Baku Seaside Boulevard is one of the attractions of Baku, a favorite vacation spot for Baku residents and city guests. In 2009, he celebrated his 100th anniversary. The length of the park is about this moment 9 km 700 meters, after general reconstruction it will be 25 km.
Start of construction
The history of Baku Boulevard goes back to early XIX century, when the Baku city government repeatedly discussed the issue of creating a seaside boulevard. But only in 1909 were concrete steps taken, initiated by the Azerbaijani engineer Mamedhasan Hajinsky. The city authorities allocated 600,000 rubles for the construction of the boulevard. Baku patrons also provided material support. The city authorities announced a competition for the best project, in which about 30 specialists took part, including prominent architects and civil engineers. The winner of the competition was G. M. Termikelov. First, the coastal area located between the pier of the Caucasus and Mercury society and the house of Seid Mirbabaev was landscaped. Nowadays this territory stretches from the Puppet Theater to Azneft Square. Territories were cleared, trees and shrubs were planted, and flower beds were laid out. According to the design of engineer N. Baev, a bathhouse was also built on the boulevard, which looked like a fairy-tale summer palace. In the 40s, due to rising water levels in the Caspian Sea and partial reconstruction of the boulevard, the bathhouse was liquidated. By the beginning of the 50s, the length of Primorsky Boulevard was already 2.7 km, from the ship repair plant. "Paris Commune" to the new marine passenger station.
70s and 80s
In 1966, according to the design of the architect M. Huseynov, on Primorsky Boulevard, in the area of ​​​​Azadlyg Square, an area open to the sea was created, which ended with descents to the sea, decorated with parterre greenery, flower beds and a cascade of fountains. In 1967, M. Huseynov was trained new project reconstruction of the entire Primorsky Boulevard. Due to a significant decrease in the level of the Caspian Sea, which reached its lowest level in 1977, as a result of which a wide strip of the former seabed was exposed, work was undertaken to create a second lower terrace of the Primorsky Park, where alleys, lawns and fountains were built.
90s
Due to a sharp rise in the level of the Caspian Sea in the 90s, a significant part of the Primorsky Park was flooded, including the walking overpass, boat pier and yacht club. As a result of the reconstruction work, the lower terrace of the boulevard was raised by several meters.
Recent history
In 2007, in the Primorsky Park, opposite Azneft Square, a musical fountain, which has no analogues in the world, was opened. In 2008, construction of the second fountain, built opposite the Government House, was completed. 15 attractions, the Mirvari cafe, the Bahar cinema, a summer children's theater and a parachute tower, built on the initiative of the former mayor of Baku Alisha Lemberansky, were updated and restored.
In connection with the presidential decree, a general reconstruction of the Seaside Park began in 2008, for which the Baku City Hall will allocate 500 million US dollars. The territory of the Primorsky Park will be increased fivefold. Its length will stretch from the sea station to the village of Zykh and from the Palace of Hand Games to the Bibi-Heybat Mosque. Large-scale reconstruction will be completed before 2015.
Governmental support
By order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev dated December 29, 1998, Primorsky Boulevard was given the status of a National Park.
By decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev dated January 10, 2008, taking into account the importance of Primorsky Boulevard for the history, culture and environmental safety of the people, the Primorsky Boulevard Office was created under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Azerbaijan Republic. In accordance with this decree, major improvement of Primorsky Boulevard was started national park.


01. On the one hand, the boulevard is the embankment of the Caspian Sea stretching along the central part of Baku.

02. On the other hand, this is a cult place where concerts are held in Baku, where a wonderful park is laid out, a musical fountain operates, and street exhibitions... After all, this is a place where it’s so cool to walk day and night, breathing in the fresh sea air.

03. In addition, the boulevard offers a good view of modern city.

04. Of course, there are the usual attributes here too modern world, like shopping and entertainment centers

05. Well, here's one of them - Park Boulevard. Modern architecture in combination with parklands it looks quite attractive, in my opinion. At the top there is a veranda with nice restaurants, I recommend it.

06. In general, it’s nice to just walk here. The territory of the boulevard is a national park, so the state is investing money here, thoroughly reconstructing the territory. So by 2015 it is planned that the length of the park will increase five (!) times, and will be 25 km.

07. Well, today, in the reconstructed part of the boulevard, it’s good. These are the views from the Marine Station (where the park begins).

