Handicraft fairs and exhibitions as a means of business development in the chernozem south of Russia in the second half of the XIX - early XX centuries

The article deals with the history of trade fairs in the territory of Chernozem regions of the Russian South. Based on the documents, the author discusses organization of hand-made goods trade at fairs and exhibitions of the region. Based on the analysis of the recordings of the State Archive of the Voronezh Region and the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts the paper discusses the role of trade fairs and exhibitions in the lives of the regional population.