Kursk, city, western Russia, at the confluence of the Seym and Tuskar rivers. It is the capital of Kursk Oblast. Kursk is the transportation and industrial center of a farming and iron-ore-mining region. Manufactures include machinery, textiles, and chemicals. First mentioned in the 11th century, Kursk was destroyed in 1240 by the Tatars and was rebuilt as a Muscovite frontier outpost in the late 16th century. From 1922 to 1991 Russia was part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). During World War II the city was occupied by Germany from 1941 to 1943. After Soviet troops retook Kursk in the spring of 1943, it was the site of what has been called the greatest tank battle in history. In July 1943 German troops attacked the Red Army, which had bulged into enemy territory at Kursk. But the Soviets won the monthlong Battle of Kursk, helping to turn the tide against the Nazis in Eastern Europe. Population (1999 estimate) 441,200.
