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  In
1858, a Russian military settlement was founded and named Khabarovka
in honour of Erofei Khabarov, the cossack explorer, whose statue
now stands in the railway station square. Until the Trans-Siberian
Railway arrived, the town was just a trading and military post.
Today, Khabarovsk is one of the most vital cities in the Russian
Far East with a population of 650,000.
Perched on 3 giant hills, overlooking the mighty Amur River, legend
once held that the city rested on the backs of three great whales.
Promoted to a rank of a city in 1880, Khabarovsk today, is the biggest
economic and cultural centre of the Russian Far East .
In general, the architectural plan of the central part of Khabarovsk
remains unchanged. Filled with parks and river walks, Khabarovsk
is a city for strolling. The broad, tree lined main avenue, Muravyov-Amursky
Street, is the most popular place for leisurely walking. Few of
the old wooden houses remain in the city today, but there are some
attractive stone buildings from Imperial Times, as well as, beautiful
modern structures faced with marble.
 30
miles to the south west of the city, there is a Nature Reserve Khekhtsir,
an attraction for nature-lovers. This is a unique place where the
North and the South coexist. Southern lianas, Manchurian walnuts
grow side by side with evergreen conifers. Bears, foxes, wolves,
elks and tigers are seen occasionally there. Nature Reserve Khekhtsir
is located at the confluence of the Amur, which the Chinese call
Heilongjiang "Black Dragon River" and the Ussuri rivers.
Khabarovsk is also the major transportation hub for rail, air and
waterways. The Trans-Siberian Railroad, the longest in the world,
goes through Khabarovsk. Khabarovsk has a large airport. There are
over 40 domestic routes to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tashkent, Kiev,
Vladivostok, Irkutsk, Yakutsk, Uzhno-Sakhalinsk and also regular
flights to Korea, China, Singapore. "Dalavia" Air Lines
Company makes its flights to Japan.
In 1965 Khabarovsk and Niigata became sister cities. Later Khabarovsk
signed agreements on sister-city relations with Portland, Oregon
and Harbin, China.
• Additional
information about Khabarovsk [link]
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