Count Muravyev-Amurski, governor-general of East Siberia, founded Khabarovsk as a military settlement in 1858. It is situated on three hills overlooking the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri rivers. Named after the merchant-adventurer, Yerofei Khabarov, the city became capital of the Far Eastern Territories and home of the governor-general when it was separated from East Siberia in 1884.
Until the railway arrived, the city was a trading and military post. It was also a transit point for passengers arriving by steamer from East Siberia. Another ship would then take them down the Amur and Ussuri to Vladivostok. Several plans were submitted for the building of the Ussuri Railway since 1875, but it was not until 1893 when construction began. Finally on September 3, 1897, the first train traveled from Khabarovsk to Vladivostok.
Today Khabarovsk is the main industrial center of the Far Eastern Territories with engineering, petroleum refining and forest products concerns. Having a population of 550,000, the city's lack of amenities and housing caused a steady decline in population over the past decade, despite the population of the Far East increasing as a whole.
HOTELS:
AMUR: 49 Ulitsa Lenina (33-5043).
DALNY VOSTOK: 18 Karl Marx Street (33-1434).
INTOURIST: 2 Amurski Boulevard (34-4347).
TSENTRALNAYA: 52 Pushkin Ulitsa (33-4759).
RESTAURANTS:
See the hotels for the best restaurants.
HARBIN: next to the Amur Hotel.
USSURI: 34 Karl Marx Street.
PLACES OF INTEREST:
The beach on the Amur, the Geological Museum and the arboretum.
MUSEUMS AND ART GALLERIES:
FAR EASTERN ART MUSEUM: 45 Frunze Ulitsa.
There are displays of Russian icons and canvases by Dutch, Flemish and Italian masters. There is also a collection of Chinese and Japanese arts and crafts.
MUSEUM OF REGIONAL HISTORY: 21 Shevchenko Ulitsa.
The museum exhibits the flora and fauna of the Far East and the [G 20 / taiga] with collections from famous explorers.
