You can hardly find at least a few people who have never heard of the nice city Voronezh — the centre of Chernozemie. Voronezh is located over 500 miles south of Moscow on the banks of the Voronezh reservoir and the river Voronezh. 8,5 km meet with the river Don. Voronezh was established as early as in 1586. This city has been fighting against numerous hardships over the course of its history. But it has managed to become one of the most popular places in the Russian Federation. So, what is Voronezh famous for?

Voronezh is the birthplace of the Russian fleet. In the 1690s Tsar Peter I commanded to float the first ship of the line along the river Voronezh. It was equipped with the first flag of St. Andrew. Today you can see the copy of the ship mentioned in the museum “Goto Predestinatsia” that has been named after it.

Voronezh is the birthplace of ABF. At the beginning of the 30s Minov chose this region to parachute for the first time. This training jump launched the mainstream use of parachutes. A week later, on 2 August, the first air force troop was dropped near Voronezh. Since that time the Day of Airborne forces has been being celebrated on this date.

Voronezh is the hero of the Great Patriotic War. Local citizens had been fearlessly fighting against fascists for 212 days. How many soldiers have we lost forever? How many houses have been destroyed with cannon shots? Still, Voronezh has risen from its ashes like a phoenix. Today it is the city with a million-plus population and one of the most crucial administrative and industrial centres in the country.

Voronezh is the muse for creators. The city has been inspiring poets to write touching poems, writers to create masterpieces of literature and artists to produce wonderful paintings. Voronezh is the birthplace of Samuil Marshak, Ivan Bunin, Ivan Kramskoi, Nikolai Ge and other bright stars of Russian culture. Besides, there are numerous theatres, original museums, art galleries, large libraries in the city and the world’s only beaver aquarium!

Voronezh is the residence of antiquities. The reservation museum “Kostenki” finances architectural studies. They showed that primitive people had created their first site within the territory of Voronezh. In the museum you can see numerous household implements and bones of ancient animals (for example, mammoths).

Voronezh is the city associated with mysteries. The majestic castle of the Princess of Oldenburg — the first owner of the Voronezh sweets factory — is located here. According to the legend, she used to work on the design of wrappers herself. These candies were popular all over Europe. They say the spirit of the princess keeps walking around the sombre castle in search of sweets for other ghosts.

Voronezh is the place of pilgrimage. The ancient Church of the Assumption established in the times of Peter I, the Monastery of the Dormition (it is the most ancient in Russia), the underground churches located in the human-made caves attract tourists from all around the world. During your trip to Voronezh, you will have no time to get bored. This city is filled with the atmosphere of antiquity and victories — victories over enemies and oneself. After the excursion you will feel full of energy and happy to have visited such an invigorating city.