PETROPAVLOVSK
Kazakhstan’s northernmost regional center, a small but surprisingly cozy city with a rich history. It was founded in 1752 as the Fortress of St. Peter and Paul to defend the southern borders of the Russian Empire. Since then, this small outpost has grown into a city where the past coexists with the modern. Its streets, parks, museums, and monuments hold many stories. The city officially boasts 106 architectural monuments of regional and national status alone.
Recommended attractions:
Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul – The city began as a fortress dedicated to St. Peter. As a result, the garrison church on its territory was the only religious building from 1766 (the year it was built) until 1815. When the parishioners ran out of space, the wooden church was demolished, and a stone church was erected in its place in 1841.
Ablai Khan Residence Museum – here you’ll see 18th-century weapons, applied art, the throne, scepter, and the khan’s ceremonial attire. The interior of the khan’s headquarters has been recreated for clarity, and dioramas depicting battles between the Kazakhs and the Dzungars transport you back in time. A monument to Abylai Khan himself stands in front of the building. The khan himself never visited, as the building was constructed more than 40 years after his death. It was previously a military hospital, which has been carefully restored.
North Kazakhstan Museum of Local History – The building itself is a 19th-century architectural monument, once owned by businessman T. L. Arkel. Here you can see paleontological finds (mammoth tusks, prehistoric animal bones), archaeological artifacts from the famous Botai settlement, national costumes, exquisite jewelry, and Soviet-era artifacts.
The Petropavlovsk Botanical Garden began not as a green oasis for strolls, but as a practical farm. It opened in 1912 on the grounds of a cannery. Bay laurel, onions, and other greens were grown here for canning. Today, it is a true paradise for nature lovers, home to hundreds of plants from around the world. The grounds include a greenhouse, a winter garden, a mini-arboretum, a pond for waterfowl, aviaries, and aquariums.
The Ak Tau archaeological site is an ancient settlement dating back to the 5th-3rd centuries BC. Excavations have yielded thousands of artifacts—pottery, bone and stone tools, and bronze and bone arrowheads—used by sedentary tribes engaged in livestock breeding, hunting, and fishing. The Ak Tau settlement is one of the first fully explored sites of the Sargat culture.
We also recommend visiting: Muratov’s Mill, the Merchant Assembly Building, the North Kazakhstan Regional Museum of Fine Arts, the Petropavlovsk Locomotive Depot History Museum, and the S. Mukanov Kazakh Musical and Drama Theater.