The city of Rostov-on-Don and its main attractions with descriptions and photos

Rostov-on-Don is a unique ancient but rapidly developing city, 10th in the list of Russian megacities. Rostov owes much of its intensive development to its favorable location.

Did you know? “Port of 5 Seas”, “Rostov-Papa”, “Azov Liverpool” – these are not all the unofficial names of this wonderful city.

Our story will help you learn more about this outstanding city, about the best attractions of Rostov-on-Don with their photos and descriptions.

The main architectural sights of Rostov-on-Don

The architecture of the city is amazing and very diverse. Among the religious buildings, the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary , the history of which goes back to the distant past. Its construction began at the same time as the Rostov Fortress, but initially it was a wooden church with a small chapel. It was consecrated in 1761, and a little later it grew into a temple. Subsequently, they decided to move this temple to the shopping area, where it remains to this day.

In 1791, the wooden temple was struck by lightning, causing it to catch fire and collapse. Local residents, frightened by heavenly punishment, immediately decide to build a new temple on this site, but from stone. However, the story does not end there. Over time, Rostov grew, and the temple no longer accommodated all the believers. Therefore, in 1854, they decided to build a larger temple in its place.

Like many others, the cathedral was “suffered” during Soviet times - it was closed, and a zoo was organized in its place. The current temple was reopened in 1950, and its bell tower was renovated in 1999. Nowadays the cathedral is considered the main church of the diocese of the Rostov region .

You can easily find this amazing building at the address: st. Stanislavsky, 58.

the Old Intercession Church , located in the city center at the address st., is also famous for its beauty Bolshaya Sadovaya 113b. The temple itself was built not so long ago - in 2005, but in its place there were other temples for a long time.

The church building is very beautiful - both outside and inside. Its height reaches 30 meters, it has amazing snow-white walls and is decorated with a golden dome and 7 columns. The entrance to the temple is also decorated with delightful mosaics and a carved door. Inside you will be greeted by white marble walls (the beautiful iconostasis is also made from it), sky-blue vaults and unusual burgundy granite floors. This bright place is very popular among tourists.

At 47 Beregovaya Street there is another unusual attraction that attracts thousands of tourists every year. These are the Paramonov warehouses , built in the 19th century. These used to be well-designed granaries. To cool the premises, water from springs gushing from underground was used. Now the warehouse buildings are more reminiscent of mysterious ruins, which are very picturesquely decorated with gushing springs and overgrown grass. In summer, local residents like to swim in the clear spring water, which forms a kind of pool.

Other architectural sights of the city and its surroundings:

City Duma Building (Bolshaya Sadovaya St., 47);
Petrov's mansion (Pushkinskaya St., 115);
Fortress of Dmitry Rostovsky (Krepostnoy lane, 127);
Ancient Tanais (Nedvigovka farmstead);

St. George's Church (Kommunistichesky Avenue, 38);
Church of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon (29a Sholokhov Avenue);
Temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (Cosmonavtov Avenue, 183).

The merchant's house is in good hands

Among the five positive examples is the residential building of the merchant Rossalimo, built in the second half of the 19th century. The 140-year-old mansion is located on the corner of Donskoy Street and Gazetny Lane, opposite the already mentioned Wrangel household. According to the preparation program for the World Cup in 2017, the building fell into the hands of good builders.

Photo by Roman Bocharnikov

A lot has been done here wisely. The contractor went over budget. A shell rock relief is visible above the windows and doors; many details were lost, but they were restored. The estimate did not include such expenses for the restoration of lost elements, but the contractor assumed part of the costs. It’s a rare quality these days to prioritize a decent work result, rather than profit or savings.

“We were afraid that they would simplify everything again and remove architectural details. Fortunately, this did not happen. Moreover, the builders cleaned up the so-called Don masonry - alternating yellow and orange bricks, in some places even a funny pattern can be seen. The same contractor did part of Wrangel’s household,” explains the social activist.

