View source for Kursk

{{Short description|City in Kursk Oblast, Russia}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Infobox Russian inhabited locality
|en_name=Kursk
|ru_name=Курск
|image_skyline = {{multiple image
|border = infobox
|total_width = 268
|image_style = border:1
|perrow = 1/2/2
|caption_align = center
|image1 = Знаменский Собор Курск (cropped).jpg{{!}}Cathedral of Our Lady of the "Omen"
|image2 = Gostcentrandadmkursk.jpg{{!}}Red Square
|image3 = Kursk Train Station Main.jpg{{!}}Main railway station
|image4 = Дом Советов на Красной площади.jpg{{!}}House of Soviets
|image5 = Храм Воскресения Христова Курского Знаменского Богородицкого мужского монастыря.jpg{{!}}Church of the Resurrection
|caption1 = [[Cathedral of Our Lady of the "Omen"|Cathedral of Our Lady]]
|caption2 = Red Square
|caption3 = Main railway station
|caption4 = House of Soviets
|caption5 = Church of the Resurrection
}}
|coordinates = {{coord|51|43|N|36|11|E|type:(415000)_region:RU|display=inline,title}}
|map_label_position=right
|image_coa=Kursk city COA.svg
|coa_caption=
|image_flag=Flag of Kursk.svg
|flag_caption=
|pushpin_map=Russia Kursk Oblast#European Russia#Russia#Europe
|holiday=September&nbsp;25
|holiday_ref=
|federal_subject=[[Kursk Oblast]]
|federal_subject_ref=<ref name="Ref63" />
|adm_city_jur=[[city of federal subject significance|city of oblast significance]] of Kursk
|adm_city_jur_ref=<ref name="Ref63" />
|adm_ctr_of1=Kursk Oblast
|adm_ctr_of1_ref=<ref name=RIEEABRA>{{cite book|title=Russian Investment, Economic, Ecological and Business Risk Atlas|date=2005|publisher=Int'l Business Publications|isbn=9780739706558|page=177|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zmWcmW6wQhUC&pg=PA177 }}</ref><ref name=RRGED>{{cite book|title=Russia Regional Government Encyclopedic Directory|date=2009|publisher=Int'l Business Publications|isbn=9781438740836|page=207|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kp01UIdYPP8C&pg=PA207 }}</ref>
|adm_ctr_of2=[[Kursky District, Kursk Oblast|Kursky District]]
|adm_ctr_of2_ref=<ref name="Ref63" />
|inhabloc_cat=City
|inhabloc_cat_ref=<ref name="Ref63" />
|inhabloc_type=
|inhabloc_type_ref=
|urban_okrug_jur=Kursk Urban Okrug
|urban_okrug_jur_ref=<ref name="Ref64" />
|mun_admctr_of1=Kursk Urban Okrug
|mun_admctr_of1_ref=<ref name="Ref64" />
|mun_admctr_of2=Kursky Municipal District
|mun_admctr_of2_ref=<ref name="Ref64" />
|leader_title=Head
|leader_title_ref=
|leader_name= Kristina Kuzmitskaya
|leader_name_ref=
|representative_body=Kursk City Assembly ({{langx|ru|Курское городское Собрание}})
|representative_body_ref=
|area_of_what=
|area_as_of=
|area_km2=188.75
|area_km2_ref=<ref name="BD">[http://www.gks.ru/scripts/db_inet2/passport/table.aspx?opt=38701000200620072008200920102011 БД ПМО Курской области. Город Курск]</ref>
|pop_2010census=415159
|pop_2010census_rank=42nd
|pop_2010census_ref=<ref name="2010Census">{{ru-pop-ref|2010Census}}</ref>
|pop_density=
|pop_density_as_of=
|pop_density_ref=
|pop_latest=
|pop_latest_date=
|pop_latest_ref=
|established_date=1032
|established_title=First mentioned
|established_date_ref=<ref name=Sochi2014>{{cite web|title=Kursk|url=http://torchrelay.sochi2014.com/en/city-kursk|work=sochi2014.com|access-date=4 April 2014}}</ref>
|current_cat_date=1779
|current_cat_date_ref=<ref name=EB>{{cite book|title=The Encyclopædia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and General Literature, Volume 14|date=1894|publisher=Maxwell Sommerville|page=162|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AWNJAAAAYAAJ&q=Kursk+city+1779&pg=PA162}}</ref>
|prev_name1=
|prev_name1_date=
|prev_name1_ref=
|postal_codes=305000
|postal_codes_ref=<ref>Local post office info – http://www.russianpost.ru/PostOfficeFindInterface/FindOPSByPostOfficeID.aspx?index=305000 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310232305/http://www.russianpost.ru/PostOfficeFindInterface/FindOPSByPostOfficeID.aspx?index=305000 |date=March 10, 2014 }}</ref>
|dialing_codes=4712
|dialing_codes_ref=
|website=kurskadmin.ru
|website_ref=
|module= {{Infobox mapframe|wikidata=yes|zoom=10|marker=city|coord={{WikidataCoord|display=i}}}}
}}

'''Kursk''' ({{langx|ru|Курск}}, {{IPA|ru|ˈkursk|IPA}}) is a [[types of inhabited localities in Russia|city]] and the [[administrative center]] of [[Kursk Oblast]], Russia, located at the confluence of the [[Kur (Kursk Oblast)|Kur]], [[Tuskar]], and [[Seym (river)|Seym]] rivers. It has a population of {{ru-census2021|440,052|.}}

Kursk is the oldest city in the oblast, recorded in 1032 as part of the [[Kievan Rus']]. It became the seat of a small eponymous principality in the 13th century, before passing to [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania|Lithuanian]] rule in the [[Late Middle Ages|late medieval period]], and then to [[Grand Duchy of Moscow|Moscow]] in the [[early modern period]]. Kursk has served as the seat of regional administration since 1779. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German struggle during [[World War II]] and the site of the [[Battle of Kursk|single largest battle in history]].

