Culture of the Don Land. Учебное пособие

his people on 44 ships started from Azov to the future city of Taganrog to see the construction of Troitskaya (St. Trinity) Fortress. In spite of the fact that the building work was very slow, the Tsar was glad. By 1702 the citadel was built at last, the harbour and banks were supplied with 243 cannons and a dozen of ships.

But some years later Peter I had to sign a peace treaty with the Turkish sultan and to give the lands of Azov back to Turkey. In February 1712 Taganrog was ruined. Only 49 years later thanks to the efforts of Katherine II Taganrog became the Russian city again and, that time, forever. It was a very important part in the policy of Russia.

In one of her letters to Volter Katherine II mentioned Taganrog several times. In her letter of March 3, 1771 she wrote that Peter the Great couldn't decide for a long time which of two cities – Taganrog or St. Petersburg – was more important for the country. She decided to revive Taganrog, that's why she gave a big sum of money on restoring the harbour and the fleet during one year.

The new town attracted a lot of merchants from all over the world, that's why the commodity circulation grew quickly. It was decided to move the custom-house from Rostov to Taganrog. One tenth of customhouse duties was used for public service and amenities. Taganrog became a prosperous and flourishing town.

Apollon Dashkov was the first governor of the town. He did a lot of good for the development of Taganrog, but he was discharged for his willfulness and disrespect of the law. Balthasar Kampengauzen, the second governor made a great contribution into the development of the town. The first theatre was opened in 1823. The first electric lighthouse was built in 1877. Every year a lot of people came to summer and autumn

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fairs which brought fame to Taganrog. Now it is a big Russian city with the population of 291 200 people. It's the birthplace of great Chekhov; it's the centre of partisan movement during the World War II; it's a provincial city with rich history. It's the city born at Peter the Great's will.

Vocabulary notes:

excite – волновать plot – сюжет settlement – поселение oblivion – забвение

predecessor – предшественник, предок raze – разрушать до основания

cape – мыс

supervisor – инспектор harbour – гавань, порт cannon – пушка

peace treaty – мирный договор sultan – султан

revive – возрождать restore – восстанавливать fleet – бухта, залив merchant – купец commodity – товар circulation – круговорот custom-house – таможня amenity – удобства

prosperous – процветающий discharge – расстрелять willfulness – своеволие disrespect – неуважение

to make a contribution – сделать вклад lighthouse – маяк

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fair – ярмарка fame – известность

Activities:

1.Imagine that you are a guide and make a tour around Taganrog. Where would you take your tourists to and what would you tell them about it?

2.Imagine that you are a producer and want to stage one of Chekhov’s plays. Which one would you like to stage and why? What actors and actresses would you like to invite to play the parts in it?

3.Imagine that you have an opportunity to travel to the past of Taganrog. What historical events would you like to watch with your own eyes? Why?

Text 6. Novocherkassk

Novocherkcassk was founded on the 18th of May 1805 by the Ataman of the Don-Land Army, Count M.I.Platov, as a capital city of the Army Zone area. For quite a long time it remained its cultural and educational centre.

Novocherkassk is located on a hill, at the juncture of the Aksai and the Tuzlov, both being tributaries to the Don, in a 40 km distance from Rostov-on-Don. Today it is linked with the latter by railway and highway lines of a republican significance. Its population was estimated 202 thous.

Novocherkassk differs from the other cities and towns of the South of Russia by a single planned development corresponding to the European pattern, with boulevards, strict land allocation, unified demands once set forth to the siting of houses. The city has a lot of buildings constructed in the style of late classicism; many of these are protected by the state, they now attract tourists and visitors.

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The economy of the city is based upon 30 large and 1,000 average and small enterprises, among which one should name the Power Station of Novocherkassk, Synthetics Plant, Electrode Plant, Clothing Factory «Feya». The city also houses a unique enterprise, the Electric Locomotive Plant of Novocherkassk, formerly the largest European manufacturer of mainline locomotives.

The local financial system is represented by Novocherkassk Business Bank and-the branches of the following banks: the Saving Bank of the Russian Federation, Doninvest, and other banks.

The city also has respectful South Russian higher educational establishments – Novocherkassk State Technical University, Novocherkassk State Academy of Melioration, Novocherkassk Higher Communication Officers' School. Besides, two rather unique establishments work here, these being the revived Don Military School after Emperor Alexander Ill and the only Russian Suvorov's School of the Ministry of Inner Affairs.

