The end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries in Rus' passed under the sign of the strengthening of the power of the Moscow state. After the end of the most difficult for the state, the Livonian War, and the accession of Fyodor Ivanovich to the throne, an extensive program of construction of fortified cities on the Volga began to be implemented. This was done to preserve the borders of the state from foreign invaders from the south, where there were Crimean Tatars, and from the Middle and Lower Volga region, where the Nogai Horde dominated.
During the reign of Fyodor Ivanovich, an embassy was sent to the Nogai prince Urus, who stood at the head of the Great Nogai Horde, roaming a vast territory from the Volga to the Urals. The purpose of which was to swear in Prince Urus, since formally the Great Nogai Horde was under Russian citizenship. Urus was sworn in, but expressed a number of complaints about the Cossacks who were robbing his usuls, and about the fact that the tsar was going to build cities in four places. In the fall of 1586, Prince Urus sent the king a letter in which he asked:
“You want to build cities in four places: on Ufa, on Uvek, on Samara, and on Belaya Volozhka. Did your grandfathers and fathers own those places?
Border Fort
According to the generally accepted interpretation, it is believed that the founding date of Saratov is July 12, 1590. The city appeared as a fortress, which gradually developed into a serious fortification on the southeastern borders of Russia. From here the development and settlement of vast lands continued. The date of the founding of the city of Saratov coincided with the next round of development of trade along the Volga route.
The fortresses that were then built along the little-developed banks of the great river represented a powerful barrier against the raids of the Nogais and Crimean Tatars. Dangerous nomads forced the tsarist government to build Samara, Tsaritsyn and Saratov almost simultaneously. All these cities had one founding father - Grigory Osipovich Zasekin. A skilled fortifier, an experienced military leader and builder, he remained one of the main figures associated with consolidating Russian power on the Volga. 1590 (the year Saratov was founded) is a date that turned out to be an important milestone in this process. Thanks to the fortress, it was possible to establish a permanent connection between the lower and upper reaches of the Volga.
Two versions about the founding site of Saratov
The history of Saratov has been well studied and covered in the works of pre-revolutionary and Soviet historians, publicists and local historians. Abundant and eloquent material has been collected from local museums. And yet, in the history of the city, two questions remain unresolved to this day: 1) in what place Saratov was founded - on the right or left bank of the Volga; 2) what is the origin of this obviously foreign geographical name? This second question is all the more legitimate since our city arose not in ancient times, not many centuries ago, like Novgorod, Kiev, Moscow, but in relatively recent times, which left behind numerous documents along with monuments of material culture: chronicles, legislative acts , scribal and place books, all kinds of letters, reports, written eyewitness accounts, cartographic material, etc. Saratov was founded in the years when Muscovite Rus' took shape as the Russian state with a centralized administrative apparatus and, although with poor and unkempt, but well-studied internal tracts, with a dense network of river routes. It would seem that with the emergence of each new city it should be given not a foreign language, but a Russian name such as Novgorod, Lugansk, Pavlodar, Pokrovsk, etc. After all, in those years other new cities - the same age as Saratov - were given names: Belgorod, Tsarev- Borisov. Here is a name that is incomprehensible and fundamentally alien to Russian speech. It turns out that if it is difficult to answer the first question - about the place of the original founding of the city due to the fact that the archive of the order of the Kazan Palace, which was in charge of the affairs of the Volga region, burned down in 1701, then in the question of the geographical name the evidence seems to lie within itself: you just have to decipher its linguistic basis, and the answer is received. Unfortunately, this is not at all as simple as it seems, and not only in this case. There are many geographical names, the meaning and origin of which, despite intense attempts to establish them, still remain undeciphered. So it is here: although local local historians have put a lot of work into resolving the problem, many of their assumptions and arguments remain unconvincing. The fact that local historians did not make enough use of published materials from a special branch of linguistics—toponymy, the science of place names—also played a role. However, in this case, the importance of toponymy is especially great, since “the (geographical) names themselves can tell a historian-researcher a lot and act, especially in the absence of other sources, as a kind of historical landmark. Geographical names can be used along with other historical sources to study the history of the country and historical and geographical facts.” It must be emphasized that toponymy, as the science of place names, is associated primarily with geography (including historical), as well as history and ethnography, and often refers to archeology and other branches of knowledge. According to one, the earliest version, Saratov was founded in 1590 on the left bank of the Volga, somewhat north of the current city of Engels.
In the winter of 1613, the wooden fortress city completely burned down and only 3-4 years later it was rebuilt in the same place. According to another, the city arose in the indicated year on the right bank of the Volga, but where exactly has not been established. Destroyed by fire in 1613, it was rebuilt on the left bank at the mouth of the river. Saratovka in 1616-1617. Left-bank Saratov, according to both versions, was moved by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in 1674 to the right bank of the Volga to a place between Glebuchev (Vorovsky - in the terminology of those times) and Beloglinsky ravines. Until the end of the last century, there was no doubt that Saratov was founded on the left bank of the Volga. It was believed that the Book of the Big Drawing, a state document of the early 17th century, representing a collection of geographical information about the territory of the Russian state and neighboring countries, contained quite convincing evidence of the left bank location of Saratov. All local historians were unanimous in this opinion. Among them we will name A.F. Leopoldov, the author of the book “Historical sketch of the Saratov region” published in 1848, A.I. Shakhmatov. Let us mention the works of S. S. Krasnodubrovsky “A Story about the Old Years of Saratov” and N. F. Khovansky “On the Past of the City of Saratov” published in the same 1891 - for the 300th anniversary of the city. This same version was confirmed in the detailed two-volume work of G.I. Peretyatkovich “Volga Region. Essays on the history and colonization of the region...". In the first part of this work, the author directly states that “a year after the construction of Tsaritsyn, Saratov already existed on the left bank of the Volga.” The most solid among these works are the historical essays of the native Saratov native A. I. Shakhmatov, among whose ancestors was one of the Saratov governors and who has preserved an extensive archive where one can find information about the past of Saratov. Shakhmatov's book contains a large amount of factual material relating to the place and time of Saratov's existence on the left bank, including a large-scale map of the area and a copy of Olearius's map. They will be discussed in chapter six. The assumption that Saratov was originally founded on the right bank and exactly where Uvek is now located was apparently first expressed by local historian V.P. Yuryev, who published an article on this topic in one of the Saratov newspapers. In 1913, P. G. Lyubomirov developed this idea in his report to the provincial archival commission. He also believed that the place of origin of Saratov was Uvek. The version about the founding of the city on the right bank was developed first in the article, and then in the large work of A. A. Heraclitov “History of the Saratov region in the 16th–18th centuries.”
