General Information

The Voronezh Oblast is situated in the Western part of the European Russia. The territory of the region is over 50 thousand square kilometers. The Voronezh Oblast lies in the so called ‘Black Earth’ region of Russia which is a social and economic association comprising the Voronezh, Belgorod, Kursk, Lipetsk, Orel and Tambov oblasts with a total population of 10 million.

Voronezh city is a major Russian administrative, industrial and cultural centre of the region. It covers a total area of 69 hectares along the banks of the rivers Don, Usmanka, and Voronezh. The population of the city is about a million people.

Distance from Moscow: 500km (300 miles).
Time: Moscow time

Climate and Nature

The climate of the region is moderately continental. Average temperature in January is about -8 to -10 C and average temperature in June is +19 - +22C. There are many wild life preservation parks.

History

The city was founded in 1586 — to protect southern borders of the Russian lands from the raids of nomadic tribes.

In the XVII century, under Tsar Peter the First, it became a shipbuilding center where the first Russian Navy was created. Peter I invited shipbuilding experts and merchants from England, Denmark, Holland, Germany and Venice to work in the town. Mostly because of this Voronezh soon became an important industrial and trade center.

During the World War II the city was largely destroyed. It was rebuilt completely after the war. In 1996, Voronezh became a city of a million inhabitantsw - the population now totals 1,027,000 people.

Economy

While the rich black soil of the oblast has given rise to a strong tradition of agricultural production, it also hosts some of the most technologically advanced industries in the world. There are 1380 enterprises in Voronezh distributed over 16 industrial branches. The leading branches are: radioelectronics, machine-tool industry, mechanical engineering, aircraft industry, chemical, food, and light industries, and production of building materials.

The Voronezh oblast boasts an excellent natural resource base. There are vast deposits of granite, chalk, refractory and ceramic clays, and marl while copper and nickel deposits in the oblast are also very significant.

There is one state bank and 16 commercial banks in Voronezh and 141 joint ventures with participation of foreign investors. By production output, Voronezh is ranked 14th among the 89 largest cities of the Russian Federation.

30% of goods are exported. The largest share of exports goes to Germany, Italy, Great Britain, the USA, China, Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic.

Transportation and Communications

The total length of the city transport routes is about 1350 kilometers. The oblast has connections with all major Russian and foreign cities trough powerful network of rail, road, air, and waterways. It is placed at the intersection of transport routes connecting the East and the West, the Center and the South of the Russian Federation. The city stands on the river Don — one of the longest and one of the most beautiful rivers of Europe.

The city can be reached from Moscow by the overnight train or an hour flight by plane. Voronezh airport has international status.

The city boasts an efficient telecommunications network, including satellite communication and Internet. There is an express international post service and Internet-cafes.

Culture

Voronezh is the economical, industrial, cultural and scientific center of the region.
Voronezh hosts several educational institutions — there are four universities, four academies, dozens of technical schools and colleges. The city has large student population — one in 15 citizens is a student.

There are 7 theaters, 12 cinemas, concert halls, many museums and exhibition halls to meet the needs of the public. Around Voronezh there are a lot of kurgans and other interesting archaeological objects.

Perhaps the main architectural monuments are the Nikolsk Church and the Potemkin Palace (both date back to the XVIII century).

Hotels

Brno Hotel. Address: Plekhanovskaya str., 9. Phone: +7 0732 509249.
Don Hotel. Address: Plekhanovskaya str., 8. Phone: +7 0732 555315.
Luch Hotel. Address: Koltsovskaya Str., 45. Phone: +7 0732 774350.
Morskaya Hotel. Address: Naberezhnaya Str., 15. Phone: +7 0732 226098.
Novaya Hotel. Address: Tsiolkovsky Str., 18b. Phone: +7 0732 493904.
Orbita Hotel. Address: Krasnoznamennaya Str., 14. Phone: +7 0732 715767.
Rossia Hotel. Address: Teatralnaya Str., 23. Phone: +7 0732 554674, 555898.
Sputnik Hotel. Address: Moskovsky Prospekt, 145. Phone: +7 0732 132615.
Yar Hotel. Address: Moscow-Voronezh motorway, 491 km. Phone: +7 0732 163307, 554587, 163307, 554587

Evgeniya Stroganova