The leading cultural establishments are Library after Pushkin, Theatre after V.E.Komissarzhevskaya, Museum of the Don Cossacks History.

The city has great possibilities for the development of Russian and international tourism as many tourist routes of the Rostov Region are crossed here.

Vocabulary notes:

tributary – приток allocation – размещение

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Text 7. In the bus on the way to Novocherkassk

Mr. M.: I couldn't imagine that your region is so rich in historic events. Yesterday we were in the city founded by Peter the Great and now we are on our way to Novocherkassk which is another centre of Russian history.

G.I.: From ancient times the Don land has been the place for free people. At the beginning of our era these steppes were uninhabited. Beginning with the 15th century the banks of the Don River have been populated by the people who called themselves «Cossacks» which meant 'free people'.

Mrs. M.: What are «Cossacks»? Are they a nationality or something else?

N.P.: They are an ethnographical group of people living in the South of Russia. Their ancestors were settlers from different parts of Russia. The Cossacks discussed all their problems of their life at general meetings known as «krug» (circle), they chose their own leader «ataman» and defended the southern borders of the Russian State.

I.: The Cossacks contributed much to the history of Russia. In the war of 1812 the Cossack army being a part of the Russian army visited Paris. Not far from the district where our grandfather lives there is a Cossack settlement («khutor») called Paris. Its name appeared after the Cossack march to the capital of France. During those years the ataman of the Don Cossacks was Matvey Ivanovich Platov, a legendary personality. He founded a new capital for the Cossacks, the city where we are going now.

S.: A new capital? Does it mean, that there was an old

one?

Ir.: Yes, before that the capital of the Cossacks was in Cherkassk town. Now it's stanitsa Starocherkasskaya.

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«Stanitsa» is another word for the country settlement. We shall visit, it too.

G.I. Frankly speaking, I must admit that at first the Cossacks didn't like the idea of a new capital.

N.F.: Yes, but when the famous architects from Moscow, St. Petersburg and even abroad were invited to build this new capital, it recieved its second life.

I.: We’ll show you the Museum of the Don Cossacks. Its expositions present centuries of the Cossack history and the development of Novocherkassk.

Ir.: And we'll also pay a visit to Voznesensky Cathedral, the largest one in the entire region.

N.P.: Here we are, this is Novocherkassk bus station. Our excursion begins.

Pay attention to the pronunciation of the following words:

ancient, era, uninhabited, ancestor, triumphal, symbolize, chancellery, collapse, Byzantine, noteworthy , column.

Vocabulary notes:

ancestors – предки

contributed much to – внесли большой вклад в being a part of – будучи частью

we'll also pay a visit to – мы также нанесем визит

Text 8. The City of the Cossack Glory

Novocherkassk is comparatively young but it is rich with places of interest, monuments to history and culture. The city has more than 50 monuments, historical buildings and memorials which tell us about tile events of this land.

The Triumphal Arches are two of the oldest architectural monuments in the city. In the past they crowned the oily gateways – one from Rostov, another from Shakhty. Now they open

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the way to the centre of Novocherkassk. The Arches were built in 1817. They symbolize the victory of the Russian Army in the war of 1812. One unusial building attracts the eye of the visitor. It is located in the eye of the city. This building appeared in 1844 for the Don Cossacks Chancellery. Long narrow corridors, arched ceilings and huge columns are still here. Today this building houses a military college.

Far from Novocherkassk one can see the domes of the Voznesensky Cathedral. It was laid out in the first years of the city's existence. Its construction took almost 100 years, due to several interruptions. The cathedral collapsed twice but finaly was finished in 1904. The last project of the Cathedral was made by the academician of architecture A.A.Yashchenko. The Novocherkassk Cathedral is considered one of the treasures of the Don architecture, it was built in the New Byzantine style. Its height is 74, 6 metres.

A 12-metres bronze monument to the legendary ataman Yermak Timofeyevich is one of the most beautiful in the Don Region. It became the unofficial symbol of Novocherkassk. The monument was erected in 1904. Two other buildings are also noteworthy sights in the city. They are the oldest higher educational establishment in our region, the Novocherkassk Polytechnical University, opened in 1907, and the Museum of the Don Cossacks.

