Kursk Oblast

The Seim River and deep chernozem soils define much of Kursk Oblast – their fertile floodplains and fields have long underpinned agriculture and settlement in this part of western Russia. Kursk, the regional capital, is an old city whose Znamensky Cathedral is a prominent Orthodox landmark. Beyond its urban centre, the Central Black Earth Nature Reserve protects remnants of forest-steppe, a habitat once widespread across the region. Kursk Oblast also lies within the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly, a major iron-ore basin, with mining an important part of its economy. The oblast is closely associated with the 1943 Battle of Kursk, a decisive Eastern Front campaign. Discover how Kursk Oblast connects with surrounding Russian regions by browsing webcams nearby.

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