Anadyr.

History

In the summer of 1889 the physician Lev Grinevetsky founded the post of Novo-Mariinsk here, named after Empress Maria Feodorovna; the first building was finished just twelve days after landing. In the 1920s the settlement was renamed Anadyr, and on 12 January 1965 it became a town. Buildings stand on piles because the town is built on permafrost. Anadyr is a seaport on the Bering Sea, connected with many Far Eastern ports.

Culture & traditions

The Heritage of Chukotka museum complex, founded in 2002, covers the okrug's nature, the ancient and traditional cultures of its peoples and their art, and includes an art gallery. The main church is the wooden Holy Trinity Cathedral, built on permafrost and holding about a thousand people. A bronze statue of St Nicholas the Wonderworker was put up in 2004.

Sport

For more than a decade the Hope sled dog race ran between Anadyr and Nome, Alaska. In 2013 a ski lift opened on Mikhail Hill.

Practical information

Ugolny Airport lies 11 km away across the estuary: boats run in summer, an ice road is used in winter, and in the shoulder seasons the crossing is by helicopter. Local time is Moscow plus 9 hours. The climate is subarctic, averaging about −22 °C in January and +12 °C in July. The short summer is the easiest time to visit.

What to see

• Holy Trinity Cathedral — a large wooden cathedral on permafrost
• Heritage of Chukotka — a museum of the okrug's nature, ancient cultures and native art
• St Nicholas statue — a bronze figure overlooking the estuary
• Anadyr Estuary — the wide river mouth that gave the town its name