Voronesh – European Russia

EDITOR’S NOTE: Below is some basic information about Voronesh. The Engage Russia team will be visiting Voronesh over the next few weeks and months and will be posting videos, photos, and print materials from those trips as soon as they become available. If you are interested in getting more information about Voronesh or creating a partnership in that area, send an email to TellMeMore@EngageRussia.org.

Voronesh, Russia

Voronesh is a large city in southwestern Russia, not far from Ukraine. It is located on the Voronesh River, twelve kilometers away from the spot where the Voronesh River empties into the Don. Voronesh is the administrative center of Voronesh Oblast. It is an important railway junction, as well as the center of Don Highway.

The Voronesh River was first mentioned in Hypatian Codex of 1177; the town was founded in 1585–1586 by Tsar Feodor I as a fort protecting the Russian state from theraids of Crimean and Nogay Tatars. In the 17th century, Voronesh gradually evolved into a sizeable town, especially after Tsar Peter the Great built a dockyard in Voronesh, where the Azov Flotilla was constructed for the Azov campaigns in 1695 and 1696.

In the 19th century Voronesh was a centre of the Central Black Earth Region. Manufacturing industry (mills, tallow-melting, butter-making, soap, leather and other works) as well as bread, cattle, suet, and the hair trade developed in the town. A railway connected Voronesh with Rostov-on-Don in 1868 and Moscow in 1871.

During World War II, Voronesh was the scene of fierce fighting between Russian and Wehrmacht troops. It was used by the Germans as a staging area for the attack on Stalingrad, and a key Don River crossing point.

In September 1989, there were famous UFO sightings in Voronesh, which drew attention from the press and TV. There were also reports on two strange creatures that came out of the UFO after it landed in the park.

Between 1991 and 2000, the city high in unemployment became a part of the Communist-voting region known as Russia’s Red Belt. Today Voronesh is the economic, industrial, cultural, and scientific center of the so-called Black Earth Region. There are 7 theaters, 12 cinemas, 19 secondary schools in the city; it is also home to Voronesh State University. The city’s large student population includes many foreigners as foreign students in Russia usually take one year of Russian language in Voronesh before moving on to universities elsewhere.

Text source: Wikipedia – 2009