==Geography==
===Urban layout===
Kursk was originally built as a fortress city on a hill dominating the plain. The settlement was surrounded on three sides by the [[Kur (Kursk Oblast)|Kur River (Amur basin)]] to the west and the [[Tuskar]] river to the south and east. Forest thickets approached it from the north. By 1603, Kursk had become the military, administrative, and economic centre of a vast territory in the south of the country. The new fortress was built under the leadership of governors Ivan Polev and [[Nelyub Ogaryov]]. The Kursk fortress was given a particularly important role, since in these places the [[Crimean Tatars|Tatars]] of the [[Crimean Khanate]], who made [[Crimean–Nogai slave raids in Eastern Europe|regular slave raids on Russia]], traditionally crossed the [[Seym (river)|Seym]] river, and their main road, the [[Muravsky Trail]], passed east of the city. In this regard, Kursk, despite not being part of the [[Belgorod]] Protection Line,<ref>[https://en.sodiummedia.com/4235069-belgorod-line-description-historical-facts-creation], Belgorod line: description, historical facts, creation.</ref> became one of the most important fortresses in the southern region. In 1616, there were 1600 people in the Kursk garrison.<ref>Мерников А. Г. Крепости России. Большая энциклопедия, p. 178</ref>

By 1782, the buildings of Kursk were located on the heights of two hills and in the valley of the Kur River. There were meadows and pastures on the banks of the river. The city streets that laid on the slopes of the hills had steep ascents and descents in many places, and travel in the city was made uphill almost everywhere. The presence of six ravines that cut through the hill of the Nagornaya part significantly hampered the development of Kursk. Heavy rains sometimes eroded the soil of the hillsides and formed ditches and gullies. The plan of Kursk in 1782 was to be implemented in the conditions of the existing buildings of the city. In the 1880s, Kursk was already a significant settlement. It housed 14 churches, not including the churches of the Znamensky Monastery. Most of them were of stone and built around the time period of 1730 to 1786. By 1782, Kursk was composed almost entirely of wooden houses. Fences and services went out in the direction of the streets, and houses were hidden in the depths of the courtyards. Many streets and lanes were no wider than 2.5 to 3 metres. The only stone mansion that has survived in present time after redevelopment is located at the corner of Pionerov (former Troitskaya) and Gaidar (former Zolotarevskaya) streets.

There were powerful fortifications and natural obstacles in the center of Kursk. Settlements were located around the city. [[Cossacks|Cossack]] and Pushkarnaya were on the slopes of the hills and in the valley of the Kur River, [[Yamskaya]] – away from the city, on the plain. At that time, Yamskaya was a small village concentrated around the Vvedenskaya church. The settlements Streletskaya and Kozhevenny were located in the lowlands and were often flooded by the Tuskar river.<ref>Древнерусские городища X–XIII вв. Свод археологических памятников / Ред. А. К. Зайцев. Российский гуманитарный научный фонд.. — М.: Христианское издательство</ref>