Recognizing that the exact location of old Saratov has not been established, the author of this work nevertheless assumed (taking into account archaeological excavations on the right bank of the Volga in the area from Pristannoye to Uvek) that most likely the fortress was founded a little south of the current village of Pristannoye. V. A. Osipov spoke even more clearly: this is an area on the banks of the river. Guselki, where excavations were carried out in 1963. Over time, this problem has become increasingly controversial, and the number of supporters of the second version (about the founding of the city on the right bank) has increasingly increased. The most objectively debatable issue was reflected in the small, but very informative work of V. I. Opokova (published in 1924) “The Past of the Saratov Territory” according to the information contained in it. “We know exactly the year of Saratov’s founding, but we cannot indisputably indicate the place of its construction. Information about where Saratov was located in the first years of its existence is so unclear that it has caused disagreements among researchers. Some believe that Saratov was built on the left bank of the Volga at the confluence of the Saratovka River, 2 versts above Pokrovsk (reference is made to Chekalin and Peretyatkovich - N.S.), others - that Saratov was first founded on the right shore and only after troubled times was moved to the left meadow, where traces of his settlement are still preserved.” V.I. Opokova gives an explanation: “Supporters of this latter opinion differ on the question of where exactly the original Saratov was located: in the area of the current Kazan Church in Saratov (Lyubomirov) or somewhere near the village of Pristannoye (Heraclitov). There is even one indication that Saratov was located on an island, but it is the only one and, perhaps, is explained by the fact that the city, if it was located on the meadow side, in the spring was surrounded on almost all sides by water, which is why it seemed to be spread out on an island (highlighted us.— N. S). There was a lot of debate about what the word “Saratov” means, and this question also cannot be considered resolved to this day.
Features of the fortress
Zasekin determined not only what the founding date of Saratov would be, but also what the initial site for construction of the fortress would be. It was a convenient crossing on the Volga, located exactly halfway from Tsaritsyn to Samara. At first, about 300 archers served in the settlement. There was a hill near the town. It was used as a convenient platform for viewing the area several kilometers around.
The city was protected not only by fortifications, but also by natural barriers: steep river slopes, forests, oxbow lakes, channels and small lakes. On one side, the natural border of Saratov was a deep ravine. The city builders also tried. When the founding date of Saratov arrived, fortress walls and watchtowers appeared in the previously deserted area.
Fortress city of Tsaritsyn
After a short period of voivodeship, Zasekin, as an experienced city builder, was sent to establish the city of Tsaritsyn. Together with him, other governors supervised the construction of the new city: Roman Vasilyevich Alferyev and Ivan Afanasyevich Nashchokin. Zasekin transported the timber from Kazan to Perevoloka on ships for the construction of the Tsaritsinsky fort. The fortress city of Tsaritsyn became the direct successor of the guard that blocked the Crimean Tatars, Turks, Nogai and Cossack bands from accessing the Volga from the Don. The city was founded three years after Samara, in 1589.
The origin of the name of the city of Tsaritsyn is interesting. There were several legends, but one of them was closest to the truth. The river Sary-su (in Russian transcription Tsaritsa), which means yellow water, and the area Sari-chin - yellow sand, apparently gave the name to the city. Or maybe the name of the city was given by Zasekin himself after the “Tsaritsyn Island” known in documents - a military outpost near Perevoloka.
City of service people
The governor's office immediately became the heart of the new settlement. Next to it were the courtyards of archers, centurions and other military men. The rest of the city was occupied by the buildings of merchants and artisans. Service people (including gunners) lived close to the fortress walls, so that in case of an alarm they could immediately prepare for the defense of the city.
Separate from the other buildings were gunpowder magazines, grain barns and a prison. The tallest building was the church, which towered above the rest of the buildings. Saratov was mostly built of wood, which meant there was a constant danger of fire. For the safety of residents, pottery and metallurgical forges stood in a bare field. The successful date of the founding of Saratov and the natural conditions of the Lower Volga region allowed the city to grow quickly. There were vast untouched expanses of fertile land and abundant pastures. Rich hunting and hunting grounds also attracted more and more settlers.
Sary-tau?
In most cases, the name Saratov is deciphered as “Sary-tau” - yellow mountain, based on the assumption that this is the color of the clay of the often crumbling Sokolovaya Mountain or other yellow mountains in the cliffs that stretched along Pristannoye.
There is another option for the origin of the name. “Sary atav”, where the word “atav” is translated from Turkic as island. In documents from the late 16th – 17th centuries, Saratov was called an island, although the city had never been on an island. The fact is that in ancient times the word “island” could mean a tract, that is, any part of the area different from the rest: a forest in the middle of a field, a mountain, a rock or something else that was clearly visible from a distance and served as a landmark for nomads and those traveling along the Volga of people.
Population influx
In the history of Russian colonization of the Volga region, the date of the founding of the city of Saratov became an important mark, after which the influx of settlers into the region increased significantly. Service people went to the steppe for new prospects and a decent salary. The archers accompanied merchant ships and caravans, fighting not only with the Nogai nomads, but also with gangs of “thieving” Cossacks who robbed merchants.
The founder of the city, Grigory Zasekin, was appointed its first governor. He was in charge of all city life and was responsible for paying the archers salaries. On days off from military work, they were engaged in gardening, arable farming and raising livestock. The next wave of people who wanted to settle in Saratov appeared at the beginning of the 17th century, when the Russian state experienced a bloody Civil War and Polish intervention.
