Krasnodar

Krasnodar is the administrative center of the Krasnodar region (Russian: Krasnodarsky Kray), the most populous southern region of Russia. The population of Krasnodar is about 800,000 people. Krasnodar is situated on the River Kuban, approximately 1000 km (620 miles) south from Moscow, and 120 km (75 miles) north from the Black Sea, on the periphery of the Caucasus.

The town was founded by the Cossacs in 1793 to protect Southern borders of Russia. The original city’s name Ekaterinodar meant “Catherine’s Gift” in recognition of the Russian Queen Catherine the Great. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 the city received its current name Krasnodar, which means “Beautiful Gift”.

Krasnodar

Today Krasnodar is a dynamic modern city—major industrial, agricultural, and cultural center in the south of Russia. After Moscow, it is the fastest growing region in Russia.

Its major tourist attractions include St. Catherine’s Cathedral, the State Arts Museum, a park and theatre named after Maxim Gorky, the beautiful concert hall of the Krasnodar Philharmonic Society, which is considered to have some of the best acoustics in southern Russia, State Cossack Choir and the Krasnodar circus.