Guide to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and the surrounding area: TOP 10 most attractive places for tourists

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is quite young - it is only 135 years old. But this does not prevent him from being proud of the turbulent history of formation, which was influenced by two cultures - Asia and Europe. Traces of it in the form of architectural monuments, buildings, sculptures, places of worship have been preserved in the regional capital to this day. Having been in the hands of Japan and Tsarist Russia, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, recreated from scratch by the USSR, miraculously incorporated the heritage of those times, and in modern times has also multiplied its greatest strengths, becoming, for example, the center of ski tourism in the Far East. SakhalinMedia news agency has prepared the TOP 10 most interesting places in the city and its environs, where a tourist who arrives on the island should definitely go.

Ski resort "Mountain Air"

In first place is the pride of South Sakhalin residents - “Mountain Air”. This is the only ski resort in Russia located within the city limits. It was founded by the Japanese at the beginning of the last century on Mount Asahigaoka, now Mount Bolshevik. A tourist and ski base was built where ski jumping competitions were held. These traditions continued during Soviet times. A center for training skiers for the XI Olympic Games in Sapporo was established here.

Now “Mountain Air” is an all-season tourist complex. In summer, the resort becomes a place for active recreation for islanders and guests of the regional capital. The complex has a network of hiking and cycling routes, each of which offers a variety of landscapes: green valleys covered with lush vegetation, dense forests, pure mountain springs, magnificent panoramas of the regional center. In addition, “Mountain Air” is a center of mass leisure: the complex’s grounds host sports competitions and cultural events, music festivals and art exhibitions, children’s and youth parties almost every weekend. In 2021, the complex hosted the first gastronomic festival “Taste on Heights” and the live music evening “Whisper of the Stars,” which collected thousands of positive reviews from visitors.

In winter, “Mountain Air” is a modern ski complex with 16 slopes of varying difficulty levels, including 5 of which are certified for international competitions, 3 ski areas for beginners and for professionals. There is a training slope, a ski cross track and a snow park. The total length of the trails is 25 kilometers. There are five cable cars on the slopes of Mount Bolshevik; the existing infrastructure of the sports and tourism complex is being modernized and a new one is being built. Favorable weather conditions – mild and snowy winters – allow the season to be extended until the end of April.

Living in the city itself, it is very easy to get to the Mountain Air” and enjoy skiing along the slopes of the complex, especially since all the slopes offer amazing views of the city and the surrounding mountains.

Ski resort "Mountain Air". Photo: Denis Taushkanov, SakhalinMedia news agency

Ski resort "Mountain Air". Photo: Yuri Gurshal, SakhalinMedia news agency

Ski resort "Mountain Air". Photo: Denis Taushkanov, SakhalinMedia news agency

View of the “mountain air”. Photo: Yuri Gurshal, SakhalinMedia news agency

Ski resort "Mountain Air". Photo: Denis Taushkanov, SakhalinMedia news agency

Ski resort "Mountain Air". Photo: Yuri Gurshal, SakhalinMedia news agency

Ski resort "Mountain Air". Photo: Denis Taushkanov, SakhalinMedia news agency

Ski resort "Mountain Air". Photo: Yuri Gurshal, SakhalinMedia news agency

/ 10

Attractions in the surrounding area

Chekhov Peak

Coordinates: 47.006651, 142.840225 How to get there: the ascent starts from the Old Friend cafe, after 6 km there is an information board with a detailed description of the route

During the Japanese occupation, the 1045 m high peak was considered sacred. Since then, a small concrete house has remained on the top of the mountain - a temple erected in honor of the sun goddess Amaterasu, who makes the heavens shine.

You should allow about 4 hours round trip to cover the route.

The most difficult sections are equipped with holds and ropes. The route is simple, but it is better to do it in good weather. The reward will be gorgeous views of the city, sea and mountains.

Klokovsky waterfall

Coordinates: 48.447190, 142.705996 How to get from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: 1) by car 190 km along road No. 64H-1 to the station. Grebenskaya (south direction from the parking lot), then walk along the old highway to the ascent point. 2) by train to Zaozernoye station, then about 7.3 km on foot.

The three-stage waterfall is about 50 m high. Although the waterfall does not have an official name, locals call it after the cape on which it is located.

Mount Frog

Coordinates: 46.868876, 142.888754 How to get from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: by bus or by car along highway 64N-7 about 22 km to the village of Vestochki. Next, according to the information on the boards, go to the eco-trail.

The mountain got its name because of its bizarre shape, which vaguely resembles a sitting frog.

