Russky Chai

12, Svetlanskaya Street

Russky Chay

With the early development of Vladivostok and the subsequent rapid growth of trade, there was a great need for buildings specially designed to serve as banks. The first structure of this kind was raised in 1899 for an affiliate of the Russo-Chinese Bank. The two-story building decorated with a tower met the requirements of both majestic beauty and business efficiency.

As an advocate of peaceful economic penetration of China, Sergei Witte, the Russian Minister of Finance, had founded the Russo-Chinese Bank in December 1895. Five-eighths of the capital belonged to French citizens active in China, but the management was controlled by the Russian government. The Russo-Chinese Bank established the Chinese Eastern Railroad Company, which built the famous Chinese Eastern Railroad as an extension of the Trans-Siberian line across Manchuria. It shortened the distance between Moscow and Vladivostok by several days.

Until 1913 the building housed the Russo-Chinese Bank, and it was later the home of diverse enterprises, e.g., the City Public Bank and the editorial boards of several newspapers. After recent reconstruction, the café on the ground floor, the Russky Chay (Russian Tea), was followed by a restaurant featuring Russian cuisine and is now owned by an insurance company.

/ HOME / ITINERARY / BACK / CONTINUE TOUR /