Coming to Baku you should definitely visit the Seaside Baku Boulevard. Visitors to the city will find many attractive places here: museums, attractions, parks, cafes, restaurants and much more. The boulevard itself is unusually beautiful and diverse. Its central part amazes with the richness of greenery and flowers, and the steps of the coastal strip end right at the Caspian Sea.

History of Baku Boulevard

Baku Boulevard ‘s history began in the early 20th century. A green park was planted in 1909 between the Caspian promenade and the parallel street, then named after the Russian Tsar Alexander II. The development of Baku Boulevard was dictated by the necessity of improving the waterfront in the town center. During the second half of the 19th-century building work on the area began. The first engineering work on the seafront was carried out by a talented Azerbaijani architect, Gasim Bay Hajibababayov (1811-1874), who developed a project to build warehouses there in 1862. In 1867, fountains were built, along with a water supply system and a number of other facilities. The small seafront, used primarily for commercial activities in the second half of the 19th century, was home to numerous trading firms’ warehouses and wharves. They split the front into two parts: Aleksandrovskaya Seafront, which stretches to the west, and Petrovskaya, which stretches to the east. Following the destruction of the castle wall along the seafront, the construction of new apartments started. The rapid construction and population growth of Baku, the decrease in the water level of the Caspian Sea and the expansion of the town to the seafront after the destruction of the fortress walls all needed an architectural plan for the seafront. The creation of a seaside boulevard has been discussed in Parliament on several occasions. Different designs were developed at the end of the 19th century to improve the seafront and build a boulevard but they were not implemented due to a lack of funds. This issue has been resolved by a talented engineer, Mammadhasan Hajinsky who was Government ‘s construction department. Hajinsky managed to get the building of a seaside boulevard on the agenda for debate in the Baku City Duma on April 7, 1909.  The government was urged to continue the construction of this project as soon as possible.  Given the boulevard’s importance in shaping the image of this ancient port city, the Baku City Duma has announced a competition for the best proposal. Around 30 experts, including famous architects and structural engineers such as Ziver Bay Ahmadbayov, Józef Płoszko and Johann Edel, participated in the competition. engineer Adolf Eichler was heavily involved in boulevard landscaping work under Hajinsky ‘s leadership. at first, the boulevard stretched from Stone Wharf (now Azneft Square) to Caucasus and Mercury Shipping Company Wharf (now the Abdullah Shaig Azerbaijan State Puppet Theatre) building. The Phenomen Theatre, the swimming baths and the Baku School of Naval Aviation all served on the boulevard territory throughout the pre-revolutionary time. The Seaside Boulevard was also developed during the Soviet era. The second part of the boulevard was built in the 1930s from the current Puppet Theatre to Bulbul Avenue, after the dismantling of a number of docks. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Mirvari Cafe, the summer cinemas of Bahar and Samad Vurgun, the little area of canals and bridges in Venice and other recreational and entertainment facilities were built here. Architect Mikayil Huseynov developed a project to reconstruct the boulevard at Seaside in 1967.

The main attractions and relaxation

Musical fountains created in 2007, the colorful musical fountain is now considered the main attraction of Baku Boulevard which is located in Seaside Park. Its intricate water jets soaring into the dark southern sky to the beat of sounding music and many people gather every evening to see the show. There is simply no other example of the Baku fountain in the world.

Seaside Park is an example of a creative approach to arranging a green oasis within the city. They began to create it simultaneously with the boulevard – in 1909. Now the park earned the status of a national. Dozens of tree species, countless shrubs, and ornamental plants feel great in the park. From exotic – an alley of giant cacti and flowering baobabs has become an ornament of the park. Interest is caused by the 75-meter parachute tower erected in 1936 in the form of a drill tower, recently it was restored and now it calls for original lighting. Another popular park attraction is Little Venice which is a system of artificial water canals with real gondolas, delivered from Italy.

Of interest is the 75-meter parachute tower built-in 1936 in the form of a drill tower, it has recently been restored and now invitingly shines with its original illumination. Another popular park attraction is Little Venice, a system of artificial water channels with real gondolas delivered from Italy.

On the boulevard, there is a carpet museum that carefully stores about 1 million carpets. Among the exhibits are the unique works of carpet makers of Azerbaijan and Persia of the 18th century, as well as unusual carpets-paintings and carpet-cards.

In its form, the museum building repeats the shape of a rolled-up carpet. The same technique was used in interior design. Here you can see firsthand how masterpieces are created: craftswomen work on hand tools on every floor, exactly like centuries ago.

How to get to Baku Boulevard

• By metro to the Sahil station (see the Baku metro map).
• By bus, routes 88, 120, 124, 207 to the Park Boulevard stop (see the list of public transport routes)
• By taxi. It is convenient to order a car through the application on a smartphone: Uber, Taxify, Maxim, etc.

Panorama view of Baku Boulevard on Google Maps