Central Black Earth Region

Between 1928 and 1934, these regions briefly united as the Central Black Earth Oblast, with the centre in Voronezh.

The area contains a biosphere nature reserve called Central Black Earth Nature Reserve (42 km2 (16 sq mi)), which was created in 1935 within the Kursk and Belgorod oblasts.

A prime specimen of forest steppe in Europe, the nature reserve consists of typical virgin land (целина, celina) steppes and deciduous forests.

On 14 May 1928, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and Government of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic passed a directive on the formation of the Central Black Earth Oblast[2] using the territory of the former Voronezh, Kursk, Oryol and Tambov Governorate Governorates with its centre as the city of Voronezh.

On 3 June 1929, Voronezh, the centre of the region, was designated as an independent administrative unit directly subordinate to the regional Congress of Soviets and its executive committee.