Dankov

Dankov stands on the Don at the mouth of the Vyazovnya, on the eastern slopes of the Central Russian Upland. The fortress was founded in 1568; the name comes from the old town of Donkov of the Ryazan principality, behind which researchers see the remains of the ancient Russian Dubok. In 1618 the town was burned by Sagaidachny's Cossacks, and a year later the fortress was moved to its present site. Town status came in 1959. The main surprise is the local history museum with the 'Little Tretyakov' art gallery housed in the former church of Demetrius of Thessaloniki of 1790; there is also the only planetarium in Lipetsk Oblast. Historical memory is special here: the Kulikovo Field is nearby, and the 131st pontoon battalion formed in Dankov fought its way from the Don to Berlin — a monument to the pontooners stands in the town. For a traveller, Dankov is a quiet point on the upper Don: the St George church, the Tikhvin and Nativity churches, the Intercession monastery, merchant mansions and the Bogoslovskaya embankment.