Belgorod Oblast

Belgorod Oblast is a region in Russia's Chernozemye region, bordering Ukraine to the south and west, Kursk Oblast to the north, and Voronezh Oblast to the east.

Cities

• Belgorod — a fairly small (~300,000 residents) provincial city with many surviving cathedrals from the turn of the sixteenth century onward as well as a prominent diorama-museum of the Battle of Kursk
• Stary Oskol — the second city of Belgorod Oblast, which has considerably less on offer to the tourist than Belgorod

Other destinations

• Prokhorovka — site of the WWII Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle in history, and now home to monuments and cathedrals honoring the memory of the many who died.
• Les na Vorskle Nature Reserve (Forest on the Vorskla River)

Understand

Belgorod Oblast is a relatively unpopulated provincial area of the Russian-Ukrainian borderlands. The city of Belgorod is by no means a major tourist destination, but that in itself might make it more attractive to travelers favoring the less beaten path, and it has a good deal to offer a tourist interested in a more slowly paced, small, provincial capital. The region's biggest attraction, however, is its battlefield legacy as one of the principal stages of the Battle of Kursk, a WWII battle of an extraordinary scale and importance that is one of the principal turning points of the war. Military buffs, relatives of the deceased, and curious travelers will find that, although there is a museum dedicated to the battle in Belgorod, the majority of interesting sites are in and around the northern town of Prokhorovka.

Talk

Knowledge of Russian is vital, unless you are travelling with a guide.

Get in

Flights arrive to Belgorod from Moscow. Trains arrive from Moscow through Kursk and Voronezh; from Ukraine principally via Kharkov.

Get around

Travelers can easily reach Prokhorovka via the rail line running between Kursk and Belgorod.

Get out

Belgorod Oblast is a convenient last stop in Russia on your way to destinations in Ukraine; in particular, travelers heading from Central Russia overland to the Crimea will likely pass through.

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