Kursk
Encyclopedia : K : KU : KUR : Kursk
- For other uses, see Kursk (disambiguation)}}}.
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The city lies in the western part of Central Russia, at the confluence of Kura and Seym rivers. It is known that a Slavic fortified settlement existed there at least since 8th century CE, and other settlements since 4–5th century BCE.
The first written record of Kursk is dated 1032. It was mentioned as one of Severian towns by Prince Igor in The Tale of Igor's Campaign: "As to my Kurskers, they are famous knights—swaddled under war-horns, nursed under helmets, fed from the point of the lance; to them the trails are familiar, to them the ravines are known, the bows they have are strung tight, the quivers, unclosed, the sabers, sharpened; themselves, like gray wolves, they lope in the field, seeking for themselves honor, and for their prince glory."
The city was raided by the Polovtsians in 12th and 13th centuries. Batu Khan destroyed the city around 1237. The city was rebuilt by no later than 1283. Kursk joined the centralized Russian state in 1508 becoming the southern border province of the state.
The area is famous for rich deposits of iron ore. It is one of the major railroad hubs in the Russian Southwest.
The city is a home for several universities: Medical University, University of Technology, State University (former Pedagogue University) and Agricultural Academy.
During World War II, the village of Prokhorovka near Kursk was the center of the Battle of Kursk, a major battle between Soviet and German forces, which is widely believed by historians to be the major turning point of the war, after which time Germany's fortunes began to decline.
Twinning
See also
- Our Lady of Kursk - holy protectress of the city
- Russian submarine Kursk
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