is 2 July, 1590. According to one of the
versions the name of the town originates from the combination of the Tatar-Mongolian words «sary» («yellow») and «tau» («mountain»). This could be the name of Sokolovaya Mountain, yellow by color.In 1764 Catherine the Great signed the manifest inviting foreign citizens to live in Russia. After that foreigners started arriving to settle in Saratov and its suburbs.
In 1781 Saratov coat of arms was instituted — three sterlets on a blue background symbolizing the abundance of this kind of fish in the region.
The end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries in Saratov were remarkable for its cultural achievements. In 1891 Saratov brothers Nikitins founded the first National Circus in Russia. In 1885 the first public museum in Russia was opened. In 1891 was opened the first public theatre (now there is the Drama Theatre in its place). In 1912 the first provincial conservatoire of music was opened (the third one in Russia)