The city of Kherson was founded in 1778 under the decree of Catherine II, urban settlement included a castle and shipyard which carried out the construction of the Black Sea Fleet. The most important sectors in the modern economy of Kherson are food industry and machine building. The largest enterprises of Kherson: NPP "Khersonskiy Machinostroitelniy Zavod", PJSC "Kherson Shipyard", JSC "Kuibyshev Ship Repair Plant", JSC "Kherson confectionery factory". The city has 15 higher education institutions, 4 museums, music and drama theaters, a philharmonic. Kherson hosts several of annual international music festivals.