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Voronezh Region
// GENERAL INFORMATION
Voronezh, the regional center, is located in the Central Black Earth economic district and occupies the central part of the Russian Plain. The region's favorable economic and geographical situation is due to its nearness to industrially developed regions and a well developed transportation system providing stable economic ties with other Russian regions and CIS countries. It is located at the intersection of the main railway lines that connect the Central regions with the Northern Caucasus and Ukraine, and freight traffic from southern to central European Russia passes through it.
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The region was formed as part of the Russian Federation on June 13, 1934.
Voronezh Region has an area of 52 600 km2 (0.31% of the Russian Federation); it extends 277.5 km from north to south and 352 km from west to east. The region's natural diversity is due to its location at the junction of the forest steppe and steppe zones of the Central Russian Uplands, the Oka-Don Lowlands, and the upper reaches of the Don River and its tributaries, the Khoper and Bityug rivers.
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Number of political units in the region is 32 administrative districts; 15 cities, including 7 under regional administration; 22 towns; and 491 rural administrations. The population of the region is about 2 500 000 (1.7% of Russia's population). Population density is 47.4 people per km2. The region's capital is Voronezh, located 587 km from Moscow. The region's largest cities are Voronezh (903 700 people), Borisoglebsk (65 700 people), Rossosh (63 400 people), Liski (55 700 people).
The city of Voronezh is situated on the banks of the Voronezh River, a tributary of the Don River. Abundant subsurface water ensures a supply of drinking water to the region.
The engineering and food industries form the basis of the capital's economy. The world's first Tu-144 supersonic airliner was built in Voronezh. Modern plants for producing video and radio equipment have also been built, and production of manufacturing equipment for the food industry has been set up in Voronezh. The Voronezh Agricultural Machinery Plant (Voronezhselmash), which manufactures grain separators, is the leading company in the tractor and agricultural-machinery manufacturing sector. The largest chemical industry companies are the Voronezh Tire Plant (Voronezhsky shinny zavod) and the Voronezh Synthetic Rubber Plant (Voronezhsky zavod sinteticheskogo kauchuka). Voronezh accounts for 42% of all output of the Central Black Earth district.
The city is divided into six districts: four on the right bank of the Voronezh Reservoir (Tsentralny, Leninsky, Kominternovsky, Sovetsky) and two on the left bank (Levoberezhny, and Zheleznodorozhny).
Voronezh Region's leading economic sectors are the engineering, food, and building material industries and agriculture.
The region's temperate continental climate is favorable for the cultivation of all temperate zone crops, as well as heat-loving crops like wheat, sunflowers, and corn. The predominant soil type is typical black earth (chernozem) with a humus content of 8-9%. It is well suited for agriculture, which is characterized by a well developed structure and specialization in the production of sugar, oils and fats, meat, butter and cheese, canned fruits and vegetables, alcohol, and tobacco. Specialized market sectors include production of sunflowers, grain, sugar beets, meat, milk, and essential oil crops (e.g., anise and coriander). Millet is grown in the arid parts of Voronezh Region. Industrial crops include hemp, sunflowers, and potatoes.
The construction industry mainly supplies the region's internal market. Mineral resources include commercial reserves of refractory clay and various kinds of building materials, such as fine sand suitable for producing silicate concrete goods, clays, and clay loam used in making expanded clay products, tiles, and bricks.
Voronezh Region is one of the country's most energy-resource-poor regions and is oriented to imported fuel.
Voronezh is involved in everything that modern industry can produce. The most developed industries are engineering, electronics, chemicals, food, building materials, and furniture manufacture. Companies in Voronezh produce airliners, rocket engines, oil- and gas-industry equipment, excavators, heavy power presses, machine tools, synthetic rubber and car tires, bridge and aluminum structures, and complex electronic systems. The Voronezh trademark is known in Russia and other continents. Voronezh manufacturers export their products to 30 countries around the world.
