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Saratov ( ) is a major city in southern Russia

. It is the administrative center of Saratov Oblast

and a major port on the Volga River. Population: In addition to ethnic Russians, the city also has many Tatar, Ukrainian, Jewish and German residents.

History

The Legend of Saratov: Gelonus, a legendary Scythian city and the northernmost Greek colony, may be conjectured to have been situated in the locality of present-day Saratov. Gelonus is mentioned in Book 6 of the Histories of Herodotus, according to whom in 512 B.C. the city was burnt down by the Emperor Darius I of Persia. A more certain ancestor city of Saratov was Ukek.

During the reign of Tsar Feodor Ivanovich several settlements were built in order to fortify the state borders. During the summer of 1586 the fortress of Samara

was founded. In 1589, the fortress of Tsaritsyn (later called Stalingrad and now called Volgograd

) was built in the region where the Volga and the Don come closest to each other. Saratov was built in 1590 midway between Samara and Tsaritsyn at the instigation of count Grigory Zasekin. (Kazan on the upper Volga had been annexed in 1552 and Astrakhan on the lower Volga in 1556. Following the end of the Livonian War, these three forts strengthened Russia's hold on the Volga.) Buildings for the town were constructed of wood in the upper reaches of the Volga one year prior to the foundation in situ of the city. In spring the constructions were disassembled, every log marked, and all the town was delivered to the pre-defined place. Such a method allowed the town to be built in its entirety within several weeks.

The name Saratov may be conjectured to derive from the Turkic words Saryk Atov which means ‘hawks' island’.Another version of the name origin is "Sary Tau" (Сары Тау) meaning Yellow Mountain in Tatar language as the city is surrounded by a few sandy hills.

Saratov became an important shipping port in the 1800s.

The Ryazan-Ural railroad reached to Saratov in 1870. In 1896 (26 years later) it crossed the city and stretched far behind the Volga River. A unique train-ferry, owned by the Ryazan-Ural railroad, provided the connection between two part of this railroad on two banks of the river during 39 years, and since 1935 the Saratov railroad bridge has started to execute bank-connection.

During the World War II Saratov was crossed by Volzhskaya Rokada in South-North direction (it was a special railroad providing the transportation of troops, ammunition and different important cargoes for Stalingrad

, holding its borders).

From Soviet times until 1991, Saratov was a "closed city", strictly off limits to all foreigners. Situated on the Volga River, this was a major military aircraft manufacturing site, the home of the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, and a vital part of the Soviet space programme.

German community

Saratov was also the home of the Volga Germans. Until 1941, Pokrovsk, known today as Engels, Russia

, and located just across the Volga from Saratov, was the capital of a separate German republic. The Volga Germans numbered 800,000 in the early 20th century.

The Volga Germans included industrialists, scientists, musicians and architects, including those who built Saratov's universities and conservatories. At the outbreak of World War II, half of the Volga Germans were exiled to Siberia

and Kazakhstan

, and few ever returned to the region. Beginning in the 1980s, many emigrated to Germany

, but the Roman Catholic St. Klementy Cathedral on Nemetskaya Street (seat of the Diocese of Tiraspol, founded in 1848) is a reminder of Saratov's German past, though it was converted in the 1960s into a movie theatre.

Modern Saratov

The Saratov region is rich not only in natural and industrial resources. The region is also famous for being one of the largest cultural and scientific centres in Russia. In Saratov there are six institutes affiliated with the Russian Academy of Sciences

, 21 research institutes, 19 project institutes, Saratov State University, Saratov State Socio-Economic University and many scientific and technological laboratories attached to the largest industrial enterprises.

Saratov is served by Saratov Tsentralny Airport

, and also hosts the general aviation airfield Saratov West

and the aerospace manufacturing site Saratov South

airport.

Sightseeing, arts, and culture

One of the city's most prominent landmarks is the 19th century neo-Gothic Conservatory. When it was built in 1912, the Conservatory was Russia's third such institution (after Moscow and St. Petersburg). At the time (1912), Saratov, with a population of 240,000, was the third-largest city in present-day Russia.

The dramatic theatre in Saratov was founded in 1802 and is one of Russia's oldest. It is one of Russia's national theatres. In Soviet times, it used to be named after Karl Marx, but now it carries the name of Ivan Slonov (1882-1945), an actor, theatre director and teacher, who was born in the city. The full name in Russian is Саратовский государственный академический театр драмы имени И. А. Слонова (I.A.Slonov Saratov State Academic Theatre).

Saratov is also famous for its Radischev Art Museum, named after Alexander Radishchev. It contains more than 20,000 exhibits, including old Russian

icons, as well as works by some of the finest Russian painters (e.g. Aleksandra Ekster, Pavel Kuznetsov, Aristarkh Lentulov, Robert Falk, Pyotr Konchalovsky, Martiros Saryan, Fyodor Rokotov).

Sport

the city football team FC Sokol-Saratov play in the Russian Second Division. the city basketball club is Avtodor. The city ice hockey team Kristall Saratov play in the Russian Major League. The bandy club Universal plays in the 2nd highest division.