Inside the Haerbin Architectural Art Museum 哈尔滨建筑艺术馆
Eversince the Russians left and practically abandoned Saint Sophia Church, it was soon overrun by numerous buildings until you won’t be able to see the church anymore. That would have been a shame if it had continued as a priceless piece of the city’s heritage would have been lost. Fortunately, the Saint Sophia Church was named as one of the city’s architectural heritages and plans were made to fix up the place. The first order of business it to create an “architectural square” which would require removing the other structures obstructing the building. This kind of thing is easier to do in China as within a few years, Sophia Square now features the Saint Sophia Church as it prized jewel. Services were no longer done in the church and it was converted into a museum for architecture.
Entrance to the Haerbin Architectural Art Museum 哈尔滨建筑艺术馆
I wasn’t really sure how to translate the name of the museum into English but this was the best translation I can get, for me “architectural” and “art” sound redundant. But it was really in the Chinese name, so there. For a fee, naturally, you can go in the Saint Sophia Cathedral, now museum and see how Haerbin positions itself as one of the architectural destinations in China. The church isn’t really very big but I still have high hopes for the museum, hopefully the internals of the building are still intact having survived some wars. There was a heavy curtain to keep away the cold and a lady which was checking tickets outside. I purchased my tickets at a kiosk beside the church and I am in.
[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/SaintSophiaChurch.kmz} zoom=19]