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Novocherkassk
lies at the confluence of the Tuzlov and the Aksay rivers. The original
16th-century town of Starocherkasskaya stood along the Don River, but it was
frequently flooded and was moved to the present site Novocherkassk long
served as the capital of the Don Cossack region and was a center of opposition
in 1917-20 during the Russian Civil War. Novocherkassk
is a unique town owing to its history and architecture. It was built as the
capital of the Cossacks in 1805 by the General
Platov, the famous Ataman Matvei Platov who led his Cossack regiments
against Napoleon. The French
architect Devolan designed Novocherkassk. Don Cossacks called it «Small
Paris» for its layout, wide streets and squares. The population of the town nowadays is
about 350.000 people.
Novocherkassk
is famous for its architectural monuments; almost each old building has its
own features. There is a magnificent Cathedral in the center of the town. It
is the third in Russia in size and beauty. Next to the cathedral there is a
monument to Yermak, the gallant conqueror of Siberia. The monument to the
famous General Platov has been recently restored. There were numerous
churches in the past, but a lot of them were destroyed after the October
Revolution. Nowadays some of them have been rebuilt. In Novocherkassk there
are several museums, among them the Grekov Museum, the Krylov Museum and the
most well-known the Museum of the Don Cossacks History. In
the second part of this century Novocherkassk became an industrial town. Many
plants and industrial enterprises were built here , such as the only in Russia electro-locomotive
plant, chemical and machine-building plants and many others. They produce electric locomotives, mining
machinery, machine tools, and chemicals for plastics and synthetic fibers.
There is a thermal power station too. Novocherkassk
is a very green and nice town; there are many parks and gardens in it. It is
called the town of students. The city has numerous institutions of higher
education and research. There is a theatre and some cinemas. In 1993
Novocherkassk became the capital of the World Cossacks on the decision of the
Russian and foreign Cossack authorities. |
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