Small and medium businesses, joint ventures, and sectors such as industrial production, the food and processing industries, trade, and services are expanding rapidly.
The city has a well-developed telecommunications network that includes satellite communications and computer networks.
The staffs of various research establishments and design institutes make a significant contribution to scientific development.
Higher educational institutions, technical and other specialized schools, gymnasia, and colleges give Voronezh the aspect of a young student city. The higher educational institutions include the oldest university in Russia, where very high scientific and intellectual potential are concentrated and well-known scientific schools conduct fundamental research and development work.
The lands of Voronezh are the home of poets A.V. Koltsov, I.S. Nikitin, S.Ya. Marshak, and I.A. Bunin; writers A.P. Platonov, N.A. Zadonsky, and G.N. Troepolsky; storyteller A.N. Afanasev; and folk-tale narrators A.K. Baryshnikova and A.N. Korolkova. Voronezh has also given the world famous artists such as I.N. Kramsky, N.N. Ge, N.I. Bessarabova, A.A. Buchkuri, A.V. Kuprin, and L.G. Solovev.
Political figures G.B. Plekhanov, E.O. Zaslavsky, I.N. Baturin, M.S. Olminsky, and V.A. Antonov-Ovseenko, prominent Russian and Soviet scientists S.A. Chaplygin, P.A. Cherenkov, N.G. Basov, and A.V. Sidorenko, and cosmonauts K.P. Feoktistov and V.A. Shatalov all studied at educational institutions in Voronezh. Academicians K.D. Glinka, N.N. Budrenko, and B.A. Keller worked at higher educational institutions in the city.
Voronezh audiences applauded actors M.S. Shchepkin and P.S. Mochalov and actresses M.N. Ermolova and V.F. Komissarzhevskaya; and the artistic careers of L.S. Viven, A.A. Ostuzhev, S.I. Papov, A.V. Polyakov, N.P. Rossov, and V.I. Florinsky began on the stages of Voronezh. Anatoly Durov, the founder of a great circus dynasty, also began his rise to fame in Voronezh.
HISTORY
The territory of present-day Voronezh Region was settled approximately 30 000 years ago, as shown by the presence of ancient human sites near the village of Kostenki on the right bank of the Don River. Scientists have discovered and studied stone and bone implements and the remains of dwellings here. Scythians, Alans, and Huns advanced into the region before the 9th century, followed by the Khazars, Pechenegs, and Polovtsians.
The chronicles first mention the existence of a settlement on the site of the city of Voronezh in the 13th century. The settlement did not last long, as it was soon pillaged and destroyed by the Mongol-Tatar invaders.
The overthrow of the Mongol-Tatar yoke and the formation of a centralized Russian state in the late 15th century led to the revival of Voronezh Territory; Voronezh was officially made part of the Russian state in the 16th century.
It has been established that Voronezh was founded in the year 7094 according to Biblical chronology, which corresponds to the period from September 1, 1585, through August 31, 1586, in modern chronology. A wooden fortress was built on the high right bank of the Voronezh River to defend Russia's southern borders from nomad raids.
However, other settlements existed in the Voronezh area even earlier, which keeps local historians busy. There have recently been some poorly substantiated suggestions placing the city's founding date anywhere from the 10th to the 12th centuries or even before the Common Era. In each case, this refers not to the present-day city but to its mysterious predecessor, which may not have even stood on the site of what is now Voronezh but somewhere nearby and which disappeared long before construction of the fortress in 1585-1586.
Surprisingly enough, this fortress, which appears to be the origin of the present-day city and which is seemingly closer and more attractive, is far less popular for some reason. Its exact location has still not even been determined.
Small, fortified towns began to spring up on the southern borders of the Russian state in the second half of the 16th century to defend it from Tatar raids. Voronezh was built in 1585 for this purpose. Its population had reached 6000 by the early 17th century; and by the mid-17th century, there was already a whole system of these fortified towns in the northwestern part of the region along the Tikhaya Sosna, Don, Voronezh, and Usman rivers. The threat of Tatar invasions was virtually eliminated by the late 17th century, and gradual settlement and economic development of the territory took place.