Saratov original
In the book “The Gospel”, written at the end of the 16th century, the following entry was made on a blank sheet of paper in the handwriting of an illiterate and inexperienced person in writing: “In the summer of 7098 (1590), on the 2nd day of July, Prince Grigory Osipovich Zasekin came to commemorate the position of the belt of the Most Pure Mother of God Yes, Fyodor Mikhailovich Turov bet on the city of Saratov.” Although the recording is quite accurate and there was no doubt about its authenticity, it is just a personal note. Scientists continued to look for information in official documents. And in a collection of chronicle excerpts written at the beginning of the 17th century by Elder Tikhon Kazanets, there was an entry: “And in the year 98 the city of Saratov was established.” Later, another mention was discovered in the Rank Book of the 15th-16th centuries, where appointments to senior military and government positions were recorded by year. Under 1590 it was stated: “In the new city on Saratov Island the head is Fedor Turov.”
These documents indicate the founding of Saratov in 1590. Based on indirect documents and archaeological finds, most scientists assume that the first, original Saratov was built several kilometers above the modern city. Here, at the confluence of the Guselka River and the Volga, there is a cape with a smooth, slightly sloping plateau. Saratov was originally located in its center. Above the city rose a high hill, or, in local terms, “shihan,” from which the area was perfectly visible for several miles, and from the tower built there, even further. The steep slopes of the banks of the Volga and Guselka, a land covered with forest interspersed with water meadows, channels, oxbow lakes, and lakes, were natural obstacles and protected the city from the Trans-Volga region. On the opposite side, a deep ravine, also overgrown with forest and bushes, which passed behind the shihan hill, served as good protection. The place chosen for the construction of the first Saratov, as we see, was convenient, protected by natural barriers, and militarily advantageous. The construction of a city on the Volga was a matter of great national importance. Therefore, the preparation was thorough. A place was chosen, and in relation to it, a drawing of the future city and an estimate for construction were drawn up, where the size of the city, its social composition, and what and where to get building materials were determined. In the summer of 1590, on the banks of the Volga in the place where the Guselka River flows into it, it was crowded and noisy. Hundreds of people, guarded by archers, unloaded ships with timber for the construction of a new city.
Last summer, in the forest-rich upper reaches of the Volga, a wooden city was cut down - all its buildings, including fortifications. Over the summer and autumn, the wooden buildings dried out and the logs sank. In the spring, all the log houses were dismantled, each log was marked with a carpenter's bill, and transported by ship to the site of the future city. This method made it possible to build a new city in a few weeks. The governors came to the foundation of the new city - Prince G. O. Zasekin and the Streltsy head F. M. Turov, and with them clerks, boyar children, and Streltsy. Even earlier, carpenters, blacksmiths, stove makers and other builders, foot archers arrived here. G. O. Zasekin, as an experienced fortifier and urban planner, supervised all the work. Finally, the day of laying the foundations of Saratov arrived. Its territory was marked out according to the drawing: ditches were dug, marker pegs were driven in at the site of future buildings. The builders were followed by governors, clerks, and free archers. There was a priest there, and the icon was carried next. According to the customs of that time, with a prayer service and blessing of water, they walked around the supposed sites of the fortifications and gates of the city. The priest sprinkled all this with “holy” water. Then they marked and consecrated the site of the temple. On the same day, while everything was still “holy,” the first crowns of future structures and buildings were laid from logs. And construction began in full swing. The first Saratov, apparently, was no different from other fortified cities of that time. Wooden fortress walls with towers surrounded the small city and protected it from attacks. The voivode's office and the courtyard of the governor himself were built in the city; nearby were the courtyards of the children of the boyars and streltsy centurions. The rest of the territory was occupied by the estates of artisans and traders, and closer to the fortress walls - archers, gunners and other service people. Separately stood grain barns, powder magazines, a prison and other government buildings. A wooden church towered above all the buildings.
During the Time of Troubles
Against the backdrop of the horrors of the war, village residents and peasants fled from the chaos of the central provinces to the Volga region. The date of formation of Saratov is 1590, but it was 20 years later that it grew into a real city due to forced migrants. At the same time, the Volga fortress had to endure long-term oppression of the local Cossacks, who were commanded by all sorts of impostors (for example, Ileika Muromets and Ilya Gorchakov).
In the summer of 1607, a new threat appeared. A certain Tsarevich Ivan August gathered a Cossack detachment, captured Tsaritsyn and moved up the Volga. The Saratov garrison was then commanded by Vladimir Anichkov and Zamyatiya Saburov. The defenders of the fortress repulsed all the attacks of the gang and did not allow them to enter the city.
New challenges
The imaginary Tsarevich Ivan fled to the Don, where he died in a skirmish with the army of False Dmitry II. Saratov also briefly ceased to obey the Moscow authorities - supporters of the next impostor seized power there.
Peace soon came, but in 1614 the settlement was overtaken by a real disaster. The city burned to the ground. Many residents died, and those who managed to survive moved to Samara. Gradually the fortress was restored. Its revival coincided with the restoration of legitimate power in Moscow (the throne passed to the Romanov dynasty).
The Volga region, meanwhile, continued to live its provincial life, divorced from great political passions. The main event here was the construction of new fortresses (for example, the founding date of Saratov became fundamental for the region). The history of the region in the 17th century is known rather fragmentarily. In 1636, Saratov was visited by Adam Olearius, the head of the German embassy, who left unique notes about the life of Russia at that time.
Settlement growth
In 1674, under Alexei Mikhailovich, the Saratov fortress was moved to a new location not far from Sokolovaya Mountain. Peter I visited here during the Persian campaign. The founding of Saratov was long gone. Now the city has been steadily growing and developing. Travelers noted its straight streets and rich shopping arcades. Saratov became a center of pottery, manufacturing, bread growing, and salt making. The pride of the local residents was the factory that produced taffeta, satin and stockings. In 1774, the city was attacked by a detachment of Emelyan Pugachev. His rebellion was already on its last legs. Ataman was arrested that same fall near Saratov.
