 Cherkessk is situated in the Caucasus on the right bank of the river Kuban. It is a railway station and an initial point of the Military-Sukhumi road (which was under construction in 1828-78).
The city was founded in 1804 as a Russian fortification at the Kuban boundary line where in 1790 the Russian army commanded by the general I.I.German defeated a Turkish army of 40 thousands under command of Batal-pasha. In honour of this victory there was laid a village Batalpashinskaya.Since 1880 this village became an administrative centre of a district in Kubanskaya oblast.
In 1922 it became the centre of Karachaevo-Cherkessian autonomous okrug.
Since 1931 it was called Batalpashinsk. In 1934 it was renamed as Sulimov, then Ezhovo-Cherkessk. Later only the second part of the name was preserved.
Since 1991 is has become the capital of the Republic of Karachaevo-Cherkessia.
Economy.
Enterprises of the chemical and machine-building industries are developed here. The largest Cherkessk enterprises are the plants of refrigerating mechanical engineering, general mechanical rubber goods, low-voltage equipment and cement.
Culture, science, education.
There are the Scientific and Research Institutes of economy, history, language and literature; the Polytechnic Institute.
Here you can find the Drama Theatre, the Karachaevo-Cherkessian Historical, Cultural and Nature Museum (founded in 1918).
Architecture, sights.
At the distance of 18 km from Cherkessk there are the Batalpashinskiye lakes (the so-called Cherkessian sea). It is a rest place for citizens.
Near the settlement Krasnogorsky the ruins of Russian fortifications of the Caucasian War period (1832) are situated.
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