amur River becomes the venue for a unique sporting event — the international «Friendship» swim race. Several hundred swimmers from Russia and China cross the water boundary swimming towards each other.

Blagoveshchensk also has space prospects: the Vostochny Cosmodrome was built in the Amur region on April 28, 2016, from which they successfully launched man-made earth satellites. And there are plans for further improvement of the Amur embankment and construction of the recreational cluster along the shore. As a result, the city expects to receive about one million tourists annually. The unique neighborhood with China, the rich history of the development of the Amur region, the preserved historical buildings and the Cemetery of the dinosaurs attract more and more guests from all over the world to Blagoveshchensk every year.

Get directions

International «Ignatyevo» Airport in Blagoveshchensk receives flights from Moscow, the flight takes about 8 hours. Charter flights connect Blagoveshchensk with China, Thailand and Vietnam. The city is connected with the Trans-Siberian Railway through the station Belogorsk. The construction of a Russian-Chinese cable car began in 2017, thanks to which the trip from Blagoveshchensk to Heihe will take five minutes, not counting passport control. Now the communication between cities is carried out on motor ships and buses in summer and on air-cushion vehicles in winter.