The growth of the city and surrounding villages was facilitated by landowners, ruling circles and merchants. New residents also appeared spontaneously. Such settlers were serfs who fled from the landowners. Many villages arose around monasteries (for example, the future Khvalynsk). In the middle of the 18th century, more than 200 thousand people already lived in the Saratov region. During this period, new settlements were built in the city for workers involved in salt production on Lake Elton.
Center of the province
Perhaps Saratov today would not be such a large settlement if Catherine II had not signed a decree on the resettlement of schismatics to the local region. The Old Believers founded many settlements, including Balakovo and Pugachev. The growth of Saratov occurred in a southwestern direction, where new residential areas appeared. In 1803, the first theater appeared in the city. During the era of Catherine II, the provincial center was flooded with German colonists.
In 1782, the Saratov province was formed. Until 1850 it remained one of the largest in all of Russia. People from the central districts, where there was a shortage of land, flocked to Saratov and its environs. In addition to Russians and colonists from Germany, Ukrainians, Mordovians, and Tatars settled in the region. According to the 1897 census, 2.5 million people lived in the Saratov province, and on the eve of the First World War this figure exceeded 3 million. Growth stopped only because of the bloodshed and subsequent turmoil. The population of Saratov itself was 242 thousand people. It was the largest city in the entire Volga region (larger than Kazan, Astrakhan, Samara and Nizhny Novgorod).
"History of the land of Saratov"
This article contains a brief history of Saratov. You can find more information about the city here: Legends of Saratov Tourism in Saratov
Since the 5th century BC. e. to the 6th century AD e., nomadic Sarmatian tribes lived in the Volga region. Near the villages of Susly, Novaya Lipovka, Rovnoye and other places there are Sarmatian mounds in which burials of people, weapons, jewelry, and dishes were found. From the 6th century AD. Nomadic Turkic tribes begin to penetrate into the Volga region: Pechenegs and Cumans.
Saratov region in the XIV-XVII centuries.
In the XIV century. On the territory of the modern Zavodskoy district of Saratov there was the third largest city of the Golden Horde called Uvek. The city had a water supply network consisting of a swimming pool, ditches and underground water pipes, as well as house water pipes. The city was famous for its wealth and even minted its own coins.
According to one version, Uvek was destroyed by Timur in the war with Tokhtamysh in 1395 , according to another, the main part of the city descended into the Volga during coastal landslides. The official founding date of the city is July 5 (15), 1590 . It was on this day that the “founding fathers” of Saratov arrived on the Volga bank - Prince Grigory Osipovich Zasekin and Streltsy head Fyodor Mikhailovich Turov.
They founded the first fortress of Saratov on the left bank of the Volga, opposite the Tatar settlement of Uvek. According to one version, the name of the city comes from the merger of Tatar-Mongolian words: “sary” (yellow) and “tau” (mountain). So, in turn, they called Sokolovaya Mountain, yellow in color. During its history, the city was repeatedly moved from one place to another. The settlement, founded slightly higher along the Volga than modern Saratov, completely burned down in the winter of 1613-1614 , and the garrison that made up its population left for Samara.
In 1617 , Saratov was rebuilt again, but on the left bank of the Volga - at the confluence of the Saratovka River and the Volozhka.
Saratov of the 17th century was a guard fortress and a center of Volga trade. If the first settlers of the city were riflemen and warriors, then later townspeople appeared in the fortified city, engaged in fishing, as well as trading in livestock and salt from the Astrakhan lakes. The city quickly grew and developed, gradually losing its military character and acquiring commercial and industrial importance.
, 1670 Stepan Razin entered Saratov with an army, the residents greeted him with bread and salt. From that moment until July 1671, Saratov became one of the centers of the Peasant War in the Lower Volga. After another fire and due to the general dilapidation of buildings in 1674 . The government ordered “Saratov on the mountains to make a new one.” The construction of a city began on the right bank of the Volga, where Saratov is located to this day. During its subsequent history, the city burned almost to the ground several times - residents sometimes had to escape to the courts on the Volga.
Saratov region in the XVIII-XIX centuries.
On March 6, 1700, Peter I issued a grant to Saratov for eternal possession of the lands surrounding the city. And in 1708 , due to the division of Russia into 8 provinces, by decree of Peter the Great, Saratov was assigned to the Kazan province.
Since 1764 Catherine II signed a manifesto inviting foreigners to Russia, foreigners, mainly Germans, began to settle in Saratov and its environs. In 1769 The Saratov province was formed, giving the city the right to be considered an administrative center.
In 1774, the Volga region was engulfed in a peasant war under the leadership of Emelyan Pugachev. On October 6, he, at the head of an army of five thousand, entered the city almost without a fight. The majority of the population and the garrison swore allegiance to him. Two days later, the army with the Saratovites who joined it set off on a campaign against Tsaritsyn. As an independent administrative unit, the Saratov governorship, later called the province, has existed since 1780 .
On January 11, 1780, of Catherine II was issued on the establishment of the Saratov vicegerency, and on November 7 of the same year, the Decree on the opening of the vicegerency followed.
On February 3, 1781, the grand opening of the Saratov governorship took place with the participation of Bishop Anthony, who arrived from Astrakhan, and the Astrakhan governor, Lieutenant General Jacobi.
In 1782, the Saratov governorship was renamed a province.
In 1796 , when administrative-territorial boundaries were being revised in Russia, 8 out of 41 provinces were abolished, including the Decree of December 12, 1796 , the Saratov province was liquidated, and its territory was divided between the Penza and Astrakhan provinces.
Three months later, by Decree of March 5, 1797 , restoration followed. Saratov province. Thus, in 1997 it was 200 years since the final establishment of the Saratov province.
In subsequent years, the territory of the province was redrawn more than once.
The last changes occurred in 1941 , when the Volga German Republic ceased to exist. In the 19th century, Saratov became a provincial town. On January 11, 1780, Catherine II issued a Decree establishing the Saratov governorship, which from 1782 became known as the province. In 1781 _ The coat of arms of Saratov was established: “There are three sterlets in a blue field, signifying the great abundance of such fish in this country.”
