There is a widespread misconception that a tourist will meet stunning beauty and extraordinary monuments of the past only abroad. This opinion is refuted by those who decently know the vastness of their native country. And we are talking not only about Moscow, the outskirts of the Neva, the Golden Ring and the resorts of the Caucasus. The sights of Arkhangelsk pose a confident challenge to such recognized centers, and Volga cruises, and travels to Turkish resorts, and fermentation along the Altai steppes and mountains. A city with an iconic past, which is no less turbulent and non-standard than the vicissitudes of the fate of the northern capital, Kazan or Paris - what could be more charming. But let's get to the point.
River Station
A well-deserved item from the list of what to see in Arkhangelsk will be recommended by any connoisseur and wise local resident. Yes, it is hard to surprise with river stations, there are such stations in almost any city standing on a navigable river. But here the place is unique in that it is also a sea station. You will have to look for such an object on the embankment. The building, which is seen by those arriving by sea or by river, was opened back in 1973. This is also the path of those seeking to explore the islands within the city limits, to visit Murmansk, to go to the Solovetsky archipelago and to a number of other points. There are much more of them than it will be possible to list here - the schedule confirms this. And the station is also familiar from the photo of the city of Arkhangelsk, which regularly appears in the pockets and bags of all Russians.
- Address: Severnaya Dvina Embankment, 71, building 1
Museum of Artistic Development of the Arctic
When they talk about settling and farming in those harsh lands, they usually represent gloomy and laconic people who stoically overcome difficulties. But the Borisov Museum is destroying this bizarre stereotype. The building itself is one of the monuments of Arkhangelsk - it was built in 1897. The Museum of Fine Arts was located here at the end of the last century. But in 2019, restoration and repair work was not completed. This did not prevent the organization of well-thought-out exhibitions and expositions. Visitors are introduced to the properties of ice, to the peculiarities of the production of Arkhangelsk ice cream. But the core of the exposition is still about 400 paintings, which the artist Borisov dedicated to the nature of the northern regions. Presented in the collections of the collection and painting of Ilya Bylka. It is pleasant to look into the hall dedicated to the description of travel and research work in the Arctic latitudes.
For your information: at that time, the construction of such tall buildings was banned. The museum still remains the highest point of the city; how it was possible to build it - nobody knows.
- Address: Pomorskaya, 3
- Mode: All days, except Tuesday, from 10 am to 6 pm (ticket office - until 5-15 pm).
- Price: 200 rubles for adults, 1 ruble for students, 70 rubles for schoolchildren, pensioners and preschoolers; non-citizens of the Russian Federation are charged 200 rubles.
Literary Museum
But to the question of what to see in Arkhangelsk, much warmer answers can be given. One of them is just a museum of literature. The collection contains over 50,000 exhibits that reflect the artistic past and present of the Russian north. These are manuscripts, significant photographs, and documentary materials about writers. Books in 70 languages of different countries are kept here.
- Address: Volodarsky, 10
- Mode: Tuesday - Sunday from 12 noon to 4 noon.
- Price: From 100 to 500 rubles (according to open sources)
Chumbarov-Luchinsky Avenue
Another answer to the question of what to see from the best sights of the city for tourists who came to see interesting places with their own eyes. The street is impressive in size by the standards of this city. Breathing in the freshest frosty air, the tourist is as if in two dimensions at the same time: the cultural environment and the pristine natural beauty. The pedestrian street is also an open-air museum. The surviving old wooden buildings are concentrated here. It is difficult to find a collection of wooden architecture comparable in scale and attractiveness in one place.
Marfin house
You don't have to look for it - you just need to walk along the avenue. The building dates back to 1858. It was originally intended for cultural gatherings and leisure. Later, the authorities came to the house. And then the time came for the theater of the young spectator, the house of officers, a cinema, an opera and ballet studio. In 1960, the facility began to be protected by law. A decade later, it was used by a restorers' workshop and a folk choir. Exhibitions are periodically organized.
- Address: Chumbarova-Luchinsky, 38
St. Nicholas Church
Describing the sights of Arkhangelsk with photos and descriptions, one cannot ignore the old church building. It was erected in accordance with the project of the architect Karetnikov. A small tent-shaped bell tower is located exactly above the entrance. The inner volume is flooded with the sun. In the arrow-shaped windows of the one-domed rectangular church, lattices of an openwork look were inserted.
For your information: contrary to the custom of Russian temple architecture, the altar looks not to the east, but to the south side.
- Address: Teatralny lane, 3
Restaurant "Post Office"
Mentioning a catering establishment on this list only seems unusual. It is located in a building that was built in the 18th century on the Dvinsky bank. Through large windows, visitors gaze at the majestic river waters. Here you can relax and unwind as you prepare for the next round of city exploration.
Recommendation: do not limit yourself to typical European cuisine, but order unique Pomor dishes.
- Address: Severnaya Dvina Embankment, 78
- Mode: Friday and Saturday from 12:00 to 02:00, on other days from noon to midnight.
- Price: Average bill 1500 - 2000 rubles.
Northern Maritime Museum
An excellent place where you can go in Arkhangelsk for lovers of romance, everything connected with distant wanderings, sailors, their difficult craft. In the storerooms and the current exposition, the staff of the institution presented 23,000 exhibits. They will tell how sailing developed and supported in the icy regions of the Arctic Ocean, how people escaped from the uncontrollable cold. They will also show the ships used by the brave conquerors of high latitudes.
- Address: Severnaya Dvina Embankment, 80
- Mode: Tuesday-Friday from 10 am to 6 pm, Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm.
- Price: 180 rubles for adults, 120 rubles for pensioners, 70 rubles for schoolchildren and preschoolers, 600 rubles for the excursion.