The principle of regularity was applied in the structure of the general layout of Kursk. On the plan of 1782, Kursk is shown as consisting of two parts: the cities of Nagornaya and Zakurnaya. They are separated from each other by the Kura river valley. Each of these parts is divided into regular rectangular blocks located on both sides of the planned main streets – Bolshaya Moskovskaya (Lenina) and Kherson (Dzerzhinsky). In the city Nagornaya part, 19 streets were planned, and in the Zakurnaya part, 24 streets. At the entrance to the city, at the beginning of both Moskovskaya and Kherson streets, it was planned to arrange the entrance squares. The remains of the former prison were destroyed, and the moat was buried according to the plan of the city, which was most confirmed in 1782. A square called “red ” was made in its place. The construction of small areas was also envisaged for a number of churches throughout the city. The territory of both parts of the city, where it was not limited by rivers and deep ravines, was planned to be surrounded by a ditch and a rampart. The area occupied by the city according to the new plan totalled approximately 3060 thousand square fathoms, which corresponds to 12 square kilometres. The main drawback of the project was that it did not take into account the complex relief of the Kursk area. The structure of the plan, correct and orderly on paper, required significant revision, additions and even minor changes. The numerous proposals of the Kursk governors A.A. Prozorovsky, F.N. Nicknames, A.B. Debalmena, and A.A. Bekleshov, included in the city planning, made it possible to bring the scheme closer to reality.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://kursk-izvestia.ru/news/16296/ |title=Курск. У стен Воскресенского храма нашли монеты времён Ивана Грозного |access-date=2020-12-08 |archive-date=2021-01-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119061225/https://kursk-izvestia.ru/news/16296/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The purpose of the redevelopment was complete accounting and control of residents. For this, the city was divided under the governor [[Alexander Bekleshov]] into 4 parts, each of which was managed by a private bailiff. The redevelopment of the city was begun by the provincial surveyor Ivan Fedorovich Bashilov, the district surveyor Ivan Shoshin, the provincial architects Vasily Yakovlev, Lavrenty Kalinovsky. Since 1783, decisions on redevelopment issues were made by a commission in the amount of 3 officials, namely the provincial land surveyor, the mayor and the city magistrate's ratman. The new urban structure – a rectangular quarter with residents of the same income, one estate – greatly facilitated the accounting and control of the inhabitants by the authorities. The center of the city, built up with stone buildings, was to take on a new, "ceremonial" appearance. These requirements were met by the resettlement of residents on the basis of class. The most significant government buildings erected in Kursk by the end of the 18th century. In accordance with the plan confirmed by Catherine II, these were public places, a prison, a guest house, the main public school, and a house of a noble assembly. The construction of the bank office, magistrate and post office was located along the red lines of the development of Florovskaya and Moskovskaya streets. The general plan for the development of Kursk was adopted in 1782. It was built according to a regular plan with a clear rectangular grid of streets. It was based on the two main streets Moskovskaya and Khersonskaya (now Lenin and Dzerzhinsky), converging at right angles on Red Square.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://kursk-izvestia.ru/news/24388/ |title=Как изменится Курск за 20 лет |access-date=2020-12-08 |archive-date=2019-09-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909031155/http://kursk-izvestia.ru/news/24388/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A city hospital, a regimental infirmary, an almshouse, and salt shops were built. The most notable private houses of the late 18th century that have survived to this day are the houses of the landowner Denisiev (corner of Sadovaya and Semyonovskaya) and the official Puzanov (Dzerzhinsky, 70), as well as the "house of the treasurer" (corner of Radishcheva and Marata). The main significance of the general city plan of 1782 is that for about 150 years it remained the only document that determined the development of the city of Kursk. The next master plan appeared only in 1947, after the Second World War.<ref>[https://vk.com/@kursk_arh_nasledie-formirovanie-pervogo-generalnogo-plana-g-kurska-process-ra «Формирование первого генерального плана г. Курска» -процесс разработки генерального плана Курска, конфирмованного Екатериной II в 1782 г.]</ref> The number of residential buildings from 1786 to 1836 increased insignificantly, from 1989 houses to 2782 houses. If any building did not correspond to the confirmed plan, it was demolished.

The bulk of government buildings (offices, post office, magistrate, prison, drinking houses, pharmacies, hospital) were built at the end of the 18th century. At the beginning of the 19th century, construction was carried out: offices were repaired, a new prison was built, and storm sewer grooves were laid along stone pavements, which almost half of Kursk's streets had. The streets were named Sergievskaya, Tuskarnaya Naberezhnaya, Staraya, Novaya Preobrazhensky, General's line, Soldier's, Druzhininskaya, Pastukhovskaya. Zolotarevskaya, Avraamovskaya, and so on.<ref>Михайленко Татьяны Георгиевны «История планировки и застройки курска (конец xviii- начало xix веков).»</ref> On 10 July 1808, five settlements ([[Sloboda (settlement)|Sloboda]]) of Kursk (Podyacheskaya, Soldatskaya, Gorodovy Sluzhby, Malyrossiyskaya, Rassylnaya) became part of the city. The settlements surrounding Kursk (Kazatskaya, Pushkarskaya, Yamskaya, Streletskaya) became part of the city only after 1917. The Kozhevennaya Sloboda disappeared from the city plan by the 1940s. The layout of the settlements was as regular as in the provincial center. Urban pasture land was located between the Seim River, on the border of the 3rd district of Kursk and the Big Post Road from Kursk to [[Oboyan]].

