The small town of Taganrog is located on the northern shore of the Sea of Azov. It cannot be called a resort, but tourists come here to see local attractions. Taganrog is the hometown of the great Russian writer Anton Chekhov. There are several museums dedicated to Chekhov`s work and his native home.
In recent years, the tourist flow to Taganrog has grown significantly. People come here to visit Chekhov`s places. In addition, there is a wonderful Art Museum, as well as the Alferaki Palace, which houses the collection of the Local History Museum. Both museums were created on the initiative of Anton Chekhov.
History of Taganrog
Taganrog is the oldest city in the south of Russia. It was founded much earlier than Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar and other cities on the shore of the Sea of Azov. In 1796, Peter I undertook a successful Azov campaign and captured the Azov fortress.
Under the protection of the Azov Fortress, Peter I in 1698 began the construction of the Trinity Fortress on Cape Taganiy Rog (Taganiy Horn). So the name of the city appeared – Taganrog. At the foot of the cape, the deepening of the fairway and the construction of the Taganrog commercial port began.
After the unsuccessful Prut campaign of Peter I in 1711, all the lands on the shore of the Sea of Azov, including Azov and Taganrog, passed back to Turkey. Under the terms of the peace treaty, the Russians destroyed the Trinity Fortress in Taganrog. 30 years later, the Russian tsars again began the struggle for access to the Sea of Azov.
In 1739, following the results of another war, Azov became part of Russia forever. However, the full restoration of Taganrog and its commercial port began only in 1769. At that time, there was no need for the Azov or Trinity fortress.
After the annexation of the Crimea in 1784, all the warships were transferred to Sevastopol, and only the commercial infrastructure remained in the Sea of Azov. In the 19th century Taganrog became the largest commercial port in Russia. Now Peter I Square is located on the site of the Trinity Fortress . There is a monument to Peter I, the founder of Taganrog.
Sights of Taganrog
Taganrog did not become a resort town, because the Sea of Azov is too shallow here, and the color of its water is brown, due to the large number of mud volcanoes on the Taman Peninsula. However, Taganrog has a beach and a beautiful Pushkin embankment on the seashore, built in 1850. In 2010, a new Chekhov Embankment was built on the northern shore of the cape.
In recent years, modern hotels, restaurants, a water park, amusement parks and other infrastructure necessary for people`s recreation have appeared in the city. Near the embankment, you can walk along the Stone Stairs and enter the Tchaikovsky House.
Fans of Anton Chekhov`s work visit three museums dedicated to the great Russian writer in Taganrog. In the center of the city, a small house has been preserved, which is called the Museum the House of Chekhov. Anton Chekhov was born there in 1860. Later, the family lived in a house where there was a grocery store. Now the Museum the Grocery of Chekhov has been created there. Also in Taganrog there is a Literary Museum of Chekhov, which is located in the gymnasium where he studied.
Chekhov always took care of his hometown. He was constantly sending new books to the Taganrog library that he could buy. On Chekhov`s initiative, a museum was created in Taganrog in 1898, which combined art and historical collections. Paintings and historical artifacts have appeared in the museum. In Soviet times, museums were divided. In the Alferaki Palace there is a Museum of Local History, and in the house of the merchant Anton Khandrin there is an Art Museum of Taganrog. Grateful residents of Taganrog have erected a monument to their great countryman in Chekhov Square.