In 1810, another urban plan was approved, after which active development of the modern city center began. In 1825 Oil lanterns appeared on the streets of the city, and in 1844-45. A wooden water supply system was built, which became a city landmark. In 1870, traffic began on the first section of the Tambovo-Saratov Railway.
By the end of the 19th century , Saratov became the largest Russian commercial and industrial center, supplying fabrics, iron foundries and engineering products, cement, flour, salt and grain to other regions of Russia and abroad - it was then that the Saratov kalach became famous.
Saratov region during the Great Patriotic War On June 22, 1941, the attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union disrupted the peaceful life of our people. The harsh period of the Great Patriotic War began in the history of the Soviet state.
The treacherous attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union caused a feeling of anger and indignation among the workers of the Saratov region.
At rallies held in the region in the first days of the war, representatives of workers, collective farmers, and intellectuals called on all Soviet people to unite even more closely. The workers declared their ardent desire to volunteer for the active Army and defeat the enemy.
On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, thousands of Saratov residents showed high combat valor.
For courage and heroism shown in battles, 47 thousand soldiers, sergeants and officers from Saratov were awarded orders and medals. More than 200 Saratov soldiers were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
During the war years, many military educational institutions were stationed in Saratov. The headquarters of the Volga Military District, one of the centers for the formation of units and formations for the front, was located here. Saratov trained and sent over 500 different military units to the front. About thirty military schools, colleges and courses trained commanders and specialists for the active army. The most famous in Saratov were the 1st and 2nd tank, infantry and border schools.
The first Saratov Red Banner Order of the Red Star tank technical school named after Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General A.I. Lizyukov was created in 1918 as a military instruction school.
During the war years, it trained commanders and technicians of medium and light tanks, political fighters, and specialists in fuel and lubricants. The school was commanded by Colonel D.A. Roganin, Major General I.A. Safonov, Colonel I.F. Dergachev. In 1943-1944, two officers were graduated for the Polish and Czechoslovak people's armies.
The Soviet intelligentsia made a great contribution to increasing the country's defense capability.
In factory laboratories and university departments in Saratov, issues of enormous national economic and defense significance were resolved.
During the war years, tens of thousands of soldiers and commanders of the Red Army were treated in Saratov hospitals. The medical staff of the region worked selflessly. Thanks to the proper organization of treatment and care, Saratov medical hospitals achieved the return to duty of 80-90% of the wounded.
From the very first days of the war, art workers in the city of Saratov widely provided artistic services to the front, hospitals and military units of the Red Army located in the city and region.
The war was a severe test for the country, for all the people. Having withstood it, having won a historic victory, thanks to its vitality, the country was able to return to peaceful construction.
Saratov region in the post-war years In the first post-war years, the Saratov region became a major supplier of building materials to areas whose economies were severely destroyed during the war.
In the late 40s - early 50s. Many enterprises in this industry carried out orders for the country's largest construction projects: the Volga-Don Canal, Kuibyshev and Stalingrad hydroelectric power stations.
Along with the Volsky cement plants, new crushed stone production enterprises in the Pugachevsky, Ivanteevsky and Ershovsky districts also took part in the implementation of this huge construction program. Thus, by the beginning of the 50s. The foundation of a powerful construction complex was created in the region, which subsequently contributed to the location of the largest economic facilities of national importance here.
The structure of the region's economy gradually became more complex. There was a long-term trend of accelerated development of industries that determine scientific and technological progress - chemical, mechanical engineering, and electric power.
The 1950s can be considered the beginning of the “big chemistry” of the Saratov region. The construction of chemical plants of national importance in Balakovo, Engels, and Saratov created a need for the creation of large-scale production of prefabricated reinforced concrete structures in these industrial centers.
During this period, branches of the fuel and energy complex—gas, oil, shale, and heat and power—developed dynamically. The structure of the machine-building complex was improved.
The presence of highly qualified scientific and technical personnel was an important prerequisite for the creation in our region (primarily in Saratov) of precision engineering, instrument making, and electronics.
The largest enterprises in these industries, located on the northwestern outskirts of Saratov, mainly served the needs of the country's military-industrial complex.
A technical glass factory, a sugar factory, a fat plant are new buildings in other industries.
Important tasks were solved during this period in the agricultural sector. In 1953-1956. In the Saratov region, about 1 million hectares of virgin lands were plowed and developed.
The technical equipment of agricultural production has increased significantly, and with the connection of in 1960, the possibilities for mechanization of basic technological processes in livestock farming and electrification of rural areas have expanded.
At the turn of the 1970s. The first of the operating giants of the electric power industry, the Saratov hydroelectric power station, came into operation. The region has transformed from energy-deficient to energy-rich.
The power plant gave impetus to the development of the city of Balakovo, where, relying on a powerful construction base and cheap electricity, the largest industrial hub in the region after Saratov was formed.
Mechanical engineering and especially energy-intensive branches of the chemical industry, which have been developing most dynamically in the last three decades, have received further development.
The 1970s went down in the history of the economy of the Saratov region as the years of the birth and rapid development of the reclamation complex. During this period, hundreds of kilometers of irrigation canals, several large irrigation systems and other reclamation infrastructure facilities were built.
Currently, our region has the largest tract of irrigated land in Russia. All this ultimately affected the formation of the appearance of rural areas and the modern structure of agricultural production. The insufficient productivity of natural forage lands is compensated by fodder production on irrigated lands, which stimulated the further development of livestock farming.
The growth of the region's economic potential continued until the end of the 1980s. By this time, the role of the “troika” of main industries: mechanical engineering, chemical and energy had significantly strengthened.
The largest new buildings of those years: factories for rubber products, chemicals, self-propelled earth-moving machines, nuclear power plants in Balakovo; a raincoat fabric plant and a tractor trailer plant in Balashov; Engel factories of synthetic detergents and automotive glow plugs; CHPP-5 in Saratov, etc.
