It was in the mid-19th century on the coast of the Sea of Japan — the inner sea of the Pacific Ocean – that the city of Vladivostok was founded. Initially a military outpost, the port was located 9,000 kilometres from the capital of the Russian Empire and was of great strategic importance — both military and trade-wise. At the start of the 20th century when the world was being torn apart by bloody wars the city’s role in defending the Eastern borders of the country grew, resulting in the construction of a fortress designed to hold off enemies by both land and sea with the royal government sparing no expense or resource. With a century having past, the Vladivostok Fortress remains the greatest achievement of Russian naval fortification and a sight tourists from all over the world travel to see.