The most important period in the territory's history was connected with the reign of Peter the Great. In 1696, he ordered the construction of a shipyard where the first Russian fleet was built. It consisted of 23 galleys and 4 fireships, among which was the 36-gun galleass [a large type of galley] Apostle Peter (Apostol Petr). This fleet won its first victory near Azov in July of that year, and from then on it was known as the Azov Fleet.
In 1700, the Voronezh shipyard built the 58-gun battleship Predestination (Predestinatsiya) according to Peter's own design. It was one of the best ships of its time, and Peter was very satisfied with it: "Extremely beautiful, very handsome proportions, of fair art, and a very good size." The Predestination was part of the Azov Fleet until 1711.
Construction of two battleships, a frigate, and ten supply ships was completed at the Oseredsk shipyard by 1711. In commemoration of the Saint Paul fortress in Mius, the fortress of Oseredsk was ordered to take the name Novopavlovsk; and in the same year (1711), the village of Oseredskaya was granted city status by royal decree and given the name Pavlovsk.
Other ships built according to Peter the Great's designs included the Old Eagle (Stary orel), Old Oak (Stary dub), Laska, and Principium. Peter himself commanded the Russian fleet's first Azov campaign from the flagship Principium.
During Peter's reign, Voronezh became a major shipbuilding center, where 69 large ships, 7 bombardiers, and 9 fireships were built. Voronezh was transformed into a large industrial city with specialized plants, factories, textile mills, and workshops.
The city grew over the next 15 years, becoming a major population center. During this time, the city's population quadrupled to 40 000 people (60 000 according to other data). For a while, Voronezh was in effect transformed into the capital, where the most important events occurred and where the tsar and his courtiers were in residence. Diplomats, captains, generals, and shipwrights represented European countries in Voronezh; and as in Moscow, there was a German (i.e., foreign) settlement. The old road to Moscow was repaired, and mail service between Voronezh and Moscow was initiated.
Between 1700 and 1709, 25 cities were attached to the Voronezh Admiralty. The burden of shipbuilding lay heavily on the shoulders of peasants already exhausted by taxes and all kinds of obligations. People could not endure the heavy labor, impositions, and humiliations and started burning the shipyards. Resentment of the exhausting labor of building the fleet was one of the reasons for the revolt led by Kondraty Bulavin, which gripped most of Voronezh Territory and many areas of Ukraine and the Volga region. The revolt was brutally suppressed by royal decree.
After the victorious war against Sweden and the appearance of the new capital of St. Petersburg, Voronezh lost much of its importance. The tsar visited the city for the last time in 1722.
The first provinces (gubernii) in Russia appeared in the early 18th century. On December 18, 1708, Peter the Great signed a Decree dividing the country into provinces: "The Great Tsar has given orders…for the public good to make provinces and assign cities to them." This was the beginning of the existence of these higher administrative divisions and local government in Russia.
The immediate cause of the reform of 1708 was the need to change the system of financing and provisioning of the army (land regiments, fortress garrisons, artillery, and the fleet were "registered" by province and received money and provisions through special commissars). Initially there were 8 provinces, although their number subsequently increased to 23.
Voronezh Province (formerly Azov Province) was formed in 1725. Its territory extended northeast to the Volga River and Nizhny Novgorod and south to the Sea of Azov. Districts (uezdy) were also divided up among the provinces. About 3000 German colonists from Wurttemberg immigrated to Voronezh Province in 1767. There was a sharp reduction in the size of the province in 1779 during Catherine the Great's administrative reforms, which left it with only 17 districts. Voronezh Province was transformed into a governorship, but became a province again in 1796. The final division of the province into 12 districts was established by 1824.