In terms of its industrial potential, the capacity of construction organizations, the volume of agricultural production, the size and level of the scientific and technical base and the training of qualified personnel, the Saratov region is one of the largest in Russia and occupies an important place in the territorial division of labor.
Since the 6th century BC. e. to 5th century AD e., the Sauromatians-Sarmatians lived in the Volga region. Near the villages of Susla, Novaya Lipovka, Rovnoye and in other places there are Sarmatian burial mounds in which burials of people, weapons, jewelry, household items, and dishes were found. From the 5th-6th centuries AD, nomadic Turkic tribes began to penetrate the Volga region: the Turks Pechenegs, Polovtsy. In the 8th-9th centuries, the Lower Volga region was the center of the Mongolo-Tatar state - the Golden Horde.
The most interesting monument of that time is the remains of the third largest Golden Horde city - Uvek, which is now part of the city of Saratov. Uvek existed for about 150 years.
Its streets were lined with one or two-story residential buildings, mosques, caravanserais, palaces made of wood, adobe and baked bricks, decorated with blue-turquoise tiled mosaics.
The city had a water supply network consisting of a swimming pool, ditches and underground water pipes, as well as house water pipes. Uvek minted his own coin. Tamerlane's invasion of the Golden Horde at the end of the 14th century devastated the city. Saratov was founded in July 1590 by Prince G.O. Zasekin and boyar F.M. Turov to protect the eastern borders of the Russian state.
Saratov province
In the second half of the 19th century, the Saratov province was one of the most extensive provinces in European Russia. Its area was more than 192 thousand square kilometers. The Saratov region continued to be rapidly populated. The bulk of the settlers came from the Non-Chernozem region, as well as from other places in Russia where there was a shortage of land. The bulk of the population of all cities and districts were Russians - 75%, German colonists - 8.5%, Ukrainians - 6.5%, Mordovians - 6.5%, Tatars - 3.5%.
The remaining national groups (Chuvash, Meshcheryak, Bashkirs) were insignificant. In 1850, its territory was reduced by more than half, due to the transfer of the Trans-Volga districts to the Samara and Astrakhan provinces, and amounted to 84,640 square meters. km (the territory of the modern Saratov region is 100.2 thousand square kilometers).
The population of the province grew significantly at the beginning of the 20th century. If, according to the 1897 census, 2,405,829 residents lived in it, then in 1913 there were already 3,290,710. Indeed, at the beginning of the 20th century it was the third largest city in Russia (within its modern borders) and the largest city in the Volga region (in 1913 242 thousand people ).
There were 131 thousand people living in Kazan at that time, and 113 thousand people in Astrakhan. In Samara and Nizhny Novgorod there are 91 thousand people each. More than 80% of the population of the Saratov Territory was employed in agriculture. The province specialized in the production of grain crops, mainly wheat, which was in great demand both in the domestic and foreign markets.
Since the mid- 1850s, sunflower crops have been increasing in the province. In a number of counties, this crop has replaced oats. Sunflower grain went to local oil mills.
Animal husbandry remained an important branch of agriculture; in most counties, livestock was used as labor and to meet food needs.
The livestock of peasant farms needed to improve their breed. However, in the south of the province, landowners and wealthy peasants were engaged in fattening Kalmyk cattle and sheep for the purpose of selling to local herders.
Germans in the Volga region By the beginning of the 20th century, geographical maps of the Volga region included over two hundred German names, which were given to their settlements by the Germans who settled in the Saratov region at the invitation of Catherine II. But in 1915, these “names” began to urgently change to Russian. Wiesenthal became, for example, Lugovoi. Rosenberg-Umetom. Unterdorf – Veselovka.
The First World War was going on. And although the Volga Germans had long ago become respectable Russians, oppression of the German colonists began. German newspapers were closed, and speaking German in public places was prohibited. The names were changed.
After the February Revolution of 1917, the names were restored and newspapers were opened. The Volga Germans achieved the creation of their own counties: Ekaterinenstadsky, Zelmansky, Baltsersky. In 1919 , the Autonomous Region was formed, which included lands in which the German population predominated. The Saratov authorities did not welcome such changes.
With the separation of the Germans into an independent region, the province lost lands where the economy was much better organized than in other provinces. However, the colonists were supported by Moscow. In 1923, part of the lands with Russian and Ukrainian populations became part of the Autonomous Region, filling the gaps in its territory. Pokrovsky district also entered there. And Pokrovsk itself, thanks to its economic development and size, rose from a county center to a regional one.
At the beginning of 1924, the German region was transformed into the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of Volga Germans within the RSFSR. Thanks to this, Pokrovsk suddenly became the center of the republic.
The area of the Volga German Republic was over 25 thousand square meters. kilometers. The population is more than half a million people. There are 551 settlements, including 4 cities. The Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was liquidated in 1941, after the outbreak of World War II.
The territory of the liquidated ASSR NP was divided between the Saratov region (15 cantons) and the Stalingrad region (7 cantons). Without exception, all Germans were urgently resettled from the Volga region to remote areas of Kazakhstan and Siberia.
At the beginning of October 1941, 365 thousand Germans were resettled from the Volga region. And refugees from the western regions of the country began to settle on the empty lands.
In May 1942, all 229 German names on the maps were replaced by Russian ones. Baltser became Krasnoarmeysk, Zelman-Rovny. Marxstadt lost its German prefix, but avoided renaming, like Engels, for ideological reasons. Mentioning the disappeared republic was strictly prohibited.
Saratov and Stolypin
Many sights of Saratov and the surrounding area are associated with Pyotr Stolypin (1862-1911), probably its most famous native. The famous statesman of the era of Nicholas II served as Prime Minister of Russia for several years. He was the main initiator of reforms during the existence of the Tsar's Duma. His path to big politics began in his native Saratov - in 1903 he was appointed governor of Saratov. In 1906, he became Minister of the Interior and left the city, where after that he visited only on short visits.
