Belgorod

Belgorod is a city in Russia, the administrative center of the Belgorod region. It is located on the southern edge of the Central Russian Upland, mainly on the right bank of the Seversky Donets River (the right tributary of the Don), 697 km south of Moscow, 40 km from the border with Ukraine.

Population: 394,142 (2020).

Belgorod was founded by decree of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich on September 11, 1596 as a border fortress. Since 1658, Belgorod was the main city of the Belgorod line - an 800-kilometer defensive line that protected the Moscow kingdom from the raids of the Crimean Tatars. At the beginning of the XVIII century, after the annexation of Ukraine and the construction of a defensive line, the strategic importance of Belgorod decreased significantly.

Soon after the conquest of the Crimea, in 1785, the city was excluded from the number of active fortresses. In 1727-1779 the city was the center of the Belgorod province, which included such cities as Orel and Kharkov. After the abolition of the province, Belgorod became a district city of the Kursk province.

Belgorod has repeatedly held the first place in terms of cleanliness and comfort among Russian cities with a population of 100 to 500 thousand people. The population of the city every year increases significantly due to visitors from the north.