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Starocherkasskaya stanitsa is a historical settlement in the Aksaysky district of the Rostov Oblast, Russia, located approximately 27-30 km east of Rostov-on-Don on the right bank of the Don River. It is one of the oldest Cossack settlements in the region, which was once the capital of the Don Cossacks and played a key role in the history of southern Russia. The population of the stanitsa is about 5,000 people, and its territory covers an area of about 10 km². Starocherkasskaya is included in the association of the most beautiful villages and towns of Russia due to its preserved historical architecture, natural landscapes, and rich cultural heritage. It combines ancient churches, museums, traditional Cossack estates, and picturesque views of the Don River, making it a popular tourist destination.
Starocherkasskaya is a true museum-reserve with more than 50
architectural monuments. The main attractions are concentrated in the
center of the village, around the Maidan (main square). Here are the key
ones:
Resurrection Military Cathedral (1706–1719): The main
attraction of the village, built in the Ukrainian Baroque style. This is
a nine-domed church with green domes, inside which unique iconostases,
frescoes, and relics of the Cossacks have been preserved. Next to it
stands a tent-roofed bell tower (18th century) - the only one of its
kind in southern Russia. The cathedral is considered a symbol of Don
Orthodoxy and Cossack freedom.
Peter and Paul Church (1751): A stone
church where Ataman Matvey Platov, a hero of the Patriotic War of 1812,
was baptized. The church has memorial value and is interesting for its
Baroque architecture.
Maidan (main square): The historical center
where Cossack councils gathered. Here you can see captured cannons,
monuments, and old buildings. The square is surrounded by traditional
kurens (Cossack fortress-houses) with high foundations to protect
against floods.
Starocherkassk Historical and Architectural
Museum-Reserve: Founded in 1970, it includes several exhibitions in
estates and houses. Here you can see the Ataman's courtyard (the
Efremovs' house), the house of Kondraty Bulavin, the kuren of Stepan
Razin, and collections of weapons, utensils, and documents of Cossack
life. The museum occupies an area of about 180 hectares and attracts
thousands of tourists annually.
Other attractions: The house of
Ataman Platov, the Transfiguration Church (1740), the bastions of the
18th-century fortress, as well as picturesque parks and the Don
embankment. The village has new parks with recreation areas where you
can try traditional Don cuisine, such as fish soup with tuzluk (a salty
sauce).
From Rostov-on-Don: By car via the M4 "Don" highway – about 30-40
minutes. Buses run regularly from the bus station (route No. 158 or
131).
By boat: During the navigation season (May-October) from the
Rostov river station.
Excursions: Organized tours from Rostov cost
from 1000-2000 rubles per person, including museum entrance (ticket to
the nature reserve - 200-300 rubles).
Foundation and Early History (16th Century)
The history of
Starocherkassk begins in the 16th century. The first mention of the
Cherkassk town on the Don River dates back to 1570. According to
historical sources, Zaporozhian Cossacks (Cherkasy), led by Prince
Mikhail Vishnevetsky, who were summoned by Tsar Ivan the Terrible to
help in the fight against the Turks, united with the Don Cossacks
and defeated the Turkish army near Astrakhan. Some of the
Zaporozhian Cossacks remained on the Don and, together with the
local Cossacks, founded a city named Cherkassk in honor of their
origin. The town arose approximately 60 versts from Azov, on an
island formed by the branches of the Don River, which made it a
natural fortress. Some historians, such as V. B. Bronevsky, confirm
this founding date, citing the construction of the town by the
Zaporozhian Cherkasy.
There are speculations about an earlier
origin: Don regional historians suggest pre-Mongol roots, citing
cultural layers dating back to the 13th century and possible
documents from 1517 about the purchase of a house from a Tatar
prince by a Cossack named Zhuchenkov. However, these claims lack
reliable archaeological or documentary evidence and are considered
hypothetical. The name "Cherkassk" comes from "Cherkasy" – the name
given to the Zaporozhian Cossacks who migrated from Cherkasy (the
territory of modern Ukraine).
In its early existence, the
settlement consisted of a simple chapel in the maidan (central
square), surrounded by dugouts and wooden huts. Due to frequent
flooding of the Don, houses were built on stilts, and a bridge
stretched across the town, which led to associations with "the Don
Venice" among Genoese merchants.
