The historical places Visakhapatnam, or Vizagapatam, have their roots in the late 1600s. Visakhapatnam was highly active in the pol from the freedom struggle throughout history and was part of many historical events. Visakhapatnam is rich in history that neatly blends with its modern avatar without taking away the heritage value.

While a substantial lot move for a livelihood, the city of destiny also gets a massive influx of tourists daily. While they do visit all the famous  spots in the city, many of them are missed out on. We culled out three historic sites from the One Town area.

1. Town Hall
The Town Hall, with its 5000 square feet of space, was a prominent location in the early 1900s. This hall was a gift to the public by the Maharaja of Bobbili. The sea is visible on one end and the town on the other. Victoria Diamond Jubilee Town Hall celebrates the Golden Jubilee festivities of British Queen Victoria.

This two-story structure with a giant portico, wide stair-cases, a vast tiled roof, fake turrets, and circular chambers is an excellent example of Victorian architecture. The hall was used for formal dance celebrations when the British and Indians were on good terms. Here, the salt satyagraha and other freedom movement activities were launched.

2. European Cemetery
European cemetery is a living testimony of our city's history and the dead share stories. The earliest of the buried dates back to 1699, and there are tombs in various architectural styles, each inscribed with a piece of history.

The tomb of Patrick Lawson, a wealthy merchant seaman, is buried here, Lawson's Bay Colony is named after him. The first was the 1780 native sepoy mutiny, which resulted in the deaths of three British officers, one of whom is buried here. Second is the 1804 Naval War between the British and the French, during which the British successfully defended Vizagapatam but lost John Dykes, who is buried here.

3. Queen Victoria's Pavilion
In 1900, zamindar Sri Akitam Venkata Jagga Row travelled to England to pay his respects to Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales. He was given a bronze statue of Queen Victoria, later moved to Visakhapatnam and installed in 1904 at the Queen Victoria's pavilion. It is also stated that the queen never represented a glamorous version of herself.

Each statue was an exact duplicate of what she was wearing on that day, with her features and minute detail engraved with care. The statue is housed in a cuboid pavilion with excellent ashlar stone construction, with the queen facing the One Town area. A Greek cross atop the dome adds some aesthetic appeal to the pavilion.