Local residents believe that the center of power is located here.

Ainu legend claims that at the top of the mountain there is a temple of wisdom. Once upon a time a shaman lived here; she was the guardian of this place and resisted evil spirits. When she was a thousand years old, she lay down on a stone at the top and died. The spirits took her body, and in this place there were dents that repeated her silhouette.

The natives claim that anyone who reaches the top with pure intentions will gain the wisdom of the old shaman.

Cape and lighthouse Aniva

Coordinates: 46.023444, 143.416099 How to get from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: by car or public transport about 40 km to the village. Novikovo, then on a small boat

In 1939, a 31-meter lighthouse was installed on the steep Sivuchya rock.

Before the lighthouse was installed, Japanese sailors argued that it was impossible to navigate the ship near the rocks. However, there were brave souls who overcame this difficult route. The ships were heading to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and to the island. Seal.

The construction of the lighthouse was extremely difficult. The material could only be delivered by sea, and the approach to the rock was dangerous.

Up to 12 people could live at the lighthouse at the same time. To arrange their life, the architect Miura Shinobu provided a kitchen and warehouse on the lower floors of the lighthouse. Today the lighthouse is inactive.

Sakhalin Museum of Local Lore

In third place is the local history museum, built in the 30s of the last century, as the main museum of the Karafuto governorate, made in the traditional Japanese architectural style of “teikan-zukuri” - “imperial crown”. It exhibited collections on the ethnography of the indigenous inhabitants of Southern Sakhalin, paleontology, zoology, botany, etc. The names of Japanese researchers of Ainuology, Chiri Mashiho, ethnographer Yamamoto Toshio, botanist Shigedzo Sugawara and others were associated with the museum.

The Sakhalin Regional Museum of Local Lore was the founder of other museums in the Sakhalin region. Thus, the collections of paintings and graphics of the local history museum became the basis of the collection of the Sakhalin Regional Art Museum, and the A.P. Chekhov Museum in Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky was created with the active participation of researchers from the Sakhalin Regional Museum of Local Lore in the early 1990s. The area around the museum is a kind of attraction, where flowers and trees coexist organically with open-air exhibits.

The museum remains the custodian of the history and culture of society, the custodian of the primary sources of the natural history of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. Stores over 200 thousand items and collections on the nature, history and cultural heritage of the peoples of the Russian Federation. Every year the museum is visited by about 70 thousand residents and guests of the Sakhalin region.

Sakhalin Museum of Local Lore. Photo: Yuri Gurshal, SakhalinMedia news agency

TOP 10 most attractive places for tourists. Photo: Yuri Gurshal, SakhalinMedia news agency

Sakhalin Museum of Local Lore. Photo: Yuri Gurshal, SakhalinMedia news agency

Sakhalin Museum of Local Lore, a theatrical performance about the life of indigenous peoples of Russia. Photo: Yulia Krasnova, SakhalinMedia

/ 10

Mud volcano Yuzhno-Sakhalinsky

There are three mud volcanoes on Sakhalin Island. The largest is located 24 km from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk between the valley of the Alat River and the upper reaches of the Puta River. Mud volcanism is a very interesting and mysterious phenomenon, closely related to tectonic activity and oil and gas content of the earth's interior. In oil and gas bearing areas, mud volcanoes emit methane, to a lesser extent carbon dioxide, and sometimes carbon monoxide and nitrogen. Their waters contain bromine, iodine, boron, which allows the mud to be used for medicinal purposes. The mechanism of formation of such volcanoes is still not entirely clear. In total, more than 700 mud volcanoes are known on the planet.

The mud volcano near Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is a convex mud field, close in shape to a circle with a diameter of about 200 meters. The height of the field is just over 300 meters above sea level. Here and there, mainly along the edges of the mud field, gurgling griffins are visible, each of which represents a miniature volcano. There are about 10 of them in total. In appearance, they resemble mounds with small craters from which gas and gray viscous mud escape. The movement of the mud masses is almost imperceptible, but slowly and surely they spread around. To the touch, the temperature of the erupted mass does not differ from the temperature of the surrounding soil. Liquid mud has a sharp salty taste and a faint odor.

This volcano has the status of a geological natural monument of regional significance “South Sakhalin Mud Volcano”. The natural monument was created with the aim of preserving rare geological objects. You can get to it either independently or as part of tourist groups.

Mud volcano Yuzhno-Sakhalinsky. Photo: club "Adrenaline"

/ 2

Military-historical complex

Glory Square

In Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk they honor the memory of those who fell in the battles for the liberation of South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands and the fallen internationalist soldiers.