17th Century: Flourishing,
Conflicts, and the Azov Campaigns
The 17th century was a period
of flourishing and trials for Cherkassk. In 1637, the famous Azov
campaign began from this city: the Cherkasy Cossacks, together with
the Don Cossacks, captured the Turkish fortress of Azov and held it
for four years, despite the siege. In 1643, the Turks, in
retaliation, captured and burned Cherkassk, but already in 1644 the
Cossacks rebuilt the city in a new location, strengthening it and
making it the main capital of the Don Cossacks. In subsequent years,
attacks by the Crimean Tatars were repelled.
In 1650, in
fulfillment of a vow made during the Azov campaign, a wooden
military cathedral was built, around which military councils
(assemblies of Cossacks) gathered on the square. Old cannons
captured from the Turks at Azov, and the beam of the Azov scales
weighing 50 poods, still stand in the main square.
In 1667, the
rebellion of Stepan Razin, who was born in the neighboring village
of Zimoveyskaya, broke out in Cherkassk. Razin gathered a detachment
here and began a campaign against the boyars and the tsarist
government. In 1696, the city became the base for Peter I's second
Azov campaign, where the Tsar personally participated in military
operations.
The city was a fortress with a wooden wall filled
with earth, bastions (up to 11, including two stone ones) and a
palisade. The total length of the fortifications, including the
suburbs, reached 20 versts.
18th century: Strengthening,
rebellions and cultural development
In the 18th century,
Cherkassk continued to be strengthened. In 1701, the Church of the
Transfiguration of the Lord was built in the Ratnoye tract at the
Ratnoye cemetery, where Cossacks who fell in battle were buried. In
1706–1719, the Resurrection Military Cathedral was erected – the
first stone church in the lower reaches of the Don, in the style of
Cossack Baroque. Peter the Great personally laid bricks in the
altar, despite the ban on stone construction outside of St.
Petersburg. The cathedral has nine domes, a two-tiered gallery, a
five-tiered iconostasis (149 icons from the 18th century), and a
tent-roofed bell tower 45.8 meters high. The bell tower's basement
housed a prison and an archive. The chain used to shackle Stepan
Razin before his execution is displayed here.
In 1708, the
culminating moment of the Bulavin Rebellion took place in Kondraty
Bulavin's kuren (house): the leader was killed in his home during an
assault by tsarist troops. Bulavin opposed Peter I's reforms,
demanding the preservation of Cossack freedom. Bulavin's house has
been preserved and is now used as an information and cultural
center.
In 1744, the city suffered greatly from a fire due to its
dense wooden construction. Ataman Danilo Efremov began the
construction of a stone wall, but the work was limited. In 1751, the
Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul was consecrated, where Matvey
Platov, the future ataman and hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, was
baptized. In 1744, the Main People's School was opened with a museum
and a collection of bones of antediluvian animals.
The city was
divided into inner stanitsas: Cherkasskaya, Durnovskaya,
Skorodumovskaya, and others. In 1756–1761, the Church of the Don
Icon of the Mother of God was built on the estate of the Efremov
atamans (Ataman's Courtyard).
19th century: Transfer of the
capital and decline
At the beginning of the 19th century,
Cherkassk suffered from frequent floods of the Don River and fires.
In 1804, Ataman Matvey Platov decided to found a new capital –
Novocherkassk – to avoid these problems. In 1805, the capital was
moved, and Cherkassk became the village of Starocherkasskaya, losing
its city status by the end of the century. In 1804, the Caucasian
postal route was introduced through the village.
In the 19th
century, the brothers Gruzinov (Evgraf and Pyotr), who proposed
reforms and anticipated the ideas of the Decembrists, were executed
here. The village was visited by prominent figures: A. S. Pushkin
studied the history of the Cossacks here in 1820, as did A. V.
Suvorov, V. I. Surikov, E. Pugachev (who visited here; his mother
may be buried in the local prison), N. F. Pogodin, and V. M.
Shukshin.
20th–21st centuries: Museum-reserve and modernity
In the 20th century, the village turned into an open-air museum. In
1970, the 400th anniversary of its founding (1570–1970) was
celebrated on the initiative of scientists from Rostov State
University and Mikhail Sholokhov, which led to the creation of a
museum-reserve with 50,000 exhibits. The population fluctuated: 5060
people in 1897, 4412 in 1926, 1424 in 1989, 1869 in 2002, and 2399
in 2010. In 1918, the village was part of the Cherkassk district of
the Don Cossack Host region, including the surrounding hamlets.
