(OBLAST BY OBLAST)
Amur oblast
Amur oblast – Амурская область
The Amur oblast lacks tourist attractions. Perhaps, the main one used to be the bumpy Amur highway itself. The president Putin vowed to pave the Amur highway and kept his word. In 2010 the road acquired a hard surface all the way from Chita to Khabarovsk and a shade of adventure associated with traveling by this road was gone.
Near the small town of Novobureisky stands a peculiar monument. In February 2004 the then Russian president Vladimir Putin staged a ribbon-cutting ceremony in this place and declared the road from Moscow to Vladivostok trafficable all the way through. To perpetuate that event local powers-that-be erected a stela reading MOSCOW-VLADIVOSTOK (in Russian МОСКВА-ВЛАДИВОСТОК) and a small chapel that remains permanently locked. A must-stop spot for all road travelers for pictures.
blagoveshchensk – благовещенск
The administrative center of the Amur oblast was founded in 1644. It is located 110 km away from the Trans-Siberian railway on the Amur River across from the Chinese city of Heihe. There is a good ferry service between the two cities therefore many tourists coming to Blagoveshchensk make a day trip to China. In December 2019 a bridge was commissioned across the Amur River. Thus, now bus service is also available. To visit Heihe Russian citizens do not need a visa.
Heihe as seen from Blagoveshchensk at day time.
Heihe as seen from Blagoveshchensk at night time.
Heihe as seen from Heihe.
The watch tower is in China, the buildings are in Russia.
Blagoveshchensk as seen from Heihe.
Blagoveshchensk as seen from Blagoveshchensk.
The best pastime in Blagoveshchensk is perhaps to take a stroll along the pleasant riverside promenade.
Count Muraviyov-Amursky - the founder of Blagoveshchensk and Khabarovsk.
The famous Russian playwright Anton Chekov stayed in this red building during his 1890 trip to Sakhalin.
The World War II memorial.
Sometimes the Amur River floods the lower part of the embankment.
Not flooded to compare with the above.
The central square.
There are two statues of Lenin in Blagoveshchensk. The smaller one was erected in 1925.
Nice old Soviet signs on the way to Blagoveshchensk.
