The land on which Rostov stands has long been sacred for Russians. Here, Russian warriors fought against the nomads who ravaged the domains of the Kievan Rus. And it was in this area that Cossack atamans Stepan Razin, Kondraty Bulavin and Yemelyan Pugachov started their famous uprisings that shook Russia in the 17th and 18th centuries. The city is considered to be founded in 1749, when the Temernik Frontier Customhouse was opened on the high western bank of the Don. Soon the construction of the fortress of Dmitry Rostovsky was started, and the town that grew up around its walls came to be called "Rostov which lies on the Don" . Rostov has always been of great significance to Russia. Apart from being a major city it was also an important strategic point; in the 18th century Rostov fortress, with its redoubts, bastions and cannons, was the largest one in the South of Russia. Rostov-on-Don is one of the most important cities in the south of Russia. Now, Rostov is a city with more than 1 million residents and is also an industrial, scientific and cultural center of the Don region. The city, though pleasant and cozy in a way, offers little for tourists seeking historical and cultural monuments and sights. Yet, the Museum of Local Studies featuring Cossack history and the peasant rebellions of Bulavin, Razin and Pugachyov, and the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum may be worth visiting.