08. The feeling of home comfort and caring attitude towards the park did not leave me all the way. Clean, beautiful...

11. Of course, strange plants were brought here from afar.

12. Without delving too deeply into the history of the park’s origins, I’ll mention that it’s already over 100 years old! In 1909, the territories were cleared, trees were planted, flower beds were laid out, in addition, a bathing area was created, with a special summer palace, where you could leave your things, change clothes, or just drink tea.

13. Today they no longer swim here (I didn’t see any floating oil, but the towers in the sea are visible on the horizon). But the tradition of drinking tea on the embankment, in numerous cafes, remains.

15. There is also a real parachute tower here, reminiscent in shape oil rig. This 75-meter structure was installed here in 1936 as a means of extreme entertainment. That's what we would say today. In those days, the basic military training of young people was taken much more seriously, and jumping from a tower was quite an honor. There were four marks in total at heights of 10, 20, 25 and 60 meters. The parachute had a permanent canopy that did not change or fold. Be that as it may, in the 60s, after a tragic incident, the tower changed its purpose, turning into a silent landmark and a recognizable city landmark.

16. Several piers go out to sea, some of them have free access, and you can walk along them, inhaling the fresh sea breeze, or fish.

17. Or think about something of your own, looking into the distance...

18. The pier offers a good view of city landmarks. Modern business center with a large exhibition hall, and several small conference rooms, in addition there are office spaces, meeting rooms and a restaurant inside. As far as I understand, any company can rent temporarily (for a day or an hour) one of the premises for negotiations or some kind of event. It's funny.

19. Whether we like it or not, now Baku looks something like this from the sea.

20. Near the shore, there are steps leading to the sea, along which it is pleasant to walk, or sit, talking with friends or a girlfriend. By the way, I haven’t seen anyone drinking beer or anything stronger...

21. From here you can watch the Caspian ferries entering the port. "Professor Gul" and similar ones operate on the ferry lines Baku - Turkmenbashi (Turkmenistan), or Baku - Aktau (Kazakhstan). They transport mainly railway cars, cars and passengers.

22. By the way, the lines are quite busy, the port serves two to three ferries a day.

23. Well, our story is not about them. Let's return to Primorsky Boulevard.

24. We have already briefly looked at the sea side of the boulevard. From the city side there is a view of Neftchilar Avenue (or Neftchilyar). This is probably the main street Baku. There are many important sites and attractions of the city located on the naya. The photo shows an element of the Government Palace.

25. Nearby Hilton Hotel on Freedom Square.

26. Quite nice buildings, completely rebuilt, look like palaces from the outside. I don’t know what’s inside, who knows, tell me.

27. Actually, Freedom Square. Funny Hilton looks at Marriott (Absheron), Marriott looks at Hilton,

28. and between them the Government House.

Article by O. Bulanova about the history of the creation of Primorsky Boulevard in Baku

According to numerous polls, the majority of Baku residents believe that the face of the city is definitely Primorsky Boulevard. This is truly the sea facade of Baku, which for almost two centuries determined the face of the capital of Azerbaijan.

The history of Primorsky Boulevard, including the embankment, which was in different years different names, incredibly interesting. In 2009, the centenary of the boulevard was solemnly celebrated, but its history is much longer.

Conversations about the need for an embankment in Baku have been going on for a long time, various options were discussed.

According to the original version of the project, between the fortress wall that surrounded Icheri-Shekher from the sea and the buildings behind it, it was planned to lay a street of unprecedented width for that time - 18 m. On one side, the street would be limited by the fortress wall, on the other side by the rear facades of the buildings . With significant elevation changes new street would not be able to play a significant role in the city and would be architecturally inexpressive.

Therefore, in 1865, the Baku military governor and manager of the civil part, Lieutenant General Mikhail Petrovich Kolyubakin, submitted a petition for the demolition of a section of the old fortress wall that separated Icheri Sheher from sea ​​coast and “by its uselessness hindered the free movement of air.” Permission was obtained and the wall was demolished.

However, after the demolition of the wall, the need for architectural design of the embankment immediately began to be felt. Therefore, the proceeds from the sale of the stone of the demolished wall (44 thousand rubles) were “used for the construction of a pier,” newspapers of those years wrote, “and an elegant stone embankment, which was soon decorated with a number of beautiful private houses.”

Baku owes its first improvement to the architect Karl Gustavovich Gippius, who, by the way, defended the Palace of the Shirvanshahs when they tried to adapt it as a city prison. K. Gippius participated in the formation of a number of streets and in the design of the first houses on the embankment. Connoisseurs and historians are well aware of his watercolor of 1867, which depicts the embankment and the houses on it, including the governor’s house (later it housed a medical workers’ club with an attached third floor, and now the Four Seasons Hotel stands on this site).

