Nikolaev Triumphal Gate

Nikolaev triumphal gate is one of the most beautiful and monumental buildings of Vladivostok. They were built in 1891 in honor of the visit to the city of the heir to the royal throne, Nicholas Alexandrovich, who three years later came to the throne as Nicholas II. He visited the seaside capital as part of his trip around the world, which, according to his father Emperor Alexander III, was necessary to expand the horizons of the future ruler of the Russian Empire.

The sea stage of the trip of the Tsarevich ended in Vladivostok. Having learned about this, the local authorities decided to meet His Highness as appropriate and, having erected a triumphal arch, to emphasize the solemnity of the event. The location for the arch was chosen very carefully. Given that Nikolai Alexandrovich arrived in the city by sea, it was decided to build a triumphal gate on the Admiral pier. This place is also remarkable for the fact that near the shore of the Golden Horn Bay, where the first founders of Vladivostok landed.

During his visit to the city, the heir to the royal throne laid a railway with a stone station, a dry dock for repairing ships and a monument to Admiral Nevelsky – all of them have survived to this day. Many historians believe that this visit contributed to the rapid development of Vladivostok in pre-revolutionary times.

The arch, light, openwork, elegant, built of stone and brick and sustained in strict Russian-Byzantine style. The gates themselves are four stone bases, on which gray-yellow walls, decorated with ancient Russian colored ornaments, rest. They are covered by an azure roof with ridges, resembling a high octagonal pyramid, on top of which there is a gilded two-headed eagle.

In a large semi-arch facing the sea, there is the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker - the patron saint of sailors. The other three have coats of arms of different times: Primorsky region (the time of the founding of Vladivostok Post), fortress and modern Vladivostok.

In 1930, with the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, the arch of Tsesarevich – as a symbol of the hated tsarist past – was blown up. It was only restored in 2003. Since then, the Nikolaev triumphal gate is considered a true decoration of Vladivostok. And the locals say that those who pass under the arch will be happy. If you are in Vladivostok, check it out!