Dankov

 city, district center

Town and the administrative center of Dankovsky District in Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Don River 86 kilometers (53 mi) northwest of Lipetsk, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 19,726 (2021 Census). The fort of Donkov was founded by the Princes of Ryazan in the late 14th century and took its name from the Don River. The fort stood on the left bank of the Don, about 34 kilometers (21 mi) from the modern town, until 1568, when it was destroyed by the Crimean Tatars. It was then restored on a better fortified location but was again relocated in 1618. It is shown as Donko in Mercator's Atlas (1596), and as Donkagorod in Resania in Joan Blaeu's map of 1645. By the 18th century, its spelling changed from Donkov to Dankov. The town was chartered by Catherine the Great but was demoted in status to that of a rural locality between 1796 and 1804 and again between 1924 and 1959.