The remarkable Azerbaijani architect Gasymbek Hajibababekov (1811-1874) took on the construction of the embankment. Ancient Maiden's Tower- the symbol of Baku - then played the role of a lighthouse, and it is difficult to say whether this amazing monument would have survived to this day if not for this circumstance. G. Hajibababekov carried out significant engineering and planning work on the improvement of the embankment, was involved in its construction and issues of supplying fresh water.

In 1867, according to his design, a water fountain (also visible in the watercolor by K. Gippius) and other structures were built on the future Azneft Square, a wide sidewalk lined with trees was planned, and between the plots of private property there were alleys 13 m wide. Through them from the embankment there were views of the expressive architecture of the Baku fortress - Icheri Sheher.

After this, the embankment received the status of a boulevard, which, according to contemporaries, became a decoration of the city. It must be said that the embankment was the object of close attention of the city authorities also because the governor’s house was located on it. In 1882, it was planned to build a boulevard on the embankment, designed by the architect A. Koshkin.

But despite all the efforts, the embankment still remained not the most attractive and comfortable part of the city, because it housed numerous private piers of trading firms and shipping companies with warehouses and other buildings that were so cluttered and polluted Coast that even the measures taken to improve it were reduced to nothing.

For example, the shipping company "Caucasus and Mercury" built a pier and a number of other structures on the embankment, dividing the coastline into two parts: Aleksandrovskaya embankment (in honor of Emperor Alexander II) was located along Icheri-Sheher approximately from the future Azneft Square to the future Theater dolls, which, of course, did not exist then, and Petrovskaya, who was walking to east direction further along the coastline. Therefore, in 1897, a barrier was built that separated a 50 m wide area from the sea, clearly marking the boulevard as an integral architectural structure.

In 1900, the city's Garden Commission decided to build a large nursery for ornamental trees on the embankment, and from that moment on, active landscaping of the boulevard began. A detailed landscaping project, taking into account the width of the alleys and their length, tree species, shrubs, etc., was drawn up by civil engineer (architect) Kazimir Skurevich, a Pole in Russian service, together with the city gardener Vasiliev.

In the first years of the twentieth century. The boulevard already had a rather attractive appearance, the embankment continued to be captivated by piers and berths. The mayors began transforming the embankment into an excellent transport route, as well as into a place of recreation and a city park only in 1909, and this date is considered the official year of the “birth” of the Baku Boulevard. As the Caspian newspaper reported in issue No. 77 of 1909, “The Duma allocated 10 thousand rubles for the construction of a boulevard on the embankment.”

The talented engineer Mamed-Hasan Gadzhinsky (not to be confused with Isabek Gadzhinsky, the owner of the beautiful house to the right of the Maiden Tower) took up the noble task of improvement; The talented German architect Adolf Eichler also took part. Projects were drawn up for large pavilions on the embankment in the Art Nouveau style under the loud names "Olympia" for the cinema and the Eldorado restaurant, fountains and gazebos, as well as stairs leading to the sea.

The boulevard did not yet turn out to be very long: the plans of the organizers very quickly collided with the interests of big capital - there were few people willing to sacrifice their docks, warehouses and marinas. Therefore, at first the coastal area was landscaped, located between the pier of the Caucasus and Mercury society and the house of Seid Mirbabaev, i.e. Alexandrovskaya embankment itself. No one dared to encroach on the interests of the Caucasus and Mercury society.

Subsequently, the amount of allocations was increased to 600 thousand rubles. Baku patrons also provided material support. The city authorities announced a competition for the best project, in which about thirty specialists took part, among whom were prominent architects and civil engineers. Territories were cleared, trees and shrubs were planted, and flower beds were laid out.

In addition, a competition was announced for the design of a bathhouse with a restaurant, as well as for thirteen kiosks for various purposes. The project of the civil engineer and at the same time the city (chief) architect of Baku Nikolai Grigoryevich Bayev (1878-1949) won, and in 1914 the Alexander Bath was built. The wooden bathhouse on stilts, according to contemporaries, “attracted attention with its original architecture,” looked like a fairy-tale summer palace, on the roof of which there was a comfortable solarium with a shower. This bathhouse completely transformed the appearance of the boulevard.

