Located on the Voronezh River, twelve kilometers from its inflow into the Don River, Voronezh today is a major administrative, industrial, and cultural center of the Central Black Earth Region. It was founded in 1585 by Tsar Fyodor as a fortress for protecting Russia from the invasion of Crimean and Nogay Tatars. It was Voronezh, where the first Russian fleet, a great surprise for Europe, was built by order of Peter I. After that, being the center of Russian shipbuilding the city functioned as almost a Russian capital, where Peter I with his courtyard lived. A favorable geographic position at the cross-roads of important transport routes, a powerful industry, a strong scientific potential and productive agricultural base let Voronezh stay a leader among the cities of the Central Black Earth Region.
