Known from the time of Herodotus as a land of warlike Scythians, the endless steppes of the Don River basin eventually became home to the freedom-loving Cossacks. The flamboyant Cossack culture is still prevalent in Rostov-on-Don, a modern city of one million inhabitants overlooking the beautiful Don River. The village of “Starocherkasskaya”, located 27 kilometers from Rostov-on-Don, is the former capital of the Don Cossacks. Today it is a museum city and one of the area’s main tourist attractions.
Despite its profound history, Rostov-on-Don resembles a young and fresh city, with many green parks and monumental squares. The streets are romantically named Harmonious, Creative and Lucky streets. Here one can find the most unusual monuments: to a water pipe or to a newspaper reader. River Don provides the city with the serene and picturesque sand beaches and a unique cuisine, featuring fish and crayfish dishes. Rostov-on-Don has a specific unique outlook because of its rich historical and cultural heritage. There are about 1,000 objects of cultural heritage in the city, including 482 architectural monuments (16 monuments of history and culture of federal importance), 70 archaeological monuments, 8 large memorial complexes, 106 monuments, and about 400 memorial plaques. Also, the city is one of the largest jazz centers of the country. It has become a tradition to hold the following art festivals: “Donskaya Vesna” (“Don Spring”), “Mini-fest”, “Russian Comedy” and international jazz festivals.
Rostov-on-Don is situated about 1,000 kilometers southeast of Moscow and is a key transport and cultural hub of southern Russia. It is also informally known as the “Gate to the Caucasus”.
City Essentials