The Central Black Earth Region, uniting the former provinces of Voronezh, Tambov, Kursk, and Orlov, was formed in 1928, with Voronezh as its capital. Voronezh was the capital of this large new political unit from 1928 to 1934. During this time, large industrial facilities arose and the city boundary "crossed over" to the left bank of the Voronezh River, thus beginning the development of the left bank area.
On June 13, 1934, the city became the administrative center of Voronezh Region as a result of increased workloads and the difficulties of managing a large-scale economy.
During the Second World War, bloody battles between the Soviet Army and the German invaders lasting 212 days (from June 28, 1942, to January 25, 1943) took place in Voronezh, resulting in near-total destruction of the city. Reconstruction of Voronezh began almost immediately after it was liberated and was completed by the end of the 1950s. The city continued to develop in the 1960s and 1970s. The Voronezh Reservoir was formed in 1972.
In 1975, during the celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of the victory over the Germans, the city of Voronezh was awarded the Ist Degree Order of the Patriotic War for courage and heroism during the war and successful economic development.
In 1996, Voronezh celebrated the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Azov Fleet.
RESOURCES
Large tracts of forest (mainly oak and pine), many of which have been proclaimed forest preserves (e.g., the Voronezhsky and Khopersky preserves), characterize the region's landscape. Areas of native steppe have also been preserved.
Forests cover a total of 644 000 hectares in Voronezh Region, of which 400 000 hectares are classified as forest resources under forest management. The remaining forests and protective plantations are located on agricultural land, in nature preserves, at training centers, and in special forest areas.
Only 10.4% of Voronezh Region is forested, which makes protective afforestation a pressing problem. In the last five years, there has been a significant decrease in this kind of activity. A total of 750 hectares of trees and protective plantations were planted in 1997, including 110 hectares of roadside shelter belts. A sum of 525.9 million rubles from the nature conservation fund was set aside for this purpose.
The number of fire outbreaks in forest areas decreased from 572 to 305 in a year, and only 35 hectares were burned.
Voronezh Region is the habitat of 70 species of mammals, 290 species of birds, 56 species and subspecies of fish, 10 species of amphibians, and 9 species of reptiles. Some groups of animals have been more extensively studied than others. Regular monitoring is conducted only for game species and their habitats and for the steppe marmot, which is listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
Wildlife populations in the region:
- moose - 514,
- red deer - 754,
- roe deer - 2674,
- wild boar - 3291.
The steppe marmot population stabilized at 35 000 animals in 1997.
A total of 796.5 million m3 of fresh water were used in the region in 1997, and 3357 million m3 were recycled. Wastewater discharges into surface waters amounted to 554.1 million m3, including 231.2 million m3 of polluted water. At present, only 22 of 34 cities and district centers have treatment plants.
The volume of polluted wastewater discharged into surface waters has decreased by 2.9 million m3. The amount of contaminants entering water bodies along with wastewater has increased by an insignificant 1600 tons as a result of the startup of new treatment plants in the city of Boguchar.
In 1997, 69 700 tons of contaminants were emitted into the atmosphere, including 11 900 tons of solids and 57 800 tons of gases and liquids. The food industry, engineering and metalworking, power generation, and the gas industry account for a significant proportion of the atmospheric emissions in the region.
Harmful atmospheric emissions from stationary sources in the region have decreased by 8000 tons over a period of a year (1996 to 1997) as a result of conservation measures. Motor vehicles are the main source of atmospheric pollutants (314 000 tons or 80% of the total).
The Voronezh Biosphere Preserve is located in the forest steppe zone, occupying the northern part of the famous Usman pine forest, which has a history going back more than 2000 years. The Voronezh preserve owes its existence to the beaver, which was nearly exterminated in Russia by the early 20th century. A small number of beaver remained in the floodplains of certain small rivers like the Usmanka.
A game preserve to protect the beaver was established in 1923 and then sanctioned as a nature preserve by the government in 1927. Russia's beaver population has now been restored; half of them are of Voronezh stock.
