Taganrog does not resemble other seaside towns by the very fact that its location is not in a quiet harbor, but on a hill. The town is open to every wind - both from steppe or sea. In the wide, beam-like streets running down from the former fortress straight to the steppe distances, and in green shadowy boulevard alleys accompanying them, in the architectural image of the houses which unite the classical strictness with the baroque magnificence, in all this something new, wayward, southern and peculiar can be witnessed. In spite of the fact that the city has already celebrated its 311th anniversary and went through the industrial construction epoch, it has preserved its unique layout and monuments of history and architecture. To a large extent it is due to the Great Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov who was born and lived here. Everything is sanctified by the reminder of him in the city: the small house where he was born, the high school where he studied, his father's shop where he had to serve, and, of course, those quiet streets, mansions which today are associated with the past.
Now Taganrog is an important research, cultural and industrial center in Southern Russia. It has a vast network of educational establishments, ranging from Radio Engineering University and Teachers Training College to technical and vocational lyceums and high schools. Apart from that, it is a city situated in a resort area as to its climate, which allows one to take a splendid rest here. Taganrog is situated on the shore of the Azov Sea about 45 miles from Rostov-on-Don, SW Rostov Oblast.
History can be found around almost every bend in Taganrog. The memorial theater, Chekhov library, several museums, such as Chekhov House, Literary Museum, Durov Museum, Art Museum and other stand as hallmarks of the Russian culture. Taganrog is the native city of Anton Chekhov, Faina Ranevskaya and Dmitri Sinodi-Popov; names of Alexander Pushkin, Alexander I, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Konstantin Paustovsky, Ivan Vasilenko, Victor Bregeda, Nestor Kukolnik, Achilles Alferaki, Arkhip Kuindzhi, Konstantin Savitsky and many other famous people are brought in mind when Taganrog is named.
Ancient History of Taganrog
The history of the city of Taganrog, which lies on the coast of the Azov Sea, is remarkable and fascinating. It goes back to late Bronze Age - early Iron Age (between 20th and 10th centuries BC), and was mentioned by the Greek historian Herodotus as Emporion Kremnoi – a Greek settlement of 7th-5th centuries B.C. The excavations conducted by the German Archaeological Institute (Berlin, Germany), the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow), the Don-Archaeological Society (Rostov-on-Don, Russia) not only confirm the early date of Taganrog's foundation, but also prove Taganrog settlement to be the earliest Greek colony in the Northern-Western Black Sea Region. The settlement was situated at mouth of two rivers - Don and Mius that used to be important water transportation routes to neighboring territories.
Tourism in Taganrog
"The Silver Horseshoe of the Don" is the brand name of a new tourist route through the Rostov Oblast that brings together recognized tourist centers of the region: Rostov-on-Don, Taganrog, Novocherkassk, Azov, Aksai, as well as Neklinovsky, Myasnikovsky, Ust-Donetsk, Byelaya Kalitva, Tsimlyansk and Sholokhov districts. The tourist destination relatively consists of three major tourist routes: the big, the middle and the small "horseshoes". Taganrog is one of the brightest and most important points on all of the three tourist routes.
Within the framework of the Rostov Oblast task program "Tourism Development in the Rostov region in 2008-2010", and the municipal tourism development program, 7 investment projects to construct new hotels, recreation and sport centers, and trade and entertainment complexes are to be realized in the city until 2010. Some of the existing hotels are going to be substantially reconstructed to meet the world standards of service. An attractive investment environment facilitates an influx of business tourists, while Taganrog's rich historical and cultural heritage traditionally attracts guests from Russia and the "near abroad". Taganrog and its neighborhood is an ideal place of beach tourism and family vacations and with the ongoing development of the tourism infrastructure, the Azov Sea coastline could compete with Black Sea, offering various accommodations in wide price range.
Art and Culture of Taganrog
The Taganrog Arts and Culture Council is a division of the Department of Social Development at the Taganrog Local Government. The Council is the primary agency in Taganrog through which regional and federal funds combine to stimulate and encourage the arts in the city. It acts as a local coordinator and advisor, having an awareness of various programs that might be underway at any given time in the city.
The Taganrog Arts and Culture Council conducts programs directed by Council staff, which provides outreach services (including financial assistance) to schools and organizations, centers, performing groups and individual artists. Overall the Council serves as a catalyst for arts programming throughout the city, assisting arts organizations, groups and individuals in bringing the arts to the people of Taganrog.
The City has a rich tradition of preserving and honoring its historical landmarks and experiences, and the basis of museum collections is formed with funds related to famous historical or artistic personalities, including authentic personal belongings of the Russian tsar Alexander I, playwright and poet Nestor Kukolnik, the founder of Russian heraldry Alexander Lakier, the founder of Soviet Russian jazz music Valentin Parnakh, the circus artist and animal trainer Anatoly Anatolievich Durov, the great actress Faina Ranevskaya, author of children's books Ivan Vasilenko, romantic composer Achilles Alferaki, artists Konstantin Savitsky, Arkhip Kuindzhi, Victor Bregeda, Dmitri Sinodi-Popov and many more. Taganrog is also home to the Great Russian playwright and short-story writer Anton Chekhov, and offers remarkable sites dedicated to his childhood and youth.
