摘要：The article considers the history of water activities in Astrakhan Region, discloses major stages of river merchant and passenger shipping along the Volga and the Caspian Sea. Starting from 1842, passenger carriage was performed along with freight. In 1843 Colonel Sokolovsky manufactured the first steam vessel ‘Sokol’. It had a flat bottom and good interior trim and was the first to start passenger carriage. Towards the end of the XIXth century, Astrakhan was ranked number II in the total number of steam vessels, trailing only Odessa and was ranked the first in the number of sailing vessels.
