In 1584, access to the Baltic Sea was mostly controlled by Sweden, so the Russian Czar, Ivan the Terrible, founded Archangel (or Arkangelsk) as Moscow’a almost sole link to the sea, even though the navigation season was limited to just seven ice-free months during spring and summer. When Peter the Great arrived a hundred years later, he made Archangel a center of sea trade until he prevailed over the Swedes and shifted the major port to St. Petersburg. Then during the world wars and still today, Archangel is once again an important seaport, now open year-round due to improvements in icebreakers.
Restricted to ship excursions for access ashore, we boarded a tour bus at the pier, led by local guide Natalia, which took us through the city, on a cloudy, drizzling day with the heavy “June snow” from the cottonwood cotton, to the historical center on the banks of the Northern Dvina River which opens into the White Sea. At the core of the city is Lenin Square and the 24-floor modern administrative building, the tallest and only skyscraper. There are not so many examples of old architecture here, as many of the historic wooden structures have been replaced with stone houses, but the city is dotted with churches and monuments to history from the Soviet era to Peter the Great.
The bus dropped us off at the entrance to a small path through a local cemetery, arriving at the reverent Archangel Allied Cemetery for British soldiers who died here during the world wars, begun in 1918 to honor those troops that perished while supporting Russia’s war efforts. Though a bit off the beaten path, this eerie Arctic graveyard was surprisingly well-tended, enclosed by a wall lined with plaques commemorating those who laid within under neat rows of headstones.
We visited the State Northern Maritime Museum at the waterfront, hosted to an extensive and interesting narrative from a young museum guide as he showed us exhibits that chronicle the city’s history of shipbuilding and maritime trade in the Arctic Ocean from its early beginnings by the native Pomor people.
Then we were set free for a half hour or so to walk down the Ulitsa Chumbarova-Luchinskogo pedestrian street zone, lined with several remaining old picturesque wooden mansions, along with some amusing monuments, cafes, and street vendors selling t-shirts and traditional Russian souvenirs.
Heading back to the ship, we stopped for a stroll down the Severnaya Dvina riverbank past a statue of Peter the Great and the Arkangelsk Monument. Back onboard the bus, our guide realized we had an emergency, as we were were missing a person left behind at the pedestrian zone. That’ll teach them to let us wander freely in Russia. So, we went back to retrieve the poor woman, whose husband had apparently been on the bus and failed to notice her absence. Really?
Back on the ship, I sensed an unspoken, collective sigh of relief, as we sailed out of Russia’s Arctic Gateway, back toward Norway through the Barents Sea.
Thanks for your feedback. I’m so glad you enjoy it! Makes it very rewarding for me. Love, K
Kristy…I really enjoy reading your posts. thank you, and safe travels. Love, Jim