===Climate===
{{Weather box
|location = Kursk (1991–2020, extremes 1833–present)
|metric first=yes
|single line=yes
|Jan record high C = 8.5
|Feb record high C = 9.5
|Mar record high C = 22.5
|Apr record high C = 28.1
|May record high C = 32.6
|Jun record high C = 36.5
|Jul record high C = 37.2
|Aug record high C = 38.8
|Sep record high C = 33.0
|Oct record high C = 26.8
|Nov record high C = 17.7
|Dec record high C = 10.2
|year record high C = 38.8
|Jan high C = -3.5
|Feb high C = -2.6
|Mar high C = 3.1
|Apr high C = 12.9
|May high C = 20.0
|Jun high C = 23.5
|Jul high C = 25.5
|Aug high C = 24.8
|Sep high C = 18.3
|Oct high C = 10.6
|Nov high C = 2.5
|Dec high C = -2.1
|year high C = 11.1
|Jan mean C = -5.9
|Feb mean C = -5.5
|Mar mean C = -0.3
|Apr mean C = 8.2
|May mean C = 14.8
|Jun mean C = 18.4
|Jul mean C = 20.3
|Aug mean C = 19.4
|Sep mean C = 13.5
|Oct mean C = 6.9
|Nov mean C = 0.1
|Dec mean C = -4.3
|year mean C = 7.1
|Jan low C = -8.3
|Feb low C = -8.2
|Mar low C = -3.4
|Apr low C = 3.9
|May low C = 9.8
|Jun low C = 13.5
|Jul low C = 15.4
|Aug low C = 14.4
|Sep low C = 9.3
|Oct low C = 3.8
|Nov low C = -2.0
|Dec low C = -6.6
|year low C = 3.5
|Jan record low C = -34.5
|Feb record low C = -35.3
|Mar record low C = -32.6
|Apr record low C = -15.6
|May record low C = -6.1
|Jun record low C = 0.4
|Jul record low C = 6.1
|Aug record low C = 1.9
|Sep record low C = -3.9
|Oct record low C = -17.4
|Nov record low C = -25.0
|Dec record low C = -32.7
|year record low C = -35.3
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 47
|Feb precipitation mm = 41
|Mar precipitation mm = 45
|Apr precipitation mm = 41
|May precipitation mm = 56
|Jun precipitation mm = 65
|Jul precipitation mm = 78
|Aug precipitation mm = 47
|Sep precipitation mm = 63
|Oct precipitation mm = 58
|Nov precipitation mm = 44
|Dec precipitation mm = 47
|year precipitation mm = 632
|Jan snow depth cm = 14
|Feb snow depth cm = 20
|Mar snow depth cm = 15
|Apr snow depth cm = 1
|May snow depth cm = 0
|Jun snow depth cm = 0
|Jul snow depth cm = 0
|Aug snow depth cm = 0
|Sep snow depth cm = 0
|Oct snow depth cm = 0
|Nov snow depth cm = 2
|Dec snow depth cm = 7
|year snow depth cm = 20
|Jan humidity = 86
|Feb humidity = 83
|Mar humidity = 78
|Apr humidity = 66
|May humidity = 61
|Jun humidity = 68
|Jul humidity = 69
|Aug humidity = 67
|Sep humidity = 74
|Oct humidity = 80
|Nov humidity = 87
|Dec humidity = 87
|year humidity = 76
|Jan rain days = 9
|Feb rain days = 8
|Mar rain days = 9
|Apr rain days = 15
|May rain days = 16
|Jun rain days = 17
|Jul rain days = 17
|Aug rain days = 13
|Sep rain days = 16
|Oct rain days = 16
|Nov rain days = 14
|Dec rain days = 11
|year rain days = 161
|Jan snow days = 23
|Feb snow days = 21
|Mar snow days = 15
|Apr snow days = 4
|May snow days = 0.4
|Jun snow days = 0
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0.4
|Oct snow days = 3
|Nov snow days = 13
|Dec snow days = 22
|year snow days = 102
|Jan sun = 46.9
|Feb sun = 74.0
|Mar sun = 144.5
|Apr sun = 204.2
|May sun = 286.2
|Jun sun = 316.5
|Jul sun = 314.7
|Aug sun = 287.0
|Sep sun = 188.4
|Oct sun = 113.4
|Nov sun = 59.6
|Dec sun = 31.4
|year sun = 
|source 1 = Pogoda.ru.net<ref name="pogoda">{{cite web
| url = http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/34009.htm
| title = Weather and Climate – The Climate of Kursk
| access-date = 8 November 2021
| publisher = Weather and Climate (Погода и климат)
| language = ru}}</ref>
|source 2 = [[NOAA]]<ref name = NOAA >
{{cite web
| url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/RussianFederation/CSV/Kursk_34009.csv
| title = Kursk Climate Normals 1991–2020
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
| access-date = 29 October 2021}}</ref>

}}

==History==
{{More citations needed|date=May 2015}}
===Medieval period===
The first written record of Kursk dates back to 1032.<ref name="Sochi2014" /> It was mentioned as one of [[Severia]]n towns by [[Igor Svyatoslavich|Prince Igor]] in ''[[The Tale of Igor's Campaign]]'':

<blockquote>Saddle, brother, your swift steeds. As to mine, they are ready, saddled ahead, near Kursk; 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.<ref>[http://lib.ru/NABOKOW/slovo.txt The Song of Igor's Campaign, Igor son of Svyatoslav and grandson of Oleg. Translated by Vladimir Nabokov. 78–95]</ref></blockquote>

The seat of the minor principality of [[Kievan Rus']], Kursk was raided by the [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]]-speaking [[Polovtsi]]ans in the 12th and 13th centuries. Destroyed by the [[Mongols]] under [[Batu Khan]] during the [[Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus']] around 1237, the city was rebuilt no later than 1283. Between 1360 and 1508, it was ruled by the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]]. Kursk joined the [[Great Duchy of Moscow|centralized Russian state]] in 1508, becoming its southern border province.

===Modern period===
[[File:Kursk.Old.2.jpg|thumb|Pre-1917 view of Kursk]]
{{Historical populations|1989|424,239|2002|412,442|2010|415,159|2021|440,052}}
However, a century later the city re-emerged in a new place; date of re-considered grounds Kursk 1586 [9]. In 1596 a new fortress was built, which was garrisoned by over 1,300 soldiers in 1616. At the beginning of the 17th century, Kursk was repeatedly attacked by the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] forces during the [[Polish–Russian War (1609–1618)|Polish–Russian Wars]] (in 1612, 1616, 1617, and 1634), and was also attacked by the [[Crimean Khanate]] and the [[Nogai Horde]] during the [[Crimean–Nogai slave raids in Eastern Europe|Crimean–Nogai slave raids on Russia]], but the Kursk fortress was never taken.

