Arkhangelsk

Arkhangelsk is the first seaport of Russia with an openhearted northern character, centuries long traditions of hospitality, interesting history and culture. The capital of the vast forest region, Pomor navigation and the starting point of the famous expeditions to the Arctic. 

Arkhangelsk is located in the delta of the Northern Dvina, approximately 35 kilometers from its inflow into the White Sea. In winter, the sky flashes with the northern lights, the river is covered with ice, the frosts go down to −40 ° C. Summer in Arkhangelsk is a time of amazing white nights, when the sun barely hides behind the horizon, and the temperature can rise up to +30 ° C. The subtle beauty of the harsh northern nature has long since formed the special character of the locals. Fishermen and hunters settled at the mouth of the Northern Dvina back in the Neolithic era, in the Middle Ages the Mikhailo-Arkhangelskii monastery was built here, and at the end of the XVI century a fortress and a small settlement appeared.

photo: Vera Radosteva

Arkhangelsk in the XVII century was the largest trading city and the only seaport in Russia, like a magnet attracted merchants under the colours of all European countries. Marinas and trading posts were built, a foreign settlement was growing, a stone Gostiny Dvor was built, which has survived to this day. Peter I visited Arkhangelsk three times. At the first state shipyard, he personally launched merchant ships and warships, and in 1702 he supervised the construction of the Novodvinsk fortress , which, quite possibly, became the prototype of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, laid down just a year later.

photo: Lyudmila Zernova

After the founding of St. Petersburg, trade on the White Sea was limited. However, Arkhangelsk did not lose its significance, remaining the capital of a vast territory from the Kola Peninsula in the west to the Ural Mountains in the east. From the end of the 18th to the 20th century , courtyards of large northern monasteries were built in the town, shipyards were run, mass fairs were held, whole communities of foreign merchants were established, a Lutheran church, a Roman church, a mosque and a synagogue were built, a gymnasium and schools teaching foreign languages were started. By the beginning of the 20th century, Arkhangelsk became the largest center of the forest industry. In 1918-20, the town was under the Anglo-American invasion and survived through the tragic events of the Civil War, and in 1941-45, Arkhangelsk welcomed the Allied Arctic convoys, that played an important strategic role in the Second World War. A separate page in the history of Arkhangelsk is the exploration of the Arctic, more than 200 expeditions to Novaya Zemlya and through the Northern Sea Route started from the town’s piers.

photo: Nikolay Vymorkov

Today, Arkhangelsk remains the largest center of the European part of Russia, carefully preserving the history and traditions of the White Sea North — the land of brave explorers, energetic merchants, shipbuilders and sailors. An openhearted town is ready to welcome you in the best traditions of northern hospitality: to report of its centuries long history in modern museums, to amaze you with folk wooden architecture, to surprise you with the bright international festivals, to treat you to the original dishes of traditional cuisine. Arkhangelsk will comfort you with the warmth of a northern character. See you in Arkhangelsk!

photo: Ekaterina Zorina

To do list in Arkhangelsk:
• in winter — to admire the northern lights from the icebreaker vessel
• in summer — to walk on a lucent white night along the promenade at Cape Pur — Navolok near Gostiny Dvor
• to admire the winter panorama of the town from the ice crossing across the Northern Dvina
• to take a boat walk on the 100-year-old paddled-wheel steamer on the main street of the city — the Northern Dvina during the navigation period in summer
• to shake hands with the famous story teller Pisakhov on the street museum Chumbarova-Luchinsikogo
• to take a picture with the first Russian emperor
• to taste and to take home as a souvenier a decorated gingerbread Arkhangelsk Roe (kosulya)
• to take a picture of the most recognizable building in the city — Arkhangelsk «skyscraper»
• to visit the largest museum in the Russian North, the Museum of Wooden Architecture Malye Korely
• to taste marmalade and to try on the White Sea algae cosmetics
• to taste dishes of Pomor cuisine: soup of cod, pie with halibut, slightly salted salmon, sour cream shan’ga (flat round pie), Pomor kalach (round bread) and berry open pies

photo in the upper block: Yulia Popova, Ilya Tsukanov, Daria Tumanova, Nikolay Vymorkov, Irina Kolpachnikova