ROSTOV-ON-DON

Rostov-on-Don is an important administrative, industrial, scientific and cultural centre in the south of Russia. It is the main city of the Rostov Region, one of the largest and most economically developed regions of Russia. It is also the capital of the Southern Federal District, the place where there is the office of the Representative of the President of the Russian Federation.

Rostov was founded on the 15-th of December, 1749and at first it was meant to be a fortress. It was named after the metropolitan Dmitry Rostovsky and its main functions were to defend the Southern borders of Russia against the numerous enemies. Rostov grew rapidly thanks to its advantageous geographical position. Being the largest fortress in the South of Russia the town has always played a significant role in its policy and economy. Apart from being a major port, where the vessels of Russian, Armenian, Greek, Italian and Turkish merchants arrived, it was an important strategic point.

Rostov-on-Don is situated on the right and left banks of the river Don. Rostov stands on the border line between Europe and Asia and one can move from one part of the world to the other simply crossing the bridge over the Don (for example, going to Bataysk).

Rostov was awarded with the order of Lenin in 1970 for a great success in the development of numerous branches of economy and industry and especially of the agricultural machine-building. In February 1982 it got another order -The Order of the Great Patriotic War - for courage displayed by the citizens during the war years as well as cultural and economic achievements during the post-war period.

After the construction of the Volga-Don Shipping Canal in 1952 Rostov became a port of five seas: the BlackSea, the Azov Sea, the Caspian Sea, the White Sea and the Baltic Sea. Modern river-to-sea-going vessels and imposingly looking ships make regular voyages from Rostov to the central part of Russia and to many Mediterraneanports.

Rostov is a large railway junction. Hundreds of trains run through Rostov. Rostov is called «The Gates to the Caucasus». The modern airport enables the passengers to reach almost all the cities of Russia, the C. I. S. and a number of foreign countries in the shortest period of time.

Rostov is one of the largest cities in the C. I. S. Its population exceeds 1 million. Rostov is a multinational city.

Many branches of industry are developed in Rostov: agricultural machine- building, vessel-, helicopter-building, food-processing, etc. Dozens of Rostov factories and plants produce pianos and other musical instruments, foot-wear, refrigerators, wine and strong drinks, furniture, clocks and many other goods. The main branches of agriculture are vegetable- and wheat-growing, wine-cultivating, cattle-breeding and fishing. The Don horses are famous all over the world. The Rostov Region is rich in different vegetables and fruit. Its landscapes, sunny weather in summer, sandy shores, historical sightseeings and picturesque landscapes attract tourists from all over the world.

The city has rich cultural traditions. The names of dozens of well-known figures of art, literature and science are connected with our city: they either lived or worked in Rostov or nearby: the writers A. Chekhov, M. Sholokhov, Zakrutkin, Fadeev, Safronov, Kalinin, the architect. E. Vuchetich, the scientists Solzhenitsin and Zhdanov, the actress Maretskaya, the composers Zaslavsky, Nazaretov and many, many others. Here the composerMoussorgsky gave his concerts, and the writer Maxim Gorky, being a youth, worked as a docker. A great Russian actor Mikhail Schepkin performed in the theatre and a celebrated explorer of the Arctic Seas GeorgySedov dreamt about his expeditions. Rostov remembers its glorious sons: the doctors N. and S. Feodorov, the armenian writer and enlightener M. Nalbandyan, the artist Sarayan, etc.

There are about sixty higher educational establishments in Rostov, both state and commercial. The most prominent among them are the South Federal University, the Rostov State Transport University, the Rostov State Economic University, the Teachers' Training Institute, The Don Technical University, The Medical University, Institute of Architecture, the Conservatoire named after Rakhmaninov which confirm Bachelor and Master Degrees to their graduates. There are many libraries in Rostov and the South-Russian Public Library is the richest and largest in the Northern Caucasus. There are 4 theatres in the city: The Drama Theatre named after Maxim Gorky, the Musical Comedy Theatre, the Theatre of Young Spectators and the Puppet Theatre. Besides there is the Philharmonic, the Jazz Centre named after Kim Nazaretov, many music schools and art studios.

The Rostovites are proud of their Art Galleries and the Museum of Arts which are not very big but their collections are really impressive and include some genuine works by such masters of Russian painting as Repin, Surikov, Perov, Levitan, Aivazovsky as well as of modern Rostov artists.

In Rostov there are also 9 museums, 7 stadia, aPalaceof Sports, a circus, a zoo and many beautiful parks. The Rostov Regional Local Lore Museum gives its visitors a good idea of Rostov and its surroundings - their history, culture, nature and the traditions and life of the Cossacks.

The modem Rostov is a significant commercial centre as well: there are dozens of commercial banks, hundreds of joint stock companies, joint ventures and thousands of commercial shops in Rostov. Lately the central streets of the city have become especially beautiful and bright thanks to the attractive shop-windows and illumination.

Rostov has various and productive ties with the foreign countries. Many Rostovites study or work in the U. S. A., Great Britain, China, Belgium, Cyprus and other countries. Rostov has twin-cities relations with Glasgow (Great Britain), Dortmund (Germany), Leman (France), Pleven (Bulgaria) and some other cities. Almost every month a delegation from one of them visits Rostov in order to promote economic and cultural relations.

All the visitors to Rostov mark its charm and special hospitality of the Rostovites who really love and take care of their city. We all hope that our beloved city will go on growing and become cleaner, greener, even more beautiful and prosperous.

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