Map of Penza

History

Penza was founded as a Russian frontier fortress-city, and to this day, remnants of the Lomovskaya sentry line built in 1640 have been preserved at the western edge of the city, and remains of earth ramparts dating from the mid-16th century are preserved in the city center. Until 1663, Penza was a wooden stockade with only a small settlement. In May 1663, the architect Yuri Kontransky arrived in Penza on the Tsar's orders to direct the construction of a fortress city, as part of a wider fortress building program to protect Russia from attacks by Crimean Tatars. The initial construction consisted of a wooden Kremlin, a village, and quarters for the nobility, small tradesmen, and merchants.

Geography

Penza is located in the central part of the Penza Oblast, on the banks of the Sura River (a tributary of the Volga) and its tributaries (the streams Penza, Ardym, Moika, and Penzyatka). Some of the rivers and streams flowing through Penza are partially enclosed in culverts. The city has a hilly terrain.

The city is divided into four administrative districts: Leninsky (the central district), Oktyabrsky, Zheleznodorozhny (the only one partially located on the right bank of the Sura), and Pervomaysky.

The central quarter of the city occupies the territory on which the wooden fortress Penza was once located; therefore, it is sometimes called the Serf.

Climate

Penza has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with long, cold winters and warm summers. Due to the vast landmass, the summer is much warmer than its 53°N latitude would suggest. The same factors also result in very cold winters by upper mid-latitude European standards. A heat wave in the months of June, July, and August 2010, raised temperatures from previous norms often by 15 °C (27 °F) in Penza. Some of the higher fluctuations in temperatures were recorded with seven straight days of temperatures +40 °C (104 °F) and higher compared to the previous year where the higher temperatures for the same period were, on average, 20 °C (36 °F) lower.