"Our Great Neighbor" Rostovskaya Oblast' by hunterV

Rostovskaya Oblast' Travel Guide: 183 reviews and 882 photos

Promenade in Donetsk Rostov region - Rostovskaya Oblast'

One of the Biggest Regions in Russia

Rostovskaya Oblast' (in Russian), or Rostov region in English, is one of the biggest regions in Russia with its area of over 100,000 sq.km and population of over four million inhabitants.
Its center – Rostov-on-Don – is the center of Southern Federal Territory of the Russian Federation.
Rostov region occupies the Don Basin and is washed by Taganrog Bay.
A lot of writers, poets and artists were enchated by the beautiful landscapes of this area and visited it repeatedly.
Alexander Puskin wrote,
“The Don is flowing and sparkling
amidst broad fields.
Hello, Don!
I have brought you kind regards
from your faraway sons.”

The Don Basin attracts lots of people from all over Russia and abroad by its rich history and interesting customs and habits of Don Cossacks, hospitable people, the beautiful nature of the River Don, the Sea of Azov, Taganrog Bay, Tsymliansk Water Reserve, the Don steppes.

Rostov Region Administration

Tourism in Rostov Region (map of sites)

Proud Heritage

The emblem of the Great Don Cossacks Army

The Great Don Cossacks Army is famous all over the world.
At present the Don Cossacks serve their Motherland. Their total number is over 140,000 Cossacks.
Russian Don Cossacks are a special old ethnic group of people who call themselves a people, one of the numerous peoples inhabiting the huge Russian Federation. Russian Don Cossacks cherish their traditions and customs very much.
Not everybody recognizes them as a people, though.
By the way, I found out that Ukraine was the only state in Europe that recognized Cossacks as a people.
When the Cossacks I met learnt that I was from Ukraine, they started telling me the entire history of their people and treated me to dinner.
:-)

Tourist Centers

A Russian coin dedicated to Rostov region

Several cities of Rostov region are recognized as important tourist centers, among them:

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Rostov - "Gateway to the Caucasus"
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Taganrog
Volgodonsk
Novocherkassk
There are a lot of first class hotels (for Russia at least) that are very expensive I would say. The prices in those hotels start with 1,500 RUR ($50).
Melekhov Country Club is a very special place where there are hotel rooms and at the same time it is a recreation center built in the middle of an old Cossack settlement in a very picturesque countryside.
Cities of Rostov region have wonderful museums and theaters, nice cafes and restaurants in original country style.

Regional Local Lore Museum

Gorky Theater in Rostov

Melekhov Country Club
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The only drawback about all these web sites is that they are all in Russian…

Pros and Cons

Pros:Beautiful countryside, hospitable people, lots of sites to visit
Cons:very expensive hotels, some roads leave much to be desired, industrial pollution
In a nutshell:Hospitable Land of Russian Cossacks

Last visit to Rostovskaya Oblast': Oct 2010
Intro Updated Aug 13, 2011
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Reviews (1)

Melekhov Country Club - Rostovskaya Oblast'

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Comments (6)

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globetrott Oct 10, 2010 at 1:17 PM

great accomodation-tip, thanks for sharing !
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yumyum Aug 25, 2009 at 11:29 AM

Great intro and tip :))
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black_mimi99 Aug 13, 2009 at 3:51 AM

Nice a contryside Vic... and nice story too.... thanks for the sharing.
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VeronicaG Aug 9, 2009 at 5:48 PM

What a pretty setting!
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HORSCHECK Aug 5, 2009 at 4:00 AM

Victor, great start here. The accomodation seems to be a real good find.
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Andrew_W_K Aug 5, 2009 at 12:12 AM

Interesting story about the Cossacks Victor. Thank you for sharing.