🏙️ Webcams Ussuriysk Online — Watch the City in Real Time

History of Ussuriysk: From Nikolskoye Village to Primorye's Second City

Ussuriysk is a city with a complex fate that, over a century and a half, has traveled the path from a modest settlers' village to the largest industrial and cultural center of Primorsky Krai. The history of Ussuriysk began in 1866, when settlers from the Lower Volga region — from Astrakhan and Voronezh governorates — led by elder Andrey Pavlovich Galichev founded the village of Nikolskoye. The name was given in honor of the church consecrated in the name of Nicholas the Wonderworker. Already in 1897, the village was transformed into the town of Nikolsk, and nearly three decades later, in 1926, to avoid confusion with the same-named town in Vologda Oblast, the clarification — Nikolsk-Ussuriysky — was added.

But the renaming didn't stop there. In 1935, the city became Voroshilov — named after Soviet military leader K.E. Voroshilov. And only in 1957 did Ussuriysk receive its modern name, returning to the geographical designation after the Ussuri River and the Ussuri region. By the way, until the 1980s, Ussuriysk held second place in population size in Primorye, then ceded it to Nakhodka, but later regained its status as the city's second-largest city. Today, about 178,803 people (2025) live here, and the area of the urban district is approximately 3,690 km².

Archaeological excavations on the territory of modern Ussuriysk have revealed an amazing truth: these lands have been inhabited by humans for about 30 thousand years. Two fortified settlements of the ancient Jurchen and a stone slab with the name of the Shuaybin district of the XII-XIII centuries were discovered here. In the Middle Ages, the medieval city of Suibin — the center of the eponymous province in the Jurchen empire — stood on the site of present-day Ussuriysk.

Jurchen Stone Turtles — A Millennium-Old Mystery

Ussuriysk's calling card is a granite turtle from the Jurchen empire era of the XII-XIII centuries. This pink granite sculpture, 224 cm long, 144 cm wide, and 65 cm high, weighs at least 6 tons. A groove remains on its back where a burial stele was once installed, now lost. The turtle served as a tombstone for a noble figure of the Jurchen empire and symbolized eternity and longevity.

In total, two such turtles were discovered during excavations in the 19th century at the South Ussuriysk settlement. The first remained in Ussuriysk and now stands in the city park next to the Russian Army Officers' Club at 31 Sovetskaya Street. The second was transported to Khabarovsk in 1896 by order of N.I. Grodekov and now adorns the territory of the Grodekov Regional Museum.

Soviet orientalist Vitaly Larichev established that the Ussuriysk turtle could be the tombstone of the Jurchen military commander Yesuku (1080-1148) of the Wanyan clan, who founded the Jin dynasty. A number of scholars believe it belongs to Puxian Wannu — the founder of the Eastern Xia state. In 1962, the stone turtle was entered into the register of historical monuments of federal significance. You can view this artifact through Ussuriysk's online webcams — some broadcasts capture the park area around it.

Ussuri Taiga: Realm of Tigers and Leopards

Ussuriysk is surrounded by unique nature — Korean pine and broadleaf forests on the slopes of the Sikhote-Alin, known as the Ussuri taiga. This is one of the key biodiversity reserves of Russia and the entire planet. The monsoon climate brings fogs and downpours here, feeding turbulent rivers where salmon spawn. The forest has fed and inspired indigenous peoples for centuries, shaping their way of life and legends.

The Amur tiger and Far Eastern leopard live here — both listed in the Red Book of Russia. In the forests, you can encounter sika deer, yellow-throated marten, musk deer, Amur forest cat, and Far Eastern mole. Ornithologists count more than 250 bird species. Among the plants, relic species that have survived from pre-glacial times coexist.

Ussuriysk is home to the Ussuri Taiga Museum — an educational project of the Amur Tiger Center and the Russian Geographical Society, opened as part of the X Eastern Economic Forum. The museum's area is 535 m², located at 161v Krasnoznamennaya Street, and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10:30 to 19:00. This is a great opportunity to explore the region's nature without venturing into the wild jungle.

