Astrakhan is a Russian metropolis located on the Volga delta on the Caspian Sea. Travelers described the site as Xacitarxan in the 13th century, and in the 14th century Timur Lenk’s armies destroyed the city in their battle against the Golden Horde. From 1459 to 1556, Xacitarxan was the capital of the Astrakhan Khanate, which perished with the Russian Tsar Ivan IV’s conquest of the area in 1556.

Xacitarxan was located approximately 12 kilometers north of today’s Astrakhan, which Ivan IV founded in 1558 when he established a new fortress on the Volga. In 1570, the Turkish sultan renounced the Ottoman claims in the area, thereby making the Volga a Russian river that benefited trade. Later in the century, the mighty Astrakhan Kremlin was built as a large fortress city.

In the early 1700s, Peter the Great founded a shipyard in Astrakhan, and that was the beginning of the Caspian Flotilla, which remains one of Russia’s navies. It was also during this time that the great baroque cathedrals of the Astrakhan Kremlin were built, and the city’s growth continued with new privileges granted to Astrakhan by Catherine the Great in the 18th century. In the 19th century, Astrakhan’s economic importance declined for a period, and the city was hit by cholera epidemics in the 1820s.

At the end of the century, Baku’s oil production gave new growth to Astrakhan, which was, however, administratively subordinated to Volgograd until 1943, when Astrakhan became the regional capital. During World War II, the city was on the eastern border of Germany’s Operation Barbarossa, but Astrakhan was not captured by German troops. However, the city’s refineries were bomb targets during the fighting. After the war, development continued, and Astrakhan’s population has doubled since then.

Today, Astrakhan is an interesting city, beautifully situated on the eastern bank of the Volga. There are many sights in the city, and you can start a city tour at the square Ploshad Lenina/Площадь Ленина, which is a modern city space where the fortress complex Shjitnyj Dvor/Житный двор was located back in the 16th century. In the 19th century, Tsar Alexander II visited Astrakhan, and on that occasion pleasure gardens were laid out in the area. The gardens became a well-visited place for the city’s citizens, and they remained until the 1900s, when the area along the southern walls of Astrakhan’s Kremlin was redeveloped into the current square. You can see a statue of Lenin in the square, which is also adorned with fine fountains. At each end of the 500 meter long facility there is an allegorical statue. They represent the rivers Neva and Volga.

North of Ploshad Lenina is the Astrakhan Kremlin/Астраханский кремль, which was built as a fortified structure on an island in the Volga. Construction began in the 1580s, and it took place on a small hill protected by the Volga on two sides and swamps on the other. The Kremlin was built as a citadel, which was known from other Russian cities, and the result was an almost 1.5 kilometer long wall with towers. The wall is up to 11.5 meters high and 5.2 meters thick. Behind the walls there is an area of ​​approximately 11 hectares, which was built over the years with, among other things, several churches. The most famous is the Ascension Cathedral/Успенский собор, while the Trinity Cathedral/Собор Троицы Живоначальной and the bishop’s seat are other structures worth seeing.

The Ascension Cathedral is located at the eastern entrance to the Astrakhan Kremlin. It was built 1699-1710 in its current form as a replacement for an earlier church on the site. Originally, there should have been a large dome on the church, but the vault collapsed during construction, and therefore the five current domes were built instead. In 1710, the gate bell tower next to the cathedral was built. In the beautiful church there are several well-known grave monuments. Metropolitan Josif, the city’s patron saint, is buried here, as are two Georgian kings. The Trinity Cathedral is a smaller, but also very interesting church. It was built in the early 17th century in the same area of ​​the Kremlin as the Ascension Cathedral.

When in Astrakhan, it is a must to take a walk along the banks of the Volga, which after passing through the city turns into a large delta before the mouth of the Caspian Sea. The river promenades lie west and south-west of Ploshad Lenina and the city’s Kremlin, and the focal point is Pamyatnik Petru I/Памятник Петру I, a monument commemorating Tsar Peter the Great. From the statue, you can continue along the river or walk along the street behind Peter the Great. It ends in a triumphal arch that was dedicated to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Astrakhan region of Russia. The original arch was made of wood and was erected during Alexander II’s visit in the 19th century, while the modern arch shows scenes of the region’s history in its decoration.

There are also several museums and other cultural institutions in the streets of Astrakhan. A little north of the center you can see the city’s opera and ballet theater, Astrakhanskij Gosudarstvennyj Teatr Opery i Baleta/Астраханский Государственный Театр Оперы и Балета. The large and modern theater building is architecturally inspired by large opera houses and theaters, and it is an impressive sight. You can also see the city’s drama theater, Astrakhanskiy Dramaticheskiy Teatr/Астраханский драматический театр, located close to the park and square Morskoj Sad/Морской сад. In the green area of ​​the square you can see a monument to fallen sailors. On the eastern side of the square is the Annunciation Nunnery/Благовещенский женский монастырь, which has been on this site since the beginning of the 18th century.