Residents of [[Oryol]] and other southern Russian cities were resettled in Kursk (by 1678, 2,800 had been resettled). The city developed due to its advantageous geographical position on the shortest route from Moscow to the Crimea and from Moscow to [[Kiev]]<!--Do not change per consensus at WP:KYIV-->. It was an important center of the corn trade with [[Ukraine]] and hosted an important fair, which took place annually under the walls of the monastery of [[Our Lady of Kursk]].

During the period of the [[Russian Empire]], it was successively part of the [[Kiev Governorate]] (1708–1727), [[Belgorod Governorate]] (1727–1779), and [[Kursk Viceroyalty]] (1779–1797). The town status was granted to Kursk in 1779,<ref name=EB/> and it became the administrative center of [[Kursk Governorate]] in 1797.

After a fire in 1781 devastated Kursk, a new plan for the city was developed in which a market center would be placed in the central square, known as the Red Square. In 1768, the Voskresensko-Ilinskaya Church was built ({{langx|ru|Воскресенско-Ильинская церковь}}). In 1778 both the baroque Sergiev Cathedral and Trinity-Sergius Cathedral were completed. The city opened its first school for [[Russian nobility|nobility]] in 1783. A men's gymnasium was opened in 1808 and a seminary in 1817. A women's gymnasium was opened in 1872.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Vetchinova |first=Marina |date=January 2014 |title=Female Gymnasium Education in Kursk Governorate in the Second Half of the 19th Century Through the Early 20th Century |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285029908 |access-date=May 27, 2022 |journal=Voprosy Obrazovaniya / Educational Studies Moscow |issue=2 |pages=222–235 |doi=10.17323/1814-9545-2014-2-222-235|doi-access=free }}</ref>

===20th century===
At the beginning of the 20th century, Kursk played a dominant role in the food industry (Kvilitsu AK, one of the largest breweries in Russia, operated in Kursk) and in other industries; in the 1900s, the city had 4 sitoproboynye shops (of which the largest was the Tikhonov works, whose products were exported to Germany, Austria-Hungary, etc.). There were several engineering enterprises operating in Kursk (in 1914 there were seven, including a railroad one). The working conditions in the factories of Kursk were harsh, and workers' strikes were frequent (for instance, the workers at the sugar mill went on strike in 1901–1903). The Kursk workers also participated in the general political strike during the [[1905 Russian Revolution]].

After the [[October Revolution|Bolshevik revolution]] in Russia, the Soviets took power in Kursk on 26 November (9 December – new style) 1917. On 28 November 1918, the [[Provisional Workers' and Peasants' Government of Ukraine]] was established in Kursk.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://leksika.com.ua/14680720/ure/timchasoviy_robitnycho-selyanskiy_uryad_ukrayini|title=Тимчасовий Робітничо-Селянський Уряд України|language=uk|author=Б. М. Бабій|access-date=11 August 2024}}</ref> On 20 September 1919, during the [[Russian Civil War]], the city was taken over by the [[White movement|anti-Bolshevik troops]] under the command of General [[Denikin]]; however, on 19 November 1919, Kursk was retaken by the [[Red Army]].

During the [[Great Terror]] some two thousand were shot and buried in the Solyanka park in Kursk.<ref>https://en.mapofmemory.org/46-01</ref>

[[File:Soviet troops and T-34 tanks counterattacking Kursk Voronezh Front July 1943.jpg|thumb|left|Soviet troops and [[T-34]] tanks advancing during the [[Battle of Kursk]].]]
The Soviet government valued Kursk for its rich deposits of [[iron ore]] and developed it into one of the major [[railroad]] hubs in the Russian southwest. In 1932, Yamskaya Sloboda was incorporated into the city. In 1935, Kursk got its first tram system. Sometime in the 1930s, the area of the city of Kursk was divided into Leninsky District (the left bank of the Kura River), Dzerzhinsky District (the right bank of the Kura River) and Kirov District (Yamskaya Sloboda). In 1937 Stalinsky District was formed at the southern outskirts of the city.

During World War II, Kursk was occupied by [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] between {{start and end date|1941|11|04|1943|2|08|df=y}}. The Stalag 384 [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|prisoner-of-war camp]] was based in the city from 1942 before its relocation to [[Konotop]] in 1943.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Megargee|first1=Geoffrey P.|last2=Overmans|first2=Rüdiger|last3=Vogt|first3=Wolfgang|year=2022|title=The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV|publisher=Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|page=382|isbn=978-0-253-06089-1}}</ref> The occupiers also operated a Jewish [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] battalion in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=100002236|title=Jüdisches Arbeitsbataillon Kursk
|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=11 August 2024|language=de}}</ref> In July 1943, the Germans launched [[Operation Citadel]] in an attempt to recapture Kursk. During the resulting [[Battle of Kursk]], the village of [[Prokhorovka, Belgorod Oblast|Prokhorovka]] near Kursk became the center of a major armoured engagement – the [[Battle of Prokhorovka]] – between [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] and [[Nazi Germany|German]] forces: one of the largest tank battles in history. Operation Citadel was the last major German offensive against the [[Soviet Union]].

