Tambov

Tambov ( _ru. Тамбо́в) is a city in Russia, the administrative center of Tambov Oblast. It is located at the confluence of the Tsna and Studenets Rivers 480 km south-east of Moscow at coord|52|43|N|41|25|E|. Population: 291,852 (2004 est.); 293,658 (2002 Census); 304,600 (1989 Census). It is served by Tambov Donskoye Airport and is also home to Tambov air base.

The name "Tambov" originates from a Moksha language word meaning wetland.

It was founded by the decree of tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich on April 17, 1636 (old style). Originally built as a border fortress against Crimean Tatars Tambov soon declined in importance as military outpost of Muscovy and became an administrative and trade center of largely rural Russian Empire region.

Roman Boborykin, the tsar's court menial (stolnik) and voivode became the first builder of the town. Thanks to his experience, the fortress construction was finished rapidly.

In 1779, the Tambov viceroyalty was formed and on August 16, 1781, Catherine the Great approved the town's coat of arms depicting a beehive symbolizing the town's hardworking residents. In March 1786 the disgraced Russian poet and statesman Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin was appointed the governor of Tambov Governorate—a post he held until December 1788. But even during that short period he managed to do much. The town's development was being carried on: a theater, a college, a dancing school, a printing house, a newspaper, an orchestra, and a brick-yard were built. A monument to Derzhavin was later erected in Tambov.

In November 1830 during the Cholera Riots in Russia the citizens of Tambov attacked their governor, but they were soon suppressed by the regular army.

In the 19th century Tambov grew into a significant cultural center with a number of schools, libraries and institutions established there, and by 1897 more than 50,000 people lived in Tambov.

Between 1920 and 1921, the region around Tambov was the place of the Tambov rebellion—a bitter struggle between local residents and Bolshevik Red Army.

During and after World War II most of the "Malgré-nous" from Alsace-Moselle were jailed in the "camp N° 188" at Tambov. Between 4,000 and 10,000 French people died in this camp [http://www.ihtp.cnrs.fr/cih2gm/grandhomme.html] .

In 1991 a 360 metres tall guyed TV mast was built at Tambov.

Today Tambov is a large Russian industrial and cultural center. The Tambov Art Gallery houses a vast collection of canvases by Russian and West-European artists. Russia's oldest drama theater is located in Tambov, as well as two universities, two military colleges, a musical school, a museum of local lore and other cultural institutions.

ister Cities

*flagicon|France Bar-le-Duc, France

ee also

*List of people from Tambov

External links

*en icon [http://www.photo-city.info/tambov/ Photos of Tambov]
* [http://tambovnews.ru/ News,tv-channel,web sites (Russian)]