Kursk Korensk Fair
According to a monastic legend, Kursk Korensk Fair dates back and owes its origin to religious processions with a miracle-working icon from Kursk City to the place of its discovery which attracted lots of prayers and pilgrims to the Korennaya Hermitage.
Kursk Korensk Fair has centuries of history. It was first officially mentioned in 1708. In 1824, governmental acts of the Russian Empire refer to Kursk Korensk Fair as one of the three main trade fairs of Russia along with those in Nizhniy Novgorod and Irbit, accepting commodities from foreigners. It was Korensk Fair that made Kursk famous in those old times, symbolizing Russia's Southern trading gate.
The importance of the Fair for Central Russia was so great that its turnover in the second half of the 19th century reached a whopping 7 million Rubles easily outstripping combined turnovers of all other trade fairs of the region. Korensk Fair developed as an all-Russian market. Built under the project of the famous architect Giacomo Quarenghi, it occupied an area of 64 desyatinas (about 173 acres) and was perfectly equipped and adjusted for trading and dealing activities. At Kursk Korensk Fair, local merchants were sitting pretty, with a dedicated Kursk Krasny Ryad (shopping street) resembling that of Moscow.
In early 20th century, a series of upheavals undermined the usual way of life as religious processions were banned and the once famous fair ended up on the outskirts of history for decades.
In 2001, Kursk Korensk Fair gained a second life, the number of participants from Russia and abroad growing with every year since then.
Expositions of business delegations from Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova have become traditional. Businessmen from outside the different countries (Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, China, France, Italy, Spain, Montenegro, Serbia, Vietnam and Abkhazia) often visit the Fair, too.
Every year, more retailers arrive from Tambov, Lipetsk, Bryansk, Tula, Voronezh, Kaluga, Ryazan, Orenburg as well as from Belarus and Ukraine presenting a wide range of meat and dairy, bakery, confectionery goods, soft drinks, flour and cereal products.
The Government of Kursk region is positive that Kursk Korensk Fair will always fully serve the interests of all its participants and guests, revive and develop partnership, making Kursk a traditional and favorable venue for multilateral business meetings and negotiations resulting in long-term cooperation, friendly relations and mutually beneficial contracts.
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