Nikolayevsk-on-Amur (until 1926 - Nikolaevsk) is a city (since 1856) in Russia, the administrative center of the Nikolaevsky district of the Khabarovsk Territory. Port on the Amur River, airport. Population - 17 939 people. (2020).
The city has the V.E. Rozov Local History Museum (Sovetskaya Street
71). The museum was founded in 1858 and is now located in a building
built in 1915; the Nikolaevsk-on-Amur Municipal Local History Museum
(Gogol Street 27A); and the Center for National Culture of Indigenous
Peoples of the North (Sovetskaya Street 69).
The city has several
dozen different monuments reflecting the city's complex history.
By plane
The local airport UHNN (UHNN) accepts aircraft up to the
second class inclusive, and helicopters of all types. The airport
operator is "Khabarovsk Airlines". There are 8 flights to Khabarovsk, as
well as flights to Ayan, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Nelkan, Okhotsk, Kherpuchi,
and Chumikan.
By bus
Khabarovsk - De-Kastri -
Nikolaevsk-on-Amur (to Podgornoye). Daily. Travel time is about 20
hours.
By car
Highway 08A-10 Selikhino - Nikolaevsk-on-Amur.
It starts from the right turn of highway 08A-1 Khabarovsk -
Komsomolsk-on-Amur at 339 km. The total length of the road is about 597
km, the surface is mainly unpaved. The road is passable all year round
for all types of transport (excluding specific bad weather and natural
disasters).
The city is located on the left bank of the Amur
River; there is no bridge across the river, so to enter (or leave) the
city you will have to use a river ferry that crosses the Amur
(Podgornoye village). On the ship
During the summer season, from May
25 to October 1, a hydrofoil vessel "Meteor" operates on the route:
Komsomolsk-on-Amur - Nikolaevsk-on-Amur.
Pre-Russian Period: Indigenous Peoples and Early Imperial Influences
The area around what is now Nikolayevsk-on-Amur has a rich history
dating back to the late Middle Ages. Indigenous groups, including the
Nivkhs, Orochs, and Evenkis, inhabited the lower Amur River basin. These
peoples were collectively known in China as the "wild Jurchen." During
the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), the Mongols conducted expeditions into the
region, partly to prepare for potential invasions of Japan or to defend
against the Ainus of Sakhalin. In 1264, the Nivkhs acknowledged Mongol
sovereignty. A significant Mongol outpost, the "Command Post of the
Marshal of the Eastern Campaign," was established in 1263 near the
modern settlement of Tyr, approximately 100 km upstream from
Nikolayevsk-on-Amur. A shrine was built on Tyr Rock during this period.
From 1411 to 1433, during the Ming Dynasty, the eunuch Yishiha, of Haixi
Jurchen origin, led four missions to the Amur and Sunggari Rivers to
secure allegiance from local tribes. These efforts included the
construction of the Yongning Temple at Tyr and the erection of stelae
with inscriptions, marking early Chinese imperial influence in the
region. The site was likely preceded by a Manchu village called Fuyori
before Russian arrival.
Russian Founding and 19th-Century
Development
Russian interest in the Far East intensified in the
mid-19th century as part of broader expansion efforts amid tensions with
the Qing Empire of China. The Treaty of Nerchinsk (1689) had previously
ceded territories along the Amur to China, halting Russian advances, but
by the 1840s, explorers sought to reclaim and secure the region. In
1850, Russian navigator and explorer Gennady Nevelskoy founded
Nikolayevsky Post on August 13, naming it after Tsar Nicholas I to
assert Russian claims in the Amur estuary amid territorial disputes.
This settlement quickly became a vital economic hub on Russia's Pacific
coast.
By 1855, following the Siege of Petropavlovsk during the
Crimean War, Nikolayevsk replaced Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky as Russia's
main Pacific harbor. In 1856, with the establishment of Primorskaya
Oblast, it was granted town status and renamed Nikolayevsk-on-Amur.
Admiral Vasily Zavoyko oversaw the construction of a naval base,
transforming it into a major commercial port. However, challenges such
as sandbanks in the Amur River and seasonal ice (making the harbor
unusable for five months a year) limited its growth. By the early 1870s,
primary shipping operations shifted to Vladivostok, though Nikolayevsk
remained the administrative center of Primorskaya Oblast until 1880,
when the governor's office moved to Khabarovsk.
The late 19th century
saw fluctuations. Writer Anton Chekhov visited in 1890 en route to
Sakhalin and noted rapid depopulation, but gold discoveries in the 1890s
and the establishment of salmon fisheries briefly reversed this trend.
The town served as a key outpost in Russia's annexation of the Far East,
distributing proclamations to local tribes asserting control over the
Amur Territory up to the Korean border and Sakhalin.
Early 20th
Century: The Russian Civil War and the Nikolayevsk Incident
The early
20th century brought prosperity and cultural diversity, as evidenced by
postcards from the period depicting the town's architecture, daily life,
and multi-ethnic population (Russians, indigenous groups, Chinese,
Koreans, and Japanese). By around 1900, it had a population of about
15,000 and was a bustling port.
However, the Russian Civil War
(1917–1922) devastated the town. Amid the chaos following the Bolshevik
Revolution, rumors of approaching Bolshevik partisans circulated in late
1919. In early 1920, the town—home to around 750 Japanese residents,
including civilians and a military garrison—was besieged by
approximately 4,000 communist partisans (a mix of Russians, Koreans, and
Chinese) led by Yakov Tryapitsyn, a Bolshevik-anarchist figure.
