Kurgan.

History

The settlement of Tsaryovo Gorodishche was founded in 1679 by the peasant Timofey Nevezhin. It served as a frontier fort protecting Russian villages from nomadic raids and later became a trading centre for a farming region. In 1782 a decree of Catherine II made Kurgan a town, and it received its coat of arms in 1785. During the war evacuated factories turned it into an industrial city, and it has been the centre of an oblast since 1943.

Culture & traditions

The city has eight museums, drama and puppet theatres, a philharmonic and several libraries. Among the museums is the house of the poet Wilhelm Küchelbecker. The central square is framed by a neoclassical ensemble of the 1940s and 1950s, and Kurgan has 127 listed heritage sites in all. It is home to the Ilizarov Russian Scientific Centre for Restorative Traumatology and Orthopaedics, known well beyond Russia.

Sport

Kurgan has produced Olympic and world champions in biathlon, athletics, wrestling and cross-country skiing. The city is represented by the football club Tobol and the ice hockey club Zauralye. Chess grandmaster Sergei Rublevsky was born here.

Practical information

Kurgan Airport serves the city and can handle international flights. Kurgan lies on the Trans-Siberian between Yekaterinburg and Omsk, and the named train Zauralye links it with Moscow. Local time is two hours ahead of Moscow. The climate is continental, with cold winters and warm summers; the best time to come is from late spring to early autumn.

What to see

• Central Square — a neoclassical ensemble of the 1940s–1950s
• Küchelbecker House Museum — a memorial to the Decembrist poet
• Ilizarov Centre — a world-renowned orthopaedic clinic
• Tobol riverside — a walk along the city's main river
• Church of the Port Arthur Icon of the Mother of God — one of the city's notable churches