Kropotkin is a town in the Krasnodar Krai of Russia. It is situated in the Kubano-Priazovsky Lowland, on the right bank of the Kuban River, 136 km to the northwest of Krasnodar. It is a railroad junction (Kavkazskaya Station) and a multiple road junction.

Kropotkin with the population of 80 285 people (as of 2013) has the area of 99 sq.km.

History of Kropotkin

At the end of the 18th century a small military settlement was founded to the west of the Caucasian Fortress on the right bank of Kuban River. It was a constant post of observation over the Circassians living on the left bank of Kuban, and a ford over the river. At first this picket was named Post at a Burnt Oak and in 1813 in documents of the Caucasian regiment this settlement was already called the Romanovsky Post (the observer corps consisted of Don Cossacks from the Romanovsky Village of the 1st Donsky District). The Kavkazskaya (Caucasian) Village was developed around the fortress in 1794.

After abolition of the Caucasian Fortress in the mid 19th century, in 1879, on the place of the post the small Romanovsky Farm named after the earlier existing military post Romanovsky was formed. Summer Cossack camps were organized there; on the right bank of Kuban, there passed the Stavropol road connecting Stavropol (the capital of the Caucasian Province) with Yekaterinodar (the central town of the Kuban Region).

At the end of the 19th century Kropotkin was a transport and then trade and transport hob.

In February 4, 1921 the Romanovsky Farm was transformed into a town and named after the anarchism theorist and geographer Prince P. A. Kropotkin (1842-1921).

During the Great Patriotic War 1941-45 it was occupied by fascist armies on August 4, 1942. Kropotkin was released on January 28, 1943 by armies of the North Caucasian front in the course of the North Caucasian operation.

Economy

Kropotkin is one of the centers of the food industry of the Krasnodar Krai.

It has a number of food industry plants: oil-extracting, canning, dairy, brewing, meat-processing, and bread-baking ones.

There is also a chemical plant, a household chemicals factory, ferroconcrete production plant and a woodworking machines factory.

Architecture and Sights

Kropotkin has architectural monuments of the second half of the 19th century: Pokrovsky Cathedral and the railway station building.

Memorial in the 30th Anniversary of Victory Park commemorates the victory over fascism in World War II.

4 and 5-storeyed houses prevail in the town-planning.