Yelizovo, Kamchatka

Not far from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (32 km), there is Yelizovo city. It is the center of Yelizovsky District and the main transport hub of Kamchatka. The same-name international airport, located in its vicinity, is the first thing that everyone sees when arriving at the peninsula because there is mainly air traffic with the mainland. Yelizovo is the second most populous after the capital of the region.

History of the City

Itelmens founded the first settlement on the site of the present Yelizovo in the 17th century; it was a small fort. When the Cossacks arrived there at the beginning of the next century, their relations with local residents were fraught and led to riots and bloodshed. The Cossacks destroyed the settlement as the response to killing their comrades, led by ataman Antsiferov, by the kamchadals. After those tragic events, the place was called the tract of the Old Gaol. For a long time, no one settled there.

At the beginning of the 19th century, a family of Russian immigrants built a lodge in the Old Gaol. The lodge gave birth to the same-name village. Statistics from the mid-19th century already tells about four dwellings. Members of one family loved there, father lived in one house, and his sons with wives and children in other houses. As people arrived in Kamchatka from mainland Russia, the village grew. By 1876, more than 80 people lived here, and in the 20s of the twentieth century, their number reached 226 persons.

The Old Gaol (or Staroostrozhnoye in Russian) retained its name until 1897, when it was renamed into Zavoyko, in honor of the first governor-general of Kamchatka. It would be fair to keep the name further but dramatic events occurred in Kamchatka during the Civil War. There were bloody battles for Soviet power on the banks of the Avacha. George Yelizov, who led a detachment of red partisans, died. To perpetuate his memory, in 1924 the village of Zavoyko was renamed into Yelizovo. Later they erected a bust for the partisan commander here.

Residents of the village were mainly engaged in fishing, hunting, and agriculture. However, it was impossible to make fishing in the Avacha River industrial. In addition, there were no drill forests in those places. These circumstances caused the slow development of Yelizovo. Though after Soviet power had been established here, they adopted a plan to expand the village. They began to develop the fishing industry, and in 1931, a collective farm was created. At the same time, the infrastructure improved, baths and telegraph appeared, a school was built, a store opened, a club was created for cultural and educational work.

The status of Yelizovo changed in 1964, it was known as the workers' settlement, and in 1975, it became the city. Fishery enterprises are the main sector of the local economy, and there is, as well. Tourism is booming, and it brings significant returns for the region. The location of Yelizovo is great; there are opportunities for a varied activities.

Attractions In and Around the Elizovo City

Located near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, near the highway, Yelizovo has good transport accessibility. At the entrance to the city (if coming from the direction of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky), tourists can see a monument erected in 2011, which says, "Russia begins here." The monument depicts a she-bear with a bear cub, and the she-bear holds a large fish in its mouth. You can really observe this picture during spawning. The monument is as well impressive as it stands against the backdrop of amazingly beautiful volcanoes — Avachinsky and Koryaksky.

In the same-name airport located near Yelizovo, there is a small but interesting Museum of Civil Aviation of Kamchatka. If you are interested in this topic, you can see various exhibits. In the city itself, there is the Museum of Nature of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, as well as the local history museum.

The Museum of Nature first opened its doors in 1983 but survived difficult times in the 90s. Updated and reconstructed, it began to work again in 2013. The current exhibition involves interactive methods of presenting the information. Visitors can see all the richness of the natural reserve. The premises of the museum are decorated according to certain types of landscape. When entering the hall, you will find yourself in the caldera of the volcano, then in the tundra, then in the Valley of Geysers or on the seashore. When examining the exposition, visitors learn a lot about the unique ecosystem of the Reserve.

No less interesting is the Yelizovo Regional Museum of Local Lore. There are several halls, each introduces a theme: anthropology, ethnography, history (different periods), nature. Exhibits provide an opportunity to learn a lot about the features of the region. You should pre-book an excursion.

There is even a zoo in Yelizovo. It was opened in 1986 and has always been popular with tourists and locals. The initiator of the zoo kept a home zoo, which became the basis of the city zoo. Now, it is a park that occupies 1.2 hectares. There are guided tours of the zoo. The collection of animals is diverse, there are small and large representatives of the fauna. There is even a crocodile that lives in a spacious aviary.

Since 2009, near Yelizovo (at a distance of 12 km), the Kainyran ethnocultural center has been operating, designed as a camp of the indigenous peoples of Kamchatka. Arriving here, tourists seem to be visiting the original inhabitants of the peninsula. They can see the peculiarities of life and culture, try fish broth and tea, listen to the songs, see performances and enjoy sounds of jew’s-harp.

You can go to nearby active and extinct volcanoes and climb them, go to the hot springs and feel their healing power. Very close to the city, 7 km away, there is Moroznaya Gora, a popular ski resort with five slopes of varying difficulty and two ski lifts. The ski season lasts from December to April.

Yelizovo has been changing its appearance, becoming more manicured in recent years. They build modern houses and the former look, rather monotonous, becomes more picturesque. The buildings here are low; the pace of life is leisurely, calm.

Climate and Weather in Yelizovo

In Yelizovo, the climate is harsh, like everywhere else in Kamchatka. Winters are colder when compared with Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and snow falls a couple of weeks earlier. However, the wind force is less and the summer is warmer. The temperature is often 20 above Celsius, sometimes reaching 30, which is rare for Kamchatka. This is due to the closer location of the city to the center of the peninsula, and the ocean influence here is not felt so dramatically./p>

Favorable (in Kamchatka's conditions) climatic features contribute to successful grown of not only vegetables but also fruits in Yelizovo District.