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Svetlana Dolina trip to Rostov-on-Don
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 There are various areas of Russia which hold a special place in the hearts of all Russians. Lake Baikal and Altai are two of them, while another is a vast area of rolling grassland steppe just north of the Black Sea which is the homeland of the Cossacks. Immortalized by Sholokhov in Quiet flows the Don and The Don flows home, it is a region which is little known to foreigners and yet one whose beauty and legend has been captured in both art and literature for over 200 years.
I recently had the opportunity to visit this area and after a 1,5 hour flight from Moscow I arrived at Rostov-on-Don, the acknowledged capital of Donskaya land. Built on a steep bank of the river Don, the centre of this old merchant town is famous for its interesting and distinctive architecture and combines two towns – Old Rostov and Nahichevan which was founded in the 18th century by Armenian refugees. One of its main attractions is the embankment. Full of monuments, statues and little cafes, it is a place to wander and savor the beauty of the opposite bank. |
Nearby in the water-meadows of the river are the Cossack villages (Stanitsa) of Kochetovskaya, Razdory, Starochrkasskaya and many others where I met the real Cossacks. Sitting in a private home I listened to old Cossacks songs, drank probably too much of their home made vodka, learned about their traditional way of life, the importance of the Cossack house or Kuren and returned to my hotel enlightened and feeling somewhat privileged to have at last come face to face with these legendary people. |
I moved south to Taganrog, a small quiet town lying on the Sea of Azov, the tiny little triangle of water to the north of the Black Sea. I visited the house where the great Russian writer and dramatist Anton Chekhov was born, the shop that belonged to his father and the theatre which fueled his desire to write. Wandering the streets I recognized scenes from his stories. We also visited the house of Tchaikovsky’s brother which was a frequent holiday destination for the composer. |
Then we drove to the city of Azov whose commanding position in the Don delta has made it the brunt of countless attacks from neighboring states over the centuries. The main museum was fascinating with extraordinary exhibits from the time of Peter the Great, through XVI and XVII to the present day. It has more than 240,000 exhibits including the unique Trogont elephant skeleton. |
And of course I could not leave Cossack land without visiting the little village of Semikarakorsk which is famous for the factory of the porcelain. There I saw how experts modeled the teapots, dishes, cups and souvenirs, how the artists painted beautiful patterns and drew the glaze. I saw the huge stove where they fired the Semikarakorskiy porcelain and at the end I even managed to decorate a plate by myself although I am not sure it will be one of their best selling designs! |
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