The memorial complex, created in honor of Soviet soldiers, from the Japanese militarists in August 1945, was opened on Glory Square on September 3, 1980. The complex includes a stele with the inscription “Eternal glory to the heroes,” a bronze sculpture of a soldier, a bronze sculptural group of figures of two sailors, a reinforced concrete podium with a brass star and the Eternal Flame, as well as a stele with the inscription “The Motherland has given you its immortality, and yours are not forgotten.” names. Nearby is the Walk of Fame, dedicated to the Heroes of the Soviet Union who liberated South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. Nearby is a memorial to Sakhalin soldiers who died in Afghanistan and Chechnya. In the center of the memorial there is a sculpture of the Grieving Mother, on the sides there are 14 vertically installed black granite slabs with the names of 42 dead Sakhalin residents.

Above the memorial complex there is another platform, to which a wide staircase leads from the lower level. On this site there is a monument to the twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Commander-in-Chief of the troops in the war with militaristic Japan, Marshal A.M. Vasilevsky. Next to the monument are samples of military equipment: tanks and guns. And on the left side all types of troops involved in the liberation of Sakhalin and the Kuril landing operation are listed.

Glory Square. Photo: Yuri Gurshal, SakhalinMedia news agency

Alley of Heroes on Glory Square. Photo: Denis Taushkanov, SakhalinMedia news agency

Tanks. Photo: Denis Taushkanov, SakhalinMedia news agency

Monument to twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Commander-in-Chief of the troops in the war with militaristic Japan, Marshal A.M. Vasilevsky.. Photo: Denis Taushkanov, SakhalinMedia news agency

Glory Square. Photo: Denis Taushkanov, SakhalinMedia news agency

Tanks. Photo: Denis Taushkanov, SakhalinMedia news agency

/ 8

Memorial complex "Victory"

Another grandiose memorial complex is located on Victory Square. In 1975, on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the victory over imperialist Japan, a memorial complex was inaugurated there. It consisted of a T-34-85 tank, delivered from the 119th armored repair plant in the city of Dolinsk and installed in the center of the site on a concrete pedestal 5-3 m high. In front of the tank, a 76-mm anti-tank gun and a 122-mm anti-tank gun were installed on pedestals howitzer.

For the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, a single ensemble was created from the Victory Memorial Complex and the Church of the Nativity. At the same time, the architect retained the pedestal with a tank and cannon installed in 1975.

The Victory Memorial Complex is a building of a cultural and educational center with a glass dome in the shape of Alexander Nevsky’s helmet, which completes the central atrium, and with white stone entrances protruding from four sides, made in the form of triumphal arches. The main entrance to the building of the cultural and educational center is located along the axis of the semicircular colonnade.

It contains four halls - the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905; Great Patriotic War 1941-1945; in memory of internationalist soldiers and military personnel who died while establishing constitutional order in Russia and the “War in the art of contemporary artists.” Four more rooms are located along the diagonals of the atrium: “Memories”, “Front-line Letters”, a room for working with schoolchildren and a room for working with conscripts.

Memorial complex "Victory". Photo: Yuri Gurshal, SakhalinMedia news agency

Memorial complex "Victory". Photo: Denis Taushkanov, SakhalinMedia news agency

/ 11

Historical park “Russia is my history”

The historical park, unique for Sakhalin, which houses the exhibition “Russia - My History” was built in just a year and opened by November 4, 2021. The area of the new Historical Park is almost 7 thousand square meters. Thanks to 400 mounted multimedia units, this huge area literally comes to life. About 80 exhibition areas, 20 interactive tables, 330 projectors, 20 kinect systems that allow you to interact with the exhibition object allow you to immerse yourself in the history of your native fatherland. In the center of the park, the only 12-meter dome cinema in the Sakhalin region was created. The park succinctly integrates the history of the island region since the first discoveries.

Historical park "Russia - my history". Photo: Denis Taushkanov, SakhalinMedia news agency

/ 9

Where to go with children in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

If you take a child on a trip, you definitely can't go wrong. There are many wonderful places in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk that will be very interesting for children to visit. The city offers young guests entertainment for every taste.

Zoobotanical Park

Opening hours: daily, from 10:00 to 18:00.
Ticket price: adult 200 rub., reduced price 100 rub.
Telephone.
Website: https://www.sakhalinzoo.ru
Address: st. Children's, 4A. Transport stop "Hotel Tourist".

