Saratov is the largest city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River upstream of Volgograd. As of the 2010 Census, Saratov had a population of 837,900, making it the 17th-largest city in Russia by population. Saratov is 389 km from Volgograd, 442 km from Samara, and 858 km southeast of Moscow.
The city stands near the site of Uvek, a city of the Golden Horde. Tsar Feodor I of Russia likely developed Saratov as a fortress to secure Russia's southeastern border. Saratov developed as a shipping port along the Volga and was historically important to the Volga Germans, who settled in large numbers in the city before they were expelled after World War II.
Saratov is home to a number of cultural and educational institutions, including the Saratov Drama Theater, Saratov Conservatory, Radishchev Art Museum, Saratov State Technical University, and Saratov State University.