Stolypin died after being shot in a Kiev theater. The chair on which he sat after the fatal bullet hit is exhibited in the Saratov Museum of Local Lore. Also in the city is a portrait of the Prime Minister, painted by the great Russian artist Ilya Repin. In 2002, the first monument to Stolypin in modern Russia appeared in Saratov.
To the ground
People have lived on the site of modern Saratov since ancient times. Evidence of this is the Alekseevskoye settlement - an archaeological monument that has seven identified cultural horizons from the catacomb culture of the Middle Bronze Age (XX-XIX centuries BC) to the settlement of the Golden Horde period (XIII-XIV centuries) with a temporary break in the V-XIII centuries . Settlements were either revived during a period of relatively stable government (Khazar Kaganate, Volga Bulgaria, Golden Horde), or disappeared without a trace during the next surge of waves of nomadic peoples. The last such cycle before the founding of Saratov ended in 1395-1396, during the period of the invasion of Tamerlane, who destroyed Uvek (Ukek) - the Golden Horde city, the center of the ulus of the same name. In the next 200 years, the rare population of the Wild Field was represented by Nogai and then Kalmyk nomads, Cossacks and fishing artels of Russian monasteries.
In 1978, northwest of the village. Teplichny (the former village of Boldarevka, now within the city of Saratov) the Boldyrevskoye settlement of the Golden Horde period was discovered. The settlement, with an area of 210×95 m, stretches from northwest to southeast along the first river terrace of the river. Immortalization. In addition to glazed Golden Horde and, to a small extent, Old Russian ceramics, as well as copper coins from the time of Toktamysh, found directly at the settlement, a treasure (74 dirhams in silver) was discovered near the settlement. 70 meters from the settlement there is a burial ground of the same time with a length of 210 m.
Soviet industrialization
Due to the First World War and the Civil War, Saratov's economy was significantly degraded. Only after more than ten years had passed did production reach the previously record level of 1913. In the 30s the city experienced industrialization and collectivization. The transformations of that period greatly influenced what Saratov is today.
Photos of many modern enterprises are images of factories founded during forced industrialization. These include "Universal" - a plant engaged in the production of machine tools, as well as a knitting factory, a boiler plant, a meat processing plant, etc. Thanks to industrialization, the structure of Saratov's industry has changed. Metalworking played an increasingly important role in it, and the food industry played a lesser role.
City information
Saratov is the administrative center of the region of the same name in the Russian Federation. Located on the banks of the Volga River. The economy is represented by enterprises in the machine-building, petrochemical, instrument-making, and food industries. There are trading companies and service industries.
Important highways pass near the settlement: M5 Ural, M6 Caspian, P228, P208 and a number of others. The lines of the Volga Railway run through. An international civil airport is located. There are vocational educational institutions, universities and their branches. The population is about 850 thousand people.
The Great Patriotic War
During the Great Patriotic War, many enterprises from the front-line regions were evacuated to the relatively safe Saratov. Photos and reviews of tourists visiting the city today characterize it as a center of modern production, but a significant part of this economic capital was laid precisely in 1941-1945. The rubber, textile and light industries of local industry received additional development.
The Bryansk Machine-Building Plant, which in the future became a trolleybus plant, was evacuated to the satellite city of Saratov, Engels, located on the opposite, left bank of the Volga. Completely new production facilities have also appeared. Thus, gas production was established near Saratov, which was supplied to the city through a specially built gas pipeline. Most of the enterprises were reorganized to meet the needs of the front, which is why the share of mechanical engineering in the city economy increased.
Recent decades
In the 1950s Several large chemical industry enterprises appeared in Saratov and surrounding cities. The fuel and energy complex was developing, including the gas, shale, oil and thermal power industries. The city attracted more and more highly qualified scientific and technical specialists.
Among other things, instrumentation, mechanical engineering and electronics production plants were updated. At the same time, the regional center became one of the fronts for raising virgin soil in the steppe regions of the RSFSR and Kazakhstan.
In the 1970s In the Saratov region, the reclamation complex was born and rapidly developed. Irrigation canals and systems, as well as other related infrastructure, were built. Today Saratov remains one of the largest cities in the Volga region. Together with its satellite city Engels, it forms an agglomeration with a population of one million people.
Russian empire
The construction of the Tsaritsyn guard line and other measures of Peter I to strengthen security created the conditions for the settlement of the Right Bank. According to the Regional Reform of 1708, Saratov was assigned to the Kazan province. In 1718, the city went to the Astrakhan province, in 1728 - again to the Kazan province, in 1739 - again to the Astrakhan province.
In 1700, Peter I granted a charter allocating 298,763 acres to Saratov on the meadow and mountain side of the Volga.
The establishment of the “salt administration” in 1747 gave a strong impetus to the development of the city. Opposite Saratov, salt carriers (Chumaks) from Elton founded the Pokrovskaya Sloboda. Its location at the intersection of the shortest land route to Moscow and the water route from the lower reaches of the Volga and Caspian Sea made Saratov an important transshipment point, a major center for trade in fish and salt. Thus, in 1750, 204 thousand pounds of fish were shipped from Saratov (3264 tons, for comparison, in 2005 1800 tons of fish were caught).
According to the manifesto of Catherine II of 1762, the persecution of schismatics was stopped, they were allocated lands in the Volga region. Subsequently, this led to the emergence of a significant number of economically active Old Believers merchants in Saratov. In 1763, foreigners were invited to settle on the free lands of the Volga region and New Russia. Established in Saratov in 1766, the “Office of the Office of the Guardianship of Foreigners” became the center of control for German colonists in the Volga region.
In Saratov, Emelyan Pugachev had his last tangible success. On August 6, 1774, the impostor's army surrounded and, after a battle on August 7, took the city. But by this time, Mikhelson’s troops were literally on the heels of the Pugachevites, and on August 11, Saratov came under the control of government troops.
On January 11, 1780, the city became the center of the Saratov governorship, renamed in 1796 into the Saratov province.