Rostov-on-Don – monuments and sculptures of the city

Rostov-on-Don has a huge number of monuments - as unique as the city itself. Here you will find sculptures of outstanding personalities , fairy-tale or folk characters, animals, and historical events. These monuments are scattered throughout the city - on the streets, alleys, squares, parks and public gardens. You don’t even have to look for them specifically - just go out for a walk? and you will probably meet them in large numbers.

Restorer named time

Rarely, there are buildings with well-preserved pre-revolutionary lime plaster, for example, a residential building at 4, 26th Line.

“These are the kind of buildings that, in an amicable way, should not be touched at all,” Bocharnikov is sure. – How can this building be treated humanely? Restore the base, since this is the lower part and it gets dirty and cracked the most, restore the lost parts between the windows, insert decent frames, carefully patch up the cornice on top. Renew the front entrance: what is valuable is that the original doors have been preserved here, even the original relief glass has survived. And do not paint or smear anything in order to preserve the perfectly clear reliefs, the smoothness of the plaster and its noble vintage appearance. No amount of art can imitate such a texture; it will look like a prop. But here time did everything itself.

We approach the corner building on Gazetny, part of the complex of the famous Wrangel household.

One house is still awaiting restoration, and the other, the corner one, has already been renovated. True, they chose a controversial green shade for it - this was “prescribed” for the builders by the Ministry of Culture.

The fourth number in our rating is the former Vasilenko bell factory on the corner of Pushkinskaya and Gazetny. Initially, there was a Burtsev factory there, which made building ceramics: pipes, tiles for stoves and refractory bricks. Then Burtsev sold the entire business to Vasilenko.

Now the building houses the military prosecutor's office. It was repaired under the overhaul program and did a decent job. As in the House with Owls, the builders skillfully restored the plaster - they made it smooth and applied it evenly.

Museums of Rostov-on-Don

Rostov has many fascinating museums. One of the most popular among tourists is the Museum of Fine Arts , founded in 1938 . Currently, his collection includes more than 6 thousand works of art, including paintings, sculptures and graphics not only by Russian artists, but also by Western and Eastern masters.

You can enjoy amazing works of art and learn about incredible facts from the world of art at st. Pushkinskaya, 115.

Also in Rostov we recommend visiting:

Museum of Local History (Bolshaya Sadovaya St. 79);
M. A. Sholokhov Museum-Reserve (60 Sholokhov St.);
Railway Museum (Gnilovskaya station, Portovaya street, Baza stop);

Museum of Military History (Budennovsky Ave., 22);
Museum of Cosmonautics (Strachki Avenue, 231/2);
Museum of the Rostov Water Supply (Maxim Gorky St., 293);

There are also several fascinating museums in the vicinity of Rostov-on-Don that are worth visiting:

Razdor Ethnographic Museum (Pukhlyakovsky farm);
House-Museum named after. S. M. Budyonny (Budenovskaya village, Dumenko street, 139);
Starocherkassk Museum-Reserve (stanitsa Starocherkasskaya).

Natural attractions and city parks

One of the most beautiful parks in Rostov is Park named after. Gorky . Previously, it was a cozy city garden with neat flower beds and a cute fountain in the center. Holidays and celebrations were held here on weekends. At the turn of the XIX and XX centuries. A women's gymnasium, Peter's school and a brewery were built on its territory. During World War II, the park was almost completely destroyed, but after it ended they tried to quickly restore it. Today the park is one of the favorite places in the city for relaxation and walks. Here you can walk along picturesque alleys, have fun on a variety of attractions, admire exquisite fountains and a wide variety of monuments.

The park is located at Bolshaya Sadovaya Street, 45.

A valuable natural attraction of the city is the Botanical Garden . Today it is one of the largest natural and cultural centers in Russia. Here you can see more than 5 thousand trees, shrubs and herbs. Also on the territory of the garden there is a greenhouse in which plants from all over the world are grown, and a source of healing mineral water, named after Seraphim of Sarov .

Other natural attractions and parks of the city:

City embankment;
Park named after Ostrovsky;
Park named after city of Pleven;

Alley of Love;
Park named after Frunze.

