Historical prerequisites for the formation of migrant settlements in the Saratov Krai

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to study historical prerequisites for the formation of migrant settlements on the territory of the Saratov Krai in the 18th century.Design/methodology/approach: The critical analysis of archival and bibliographic documents was used. Works of historians and travelers are studied, laws of the Russian Empire are given in references.Research findings: Two groups of migrants are determined for the population in the 18th and early 20th centuries, namely Europeans and Little Russians. The formation principles of new settlements are presented in this paper. The population dynamics and the number of settlements on the territory of the Saratov Krai are described.Practical implications: The identification of survived settlements and their architectural and planning solutions based on the field studies. Obtained information can serve as a basis for design work to preserve valuable elements of the migrant settlement architecture.Originality/value: The study of prerequisites of the settlement formation in the Saratov Krai on the left bank of the Volga River.