Prospekt Mira

The main street of Vladikavkaz was laid out in the middle of the nineteenth century and was called Alexandrovsky Prospekt before the revolution. Cars have been off it since 1957: the street belongs to pedestrians, and the only traffic on it is the tram.

The buildings

Two- and three-storey mansions from the turn of the twentieth century line both sides: tenement houses, former hotels and shops with stucco, bay windows and wrought-iron balconies. A double row of old trees shades the street, with lamps and benches set between them. The avenue runs from Shtyba Square to Freedom Square, passing the philharmonic in a former Lutheran church, the drama theatre and the local history museum.

The tram

The Vladikavkaz tramway opened on 6 August 1904 and remains one of the oldest in southern Russia. The line along the avenue was closed for reconstruction and reopened in December 2021, and in 2022 and 2023 the city took delivery of 28 new 71-412 cars, replacing the whole fleet. A tram moving slowly among the strollers is the city's signature image.

The view down the street

In clear weather the wall of the Caucasus range rises at the end of the perspective. It is the best free view in the city, and it reads best in the morning, before haze settles over the valley.

Address

Prospekt Mira, Vladikavkaz

Opening hours

Always open

Prices

Free

On the map