ArkhangelskMapJune 12–14, 2014 An unbelievable city.  This is what the Street of Soviet Cosmonauts looks like. Enough said. It’s impossible not to fall in love at first sight.  Some of the beauty has already been destroyed, some wooden houses are still standing, some dull concrete buildings are rapidly being built.  There are still many timber houses here, and not just on the museumified pedestrian street.  The wood buildings have distinctive socles: a wide wooden skirt along the perimeter of the basement.  And the socles all have big ventilation slits with latches, which can be opened or closed depending on the season.  There are several amazing pre-revolutionary industrial buildings, but unfortunately they won’t last for much longer.  There are several blocks of mid-20th century developments, which are quite pleasant due to their access to the water.  Arkhangelsk has a surprisingly well-executed central square with a statue of Lenin. Although Lenin can usually ruin an entire area for several blocks around, the architects managed to achieve the impossible here: it looks totalitarian, but not repugnant.  Maybe the reason for this is the well-executed giant building with triangular balconies, which its inhabitants can’t glass in. Either because of their complicated shape, or because of local regulations.  The contemporary architecture is hopelessly mediocre.  The fate of Arkhangelsk: from a wooden outhouse straight to a reinforced-concrete piece of crap.  Although the river is incredibly beautiful here.  And during the times of Peter the Great, they knew how to build things that would stand up to scrutiny centuries later. Too bad they built so little.  The city is incredibly green, at times even wildly overgrown.  There are three types of sidewalks. Dirt ones.  Paved ones. But this is a misconception, so these sidewalks are wavy, like frozen lava streams.  And the most wonderful ones—boardwalks. Like in ancient Novgorod or Sitka.  There are even boardwalk intersections.  And entire boardwalk courtyards. You want to immediately move into a place like this and never leave.  A storm drain grate.  There are curved black traffic light masts downtown that look like they came straight from the US.  A pedestrian light.  A local pedestrian crosswalk button.  Arkhangelsk trash cans are lavender-colored.  The dumpsters are simple only at first glance. Each one actually has a top lid that consists of two leaves, like a cabinet’s doors.  Arkhangelsk railings are distinct from railings anywhere else. They have their own decorative patterns: ///-\\\ and \\\-///.  The city has a beach, but the locals use it only to sunbathe.  For those who want to swim, there’s a swimming pool.  Jump in Street signs. 
Svobody (Freedom) St.
The municipal buses are from the Pavlovo Bus Factory.  Arkhangelsk has the most incredible taxi drivers. Over the course of three days, I encountered nothing but interesting, informed and talkative drivers. I got into a conversation with one of them—turned out he’d been to Bouvet Island. Where else in the world would you get a taxi driver who’s been to Bouvet?  A playground.  An abandoned market that looks like a circus.  The coat of arms of Arkhangelsk. A guy in a skirt vanquishing a naked devil.  A woman selling kvas.  A British tank (almost like in Lugansk).  Only dough PSAs. 
Hey guys, you want the key to ladies’ hearts?
Street art.  “Here’s to your health!”  An unbelievable city. |
