Petropavlovsk is the administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultural center of Kamchatka Oblast, Russia. It has an estimated population of about 198,000. It was founded by the explorer Vitus Bering, who reached Avacha Bay in 1740 and laid the foundation stone for the port of Petropavlovsk. During the Crimean War, the fortress held out during the siege by the Anglo-French forces and never fell. The city is positioned on high hills and bordered by volcanoes. In fact, the horizon cannot be seen clearly from any point of town as volcanoes and mountains are everywhere. The city has developed a tourist infrastructure. Because Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the second biggest city in the world that cannot be reached by road after Iquitos, Peru travel here is particularly expensive but is increasing in reputation because of the amazing scenery throughout the peninsula.
Visit the Memorial Complex on Nikolskya Hill, and at the Replica of Lt. Maskutoff’s artillery battery. Both sites are dedicated to Russian soldiers, who with enthusiastic loyalty defended Petropavlovsk from British and French invasion in 1854.
A couple of museums you should try to visit are the Museum of Volcanoes, and the Museum of Geology. These two museums will show you the beginnings of this city and how and why it changed to what it is today.