Review article

The article submits an analysis of historical and cultural framework of small historical settlements (Cossack villages) located on the coastal territories of the Don River in the Rostov Region and compositional dominants that are regarded as elements of the public space of the architectural and compositional core of the historical and cultural framework. Theoretical aspects concerning the modeling of the hierarchical structure of the historical and cultural framework are scrutinized. There have been studied two small historical settlements, namely, the Cossack villages of Veshenskaya and Razdorskaya. The author analyzes the structure of the historical and cultural framework at several spatial levels, in particular, at the level of open public spaces in the center of the Cossack villages. Compositional dominants are surveyed as elements of the public space of the architectural and compositional core of the historical and cultural framework. Taking into account the study results, the author makes conclusions regarding the process of formation of public spaces in the structure of the architectural and compositional core of the historical and cultural framework of the Cossack villages of the Rostov region.