Nikolaev Triumphal Gate
Nikolaev Triumphal Gates is a picturesque monument of Russian architecture erected in Vladivostok in the late 19th century. The arch was built in honor of the arrival to the Far East of the heir to the Russian throne – Tsesarevich Nicholas, so it is often called the Arch of the Tsesarevich. Today, the Nicholas Triumphal Gate is one of the business cards of the seaside city.
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At the end of the XIX century, the future emperor made a round-the-world trip and in 1891 sailed to Vladivostok. The city authorities wanted to solemnly mark this event, and so a beautiful triumphal arch was built near the Admiral’s Wharf. It was erected according to the project of the city architect Konovalov from stone and brick in the best traditions of Russian-Byzantine architecture.
Video: Nikolaev Triumphal Gates
Tsesarevich’s visit to Vladivostok
In 1890, the future Emperor of Russia Nicholas II went on a long journey. He traveled 15,000 km by rail and 22,000 km by sea. After visiting India, Singapore, Java, Siam and Japan, the 23-year-old Nicholas arrived at the shores of Russia in early May 1891.
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Since the Tsesarevich arrived by sea, the Nicholas Triumphal Gate was placed on the shore of the bay. At the solemn meeting the heir to the throne was presented with bread and salt. During his visit to the city, the distinguished guest participated in the laying of the Trans-Siberian railroad, the building of a new railroad station, a monument to Admiral Gennady Ivanovich Nevelsky and a dry dock, which later began to repair ships. After this, the Tsesarevich returned to St. Petersburg via Siberia.
.St. Nicholas Triumphal Gates in our days
The Tsesarevich’s Arch stood until 1927, but then it was blown up by the new authorities as a symbol of Tsarist Russia, which had passed into the past. In 2002-2003, an exact copy of the arch was built in Vladivostok, and nowadays it has become a popular tourist attraction.
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Nowadays, the Nicholas Triumphal Gate is called an arch-chapel, as the monument symbolizes the repentance of Russians for the fate of the executed emperor and his family members. The Triumphal Gate is decorated with mezzanine, kokoshnik, intricate bowl-shaped capitals and colored ornamentation, and covered with a blue roof with a double-headed eagle. On the sea side on the arch you can see the image of St. Nicholas the Saint, and on the other sides on it are placed the coats of arms of Primorsky region, the city itself and the Vladivostok fortress.
.How to get there
The Nikolaev Triumphal Gate rises on the eastern edge of Admiral’s Square, near Peter the Great Street. Nearby, on Korabelnaya Embankment and Svetlanskaya Street, many city buses and shuttle buses make stops.