By the way, this bath is not the first. Before it there was another, also called Alexandrovskaya. It was built in 1884 according to the design of the civil engineer and city architect in 1881-1886, Mikhail Dmitrievich Botov (1855-1886). The Botovskaya bathhouse was incomparably simpler in architecture, and it had fallen into disrepair over thirty years.

The Baevskaya bathhouse was demolished in the early 60s, due to the rise in water levels in the Caspian Sea and the partial reconstruction of the boulevard. Although old Baku residents still regret the lost beauty...

The embankment was a wide spatial composition; in combination with the boulevard, the greenery of numerous trees (which, by the way, were selected very thoughtfully - taking into account not only the survival rate, but also the shading they create, which modern landscape designers do not think about at all), this section of the city was very picturesque and represented the busiest part of it. It is no coincidence that contemporaries noticed that the most brilliant part of Baku is its embankment.

By the beginning of the 50s. the length of Primorsky Boulevard was already 2.7 km - from the ship repair plant. Paris Commune to the new passenger sea terminal. In the 60s, after the construction of a new seaport, the boulevard was extended to the current Azadlig Square in front of the Government House. At that time the square was named after Lenin. The author of the project was the architect M. Guseinov.

In 1966, according to the project of this architect, on Primorsky Boulevard, in the area of ​​​​Azadlig Square, an area open to the sea was created, which ended with descents to the coastline, decorated with parterre greenery, flower beds and a cascade of fountains. In 1967, M. Guseinov prepared a new project for the reconstruction of the entire Primorsky Boulevard.

Due to a significant decrease in the level of the Caspian Sea, which reached its lowest level in 1977, as a result of which a wide strip of the former seabed was exposed, work was undertaken to create a second lower terrace of the Primorsky Park, where alleys, lawns and fountains were built.

At the same time, the boulevard grew in width: due to the drop in the level of the Caspian Sea, a wide, shallow strip was formed, above which its lower terrace was erected. But it soon became clear: the sea had not retreated forever. The rise in the level of the Caspian coincided with the political and economic unrest of the 90s. The lower terrace of the boulevard - a walking overpass, as well as the boat pier and yacht club were flooded, trees began to die from the salt water, and in some places reeds even appeared. As a result of the reconstruction work, the lower terrace of the boulevard was raised by several meters.

Stretching for several kilometers, the Primorsky Boulevard has been a favorite place for many generations of Baku residents to relax, walk, and meet with friends. Its green spaces included such a wide range of flora that it was rightly called a national treasure.

Today, the Baku embankment in its former form lives only in the memory of the older generation of Baku, but the Primorsky Boulevard, updated in the spirit of modern requirements, which, by the way, received the status of a National Park in 2007, will continue to remain the pride of the residents of the capital of Azerbaijan.

The pearl of Baku and one of its business cards– Primorsky Boulevard was not born immediately. Once upon a time there was a city wall at this place, protecting Baku from attacks from the sea.

In the 60s of the 19th century, the wall turned out to be unnecessary - there was no one to raid Baku, and they decided to demolish it. The wall was dismantled, the city government sold the stone for 44 thousand rubles - a huge amount of money at that time. On them, the authorities created a 30-meter space along the shore - a prototype of the future embankment. Around the same time, original buildings in the Moorish style began to grow there - after all, at first it was decorated mainly with warehouses with goods and the piers of shipping companies. All this was intended for trade with Persia. Thus began the long and eventful history of the Baku Primorsky Boulevard.

Today it is compared to the world famous Copacabana Boulevard in Rio and the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. But Primorsky Boulevard in Baku is unique. This is an embankment that stretches for 5 kilometers along the seashore, and literally tomorrow its length will increase five times more! Today the embankment starts at the foot of the Nagorny Park and runs along the shore of the Caspian Sea, past Icheri Shekher - the Old Town to seaport. The most picturesque part of the boulevard is located between Nagorny Park and the Governor's Garden (Azneft Square). This is not a dull strip of asphalt under the scorching sun. Throughout the entire boulevard, cozy shady alleys have been planted, canals akin to Venetian ones have been dug, flower beds have been laid out, cafes have been set up under open air, where it’s so good to drink a glass of mineral water with the strongest coffee brewed in Azerbaijani style in the heat and play chess. Here, on this boulevard, no one is in a hurry, especially in the evenings. But in the evening, when the heat of the day subsides a little, the boulevard blossoms. It seems that all of Baku has gathered here. Families walk, loving couples roam, everything is here. Particularly interesting is the Carpet Museum, where samples of ancient Azerbaijani and Iranian carpet weaving are collected and carefully preserved.

