Описание (английский)
Kursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers.
The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history.The oldest building in Kursk is the upper church of the Trinity
Monastery, a good example of the transition style characteristic of Peter the Great's early reign. The oldest lay building is the so-called Romodanovsky Chamber, although it was erected in all probability in the mid-18th century, when the Romodanovsky family had ceased to exist.
The city cathedral was built between 1752 and 1778 in the splendid Baroque style and was decorated so sumptuously that many art historians attributed it to Bartolomeo Rastrelli.
Although Rastrelli's authorship is out of the question, the cathedral
is indeed the most impressive monument of Elizabethan Baroque not to be
commissioned by the imperial family or built in the imperial capital.
The cathedral has two stories, with the lower church consecrated to St. Sergius of Radonezh and the upper one — to the Theotokos of Kazan.
The upper church is noted for an intricate icon screen which took
sixteen years to complete. The three-story cathedral bell tower derives
peculiar interest from the fact that Seraphim of Sarov,
whose father took part in construction works, survived an accidental
fall from its top floor at the age of seven.
The Resurrection Church is
also shown where St. Seraphim was baptized.
The monastery cathedral of the Sign (1816–26) is another imposing edifice, rigorously formulated in the purest Neoclassical
style, with a cupola measuring 20 meters (66 ft) in diameter and rising
48 meters (157 ft) high. The interior was formerly as rich as colored
marbles, gilding, and frescoes could make it. During the Soviet period,
the cathedral was desecrated, four lateral domes and twin belltowers
over the entrance pulled down. There are plans to restore the church to
its former glory.
The modern city is a home for several universities: Kursk State Medical University, State Technical University, Kursk State University
(former Pedagogical University) and Agricultural Academy, as well as
the private Regional Open Social Institute (ROSI).
There are also modern
shrines and memorials commemorating the Battle of Kursk, both in the city and in Prokhorovka.
The Command Station Bunker & Museum was built specifically in memorial of the courageous Russian T-34 tank units that fought in the Battle of Kursk,
where a T-34 tank is on display. Over 6,000 armored vehicles fought in
close range over the open territory near Kursk in 1943. This battle
stopped the German advance into the Kursk Salient, and was a turning
point of World War II on the Eastern Front.
Kursk played a role in the Cold War as host to Khalino air base.
Nearby is Tsentralno-Chernozemny Zapovednik, a large section of
steppe soil that has never been plowed. It is used for a variety of
research purposes.