Krasnodar.

History

The city was founded by the Black Sea Cossacks in 1793 as the military fortress of Yekaterinodar, a name recalling Catherine the Great's grant of land in the Kuban. It received town status in 1867. On 7 December 1920 Yekaterinodar was renamed Krasnodar. From 9 August 1942 to 12 February 1943 the city was occupied and badly damaged, and after the war it was rebuilt.

Culture & traditions

The Kovalenko Art Museum is the oldest in the North Caucasus. Krasnodar is home to the Kuban Cossack Choir, famous far beyond Russia for its Cossack songs and dances. Central Krasnaya Street runs past the concert hall, the Avrora cinema and the Triumphal Arch. In 2017 the 22.7-hectare Krasnodar Park, also known as Galitsky Park, opened.

Sport

The main football clubs are Krasnodar and Kuban; Krasnodar's home stadium holds about 35,000 spectators. Basketball is played by Lokomotiv Kuban, rugby union by Kuban and volleyball by Dinamo. The city is known for its trampoline champions Alexander Moskalenko and Irina Karavaeva.

Food & drink

The Kuban has long been a breadbasket: as early as 1913 it ranked second in Russia for marketable grain. Agriculture and food production account for over 40% of Krasnodar's industrial output.

Practical information

Pashkovsky International Airport is one of the busiest in Russia. The main stations are Krasnodar-1 and Krasnodar-2; there is no metro, but trams, trolleybuses and buses run. The Black Sea is about 120 km away. The climate is mild, averaging about +1 °C in January and +24 °C in July, so spring and autumn are pleasant times to visit.

What to see

• Krasnodar Park (Galitsky Park) — a new park with thousands of trees
• Krasnaya Street — the main street with its Triumphal Arch
• St Catherine's Cathedral — a cathedral dedicated to St Catherine
• Shukhov Tower — a hyperboloid structure from 1928
• Theatre Square fountain — the largest splash fountain in Europe
• Kovalenko Art Museum — the oldest art museum in the North Caucasus