We consider general physical characteristics of doubly heavy baryons: the spectroscopy in the framework of potential approach and sum rules of QCD, mechanisms of production in various interactions on the basis of fragmentation model with account of preasymptotic corrections caused by higher twists over the transverse momentum of baryon, inclusive decays and lifetimes in the operator product expansion over the inverse powers of heavy quark masses as well as the exclusive decays in the sum rules of QCD. We generalize the methods developed in the effective theory of heavy quarks towards the description of systems with two heavy quarks and a single light quark. The calculations are presented for the masses, decay widths and yields of baryons with two heavy quarks in the running and planned experimental facilities. We discuss the prospects of search for the baryons and possibilities of experimental observation. The most bright physical effects concerning these baryons as well as their position in the system for the theoretical description of heavy quark dynamics are considered.