City guide

Vladivostok is the capital and the largest city of Primorye. With a population of 660,000 people and a total area of over 600 sq. km, it is also the largest city of the Russian Far East and, of course, one of the most interesting and remarkable cities of Russia. Vladivostok is among the ten most prospective cities of the world, as determined by the special UNESCO Commission.

Of all the European-style cities it is the closest to the Asian Pacific region. Vladivostok is located only 80 minutes flight from Seoul, Niigata and Osaka. During summer time in July-August, direct charter flights from Narita (Tokyo) are operated. On June 20 (July 2), 1860 the military supply ship Manchur called at the Golden Horn Bay to found an outpost of Vladivostok (“possess the East”). In 1862 it officially became a port. On April 28 (May 10), 1880 Vladivostok was officially proclaimed a city and in 1889—a fortress.

Vladivostok was founded in Jule 2nd 1860 be N. N. Muravyov-Amursky governor general. In 1862 a military post was renamed in port, and to increase the volume of foreign trade he was awarded the status of porto-franco (Freeport). In 1890-ies. Vladivostok is gradually transformed into a place of concentration of Russian culture in the Far East. Vladivostok was the organizational center of the expeditions of Russian travelers and acientists N. M. Przhevalsky, S. O Makarov, V. K. Arseniev, V. K. Komarov and others.

In 1899 Oriental Institute was opened in Vladivostok.
After the Soviet takeover in 1917 the governments repeatedly changed in the town, and military landings of Japanese, British, French and American invaders landed.

Becoming in 1958 a naval base of the Soviet Navy, Vladivostok for 30 years was closed to foreigners. In 1959, after a visit to the United States, Nikita Khrushchev (the leader of USSR) arrived in Vladivostok . Being impressed by his visit to America, Khrushchev put forward the slogan to make Vladivostok city better than San Francisco. The result of this visit was the rapid housing construction of 60-ies years and the strongest impulse to the development

of the city at the whole Soviet period. In particular, funicular railway and Prospect Stoletiya Vladivostoka Street were built.
It was at Vladivostok that Leonid Brezhnev and Gerald Ford conducted the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks in 1974. At the time, the two countries decided quantitative limits on various nuclear weapons systems and banned the construction of new land-based ICBM launchers.

In 2012 Vladivostok will host the 24th APEC summit. Leaders from the APEC member countries will meet on Russky Island, off the coast of Vladivostok. With the planned summit on Russky Island, the government and private businesses are building of resorts, dinner and entertainment facilities, in addition to the renovation and upgrading of Vladivostok International Airport.

Two giant cable-stayed bridges are currently under condtruction in preparation for the summit, namely the Zolotoy Rog bridge over the Zolotoy Rog Bay in the center of the city, and the Russky Island Bridge from the mainland to Russky Island (it will become the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world upon completion). The new campus of Far Eastern Federal University will be completed on Russky Island by 2012.

FREGAT AERO invites you to explore this city with a dramatic past and a great future.