Historical and Cultural Cluster "Starocherkassk"

Abstract

The study of the historical and cultural potential of Cherkassk, one of the first capitals of the Don Cossacks (now the stanitsa of Starocherkasskaya in Rostov Region), whose history is closely associated with significant and dramatic events of the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, has demonstrated both the necessity and the feasibility of establishing the Starocherkassk Historical and Cultural Tourism Cluster within the settlement.
The evolution of the spatial and planning structure of Cherkassk, reconstructed on the basis of archival sources, statistical descriptions, and field-survey materials, revealed the decisive influence of natural landscape conditions on the formation of the settlement’s architectural and urban environment. The island-like location of the Cherkassk stanitsas, separated by channels and waterways, recurrent flooding, and the specific military and economic way of life exerted a significant influence on the planning organization of the settlement and on the development of distinctive residential building types known as Cossack kuren houses.
Field surveys undertaken to assess the current condition of the stanitsa revealed alterations to its traditional architectural character, the introduction of discordant elements, and transformations of the architectural and natural landscape. Analysis of the settlement’s development potential and formative factors made it possible to propose a strategy and key directions for establishing the Starocherkassk Historical and Cultural Tourism Cluster. The proposed approach is based on the principles of heritage preservation, sustainable functioning, and socio-economic development of the historic settlement as a cultural and natural heritage complex founded upon its cultural heritage sites.