Exploring the Don steppes

Exploring Donland

Cossack trails abound in the Rostov region, where many towns preserve the Russian frontiersmen’s culture and way of life. Four sites near Rostov-on-Don, the regional capital, provide the best glimpse of how the Cossacks lived, and each deserves a visit:  Azov, Novocherkassk, Starocherkassk and Veshenskaya. Rostov makes a great base from which to begin your excursions.

Rostov-on-Don

Sometimes called the capital of Southern Russia, this city of 1.2 million lies on the right bank of the Don, in steppes that are flat as a pancake. Located some 1,000 miles south of Moscow, it is the center of the Rostov region and one of the country’s most important agricultural centers, specializing mainly in corn and wheat. For many years, Rostov has been a major trading post – hence the historic high levels of crime and its nickname, “Rostovpapa.” 

What to see:

• Constructivist architecture: such as the tractor-shaped Gorky Drama Theater, a port that looks like a ship and a theater in the shape of a giant grand piano.

• Levyi Bereg entertainment zone: located on the left bank of the Don, features an entire village of restaurants and hotels just across the river. Enjoy shashlyk and all-night entertainment, as well as hosts of mosquitoes.

• Jazz: Rostov is a major Russian jazz center, with an excellent band and jazz school for children.

• Armenian influences: they permeate the region, especially Nakhichevan – now part of Rostov – which offers a distinct Armenian community. 

Getting there: Rostov’s airport serves domestic flights from most Russian cities, as well as international carriers Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines. Alternatively, take a “Tikhy Don” fast train from Kazansky Railway Station in Moscow, which travels to Rostov in just over 18 hours.

Hotels: The centrally-located and newly-renovated hotel Don Plaza, formerly the Intourist, offers rooms starting at R2,100 ($80) per night. Reservations: +7(863) 263 9065. Also central and redecorated, but more modest, is the Hotel Rostov. Rooms start at R1,500 ($57) per night. Reservations: +7(863) 290 7690.

Starocherkassk

This former capital of the Don Cossacks (1640-1805) is located on Monastyrsky Island, 22 miles upriver from Rostov. Formerly known as Cherkassk, it was renamed Starocherkassk (Old Cherkassk) after Ataman Matvey Platov moved the Cossack capital away from the river in 1805. The city was first mentioned in the chronicles in 1570 and reached its heyday in the 18th century. Now it is a village with a major museum and an operating monastery.

What to see:

• Ataman’s Estate Museum: Previously owned by the Yefremov family, this 18th century estate hosts an exhibition on Cossack history and culture. 

• Resurrection Cathedral: This early 17th century church has an iconostasis with 125 icons from the 18th century and displays the chains of Stepan Razin.

• Peter and Paul Church (1751): Ataman Matvey Platov was baptized here.

• Home of the rebel Kondraty Bulavin

• Ruins of Annensky Fortress (1730) 

• Open-air folk festivals are frequently held in the summer.

Getting there: Boats run from Rostov to Starocherkassk on Sundays throughout the summer. At other times, take a minibus to the town of Aksay, then change for the one to Starocherkassk. 

Novocherkassk

“New Cherkassk” is the contemporary center of Cossackdom and home to 185,000 people. Founded in 1805 by Ataman Matvey Platov, Novocherkassk became the center of Cossack revival after the fall of Communism.

What to see:

• History Museum of Don Cossackdom: Opened in 1899, the museum has a unique collection of Cossack flags and arms from the 18th and 19th centuries. Yet the museum’s most prized possessions are the personal belongings of the town’s founder, Ataman Platov.  

• Host’s Ascension Cathedral: This large house of worship can accommodate 5,000 and may be the third largest church in Russia. Founded in 1805, the cathedral opened one hundred years later. The cathedral was used as a warehouse throughout the Soviet era and reopened in 1993. 

• Ataman’s Palace: The official residence of Don Atamans.

• Museum of the Victims of the Novocherkassk Uprising of 1962.

Getting there: The town is 40 minutes by minibus from Rostov’s bus station. 

Stanitsa Veshenskaya

One of the oldest Cossack villages in the upper Don, Veshenskaya dates to 1640 and is best known as the home of Mikhail Sholokhov, author of Quiet Flows The Don and Nobel Prize laureate for literature in 1965. Quite remote, the village of 11,200 perches on the banks of the Don, 93 miles from the closest railway station and 224 miles from Rostov.

What to see:

• Sholokhov Museum Reserve: Mana-ged by Sholokhov’s son Alex-ander, the reserve features traditional Cossack houses, artifacts from the lives of Upper Don Cossacks at the beginning of the 20th century and an exhibition devoted to Sholokhov, including his personal items, Nobel Prize diploma and translations of his books into foreign languages.  

• The annual spring outdoor folk festival “Sholokhov’s Spring” is held at the end of May. 

• Horseback tours of Veshenskaya. 

• Fishing, hunting and mushroom picking.

Getting there: By car or five hours by bus from Rostov bus station. 

Azov

Located just 42 km from Rostov-on-Don, this town was once a major trading outpost. Founded by the Greeks more than 2,000 years ago, Azov came under Russian rule at the end of the 10th century but has changed hands many times since then. Deeply connected with the Cossacks throughout history, the city is best known for the Azovskoe sidenie, the Azov Siege of 1641 (see article). After losing most its trade flow to Rostov in the 19th century, Azov became a backwater town, now home to 82,000. 

What to see:

• Walls of the Turkish fortress with the 18th century Alekseyevsky Gates.

• City Museum offers unique artifacts, including a 600,000-year-old elephant skeleton, as well as early gold, silver and ceramic art. 

• Gunpowder Cellar (1799): Includes the diorama, “Storming of the Turkish Fortress of Azov by Peter I’s Troops in 1696,” and a display on the history of the Don Cossacks.

Getting there: The best way is a 40-minute minibus ride from Rostov. The more romantic, half-hour boat trip offers far less frequent service, while an hourlong train ride is the least exciting option. 

— Maria Kolesnikova