Rostov-on-Don is one of the largest cities in southern Russia. The city’s history started in 1749, when Empress Elisabeth established a customs house on the river Termernik in present-day Rostov to control trade with Turkey. A fort was built at the customs house, named after the bishop Dmitry of Rostov, a city near Yaroslavl. The fort led to urban development along the Don River, and the settlement formally became a town in 1796, and in 1806 it was named Rostov-na-Donu due to its location on the Don. Throughout the 19th century, the city developed rapidly as a trading center due to the good connections from the Sea of ​​Azov to the interior of Russia by river routes.

Rostov-on-Don’s strategic location for trade and transport was further strengthened when the railway to Kharkov opened in 1870, and in the following decade lines opened to e.g. Voronezh and Vladikavkaz. The metal industry also gave great growth to the city, and it grew due to coal deposits from the Donbass region and iron ore from Krivoj Rog.

With the industries, the population had increased to approximately 120,000 at the beginning of the 20th century, and the city’s port continued to export wheat, iron and timber and also helped to create development. In 1928, the neighboring town of Nakhitjevan-na-Donu was merged with Rostov, which thereby became one of Russia’s largest cities after Moscow and Leningrad. Rostov was temporarily occupied during both World War I and II, and after 1945 parts of the city had to be rebuilt after extensive destruction.

Today, Rostov is a city with a modern center and several interesting sights from different periods of the city’s history. You can start a stroll at the central Soviet Square/Площадь Советов. Several of Rostov’s major public buildings are located here, with the regional administration building to the south and the seat of the Russian Federation’s presidential representative to the north. To the east is a branch of the Russian State Bank, and in the middle of the square you can see a Monument to the First Horsemen/Памятник Первоконникам from 1972. It is dedicated to the heroes of the civil war who liberated Rostov from the White Guards in 1920.

Across Soviet Square runs the main street Bolshaya Sadovaya ulitsa/Большая Садовая улица. If you go east, you will reach the Rostov State Music Theater/Ростовский Государственный Музыкальный Театр and the Philharmonic Concert Hall/Концертный Зал Филармонии, two of the city’s leading stages. Continuing down the street, you stand at Teatralnaya Ploshad/Театральная площадь, where you can enjoy performances at the Rostov Academic Drama Theater/Ростовский академический театр драмы. To the south of the square stands the Stele of the Liberators of Rostov/Стела Освободителам Ростова. The 72 meter high stele was dedicated as a monument in 1983 to commemorate the liberation of 1943 from German invasion and occupation.

You can also go west along Bolshaya Sadovaya ulitsa. Here you can see the Lenin monument/Памятник Ленину, which is a statue of the head of state Vladimir Lenin. The statue stands at the entrance to the Central City Park/Центральный городской парк, also known as Gorky Park. If you go all the way to the western end of the street, you end up at Rostov Central Station.

There are also promenades along the River Don which are also worth a stroll. You can get to them south of the center and the promenades are located in green park areas with panoramic views of the important river. On the opposite side of the embankment you can see Rostov Arena/Ростов Арена, which is the name of one of the stadiums used at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

On the road between the Lenin Monument and the Don, you cross Cathedral Square/Соборная площадь, one of Rostov’s most interesting urban spaces. The large square is named after Cathedral of the Nativity of the Theotokos/Кафедральный собор Рождества Пресвятой Богородицы. The cathedral is Rostov’s most important church, and it was built in its current version between 1854 and 1860. On the square you can also visit the Central Market/Центральный рынок, which dates back to the 1840s.