In the Rostov region we also recommend checking out:

The Druid Path (Veshenskaya Stanitsa);
Rostov Nature Reserve (Orlovsky district, Orlovsky village);

Lake Manych-Gudilo;
Cultural and historical complex “Cossack Don” (stanitsa Starocherkasskaya).

What can you see in Rostov-on-Don in 1 day?

If you came to Rostov-on-Don for one day and want to explore the city with its attractions, but don’t know what is worth seeing here and what you don’t need to waste time on, we offer you the following route:

If you come to the city by train, we recommend starting your sightseeing directly from the train station .
From here we go out onto the central city street - Bolshaya Sadovaya .
Walking along it, you will see the House of Margarita Chernova, the “Propylaea” of the city, “Elki-Palki” .
Over time you will come to Sovetskaya Square with the House of Soviets. Further along Bolshaya Sadovaya – Musical Theatre, Theater Square.
Along the same street are located: Old Intercession Church , City Duma Building , Park named after. Gorky . This completes the walk along the central street of Rostov.
Next, we suggest visiting the Museum of Railway Technology with a very extensive and interesting collection.
Next to it is the Temple of Mid-Pentecost .
Then take a walk along the City Embankment , where we recommend getting there at least to go to a pleasant cafe in Rostov-on-Don, of which there are a huge number. Here you will also see several famous monuments, including “Rostovchanka”, a monument to Ushakov, etc.
From here we suggest walking to the Paramonovsky warehouses .

Important! There are many interesting sights in Rostov-on-Don, and, unfortunately, it is unlikely that they will be included in a one-day excursion. Therefore, we strongly recommend devoting at least 2 days to the city, or preferably a week.

Where can you go in Rostov-on-Don with a child?

This amazing city will appeal not only to adults, but also to children of different age groups. Children will certainly be interested in:

Zoo "Touching" (Zoologicheskaya str., 3);
Children's Park named after Vitya Cherevichkin (Nizhnenolnaya St., 4);
Dolphinarium (Kommunistichesky Avenue, 36/4, Skazka Park);
Park of living butterflies (Mikhail Nagibin Ave. 30);
Cultural and historical complex “Cossack Don” (stanitsa Starocherkasskaya);

Attractions in the Park named after. Gorky;
Children's playgrounds on the Embankment;
Park named after Ostrovsky;
Puppet Theater (46 Universitetskaya St.);
Water park "Don-Park" (Bataysk, Vostochnoye Highway, 7/3).

Dolphinarium

We hope your trip to Rostov-on-Don will be joyful, educational and enjoyable. And those who have already visited the southern Russian pearl can share their impressions of the city and its attractions in the comments to the text. All the best!

And grandma is against it

In his opinion, a positive trend in the repair of facades of ancient buildings is still observed. Now, if the building is brick, the estimate will necessarily include cleaning, not plastering.

“True, the problem is that now it is not architects who decide what a century-old building should look like, but residents. There are times when experts recommend cleaning the house, and some grandmother from the second floor, who was set up by the same contractors from the Overhaul Fund, shouts that the building absolutely needs to be plastered. And according to the law, they must listen to grandma. And the overhaul system often takes advantage of this. After all, plastering suggests that less effort will be expended, and the earnings will be more,” our interlocutor regrets.

But there are good examples here too - the constructivist buildings on Nolnaya Street had to be plastered, experts met with the residents, convinced that this should not be done, and as a result the brick house was painted and a good color scheme was chosen. Paint on brickwork is, in fact, conservation, and in the future there is a chance to clear many historical facades of paint, but unfairly applied plaster with its hard adhesive layer will be much more difficult to remove and more destructive for ancient masonry. So it’s a shame that old atmospheric houses, such as the complex of houses of the Tramvayshchik residential complex on Pushkinskaya or the Mikoyan Shoe Factory residential complex on Budennovsky, have been “rolled up” in “bark beetle” forever, killing their historical appearance.