Kamyshin is a town in the central part of the Volgograd Region.

It is located on the right bank of the Volgograd reservoir, in the mouth of River Kamyshinka, 200 km to the northeast of Volgograd.

It has a river port, a railway station and a highway.

The town with the territory of 118 sq.km has the population of 119 565 people (as of 2010).

History of Kamyshin

Kamyshin was founded in 1667 as Kamyshinka Village on the left river bank of Kamyshinka (the right inflow of Volga). The hydronym derives from “kamysh”, i.e. bulrush.

In 1697 opposite to the village on the right bank of Kamyshinka they built Peter town, or Petrovsky fortress; then the Dmitriyevsky regiment was transferred there and already a document of 1699 already recorded the town of Dmitriyevsk. In 1710 the town dwellers were moved to the right bank of Kamyshinka, to the fortress, and the formed settlement was also named the town of Dmitriyevsk. Apparently, the term “town” was applied in these cases in its old Russian meaning of “a fortification, a stockaded settlement”.

In 1708 Dmitriyevsk dwellers took part in Bulavinsky revolt. In 1774 the city was ruined by revolting troops of Yemelyan Pugachyov.

From 1708 the town was in the Kazan Province and from 1717 Dmitriev was a part of the Astrakhan Province. In 1780 it became the district town of the Saratov Province, but since there were already several Russian towns named after Dmitry - Dmitriev (Kursk Province), Dmitrovsk (Oryol Province), Dmitrov (Moscow Province), the town was then renamed into Kamyshin. In 1797 it joined the Saratov Province.

In the 18th century Kamyshin lost its strategic value and further developed as a trading city of the Volga region. Gardening was developed in Kamyshin and its vicinities, with Kamyshin water-melons gaining high popularity and enormous fame.

In 1856 the district town of Kamyshin of the Saratov Province had 4 churches, 707 houses, and 127 shops.