[[File:Red Square in Kursk.JPG|thumb|[[Stalinist architecture|Stalin-era buildings]] flanking Kursk's Red Square]]
Rebuilding efforts in the city began in February 1944. The cultural life recovered as well: on 19 February a cinema was reopened, and on 27 February a drama theatre. By 1950 the urban economy had been completely restored. In 1953 the tram system began operating again.  On 17 August 1956, Stalinsky District was renamed Promishlenost District, and Dzerzhinsky District was abolished and its territory divided between Promishlenost and Leninsky Districts.

===Recent history===

In 1992 the remains of those executed during the [[Great Terror]] were reburied in a common grave with a memorial in Solyanka Park.<ref>https://en.mapofmemory.org/46-01</ref>

In 2009, for the first time in 90 years at the site of [[Theotokos of Kursk]], the most revered icon in the [[Russian Orthodox Church]], received the name Hodigitria [[Russian diaspora]].

Until 2010, Kursk had the status of historical settlement, but the [[Russian Ministry of Culture]] deprived the city of this status on 29 July 2010 in resolution No. 418/339.

On 29 October 2011, for the first time in 30 years, the city opened a new firehouse for the protection of the Central District, with modern equipment. In 2012, Kursk celebrated its 980th anniversary.

==Administrative and municipal status==
Kursk is the [[administrative center]] of the [[oblast]]<ref name=RIEEABRA/><ref name=RRGED/> and, within the [[subdivisions of Russia#Administrative divisions|framework of administrative divisions]], it also serves as the administrative center of [[Kursky District, Kursk Oblast|Kursky District]], even though it is not a part of it.<ref name="Ref63">Resolution #489</ref> As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as the '''[[city of federal subject significance|city of oblast significance]] of Kursk'''—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the [[administrative divisions of Kursk Oblast|districts]].<ref name="Ref63" /> As a [[subdivisions of Russia#Municipal divisions|municipal division]], the city of oblast significance of Kursk is incorporated as '''Kursk Urban Okrug'''.<ref name="Ref64">Law #48-ZKO</ref>

==Economy and infrastructure==
[[File:Курская АЭС.JPG|thumb|[[Kursk Nuclear Power Plant]]]]
In addition to its importance as an administrative hub, Kursk is important as an industrial centre.  Activity focuses on iron-based industry, the chemical sector and a large food processing industry, reflecting the richness of agriculture in the surrounding "[[Chernozem|Black Earth]]" region.

Particularly noteworthy is the so-called [[Kursk Magnetic Anomaly|Kursk Magnetic Anomaly ''(Russian: Курская магнитная аномалия)'']], the world's largest known iron-ore reserve, where the iron content of the [[Iron ore|ore]] ranges from 35% up to 60%.

In [[Kurchatov, Russia|Kurchatov]], some {{convert|40|km|0|abbr=on}} to the south-west, is the [[Kursk Nuclear Power Plant]], incorporating four [[RBMK]]-1000 ("High Power Channel-type Reactor") ''(Russian: Реактор Большой Мощности Канальный)'' [[Nuclear reactor|reactors]] similar to those implicated in the 1986 [[Chernobyl disaster]]. The oldest of the Kursk reactors has been operational since 1977, and the newest of them since 1986.

==Attractions==
[[File:Procesión de Pascua en la región de Kursk, por Iliá Repin.jpg|thumb|''[[Religious Procession in Kursk Province]]'', painting by [[Ilya Repin]] (1880–1883)]]
The oldest building in Kursk is the upper church of the Trinity Monastery, a good example of the transition style characteristic of [[Peter the Great]]'s early reign. The oldest lay building is the so-called [[Romodanovsky (family)|Romodanovsky]] Chamber, although it was erected in all probability in the mid-18th century, when the Romodanovsky family had ceased to exist.

The city cathedral was built between 1752 and 1778 in the splendid [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] style and was decorated so sumptuously that many art historians attributed it to [[Bartolomeo Rastrelli]]. Although Rastrelli's authorship is out of the question, the cathedral is indeed the most impressive monument of Elizabethan Baroque not to be commissioned by the imperial family or built in the imperial capital.

[[File:Kursk.Old.3.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Sergievsko-Kazansky Cathedral in Kursk, 1752–1778]]

The cathedral has two stories, with the lower church consecrated to St.&nbsp;[[Sergius of Radonezh]] and the upper one to the [[Theotokos of Kazan]]. The upper church is noted for an intricate icon screen which took sixteen years to complete. The three-story cathedral bell tower derives peculiar interest from the fact that [[Seraphim of Sarov]], whose father took part in construction works, survived an accidental fall from its top floor at the age of seven. The Resurrection Church is also shown, where St.&nbsp;Seraphim was baptized.