Tensions escalated when Japanese troops attempted a surprise attack on
March 12, 1920, which failed, leading to the Nikolayevsk Incident—a
massacre where partisans killed thousands, including most of the
Japanese population and many Russians. Tryapitsyn ordered the town
razed, reducing the population from 15,000 to just 2,000. This event,
part of broader Red Terror in the Russian Far East, prompted Japan to
occupy northern Sakhalin from 1920 to 1925, during which the town was
briefly renamed Nikō. Tryapitsyn was later executed by the Bolsheviks
for his actions.
Soviet Era: Rebuilding, Gulags, and Peak
Population
The town was rebuilt under Soviet rule, but its importance
waned as Khabarovsk and Komsomolsk-on-Amur grew. Around 1940, a Gulag
prison camp operated there. From 1932 to 1945, including the Great
Terror, executed inhabitants from the Far Eastern Krai (renamed
Khabarovsk Krai in 1938) were buried on the town's outskirts; a monument
to these victims was erected in 2007.
The economy shifted toward
fishing, ship maintenance, and agriculture. Population peaked at 36,296
in the 1989 Soviet Census, reflecting Soviet-era industrialization and
resource extraction.
Post-Soviet Period: Decline and Modern
Status
After the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991,
Nikolayevsk-on-Amur faced severe depopulation due to economic hardships,
migration to larger cities, and limited infrastructure (no road or rail
connections; reliant on river port and airport). The population dropped
to 28,492 by 2002, 22,752 by 2010, and an estimated 17,471 by 2025—a
23.2% decline from 2010. As of 2024, it stands at around 17,815.
Location and Overview
Nikolayevsk-on-Amur is a town situated in
the eastern part of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, in the Russian Far East. It
lies on the left (western) bank of the Amur River, approximately 80
kilometers (50 miles) upstream from where the river empties into its
estuary, known as the Amur Liman, which connects to the Sea of Okhotsk
in the Pacific Ocean. The town's geographic coordinates are
approximately 53°08′N 140°44′E, placing it about 977 kilometers (607
miles) north of the regional capital, Khabarovsk, and 582 kilometers
(362 miles) from the nearest major railway station in
Komsomolsk-on-Amur. It serves as the administrative center of
Nikolayevsky District and is one of the closest significant settlements
to the Strait of Tartary (also known as the Tatar Strait), which
separates the Russian mainland from Sakhalin Island to the east. This
strategic position near the river's mouth has historically made it an
important port for trade, fishing, and navigation, though it lacks
direct land transport connections, relying instead on river ports and
the Nikolayevsk-on-Amur Airport (IATA: NLI).
The Amur River, one of
Asia's longest, forms a natural border with China along much of its
length, and Nikolayevsk-on-Amur sits near its final transition into the
estuarine zone. The surrounding region is part of the vast Amur River
basin, which encompasses diverse ecosystems influenced by both
continental and maritime forces.
Topography and Physical Features
The topography of Nikolayevsk-on-Amur is characterized by low-elevation
floodplains typical of the lower Amur River valley. The town itself is
built at an average elevation of about 23–30 meters (75–98 feet) above
sea level, with gentle slopes rising toward forested hills and low
mountains in the hinterland. These hills, part of the broader
Sikhote-Alin mountain system to the southeast, provide a scenic backdrop
of taiga forests, contributing to the area's rugged yet picturesque
landscape. The riverbank setting exposes the town to periodic flooding,
especially during the Amur's high-water seasons, as the river's wide
floodplain allows for extensive water spread.
To the north and west,
the terrain transitions into dense boreal forests (taiga) dominated by
coniferous trees like larch, spruce, and fir, interspersed with wetlands
and marshes common in the Amur delta region. Eastward, across the Amur
Liman, lies the expansive estuarine environment leading to the Sea of
Okhotsk, featuring tidal flats, shallow bays, and occasional fog banks
influenced by cold ocean currents. The proximity to the Pacific Ocean
(via the liman) creates a unique liminal zone where freshwater and
saltwater ecosystems meet, supporting rich biodiversity including
migratory fish species like salmon.
Climate
Nikolayevsk-on-Amur experiences a borderline humid continental climate
(Köppen classification Dfb), verging on subarctic (Dfc) due to its
northern latitude and exposure to Siberian cold air masses. Winters are
long and moderately severe, moderated slightly by the nearby maritime
influence from the Sea of Okhotsk and the Aleutian Low pressure system,
which brings increased precipitation compared to interior Siberia.
Summers are cool and short, with fewer foggy days than nearby Sakhalin
thanks to the town's mainland position, allowing for more sunshine
hours.
Based on climate data from 1991–2020 (with extremes from
1881–present), the annual average temperature is around -1.6°C (29.2°F),
with total precipitation averaging 671.5 mm (26.44 inches). Relative
humidity remains high year-round at about 79%, contributing to a damp
atmosphere. Winters see temperatures dropping to record lows of -47.2°C
(-53.0°F) in January, while summers can reach highs of 35.3°C (95.5°F)
in August. Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed, with a slight
peak in late summer due to monsoon influences from the Pacific.
Natural Environment and Surrounding Areas
The natural environment
around Nikolayevsk-on-Amur is dominated by the Amur River ecosystem,
which includes riparian forests, wetlands, and deltaic formations. The
river's liman creates a brackish water habitat rich in fish, supporting
industries like commercial fishing. Surrounding forests are part of the
Siberian taiga, home to wildlife such as brown bears, elk, and various
bird species, with biodiversity enhanced by the river's role as a
migratory corridor.
To the south and east, the landscape opens toward
the Sea of Okhotsk, with coastal plains and occasional rocky shores. The
nearby Sakhalin Island, visible across the strait on clear days, adds to
the region's isolation and natural beauty. Environmental concerns
include river pollution from upstream industrial activities and climate
change impacts like altered flood patterns. Overall, the geography
blends riverine, forested, and coastal elements, making
Nikolayevsk-on-Amur a gateway to the wild expanses of the Russian Far
East.