The times of Catherine the Great's reign are long gone, and only a few of our contemporaries remember the resettlement of Cossacks from the Zaporozhian Sich to the Taman coast. However, upon visiting the namesake stanitsa, tourists are surprised to discover a monument dedicated to these resettled Cossacks. Those unfamiliar with the history have many questions, and today I will try to answer many of them.

After Catherine II ascended to the throne, the Russian Empire began to develop rapidly, but some regions continued to cause concern for the capital government. One such place was the Zaporozhian Sich. A quick solution was found: the empress ordered the Cossacks to be resettled to Kuban, and their former place of residence was destroyed. On August 25, 1792, Cossacks led by Savva Bely arrived on the shores of Taman, where they were to settle. Of course, not everyone was pleased with this turn of events, but they had no choice.

More than two hundred years have passed since then. At the end of the 19th century, a decision was made to erect a monument in honor of the distant ancestors of the current residents of Taman. The solemn opening took place on October 5, 1911, with funds for the monument collected through voluntary donations. The project was authored by a teacher from the local Mariinsky Women's School, Kosolap, and the collected 235 thousand rubles allowed for the creation of a magnificent monument, which became a worthy symbol of respect for the ancestors. Interestingly, it turned out to be the only one in the area that survived the arrival of the Bolsheviks. This is because the Zaporozhian Cossacks were portrayed as opponents of imperial Russia, so the monument was not destroyed, unlike others. It was also untouched by the Germans, who treated this Cossack relic with respect. Thus, the monument has survived to this day, and you can see it by visiting the Kuban stanitsa of Taman.