The only zoo on Sakhalin invites city guests to meet wildlife. It is located on the territory of a botanical garden, where more than 200 wild and cultivated plants grow, represented in the treasury of the flora of the region. There are spacious enclosures in which more than 250 animals belonging to 94 species are kept in conditions close to natural. Visitors will be able to admire rare representatives of the fauna - Himalayan bears, Amur tigers, Ussuri deer, cockatoos, and bald eagles. The zoo has a contact area where children play with safe animals.

Puppet show

Opening hours: performances are given on weekends. Performances start at 11:00 and 13:00.
Ticket price: 350 rub.
Telephone.
Website: https://www.molute.ru
Address: Kommunistichesky Avenue, 28A. Transport stop "Dramater".

This year the Sakhalin Puppet Theater began its 37th season. Several generations of townspeople were brought up on his performances, bringing goodness and joy. Performances based on folk tales, legends, and plays by modern children's playwrights delight young viewers. Full houses are not uncommon here, so you should take care of purchasing tickets in advance when planning your trip. Today the theater's repertoire includes more than 40 productions.

Park named after Gagarin

Opening hours: daily, from 9:00 to 23:00.
Telephone.
Website: https://www.sakhalin-park.ru
Address: st. Children's, 1. Transport stop "Park im. Gagarin."

In the beautiful park, established during the Japanese occupation, it is easy to have a great time with the whole family. Recreation attracts attention with its picturesqueness and thoughtful landscape composition. The Japanese at one time equipped several artificial reservoirs here, laid out comfortable walking paths along their perimeter, built bridges over ponds and streams, and laid Sakura Alley. The park has attractions for children of different age groups, as well as playgrounds and sports grounds. You can ride around the recreation area in a children's railway carriage.

Read guides to other cities of the Far East:
Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Birobidzhan,
Blagoveshchensk, Yakutsk, Anadyr,
Magadan, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

Any traveler who claims to be an expert on the geography and nature of a vast country should visit the capital of the easternmost island of Russia. Here you can have a great rest and get a lot of unforgettable impressions.

Church of the Nativity

The Church of the Nativity of Christ is the tallest temple in the Far East. Its height is about 77 meters. The area of the temple is 5.59 thousand square meters. More than one thousand parishioners can visit it at the same time. The temple is structurally designed in the Novgorod style, on three floors of a gallery, where parishioners can perform a prayer service together with everyone else. The temple contains all the best in Russia and the Christian world. Large bells, according to ancient traditions, were cast in Moscow. The largest one is called “Sakhalin”. Smaller bells were cast in workshops in Voronezh and other cities. They were transported to Sakhalin across all of Russia. During transportation, bell ringing was demonstrated in each city. Above the main entrance is a mosaic depicting Jesus Christ made by Jerusalem craftsmen. Its height is more than 14 meters - it is the world's largest external mosaic panel on a temple.

In a very short time, the temple became a real calling card of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Its luminous snow-white walls can be seen tens of kilometers from the city.

Church of the Nativity in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Photo: Yuri Gurshal, SakhalinMedia news agency

Church of the Nativity. Photo: Yuri Gurshal, SakhalinMedia news agency

Church of the Nativity in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Photo: Yuri Gurshal, SakhalinMedia news agency

Mosaic. Photo: Yuri Gurshal, SakhalinMedia news agency

Church of the Nativity in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Photo: Yuri Gurshal, SakhalinMedia news agency

Church of the Nativity in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Photo: Denis Taushkanov, SakhalinMedia news agency

/ 18

Churches and Temples

Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ

Address: st. Gorkogo, 11a Tel.: Opening hours: from 08.00 to 19.00

The marble-clad cathedral is one of the tallest in the entire Far East - 81 m.

It contains a font in which it is possible to perform the baptism ceremony in the full height of an adult.

In 2021, the solemn illumination of the Cathedral by Patriarch Kirill took place.

The cathedral is distinguished by unique paintings and mosaics. The top row shows scenes from the earthly life of Christ. The remaining rows show the history of the Church in various historical periods.

Resurrection Cathedral

Address: St. Innocent Blvd., 3 Tel.: Opening hours: from 08.00 to 19.00

The revival of the construction of churches on Sakhalin began with the idea of building the first cathedral on the island in 1990. On the Nativity of Christ in 1995, the ceremonial illumination of the cathedral, built in the ancient Russian style, took place. The cathedral belfry is decorated with a huge bell.

