Taganrog is the second largest city in the territory of Rostov Oblast. Many travelers associate it with the works of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, a world-famous writer. The city was founded as a naval base in the late 17th century upon the order of Peter the Great. Taganrog has a very advantageous location from a strategic point of view. Remarkably, Taganrog was the first Russian city that was built up according to the clear plan.
The city flourished when Catherine II and Alexander I ruled. They had a direct impact on the city development. The big port city had long competed with Odessa. At the end of the 19th century, the first industrial facilities were built in its territory. The industrial base of Taganrog was rapidly developing. Several decades after, it became one of the largest industrial centers of the region.
The guests are attracted by a rich cultural life and plenty of unique monuments. The homeland of the great Russian writer became a place where interesting events dedicated to literature and history are constantly held. There are also great book fairs and festivals. The name of A. P. Chekhov became the real symbol of the city. A lot of attractions are dedicated to the writer. Streets, squares, museums and libraries are named after him. In the Park of Culture and Leisure, you can see the monument to the great poet. It is one of the most popular city attractions. Besides A. P. Checkov, the famous natives of Taganrog are Faina Ranevskaya, artist K. A. Savitskiy and trainer A. A. Durov. The enchanting port city will definitely impress visitors with its inimitable atmosphere of the past and rich cultural traditions.
In Taganrog, there are a lot of interesting architectural monuments. Alferaki Palace is one of them. This luxurious palace in Greek style was built for one of the rich citizens in the middle of the 19th century. In the late 19th century, the palace was the state property. It was decided to open here the local history museum. It still works now. The museum presents the rich collection of archeological artifacts. The pieces of furniture transferred from the most beautiful noble residences have a special value.
The other interesting place in Taganrog is the Art Museum opened in 1898. It is located in the small old building, which area does not let present its visitors the complete collection of art masterpieces. The museum collection includes over 7 000 pieces of art. Here, you can see the works of Levitan, Surikov, Aivazovsky, Korovin, Repin, and other famous Russian artists.
The symbolic attraction in the city is the House of Chekhov. It is a tiny house of the middle of the 19th century that is now buried in trees. This is a place where the great poet was born. At the beginning of the 20th century, the old house was restored and served as the museum dedicated to the life and works of A. P. Chekhov. At that time, the cherry garden was set up around the house. After visiting the museum, you can walk along branched age-old trees.
One of the most important attractions is the Church of St. Nicholas. It was built at the initiative of local sailors in the 18th century. After its construction, exactly they were the first worshippers. Originally, some part of the cathedral was built of wood but all the original wooden constructions were destroyed in the period of the Great Patriotic War. After the war, the cathedral was reconstructed. The reconstruction was finished only in the 90s of the last century.
Fans of outdoor recreation will be certainly impressed by the Seaside Park that was founded in the 60s of the 20th century. It is difficult to imagine that there was an abandoned brick factory at one time. Then, the territory was cleaned of dilapidated constructions. About 3 000 trees and many decorative bushes were set up here.