The monastery cathedral of the Sign (1816–26) is another imposing edifice, rigorously formulated in the purest [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]] style, with a cupola measuring {{convert|20|m|sp=us}} in diameter and rising {{convert|48|m|sp=us}} high. The interior was formerly as rich as colored marbles, gilding, and frescoes could make it. During the Soviet period, the cathedral was desecrated, and four lateral domes and twin belltowers over the entrance were pulled down. There are plans to restore the church to its former glory.
[[File:Kursk-8.jpg|thumb|Central Bank of Russia building]]
The modern city is a home for several universities: [[Kursk State Medical University]], State Technical University, [[Kursk State University]] (former Pedagogical University) and Agricultural Academy, as well as the private Regional Open Social Institute (ROSI). There are also modern shrines and memorials commemorating the [[Battle of Kursk]], both in the city and in Prokhorovka.

The Command Station Bunker & Museum was specifically built in memory of the courageous Russian [[T-34]] tank units that fought in the [[Battle of Kursk]], where a T-34 tank is on display. Over 6,000 armored vehicles fought in close range over the open territory near Kursk in 1943.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mysite.verizon.net/nt5b/wcci.html|title=Dr. Ed Norris, World Indigenous Missions, 2007|access-date=2007-07-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930203643/http://mysite.verizon.net/nt5b/wcci.html<!--Bot retrieved archive-->|archive-date=2007-09-30}}</ref> This battle stopped the German advance into the Kursk Salient, and was a turning point of World War II on the Eastern Front.

Kursk played a role in the [[Cold War]] as host to [[Khalino]] air base.

Nearby is [[Central Black Earth Nature Reserve|Tsentralno-Chernozemny Zapovednik]], a large section of steppe soil that has never been plowed. It is used for a variety of research purposes.

==Education==
<gallery mode=packed heights="140">
Курский государственный медицинский университет.JPG|[[Kursk State Medical University]]
Rfei-building.jpg|Regional Financial and Economic Institute
Курская государственная сельскохозяйственная академия им. И.И. Иванова .jpg|Kursk State Agricultural Academy
Курский Государственный Университет.jpg|[[Kursk State University]]
</gallery>

==Transportation==
[[File:Old tram in Kursk.jpg|thumb|[[Retro]]-tram—a [[replica]] of a Belgian tram of 1898 on Kursk streets]]

Since 1868 there has been a railway connection between Kursk and Moscow.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Railway Station in Kursk |url=http://www.nnov-airport.ru/rus/wokzal_kursk.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323173245/http://www.nnov-airport.ru/rus/wokzal_kursk.html |archive-date=March 23, 2012 |access-date=December 1, 2012 |language=ru}}</ref> Kursk is located on a major railway line between Moscow and [[Kharkiv]], with trains also linking the city to Voronezh and [[Kyiv]]. The [[Kursk Vostochny Airport]] provides domestic flights. Public transport includes buses, trolleybuses, and trams. Since 2007, the public transport introduced a satellite navigation system. The total length of the road network of the city of Kursk is 595.8&nbsp;km, of which 496.2&nbsp;km of roads are paved. Roads of the city have access to federal highway M2 "Crimea", as well as on the highway A144 (Kursk – Voronezh – Saratov) and P199 ([[Russia-Ukraine border|border]] with [[Ukraine]]).
[[File:Kursk Train Station Main.jpg|thumb|right|Kursk Train Station. View from Privokzal'naya Ploshchad', July 2009]]
Kursk bound intercity bus routes to cities and towns Kursk region and neighboring regions ([[Belgorod Oblast]], [[Bryansk Oblast]], [[Voronezh Oblast]], [[Oryol Oblast]]), as well as Moscow, St. Petersburg and cities of Ukraine: [[Kharkiv]] and [[Sumy]]. Long-distance buses arrive and depart from the bus station "Kursk", located in the North-West part of the city.

On 5 September 2011 an automated fare monitoring system was commissioned in Kursk.<ref name="askop">{{cite web|date=14 September 2011 |url=http://www.glava-kurska.ru/news/2011/9/14/1601/ |script-title=ru:На общественном транспорте в Курске запущена система контроля оплаты проезда |publisher=Официальный сайт Главы города Курска и Курского городского Собрания |access-date=2011-10-08 |language=ru |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121027102354/http://www.glava-kurska.ru/news/2011/9/14/1601/ |archive-date=October 27, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Implementation of the system in operation is carried out by Kursk Integrated Ticket System was to take place in three stages: At the initial stage is implemented partially open version of the system, in which the sale of tickets and travel control social cards carried in the cabin of public transport conductors with handheld validators, the second stage involves the installation of stationary validators, third – commissioning turnstiles. After completion of the implementation, the automated monitoring system drive will operate in "closed" mode: turnstiles will be installed at the entrance and exit of passengers. As of September 2011 turnstiles installed on 44 buses, 10 trolley buses and trams 5.
<gallery mode=packed heights="120">
LiAZ-5256.26 in Kursk, Russia.jpg|LiAZ-5256 bus
Курск201.jpg|ZiU-682G trolleybus
БКМ321 Курск.jpg|BKM-321 low-floor trolleybus
Kursk podem s Engelsa.jpg|Tatra T3SU and Tatra T6B5SU trams
</gallery>

==Culture==
[[Kursk State University]] is home to the [[Russian Chamber Orchestra]], under the direction of conductor and trumpet soloist Sergey Proskurin. The orchestra performs regularly, tours internationally and has produced multiple CDs.<ref>{{cite web|title=Russian Chamber Orchestra|url=http://rco.k46.ru/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080131110624/http://rco.k46.ru/index.htm|archive-date=January 31, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Pushkin Theater located in the center of the city. It has permanent company as well as visiting shows.