Today the cathedral is the center of spiritual attraction for Sakhalin residents. The mayor of the city, I.P. Farkhutdinov, provided great assistance in the construction of the Cathedral; he was later elected governor of Sakhalin.

In 2003, a terrible tragedy occurred - a helicopter carrying the governor crashed. 14 people died in this disaster. In memory of the event, a memorial with a Worship Cross was erected on the territory of the temple.

Roman Catholic Church

Address: ave. Pobeda 26B Tel.: Website: https://www.sanctusjacobus.com/ Opening hours: from 15.00 to 19.00

The church was erected in less than a year. The first service was held in December 2001.

In addition to the fact that the church is a regional Catholic spiritual center, it constantly hosts cultural events: performing competitions, musical concerts, evenings of original music, and children's parties are organized. Often the events are of a charitable and educational nature; organ concerts are given in the church.

Art Museum

The Sakhalin Regional Art Museum, one of the youngest museums in Russia, was founded in 1983. In 1989, the first permanent exhibition opened in the building of the former Japanese bank Hokkaido Takushoku, which was built in the early 1930s and reconstructed in the 1980s and transferred to the museum. This building, located in the very center of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, is an original historical and architectural monument and to some extent determines the appearance of the city. The large hall on the first floor is intended for exhibition work; the halls on the second floor are occupied by permanent exhibitions: “Christian Art”, “Russian Art of the Late 19th - Early 20th Centuries”, “Korean Art”.

You can visit this unique place not only to admire the current exhibitions, but also to appreciate the Japanese architecture of the period of the Karafuto governorship.

Another museum is dedicated to the book of A.P. Chekhov "Sakhalin Island". It opened in 1995. is a unique space that does more than just collect and store memorial items. In 2013, the museum moved to new premises. In recent years, this is the only high-tech museum building built in the Far East. The new building, on an area of almost two thousand square meters, houses exhibition and cinema halls, spacious storage facilities, and a restoration workshop. The museum has modern fire extinguishing and ventilation systems, and special equipment that can ensure the complete safety of exhibits. Interactive technologies are actively used.

Sakhalin Art Museum. Photo: Denis Taushkanov, SakhalinMedia news agency

Sakhalin Art Museum. Photo: Yuri Gurshal, SakhalinMedia news agency

/ 9

Museum and Memorial Complex "Victory"

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

The exhibition of the Victory Museum and Memorial Complex, which opened in 2017, tells about the military past of Sakhalin. It is located on Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Square, near the monument dedicated to the victory of the USSR in the Soviet-Japanese War of 1945.

Museum guests can learn about important military operations that took place in the region over the years, listen to recordings of eyewitness accounts of the events, and see previously classified materials about the Portsmouth Peace Treaty and military operations in the Far East.

There is also the installation “Phantom Deer”, dedicated to the Japanese unit of the same name. For their horses, soldiers made hooves that resembled those of a deer. Such “equipment” helped the troops to better pass through swampy areas. Using virtual reality, you can watch the movements of “ghost deer” through special binoculars.

Chekhov Center

Sakhalin International Theater Center named after. A.P. Chekhov - the only drama theater in the Sakhalin region, began chronicling its life more than eighty years ago. It includes a drama theatre, a theater for children and youth, a theater college and two musical groups: the Divertiment chamber ensemble and the Jazz Time group.

A number of large cultural projects are being implemented here: the interregional festival “Sakhalin Ramp”, creative laboratories, television theater and others. The Chekhov Center troupe has repeatedly taken part in theater festivals: “Melikhovo Spring”, “Novosibirsk Transit”, “Days of Polish Culture in Yekaterinburg”.

Since 2009, the theater has successfully participated in grant competitions. Thus, the theater won grants from the NP TsSRRT "Art-Service", the cultural foundation "EGIDA", the Mikhail Prokhorov Foundation, as well as a grant from the Ministry of the Sakhalin Region in the field of theatrical art.

The square around the theater is another unique place in the city where you can have a pleasant walk and at the same time take wonderful photographs with the heroes of Chekhov’s works.

Sakhalin International Theater Center named after. A.P. Chekhov. Photo: Yuri Gurshal, SakhalinMedia news agency

Sakhalin International Theater Center named after. A.P. Chekhov. Photo: Yuri Gurshal,

143124

travel, holiday park, vacation

The silent whisper of abandoned tunnels: a Sakhalin journalist went down into a Soviet mine

December 13, 18:30

Seasonal tourism: how and where to relax in winter on Sakhalin

December 2, 13:00

First in history: a winter sea tour to Iturup Island will take place in January 2022

November 29, 16:33