FROM THE BARENTS SEA TO THE SEA OF JAPAN

kursk – курск

Kursk was founded in 1032. It is mostly known for the Battle of the Kursk Bulge (5 July - 5 August 1943). After the resounding defeat at Stalingrad, Hitler attempted to launch a counteroffensive. German troops were halted and then driven back, turning the counteroffensive into a retreat. The war memorial stands right at the northern entry to the city with a triumphal arch, a monument to the most outstanding Soviet military leader Marshal Zhukov and samples of Red Army's weaponry.

Marshal Zhukov and the triumphal arch.

The tomb of the unknown soldier.

The famous "Katyusha" - a lorry-mounted multiple rocket launcher.

Tanks were major characters in the Battle of Kursk Bulge.

Kursk’s central square bears the same name as that of Moscow - Red Square. The building which used to house the regional Communist party committee is one of the best of its kind in the entire Soviet Union. Currently the building is a sit of the local government.

The House of Soviets in Red square.

At the southern end of the square is Kursk's most distinctive 1816 Holy Sign Cathedral.

The 1768 Resurrection Church reflects in a modern building.