Chinese Influence and Cross-Border Culture

The proximity to the border with the PRC has left its mark on everyday life in Ussuriysk. Cross-border trade is developing rapidly, Chinese enterprises are opening branches and offices here, and the flow of tourists from China is growing year after year. This could not but affect local culture — in Ussuriysk, one can notice the introduction of elements of Chinese everyday culture into the daily life of Far Easterners.

Traditional tea ceremonies, the use of soy sauce and Asian spices in local cuisine, celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival — all of this has become part of the city's life. A special Far Eastern regiolect of the Russian language has even formed, absorbing borrowings from Chinese speech. Since the mid-1980s, cultural contacts between Russia and China in the Far Eastern region have noticeably expanded, and everyday culture has proven most receptive to the inclusion of "foreign" elements.

Gastronomy: Seafood and Far Eastern Delicacies

Ussuriysk is a true paradise for seafood lovers. The restaurant "Krabovka" specializes in Far Eastern crab dishes: salad, crab cakes, seafood cream soup, and even crab croissants. The cuisine is Russian and European, with an emphasis on traditional recipes.

At the "Parus" café, they serve fried squid in garlic sauce and pasta with squid sauce. The "Severny Bereg" restaurant delights guests with grilled scallops with lemon oil and aromatic herbs. The "Sirius" restaurant chain offers signature squid dishes, including braised squid with Asian spices — a combination of the coziness of a coastal café and the sophistication of author's cuisine.

The gastronomic corner "Kaspiyka Oysters" is a place where you can try fresh scallops, mussels, steamed crab fillet with soy notes, sea urchins, rapana, shrimp, cuttlefish, baby octopus, and house-smoked fish. All of this is in Ussuriysk's restaurants, which are easy to find by navigating via the city's online webcams.

Architectural Heritage and Landmarks

The architectural appearance of Ussuriysk is a fusion of pre-revolutionary Art Nouveau, Soviet constructivism, and modern development. In 1908-1910, the railway station building was constructed according to the design of architect V.A. Planson and engineer A.A. Lebedev — one of the city's oldest architectural monuments. In 1909, the theater named after Komissarzhevskaya was opened, designed by Vladivostok architect Meshkov, with construction overseen by A.A. Vinogradov.

On October 3, 1913, the Real School opened in Ussuriysk — another building by Vinogradov. In the 1930s, the House of the Red Army operated here, construction of which began in 1940 on the initiative of K.E. Voroshilov on the site of a hay market. And in 1972, a monument-locomotive, the EL-629, was installed for the 50th anniversary of the end of the Civil War. According to one version, revolutionaries Sergei Lazo, Vsevolod Sibirtsev, and Alexei Lutsky were burned in the firebox of this locomotive in May 1920.

In September 1917, the first Far Eastern Bolshevik Conference took place under the leadership of A.Ya. Neibut — an event that influenced the history of the entire region. And in 1916, the South Ussuriysk branch of the Amur Department of the Russian Geographical Society was established, which was headed for many years by A.Z. Fedorov.

What the Cameras Show

Ussuriysk's online webcams allow you to see the city in real time — from central squares to quiet courtyards. The broadcasts cover key points: the park with the stone turtle, the railway station, central streets, and busy intersections. Watching Ussuriysk via webcam is an opportunity to appreciate the scale of Primorye's second city, to feel its rhythm and atmosphere.

The online broadcast from Ussuriysk is available around the clock — you can observe the change of day and night, traffic jams during rush hour, and empty streets early in the morning. Watching Ussuriysk city center via webcam is a convenient way to plan a trip or simply satisfy curiosity about life in a Far Eastern city where Russian and Asian cultures intertwine, and ancient artifacts coexist with modern infrastructure.