For more than 100 years there are scientific debates about the date when Lipetsk came into existence. But one thing is perfectly clear: its history traces its roots back to the abyss of centuries when the settlements of Maliye Studenki Lipskiye, Studenki Bolshiye, Sokolye were first mentioned. In XVII-XVIII centuries the territory of the present-day Lipetsk Oblast (Region) was a part of Azov Province, the cradle of the Russian Fleet. After he had chosen the city of Voronezh to locate shipyards, Peter I had to find sources of metal nearby. Abundant deposits of iron ore, vast amounts of wood, essential for furnaces, availability of water made Lipetsk and neighbouring areas the centre of ferrous metallurgy.

In 1693 Borinsky hydraulic Iron Plant was built at the place of iron ore deposits in the village of Lipskiye Studenki Maliye on the banks of a small river Lipovka. Within 10 years it was transformed into Verkhny (Upper) Iron Plant. Afterwards Kuzminsky and Nizhny (Lower) Lipsky Iron Plants were constructed. At the time of Peter I the staff of the plants amounted to 500-600 people who worked to produce metal, canons, bombs, guns, muskets. The plants also manufactured drags and anchors sought after by the fleet.

September 1779, 16 – the Royal Decree of Ekaterina officially grants the settlement at Lipsky Plants the status of the chief town of the uyezd (district) of Tambov vicegerency. Its name was Lipetsk. For several decades the blast furnaces and forges of the town had been working, gradually falling into decay until 1795, when the plants were closed due to exhausted fuel reserves and aggressive competition of the plants in the south of Russia.

15 August 1781 – Lipetsk ratifies its official city emblem.

The period of impetuous development of industrial metal production dramatically changed the town and the neighbouring area. To commemorate the achievements a memorial to Peter I was erected in Lipetsk. It was a noticeable event for a provincial town. According to the decree of the governor, guard of honour was posted at the memorial. It was cast by the master Ivan Fedorov at Tambov Iron Plant and had symbolic meaning. The whole history of Lipetsk is reflected on the bas-reliefs of the memorial: one of them depicts the forge of Hephaestus and blacksmiths who raised their hammers over the lightning-like shaft. Another tells about the abundant natural resources of the region. It displays reclined goddess Hygea, leaning its elbows on a vessel. Water is streaming from it, and the snake on the goddess’s chest symbolizes curative properties of Lipetsk mineral water.

After the iron plants had been closed these were mineral springs that gave second wind to the town. Their popularity and fame have grown more on the discovery that the chemical content of Lipetsk mineral water was similar to that of the waters of the then-famous German resorts Liebenstein and Termont. In 1805 the decree of Alexander I started the building of Lipetsk resort and in 1806 the foundation of Nizhny Park was laid. Since then stone buildings have been constructed in conformity with the General plan.

At the turn of the century Lipetsk iron-making industry was spurred once again. In 1902 the construction of two blast furnaces laid the foundation of the iron- and steel-making plant «Svobodny Sokol». After 29 years, in 1931 another metallurgical giant was founded: Novolipetsk metallurgic plant (now – Novolipetsk Steel and Iron Corporation). The building of this plant, intended to be a vertically complete metal-making enterprise, was a turning point in the biography of the town. It was NSIC that helped Lipetsk win international recognition as a large-scale industrial centre. In 1943 authorities resolved to lay the bedrock of Lipetsk tractor-building plant, which was afterwards awarded various honours and insignia.

In January 1954 the government took a decision to form 5 new regions in the country, including Lipetsk Oblast (Region). Lipetsk received a high status of a regional centre. G. Zimina, one of Lipetsk old-timers, reminisces: «Leaving Voronezh for a new working place, we tried to imagine what Lipetsk was. The sight we saw struck us: in the place of the present-day centre cows were grazing!»

Today Lipetsk is a city with a more-than-500,000-people population. Novolipetsk Steel and Iron Corporation, being industrial giant and the leader of Russian metallurgy, is vitally important to the city. NSIC is the largest manufacturer of rolled products in Europe. Top educational standards in the city are secured by two universities: Lipetsk Technical University and Lipetsk Teachers-Training University.

At present Lipetsk is considered one of the most rapidly developing cities of Russia, and its citizens are people whose pride of their home city is undoubtedly justified.