Kursk is an ancient city, the first people settled here more than a thousand years ago. At one time, Kursk served as the capital of the principality of the same name, but after the unification of separate possessions in Russia, it retained an important role for all the surrounding territories.
Studies have shown that the settlement of people on the territory of modern Kursk arose not later than the 8th century. Kursk got its name in honor of the Kur River, on the banks of which it is located. The folk version says that the city was named after the partridges, who abound in this area. This theory is also reflected in the modern symbolism of Kursk.
Environmental indicators of Kursk are considered among the best among the megalopolises of Russia. During its history, Kursk was destroyed three times to the ground – first by the Tatar-Mongols and then by the Crimean Tatars. A hundred years after the last devastating raid, the city emerged in a new place, moving to two hills at the confluence of the Tuskori and Kura rivers. After the construction of a new fortress in Kursk, its potential invaders ceased to succeed – the city was attacked by Polish-Lithuanian troops many times, but they failed to penetrate the line of fortifications.
At the beginning of the 20th century, one of the largest breweries in the country existed in Kursk. During the war, Kursk was occupied by the fascists for almost a year and a half, who shot about 3 thousand citizens and took another 10 thousand prisoners to Germany. Damage to the city from hostilities exceeded 740 million rubles. For military merits, 245 Kuryans were awarded the title Hero of the USSR, and 85 citizens became full holders of the Order of Glory. Until 2010, Kursk was considered a historical settlement, but then the Ministry of Culture deprived him of this status. The Kursk authorities spent several years equipping vehicles with automatic fare collection systems, but the citizens’ discontent was so great that all the turnstiles from the trams and trolley buses had to be removed.
