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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.  

Photo Gallery
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Memorial of the 300th anniversary of the founding of Taganrog on Pushkin Embankment
The Alferaki Palace was built in the French neo-Baroque style in 1848, it is the most beautiful building in Taganrog
Museum the House of Chekhov - in this house in 1860 in Taganrog, the great Russian writer Anton Chekhov was born
Photo of Anton Chekhov in 1880, at the Chekhov Literary Museum in Taganrog
Chekhov`s Literary Museum in Taganrog is located in the Gymnasium where Chekhov studied in 1868-1879
Museum the Grocery of Chekhov in Taganrog
The interior of the Chekhov`s Grocery in Taganrog is recreated as it was when Anton Chekhov traded here
Anton Chekhov and his common-law wife A.Khrushcheva-Stolnikova in 1879, at the Chekhov Literary Museum in Taganrog
A large living room (9m) in Chekhov`s House in Taganrog, where the whole family gathered together
The Chekhov family lived in Taganrog in a small house - its area is only 30 meters
Monument to Anton Chekhov in Chekhov Square in Taganrog
Monument to Emperor Peter I in Garden of Peter I in Taganrog
View of the Commercial port of Taganrog from the viewing point in Peter I Garden
The coast of the Sea of Azov on the Pushkin embankment in Taganrog
Monument to Alexander Pushkin on the Pushkin Embankment in Taganrog
The Stone Staircase in Taganrog was built in 1823 by architect Franz Boffo
View from the Stone Staircase to the Pushkin Embankment of Taganrog
The coast of the Sea of Azov near Pushkin embankment in Taganrog
The main hall in the Alferaki Palace in Taganrog is made in the style of French rococo Louis 15
The exposition dedicated to Alexander I and his death in Taganrog in 1825, in the Alferaki Palace
The exposition of the Museum of Local Lore in the Alferaki Palace, dedicated to Peter I, the founder of Taganrog
Alexander I Palace in Taganrog is a small building of the former mayor, where Alexander I died in 1825
The Taganrog Art Museum is located in the house of merchant Anton Khandrin
Flowers and sculptures in the courtyard of the Taganrog Art Museum
Paintings by Russian artists of the 19th century in the Taganrog Art Museum
Alexander`s Shopping Malls of the 19th century in Chekhov Square in Taganrog
Stairs that can be used to descend from Peter I Garden to the cargo port of Taganrog
Pushkin embankment in Taganrog
Tchaikovsky`s House in Taganrog is located near the Stone Staircase in the historical center of the city
A Gothic-style tower towers over Tchaikovsky`s house in Taganrog