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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.