Regional Drama Theater
The building, built in 1932, was recently restored. So now it deserves a closer look again. The theater was built in 8 months. A lot of performances were presented here, in the staging of which the most inspired actors, directors and screenwriters took part. Now Melpomene's dwelling has reached the highest technical equipment in comparison with analogues in other places on the northern coast of Russia.
- Address: Petrovsky Park, 1
Monument to Peter I
Citizens and tourists like to walk in the vicinity of the monument. It was opened in 1914. It is curious that this is not the original, but a smaller duplicate of the monument opened in 1903 in Taganrog. It is necessary to search for an object in the initial part of the embankment.
Pur-Navolok
Among the sights of Arkhangelsk with photos and names, it occupies a special line in any guidebook. This is not a man-made object, but a natural cape. A mighty fortress was founded here back in 1584. But there are references to the old monastery, which was ravaged by the Swedish invaders in 1419. An elevated area of land was washed by the waters of the Dvina. There is a monument to the river wave on the cape. Nearby, tourists look at the tower and the ruins of the living rooms (merchant's) courtyards.
- Address: Embankment of the Northern Dvina, 86
Church of St. Catherine
The building was built for the city's Lutheran community.It appeared earlier than in other parts of Russia, and was larger. This building is also included in the list of monuments of Arkhangelsk, and not just old buildings, but objects of wooden architecture.
- Address: Marx, 3
Gostiny Dvor
Until the end of the Northern War, it was here that the main center of foreign sea trade was located. But in 1667, a terrible fire destroyed the Gostiny Dvor. The complex that is known today was built in 1668-1684.
Fact: at the initial stage of the city's development, the word "Arkhangelsk" was not used. It was called New Kholmogory.
- Address: Embankment of the Northern Dvina, 85/86
Museum of local lore
A reasonable answer to the question of what to see in Arkhangelsk in winter. The reserves and the current exposition have collected 320 thousand objects in total. Initially, the museum worked as an exhibition of industrial and craft achievements. Formal museum status was acquired in 1861. The regional status was granted in 1937. The collections are dedicated to archeology and numismatics, old documents and natural science heritage. We made a selection of photographic materials and fabrics, household items. The restoration of the monument took place in 2012.
- Address: Embankment of the Northern Dvina, 85/86
- Mode: Tuesday - Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm.
- Price: 300 rubles for a single ticket, 150 rubles for schoolchildren and 100 rubles for 1 exhibition, 50 rubles for a discount for 1 exhibition.
Pisakhov Museum
Among the beautiful places in Arkhangelsk, you can wander for hours. But deep connoisseurs of the literary heritage are directing their step towards a museum dedicated to one of the greatest writers of the Russian North. And not just a writer, but also an ethnographer, traveler and collector of fairy tales. The exposition was divided into 8 parts according to narrow topics. The building itself, though not included in the list of ancient monuments, but embodies the spirit of the merchant architecture of the century before last.
- Address: Pomorskaya, 10
- Mode: Unfortunately, since the autumn of 2011, restoration has been underway, and inspection is possible only from the outside.
Solovetsky archipelago
It's time to move on to the sights of the Arkhangelsk region. And in the first place among what can be seen in the vicinity, the northern archipelago will deservedly rise. It includes at least 100 islands of various sizes and shapes. The traditional association with the monastery is correct, but few know that the first human settlements were founded on the archipelago as early as the 2nd millennium BC.
Muksalma dam
It was located in the Middle Ages on the island of Bolshaya Muksalma. According to the monastery's charter, keeping animals near the cells was not allowed. They began to be kept on the nearest large area of land, and a bridge dam was thrown over the Iron Gate to communicate with it across the Strait. Loaded horse-drawn carriages rolled freely along it.
Sekirnaya mountain
Travelers who don't know what to do should have a look at it. There are no other mountains on Solovki. Experts believe that it is man-made. In the past, they were going to crown the top with a special temple. But something went wrong.
Kenozersky park
No, this is not a place where people walk in the shade of trees. This is the name of a chic biosphere reserve. Its total area reaches 1210 sq. Km. The territory is inhabited by dozens of species of rare, and even those included in the protected lists, species of flora and fauna. The luxurious lake system will also delight visitors.
Novodvinsk fortress
To the question of what to see in Arkhangelsk and the surrounding area from the interesting to the tourist, they often answer that way. You can find the structure on the island of Linsky Priluk, or rather, on the outskirts of the village of Konveyer. The distance from the city limits is 20 kilometers. The island began to be fortified in the 18th century in order to protect it from Swedish intervention. Since 2008, the fortress has been included in the ranks of the monuments of the All-Russian degree of protection. Work is underway to preserve the buildings and restore them.
Surkov's mansion
The building was completed in 1851. It assumed its current appearance at the beginning of the 20th century, when it was decorated in the spirit of eclecticism, which was in demand at that time. Now the house is occupied by a music school. But in the 1990s, it had to be disassembled and restored piece by piece - otherwise there was no way to save it.
- Address: Popova, 1
Malye Korely Museum
You need to go to the village of the same name. There are collected a lot of wooden buildings of various periods. Experts advise to go to the museum in winter to personally experience the sensations that the inhospitable nature of the polar regions has prepared. And - to sympathize with those who lived in old wooden houses without the benefits of civilization for twenty generations.
Kotlas Motorcycle Museum
As compensation for the closed museum named after Pisakhov, you should pay attention to the private motorcycle museum located in neighboring Kotlas. In addition to motorcycles and mopeds, there are pictures taken in the past at city motocross competitions.
- Address: Mayakovsky, 32.
