Kursk.

History

Kursk is first mentioned in 1032 in the Life of Theodosius of the Caves, and in the Middle Ages it was the seat of an appanage principality. The Horde ravaged it in 1238 and 1285, and the town lay deserted for a long time. In the late 16th century the fortress was rebuilt and withstood raids from the south and west. In 1782 Catherine the Great approved a new plan that set the present street grid, and in 1868 the railway reached Kursk. In summer 1943 the Battle of Kursk, one of the key battles of the Great Patriotic War, was fought around the city.

Culture & traditions

The finest architectural monument is the baroque Sergius and Kazan Cathedral, built between 1752 and 1778, and nearby stands the neoclassical Cathedral of the Sign of 1816–1826. Not far from the city is Korennaya Pustyn, a monastery and pilgrimage site connected with the Kursk Root Icon. Kursk has three theatres, including the Pushkin Drama Theatre, a Battle of Kursk museum, a local history museum and a planetarium. The composer Georgy Sviridov, the actor Mikhail Shchepkin and the painter Kazimir Malevich are all connected with the Kursk area.

Sport

The best-known football club is Avangard Kursk. Women's team sport is strong here, with the Dynamo basketball club, the Politekh volleyball club and the Dynamo women's ice hockey team. Kursk is the home town of boxer Alexander Povetkin, an Olympic champion.

Practical information

Kursk is a major rail junction, linked to Moscow by train since 1868, with connections to Voronezh as well. Air travellers usually come via Moscow and continue by train. Trams, trolleybuses and buses serve the city. The climate is temperate continental with warm summers and fairly mild winters; May to September is the easiest time to visit.

What to see

• Sergius and Kazan Cathedral — an 18th-century baroque church
• Cathedral of the Sign — early 19th-century neoclassicism
• Korennaya Pustyn — a monastery and pilgrimage site near Kursk
• Battle of Kursk Museum — the story of one of the war's key battles
• Pushkin Drama Theatre — the city's main stage