Russky Island, Island in Peter the Great Gulf, Russia
Russky Island is the largest landmass in the Empress Eugénie Archipelago within Peter the Great Gulf and sits just east of mainland Vladivostok. The shoreline alternates between sandy beaches steep cliffs and sheltered coves while pine and deciduous trees cover rolling hills.
The Russian Empire built fortifications here starting in the 1880s to protect Vladivostok harbor from enemy approach. The Soviet Navy used the territory as a base for nearly a century and only opened it to civilians in the early 1990s.
The campus brought younger generations to the island after decades of restricted military use and opened paths to new neighborhoods cafés and sports centers. The name dates back to 18th-century Russian naval expeditions when explorers charted the coastline and honored the empire in their maps.
Bridge access from the mainland leads to several roads that wind through forested terrain toward beaches old structures and walking trails. A car or bus makes travel easier because distances between points often stretch several kilometers.
Two preserved forts from the tsarist era still stand on hilltops with thick stone walls and underground passages that visitors can explore. The 2012 APEC summit brought new buildings and infrastructure to the island and transformed abandoned military zones into accessible sites.
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