In 1994, the Holy Don Starocherkassk men's monastery was revived by
Archimandrite Modest. Today, the village is developing tourism:
summer folklore festivals with dancing, fairs, and excursions. There
is the Don Golf & Country Club (since 2007), and agricultural
enterprises. The infrastructure is improving: gas supply (54.2%),
water supply (85.3%), and street improvements.
Starocherkasskaya
preserves the spirit of Cossack freedom, courage, and rebellion,
associated with figures like Razin, Bulavin, and Platov. Attractions
include cathedrals, the Ataman's courtyard, Anninskaya fortress, the
Monastery tract, and the Military Cemetery with the graves of
heroes. It can be reached by bus No. 232 from Rostov, by ferry
across the Don River, or by passenger ship in the summer.
Relief and Landscape
The stanitsa (Cossack village) occupies a
flat, level territory in the lower reaches of the Don River, typical of
the steppe zone of the Southern Federal District of Russia. It is part
of the Lower Don Lowland, where a flat relief with insignificant
elevation changes prevails. Historically, the settlement was located on
the so-called "Cherkassky Island," formed by the arms of the Don River –
the main riverbed, the Aksai channel, and the Old Donets. This island
configuration provided natural protection against raids, but also made
the stanitsa vulnerable to flooding. The surrounding landscape includes
floodplain meadows, thickets of shrubs, and sparse forests along the
banks. Elements of historical fortifications have been preserved in the
stanitsa: earthen ramparts, bastions, and palisades from the 18th
century, integrated into the modern landscape. The nearest geographical
features are the Ratnoye tract (with the Ratnoye cemetery) and the
Monastyrskoye tract (Monastyrsk), located 7 km downstream of the Don, as
well as the earthen Anninskaya fortress 5 km to the northeast.
Rivers and Water Resources
The main body of water is the Don River,
which washes the stanitsa from the left side and plays a key role in its
geography and history. The Don here is about 300-500 meters wide, with a
moderate current and sandy banks. Spring floods are a characteristic
feature: historically, they repeatedly flooded the territory, which
ultimately led to the relocation of the capital of the Don Cossacks to
Novocherkassk in 1805. A ferry crossing operates across the Don to the
Rybatsky khutor (hamlet), connecting the stanitsa with Bataisk. In
addition, there are small channels and oxbow lakes of the Don in the
surrounding area, contributing to the formation of floodplain
ecosystems. In the summer, beaches operate on the banks of the Don
River, including the city beach and the paid "Kazachy Don" beach, which
highlights the recreational potential of the river.
Climate
The climate of the stanitsa (Cossack village) is moderately continental
with steppe characteristics, typical of the south of European Russia.
Summers are warm and mostly sunny, while winters are frosty, snowy,
windy, and cloudy. The average annual air temperature is around +9–10°C.
The coldest month is January, with average temperatures ranging from
-7°C to -4°C (minimums can drop to -25°C), and the warmest is July, with
+23–30°C (maximums up to +40°C). Precipitation is about 550–570 mm per
year, predominantly in the warmer half of the year; the climate can be
classified as moderately humid. Winds are predominantly easterly and
southeasterly, with frequent dust storms in the summer. Blizzards are
possible in winter, and floods in spring due to snowmelt. These
conditions are favorable for agriculture (growing grains and vegetables)
and tourism in the warm season.
Environment and Natural Features
Starocherkasskaya is surrounded by steppe landscapes with chernozem
soils suitable for agriculture. The flora includes typical steppe
grasses (feather grass, fescue), riparian willows, poplars, and reeds in
the Don river floodplain. The fauna is diverse: it includes birds
(ducks, herons, eagles), mammals (foxes, hares, muskrats), and fish in
the river (pike-perch, bream, pike). The ecosystem is subject to
anthropogenic influence due to agriculture and tourism, but a
significant part of the territory is protected as a museum-reserve. The
area surrounding the stanitsa (village) is home to numerous hamlets,
such as Alitub, Arpachin, Bolshoy Bezvodny, Verkhne-Podpolny, and
others, forming a rural landscape with fields and orchards. This overall
geographical context makes Starocherkasskaya an important center for
ecotourism and historical heritage in the Rostov region.