Rostov-on-Don is the capital of the Rostov Region and the Southern Federal District. The city with more than a million inhabitants is located on the left and right banks of the wide Don River, about 1000 kilometers south of Moscow. The favorable geographical position of these places was noted by Peter the Great during his Azov campaigns, and Empress Elizaveta Petrovna ordered the Temernitskaya customs to be established here to protect the Russian borders. Today Rostov-on-Don is the largest transport hub in the south of the country. "Port of Five Seas" provides access to the Black, Azov, Caspian, White, Baltic seas.
During the Great Patriotic War, Rostov-on-Don received another common name - “the gates of the Caucasus”. The center of intersection of water, road and railways - the city from the first days of the war was a strategically important target for the enemy. The defeat of the enemy near Rostov in 1941 thwarted the plans of the German command to break through to the Caucasus. For merits during the war, Rostov-on-Don was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the first degree. The gilded image of this order rises above the main city square on a 72-meter stele; on the other side, the stele is decorated with a sculpture of the winged goddess of victory Nike. At the bottom, the stele is surrounded by a tuff relief on which the themes "Front", "Rear", "Peace" are presented. On May 6, 2008, the city of Rostov-on-Don was awarded the Certificate of the President of Russia on conferring the honorary title "City of Military Glory".
For 1941-1943. Rostov-on-Don became the scene of fierce battles four times. The city was occupied twice. Dozens of memorable places in the city are associated with the Great Patriotic War: a memorial in honor of the 56th Army that defended Rostov; Zmievskaya Balka - a place of mass death of civilians; area of the 5th Don building; Guards Square; park named after Viti Cherevichkin; Kumzhenskaya Grove; square of the 353rd Infantry Division and others …
Streets and squares of the city are named in honor of the heroes of the Second World War, information signs are placed on many houses in Rostov-on-Don. On each plate, in addition to a photo of the hero and a short text in Russian and English, a QR code is applied, having scanned it using mobile devices, guests of the southern capital can listen to an audio recording of the biography of a famous person.
The celebration of the Great Victory Day in Rostov-on-Don this year will last for several days and promises to be the largest in the Southern Federal District. On May 5, a ceremony of laying a garland of Glory at the memorial "Soldiers-Liberators of Rostov-on-Don" and a solemn meeting dedicated to the 72nd anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 will take place. May 8 in the park. M. Gorky will host the Festival of Cossack Folk Culture, dedicated to Victory Day.
The main events are scheduled for May 9th. The "Immortal Regiment" action, which has already become a good tradition, will take place in the southern capital. It is planned that in a common column, with photographs of their loved ones, more than 50 thousand people will march along the streets of Rostov-on-Don. If necessary, you can enlarge and print in a large format a photograph of your relative in any MFC region for free. A flower-laying ceremony will take place at the Eternal Flame of the "Fallen Soldiers" memorial complex in the Frunze square. The procession of the "Immortal Regiment" will be opened by military equipment from the times of the Great Patriotic War, found by search engines on the battlefields: a T-34 tank, the legendary Katyusha, a lorry, Willys (Willis) and armored cars. The parade column will pass along Sovetskaya Street to the main square of the city of Teatralnaya. And towards her, along Bolshaya Sadovaya Street, a convoy of sixteen military UAZ cars with an open top will move, veterans of the Great Patriotic War will drive from Budennovsky Avenue to the festive stands of Teatralnaya Square. 285 Don natives became Heroes of the Soviet Union, five people were awarded this title twice, and Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny became three times Hero of the Soviet Union.
1,500 soldiers of the Southern Military District and law enforcement agencies are preparing for the military parade on May 9, 2017 in Rostov-on-Don. Students of cadet corps, representatives of the National Guard and employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations will march in the same ranks with the servicemen. About 50 units of modern military equipment will drive along the streets and avenues of the city as part of a mechanized convoy. Rostovites and guests of the Southern capital will be able to see Typhoon, Tiger and Lynx armored vehicles, T-72B3 tanks, BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, Chrysanthemum anti-tank missile systems, Iskander-M missile systems, mobile coastal missile Bastion complexes, Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and cannon systems, Tornado-G multiple launch rocket systems and Msta-B howitzers.
As part of the celebration of the 72nd anniversary of Victory Day, all districts of the city will host solemn events: the youth action "Victory Banner", a festive concert program dedicated to Victory Day in the park on May 1, and on the street. Pushkinskaya near the monument to V. Vysotsky concert with the participation of poets and bards. In the evening, tens of thousands of spectators will gather at the Theater Square in Rostov-on-Don, where a festive gala concert will take place, which will end with a festive fireworks.
Regular excursions are held in Rostov-on-Don, during which you can hear stories about the events of the Great Patriotic War on the Don land: about the hardships of life in those years, about the historical feat of the city's defenders.
Information about events and city tours is posted on the tourist portal of Rostov-on-Don
