Originally known as
Kozlov (), its origin in a small monastery, founded in the forest in 1627. It became a settlement in 1635 at the northern end of the emerging
Belgorod Line, a frontier
defense line. A earthen wall was built eastward across the open steppe effectively blocking the
Nogai Trail, a
Tatar raiding route. The success of this line led to the building of further lines further south. The settlement was granted town status in 1779. Situated on the highway to
Astrakhan and at the head of water communication with the
Don, the town soon became a centre of trade. after the biologist
Ivan Michurin, who had developed a genetic laboratory and agricultural testing fields in the Tambov region, dedicated to
pomology (the study of fruit growing) and
selection. ==Administrative and municipal status==