Near the Carpet Museum there is a pier where pleasure ships and boats moor, they set off on their daily journey along the picturesque canals, and at some point it seems that you are no longer in Baku, but in Venice, especially since the banks of the canals are built the houses are in the Venetian style, and there are openwork bridges across the canal. Another shock awaits in the Old Town. The symbol of Baku, glorified by poets, overlooks the embankment here. Primorsky Boulevard in Baku has national significance. Like Red Square in Moscow, Khreshchatyk in Ukraine or St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. By decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev dated January 10, 2008, taking into account the importance of Primorsky Boulevard for the history, culture and ecology of the capital Azerbaijan Republic, the Primorsky Boulevard Office was created under the Cabinet of Ministers. In accordance with the same document, the Primorsky Boulevard began to be thoroughly improved and reconstructed. The money was allocated by the Baku City Hall.

When the plan is fully implemented, the territory of the Primorsky Park will be increased fivefold. It will stretch from the Marine Station to the village of Zykh and from the Palace of Hand Games to the Bibi-Heybat Mosque - 25 kilometers. Today, on the boulevard in the National Seaside Park located next to it, major reconstruction continues, the green area is expanding, new musical fountains are being built, and the coastline. All work is planned to be completed by 2015, and then we will all be able to see the updated Primorsky Boulevard. He will appear in all his splendor from the Bayylov Heights to Zykh. Construction of new ultra-modern hotels is already underway here. It is worth noting that all industrial facilities located along the construction route will be moved outside the city. Undoubtedly, this will improve the environmental situation in Baku - just as the demolition of the fortress wall once gave access to the city to fresh sea wind.

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Baku seaside boulevard (Azerbaijan) - description, history, location. The exact address, phone, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

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The handsome Baku seaside boulevard stretches for 16 kilometers along the picturesque coast of the Caspian Sea. Residents of Baku joke that once you’ve been here, you won’t have to see anything in the city, and you’ll return home oversaturated with impressions. As befits any self-respecting promenade, the Baku seaside boulevard can boast of more than a century of history (the first holidaymakers took a stroll here in 1909!) and a host of attractions and entertainment along its length, including a magnificent light and music fountain, designed to outshine the Emirati’s belt. "brother", Ferris wheel, central square"Azneft", a children's theater, an amusement park and much more. In short, at any time of the day, the seaside boulevard of Baku blooms, smells fragrant and encourages city guests to enjoy the joys of life.

A little history

The idea of ​​improving the Baku embankment appeared at the end of the 19th century, but the first steps in this direction were taken only in 1909. The city administration allocated quite a lot of money for those times - about 600 thousand pre-revolutionary rubles - and attracted the best architects and engineers to the construction. They cleared the area, laid out flower beds and flower beds, and built a summer bathhouse. Throughout the 20th century, the Baku seaside boulevard continued to lengthen, but was highly dependent on the level of the Caspian Sea, which repeatedly eroded and flooded the promenade. In 1998, it received the status of a national park, and in 2007, large-scale reconstruction work began here - and the boulevard blossomed with fountains, recreation areas, an amusement park and a lot of cafes and restaurants.

The fountain on the boulevard has no analogues in the world either in the “fluffiness” of the jets or in the accuracy of their following of the melody.

What to see

The number one attraction on the Baku Seaside Boulevard is the musical fountain opened in 2007 in the Seaside Park. According to the authorities, it has no analogues in the world either in terms of the “fluffiness” of the jets or in the accuracy of their following the melody. Everyone can be convinced of this - performances are held regularly, after dark. Another remarkable fountain, albeit smaller, is located opposite the Government House.

It is not for nothing that the Primorsky Park received national status - in the beneficial climate of the Caspian Sea, ornamental plants and shrubs bloom and smell fragrant here, and several dozen species of trees, including rare ones, thrive. You should definitely pay attention to the Darwinian diversity of cacti. Also on the promenade, the parachute tower attracts attention - it has been restored and shines with bright lighting.

Entertainment

Not only children of all ages, but also adults will definitely enjoy the Bulsur amusement park - there are about a dozen modern attractions - “for babies” and quite extreme ones. Nearby there is a Ferris wheel - an excellent opportunity to admire the lights of night Baku from a height of 60 meters. A cinema and a summer children's theater are also responsible for the cultural component of recreation on the boulevard.

On Baku Boulevard, you should definitely stop by one of the tea houses and enjoy real Azerbaijani tea, accompanied by sweets or dried fruits.