The band [[Little Tragedies (rock group)|Little Tragedies]] are originally from Kursk.

==Sports==
[[File:UMMC - Dynamo Kursk (14.04.2019) 01.jpg|thumb|Final between [[Dynamo Kursk]] and [[UMMC Ekaterinburg]] from the [[2018–19 EuroLeague Women|EuroLeague Women]] Final Four 2019]]
In 2016, the [[Russian Women's Hockey League]] expanded to Kursk, with new club [[Dynamo Kursk]].

==Media==
Kursk [[Amateur radio|ham radios]] could receive television broadcasts from Moscow starting in 1935. In 1960, the Committee on Radio and Television was created by the Kursk Oblast Executive Committee. The first transmission of local television aired on 14 January 1961.<ref>{{cite news |date=2010-09-21 |title=ГТРК "Курск": 50 лет в эфире |language=ru |publisher=ИА KURSKCiTY |url=http://www.kurskcity.ru/firstline.php?id=61215 |access-date=2011-03-28}}</ref> Main fixed line and cellular operators are active in the city.

==Honors==
*A [[minor planet]], [[3073 Kursk]], discovered by [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] astronomer [[Nikolai Chernykh]] in 1979, is named after the city.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?hl=ru&q=3073+Kursk+1979+SW11 Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, p.253]</ref>
*The Russian submarine [[Russian submarine K-141 Kursk|''Kursk'']] was named after the city.

==Notable people==
<!--♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦-->
*[[Yekaterina Avdeyeva]] (1788–1865), writer
*[[Alexey Ivanovich Borozdin]], musical therapist
*[[Valery Chaplygin]], [[Olympic champion]], [[cycle sport|cyclist]]
*[[Alexander Deyneka]], painter, sculptor
*[[Nikolay Karamyshev]], racing driver
*[[Yevgeny Klevtsov]], [[Olympic medalist]], [[cycle sport|cyclist]]
*[[Vyacheslav Klykov]], sculptor
*[[Kazimir Malevich]], painter
*[[Pavel A. Pevzner]], scientist
*[[Alexander Povetkin]], [[Olympic champion]], boxer
*[[Sergei Puskepalis]], actor
*[[Alexander Rutskoy]], politician
*[[Seraphim of Sarov]], monk and saint
*[[Mikhail Shchepkin]], actor
*[[Georgy Sviridov]], composer
*[[The Tolmachevy Twins]], singers
*[[Little Tragedies (rock group)|Little Tragedies]], music band

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia}}

Kursk is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web|title=Партнерские связи|url=http://www.kurskadmin.ru/node/911|website=kurskadmin.ru|publisher=Kursk|language=ru|access-date=2020-02-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160703165000/http://www.kurskadmin.ru/node/911|archive-date=July 3, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
*{{flagicon|MNE}} [[Bar Municipality|Bar]], Montenegro
<!--Biržai - not twinning-->
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Dębno]], Poland
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Donetsk]], Ukraine
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Feodosia]], Ukraine
*{{flagicon|BLR}} [[Gomel]], Belarus
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Izmail]], Ukraine
*{{flagicon|SRB}} [[Niš]], Serbia
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Zviahel]], Ukraine
*{{flagicon|BLR}} [[Novopolotsk]], Belarus
*{{flagicon|BLR}} [[Polotsk]], Belarus
*{{flagicon|BUL}} [[Primorsko Municipality|Primorsko]], Bulgaria
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Speyer]], Germany
*{{flagicon|GEO}} [[Sukhumi]], Georgia
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Sumy]], Ukraine
*{{flagicon|MDA}} [[Tiraspol]], Moldova
*{{flagicon|SRB}} [[Užice]], Serbia
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Witten]], Germany
{{div col end}}

Former twin towns:
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Tczew]], Poland
*{{flagicon|India}} [[Motihari]], India

On 8 March 2022, the Polish city of Tczew ended its partnership with Kursk as a response to the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.radiotczew.pl/wiadomosci/8701,tczew-zrywa-wspolprace-z-miastami-partnerskimi-z-rosji-i-bialorusi |language=pl |title=Tczew zrywa współpracę z miastami partnerskimi z Rosji i Białorusi  |date=March 9, 2022 | access-date =13 March 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[August 2024 Kursk Oblast incursion]]
* [[Cathedral of Our Lady of the "Omen"]]

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
*{{RussiaAdmMunRef|krs|adm|list}}
*{{RussiaAdmMunRef|krs|mun|list0}}

==External links==
{{commonscatinline}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Kursk (town) |volume= 15 | page = 954 |short= 1}}
*[http://www.kurskadmin.ru/ Official website of Kursk] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701084615/http://www.kurskadmin.ru/ |date=2014-07-01 }} {{in lang|ru}}
* Kursk Business Directory [https://kursk.jsprav.ru/ kursk.jsprav.ru] {{in lang|ru}}
*[http://kurskmusic.ru/ Kursk music events]
*[http://gai46.ru/ Kursk road police]

{{Kursk Oblast}}
{{Cities of Military Glory}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Kursk| ]]
[[Category:Kursky Uyezd]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Kursk Oblast]]
[[Category:Rus' towns]]