Many places in the city are connected with life and activities of prominent scientists, well-known artists and outstanding writers. Among them are A.S.Pushkin, M.Y.Lermontov, A.S.Serafimovich, K.A.Trenev, V.F. Komissarzhevskaya.

Vocabulary notes:

The Triumphal Arches – Триумфальные арки crowned – венчали

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in the New Byzantine Style – в нововизантийском стиле noteworthy – примечательные, заслуживающие внима-

ния

Activities:

Discussing points:

1.Have you ever been to tile Museum of tile Don Cossacks? Tell your classmates about its exposition.

2.What else can you add to the story about the Don Cos-

sacks?

Text 9. The Fourth Capital of the Don Cossacks

In the initial period of the Don Cossacks history (up to 1622) their capital was in the small town of Razdory. In 1622 the «krug» decided to move the main town and administration to Monastyrsky town. After the seizure of Azov, the Cossacks made it their capital. And it was their main town during four years. But when they had to leave Azov in 1642, they moved to Cherkassk. For 160 years (1644 – 1805) it was the fourth capital of the Don Cossacks.

Cherkassk stood on the Don flood-lands and every spring it was flooded by water. Travellers who visited Cherkassk at such times were amazed by its beauty and nicknamed it «The Don Venice».

The 17th and 18th centures were not quiet in Russia. These were the centuries during which there were different uprisings and peasants' wars. Here, in Cherkassk, Stepan Razin, one of the leaders of these uprisings, began his march to Moscow but was defeated and executed. Kondrati Bulavin, another peasant war leader, was chosen to be the Don ataman.

After the foundation of the new capital, Cherkassk became a stanitsa (a country settlement) and was given the name Starocherkasskaya.

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The main sight in Starocherkasskaya is the former Don Army Voznesensky Cathedral with its bell-tower. It was built from 1706 to 1719. In front of the Cathedral there is a museum in the open air. Here we can see the signs of the Cossack glory. On display are the war trophies that the Cossacks brought from Azov: metal gates, a beam of the city scales and many guns and weapons. Stanitsa has also several monuments depicting the Cossack history: a castle-house – one of the oldest buildings on the Don land; a stone-house of Kondrati Bulavin; the former ataman Yefremovs' palace which became a monastery in 1837.

A tourist can visit the Battle field with a cemetry and a church built in the 18th century. Here the Cossacks gathered before they set out on their military marches.

Nowadays Starocherkasskaya is an architectural museum. Its sights are well cared for and visited by thousands of tourists each year.

Vocabular notes:

in the initial period – в начальный период flood-lands – заливные земли

were amazed by – были поражены nicknamed – прозвали

uprisings and peasants' wars – восстания и крестьянские войны

was defeated and executed – потерпел поражение и был казнен

а beam of the city scales – стрела городских весов the Battle Field – (зд.) Ратное поле.

Activities:

Discussing points:

1. What else do you know about the march of the Cossacks to Azov in 1637?

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2.Speak about the five capitals of the Don Cossacks.

3.Have you ever been to Starocherkasskaya? Speak about the sights you like most of all.

4.Do you know any interesting facts about Stepan Razin and Kondrati Bulavin? Tell your group-mates about them.

Text 10. Cherkassk (supplementary reading)

Find the answers to the following questions:

1.What is Cherkassk?

2.What famous people is it connected with?

3.What does Voskresensky cathedral look like?

4.What can you say about its history?

5.How did Peter the first help with the cathedral?

Cherkassk is an Ancient Don Cossack Centre. One can hardly find any other place on the Don where S.Razin, К.Bulavin, Yem. Pugachov lived. Peter I, A.Suvorov, A.Pushkin, who were interested in the Don Cossack duty, visited Cherkassk.

One of the interesting ancient monuments in Starocherkassk is Voskresensky Cathedral – one big cupola in the centre, and eight smaller ones around it, this attracts all the visitors of the «old nest» of Don Cossacks.

The Cathedral is an adornment of Cherkassk. From far away, it appears to be made of wood. The cut green cupolas are very picturesque. It is not very high but compared with the Cossack's houses, it looks huge.

The Cathedral was erected in the ancient town square where the main problems of the Cossacks life were discussed.

The history of the Cathedral is closely connected with the historical struggle of the Cossacks against the Turks. In 1637 the Cossacks setting out for Asov made a solemn oath that if

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