In its nearly three-hundred-year history, Rostov-on-Don has served as a customs post, a border fortress, and the criminal "Rostov Papa." The city of Rostov-on-Don officially received its status in 1807, but its history began half a century earlier. In 1749, by order of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, the Temernitskaya customs post was established at the confluence of the Don and Temernik rivers — the first trading port in southern Russia. Its advantageous location allowed for the establishment of trade with countries bordering the Black, Aegean, and Mediterranean Seas. Subsequently, active trade contributed to the rapid development of Rostov-on-Don and its entire infrastructure. In 1761, the customs post was replaced by the fortress of Saint Dimitry of Rostov, built to defend against attacks by Turks and Crimean Tatars. However, the garrison here never had to defend itself. By the end of the 18th century, the Rostov fortress was dismantled as it was no longer needed. Nevertheless, several settlements had formed around its walls. At the beginning of the 19th century, all of these were united by a decree of Emperor Alexander I into Rostov-on-Don. In the 1830s, a customs office opened in the city, and in the 1870s it became a major railway hub thanks to the construction of a station. By the 20th century, the rapidly developing Rostov-on-Don had over a hundred industrial enterprises, thriving foreign trade, and a population exceeding 100,000 people. The city had such outstanding characteristics that it eventually became one of the strategic targets for Nazi Germany. During the Great Patriotic War, it became a battlefield several times and was occupied twice. It was here in 1941 that Soviet troops dealt the German invaders their first major defeat. After the war, Rostov-on-Don, almost reduced to ruins, was rebuilt. Today, it is one of Russia’s million-plus cities and holds the record for the largest population in the south of the country (over 1,100,000 people).

Jermaine