The Voronezh preserve covers an area of 31 000 hectares and is a unique natural system with a wide variety of plant and animal life. There are more than 1000 species of higher plants, including rare medicinal plants and many others listed in the Red Book. The preserve is also the habitat of 58 species of mammals, about 200 species of birds, 39 species of fish, 8 species each of amphibians and reptiles, and more than 10 000 species of insects.
In 1985, by a decision of UNESCO, the preserve was granted the status of a biosphere preserve and now operates under a unified international program. A station for monitoring manmade pollution levels in the natural environment has been set up in its territory.
Specialists of regional, city, and district environmental protection committees recently checked the activities of 169 organizations in the industrial, agricultural, transport, and housing and municipal sectors for compliance with environmental legislation. Work to control atmospheric pollution levels was carried out in Voronezh, Liski, and Podgornoe. Dust levels 2.5 times higher than the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) were observed near a cement plant in the community of Podgornoe. In Voronezh, dust levels twice the MPC were observed at the intersection of Leninsky pr. and ul. Dmitrova, as well as on ul. Lebedeva. Other analyzed components were within permissible norms.
Ongoing observation of water quality in the Voronezh Reservoir showed that the reservoir's oxygen regime was satisfactory. The mineral and organic content of the water was also within the norm. An investigation of storm water entering the reservoir near ul. Dmitrova showed a petroleum product content 63 times higher than the MPC.
In June, the regional environmental protection committee, together with the special police force of the Department of Internal Affairs (OMON UVD) and the regional fisheries inspectorate ended a two-month-long program to protect spring-spawning fish, during which more than 600 violations of fish-protection legislation were uncovered, 594 poachers were arrested, 814 pieces of prohibited fishing gear were seized, and administrative fines of nearly 43 000 rubles were imposed.
Harmful atmospheric emissions from stationary sources (a monitored group of companies) in cities and districts of the region amounted to 24 200 tons in the first half of 1999, a decrease of 3500 tons (12.7%) compared to the same period in 1998.
The following are the region's most ecologically hazardous facilities:
- Novovoronezhskaya Nuclear Power Plant (Novovoronezhskaya AES),
- Gas, product, and ammonia pipelines,
- Line production dispatching center (Voronezh),
- Voronezh Waterworks (Voronezhsky gidrouzel),
- AO Voronezhsintezkauchuk,
- AO Kholod (Voronezh),
- AO Myasokombinat (Voronezh),
- Khimavtomatika Design Bureau (KB Khimavtomatika; Voronezh),
- AO Minudobreniya (Rossosh),
- Chlorine storage at water pumping stations (Voronezh),
- Solid domestic waste treatment site (Voronezh),
- Moskovskoe Meat Packing Plant (MKhP Moskovskoe; Kashirskoe) and Yubileinoe Meat Packing Plant (Yubileinoe MKhP; Khokholsky District) - storage units for manure-contaminated runoff,
- Storage units for liquid sugar-refinery wastes,
- Liski railway junction,
- Povorino Station.
ECONOMY
The region is part of the Central Black Earth economic district and is the largest Central Black Earth region. Its specialized sectors include engineering and metalworking (airplanes, machine tools, agricultural machinery, excavators, radio equipment), the chemical industry (synthetic rubber, tires, pharmaceuticals, etc.), and the food, light, and building material industries. The Novovoronezhskaya Nuclear Power Plant is located here. The main industrial centers are Voronezh, Borisoglebsk, Novokhopersk, Georgiu-Dezh, Kalach, Semiluki, Ostrogozhsk, and Rossosh.
Voronezh Region is a major food producer and has a high-capacity food and food-processing industry that includes 12 sugar refineries, 15 meat packing plants, 6 flour mills, 2 cereal mills, 7 fat and oil plants, 8 distilleries, 5 canneries, 34 dairies, 45 food-processing plants, and more than 120 bread-baking plants and smaller bakeries.
