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Founded in 1856, the town of Blagoveshchensk is one of the oldest settlements in Russia’s Far East. The city was named after the first Orthodox temple built there, dedicated to the Annunciation to the Most Holy Mother of God (Blagoveshchenye in Russian). Today, as in the past, it is a center of trade and gold mining.

Blagoveshchensk is located at the confluence of the Amur and Zeya Rivers, right opposite the Chinese city of Heihe. It is the only administrative center in Russia that stands along China’s border. It is impossible to miss the Chinese tint to the town’s architecture, style and way of life. There is no visa required to travel between the two cities, so anyone with permission to stay in either China or Russia can sail across to Heihe and back. The town seeks to impress through its eclecticism, with Chinese pagodas standing next to typical “Khrushchevkas” (panel or brick three-to-five storey Soviet dwelling apartment buildings). The city also boasts fine old mansions dating back to the late 19th–early 20th centuries.

Get a glimpse of Blagoveshchensk in the RT gallery which presents images of the Triumphal Arch, the armored boat on the city’s embankment, and the Russia-China Friendship Arch.

Published: 05 May 2011

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