Komsomolsk-na-Amure is the city in far eastern Russia, in Khabarovsk, near China. Founded in 1932, the city was built largely by members of Komsomol, the Communist youth organization. It expanded greatly after World War II. Komsomolsk-na-Amure is a major industrial city built in the wilderness since 1932, and closed and secret until the end of the Soviet era. It is an attractive town on the beautiful Amur River, the gateway to the Russian Far East, to Nikolaevsk-na-Amure, the ancient capital of the region, to the local towns of Solnechny, Amursk, and Pivan, and of course to the BAM railway. Situated on the Amur River, 500 km up from its mouth, it is the end-point of the BAM route, which connects north Baikal with the Amur. The full name, Komsomolsk-na-Amure, means "Komsomolsk on the Amur River", which distinguishes the city from the other Komsomolsks scattered all over Russia. Despite its young age, Komsomolsk-na-Amure has a number of historical and cultural sights. The first central district is built in brick and stucco with turrets and cupolas on tree-lined avenues - Peace Avenue, formerly Stalin Avenue, from the river to Metallurgists Square and Lenin Avenue from Metallurgists Square to Railway Park.