Agriculture in Voronezh Region is oriented towards grain growing and livestock breeding. Grain crops, sugar beets, sunflowers, tobacco, hemp, potatoes, and vegetables are grown here. Livestock include beef and dairy cattle, pigs, sheep, poultry, horses, and goats. Horticulture and beekeeping are also well developed. Agricultural land occupies 39 300 km2 of the region's total area (52 600 km2), including 30 870 km2 of arable land.
The region's agricultural industry comprises 706 agricultural businesses, 3148 individual farms, 162 food and food-processing companies, and 146 agricultural service and construction organizations. Voronezh produces 14% of the sugar, 9% of the vegetable oil and margarine, 7% of the grain, and 4% of the canned fruit and vegetables in Russia. Agriculture contributes 32% to the region's gross social product.
CULTURE AND ART
Voronezh Region has long been renowned for its distinctive talents. Nature itself inspired creativity in people: the beauty and harmony of the deep rivers; primeval forests; and broad meadows, which attracted attention to the quiet beauty of wildflowers.
The region's natural beauty is reflected in the embroidery that forms unique patterns on tapestries. Embroidery, weaving, lacemaking, beadwork, and other forms of decorative art were all used to adorn clothing and houses.
A great variety of ancient crafts still exist in Voronezh Region today. Mariya Ivanova Gladneva, a superb tapestry maker and the region's only national craftswoman, lives in Khokholsky District. Her skilful hands create handwoven carpets reminiscent of decorated trays with their intricate floral patterns: the stunning beauty of roses woven into a living garland with incredible tints and multihued threads is set off against the deep darkness of the background. Her works give even noisy museum halls a homelike feeling of comfort. Foreign experts also esteem Mariya Ivanovna's carpets, which have captivated even the most diverse visitors. It is as if she has transported a lush, fragrant little garden of central Russia to the halls of foreign museums.
Another traditional craft of Voronezh Region that should be mentioned is ceramic work, which long existed in Ramonsky, Semiluksky, Khokholsky, Novokhopersky, Buturlinovsky, and Kalacheevsky districts. Abundant clay deposits were found here, and there were villages where nearly everyone was involved in making pottery. They worked in their own homes, since there were no separate workshops. The articles were dried at home and then fired in a brick-lined pit.
A tile plant and chinaware factory once operated profitably in the village of Endovishche, Semiluksky District. By that time, cast iron, glazed earthenware, and porcelain had begun to flood the market and small-scale ceramic production gradually died out. Only a few solitary potters worked in the region in the period from 1920 to the end of the Second World War, and development of ornamental ceramics ceased altogether. At this point, the tradition ended for a time.
The history of the local ceramic industry was continued in 1947 with the establishment of the Keramika craft cooperative in Voronezh. The revival of traditional Voronezh ceramics began with opening of the Ramonskaya ornamental ceramic factory in 1968. A branch of the factory opened in the village of Karachun, which kept the art of pottery making alive there.
Patterns that follow the traditions of past Karachun craftsmen are developed at the factory. A distinctive feature of this pottery is a coating of green, yellow, terracotta, and burgundy enamel. A "sticker", engraving, inlays, and painting with wet clay are obligatory parts of the decoration; and large black checks, bright yellow crosses, and multi-rayed symbols form part of the pattern.
In the early 20th century, one could buy toy figures of soldiers, ladies, and various animals and birds. Distinctive features of these locally made toys were wicker horns and beards on goats, stuck-on deer antlers, and splendid crests on birds. The bodies of the toys were decorated with "eyelets", carving, and pendants. Examples of these toys can be found in museum storerooms or in private collections.
A new generation of ceramicists interested in clay toys appeared in the 1990s. Local clay toy development continues along two different lines. The first is drawn from the artist's imagination, for example, representations of fairy-tale characters or strange animals decorated with intricate scrollwork carved in the moist clay. The second line follows folk traditions.
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