Administrative measures of enlightened absolutism for the organization and development of the city were expressed in the deployment of civil stone construction, the introduction of modern education and healthcare. A public school (1786), a printing house (1794), and the Alexander Hospital (1806) were opened. The public buildings building (1807), the noble assembly (1807), the theater (1810), the guest courtyard (1811), the first men's gymnasium (1820), the Alexander Nevsky cathedral (1825) and the Spaso-Preobrazhensky cathedral (1826) were built.
The basis for the development of the city for more than a hundred years was the General Plan of Saratov, approved in 1812 (compiled in 1803-1810, revised after the great fire of 1811). According to which new places were allocated for development. Regular geometric blocks were planned, the so-called regular development. In the old part of the city it was also proposed to “regulate” the construction of houses.
Plan of Saratov 1892 Plan of Saratov 1903. Bezchinsky A. “Guide to the Volga.” - Moscow: T-vo I. N. Kushnerev and Co., 1903
The Patriotic War of 1812 made its own adjustments to the life of Saratov. Many Saratov soldiers were awarded military orders, and three received golden swords with the inscription “For bravery.” In 1813, French prisoners were exiled here and used for public works - they leveled ravines, built dams, and planted gardens. Subsequently, many of them accepted Russian citizenship and remained forever in Saratov, settling in the quarters of the German settlement. Some of them were invited as tutors and teachers to Russian families and educational institutions, others opened craft establishments in the city - shoemaking and furniture making. In memory of the victory over Napoleon, the Alexander Nevsky Temple was erected in the city center.
During the reign of Nikolai Pavlovich, order was restored in the provincial administration and the rule of law was strengthened. A prison castle and barracks are being built. In the city, permanent buildings of 4 police stations with fire towers are being erected. “Since then, the structure of the Saratov fire brigade and its tools have competed with the Moscow one, as the authorities responded during inspections.” Before this, the city burned down up to 15 times.
In 1828, the Saratov tobacco factory, one of the first in Russia, began operating in Saratov. In addition to it, there were rope factories, leather factories, bell factories, brick factories and a number of other factories. Weaving workshops produced the famous cheap fabric - sarpinka, the “homeland” of which was the German colony of Sarepta.
In November 1828, the independent Orthodox Saratov diocese was restored. The restoration of the diocese was justified by the need to fight schismatics, the strengthening of which was reported by the Secret Committee on the Affairs of Schismatics. Two years later, a seminary was opened, and a year later, in 1831, the first parish schools for the common people and a public library. In 1856, the center of the Catholic Tiraspol diocese was moved to Saratov. The diocese was not renamed Saratov, so as to avoid confusion with the Orthodox diocese.
Cholera epidemics broke out in 1830 and 1848. The 1830 epidemic, which lasted more than a month, killed up to 10,000 people.
In 1844, the new city council building was inaugurated.
In 1892, a cholera epidemic broke out again in Saratov, which caused a riot in Khvalynsk.
Steamship "I. A. Krylov" of the Samolet society
The further growth of crafts and trade was stimulated by the development of shipping on the Volga. In the 19th century, Saratov needed water transport for development, since railways and horse-drawn transport did not provide all the needs of the city as a commercial and industrial center
Saratov residents saw the first steamship in 1820, dubbing it “a damn bark with a stove.” But shipping began to actively develop by the middle of the 19th century; large shipping companies began to appear in the Volga basin: “Along the Volga” (1843), “Mercury” (1848), “Airplane” (1853), “Merchant Shipping Company” " and others. They had their own offices in Saratov. The steamship service stimulated the development of the region's economy. “Along the Volga”, founded in 1843.
.
The directors included the “St. Petersburg foreign guest” N.I. Keili, as well as the St. Petersburg merchant of the 1st guild M.P. Kirillov and the Kalyazin merchant of the 1st guild P.M. Polezhaev. Starting with 6 steamships, the “Along the Volga”
in the first years of the 20th century already had 18 passenger ships, 4 tugboats, 11 barges and many floating piers.
The steamships of this society, as they were called “Volga”
, were white with a black hull and funnel; a large gilded star with six rays was attached to their wheel casing.
“Volga”
ships were not particularly large; they had cabins in the holds for passengers of the 1st and 2nd classes, and on the upper deck there were places for passengers of the 3rd class. The holds were equipped with compartments that could hold up to 1,500 pounds of cargo.
In 1912, by order of the society, two steamships were built in Sormovo - “Bayan” and “Vityaz”. These were the last ships built for the company - after a couple of years it ceased its independent existence, coming under the control of the Mazut company, although for several more years passenger transportation was carried out under this brand.
By the time of the nationalization of the river fleet in 1918, the “Along the Volga” society had 20 steamships in its composition. In total, by 1917, 655 self-propelled and non-self-propelled vessels were registered in the Saratov province.
Saratov marinas were part of the Kazan district of railways. The city housed the shipping line, the Saratov branch of communications, and the main department of the Volga-Kama Commercial Shipping Company. Offices, landing stages and berths were located within the city on the banks of the Volga. The shore was flat, almost completely flooded by the spring flood, and during low water it was possible to ford to Cossack Island.
The Volga, which turned into the main transport route of Russia, made Saratov a major port. The number of city residents grew, and the appearance of the city changed; according to reviews of contemporaries, among other cities, “Saratov began to occupy one of the first places in terms of the beauty of buildings and the wealth of its inhabitants.”
“Capital of the Volga Region” The office of the Ryazan-Ural Railway in Saratov was built in 1907-1914.
The strongest impetus to the development of the Saratov province was given by the construction in July 1871 of the Tambov-Saratov railway, which connected the city with the country's railway network; Saratov was connected by railway with Moscow, St. Petersburg and the ports of the Baltic Sea. By the beginning of the 20th century, it was possible to travel by rail from Saratov to 11 provinces of Russia. rapid industrial growth began.
On November 27, 1916, the opening of the Covered Market took place in Saratov. Built a hundred years ago according to the design of the architect and engineer Vasily Alekseevich Lyukshin, it still evokes admiration today. In 2016, the street adjacent to the building received the name of V. A. Lyukshin.
One of the main items of trade in Saratov at the end of the 19th century was bread. The city became one of Russia's largest grain trading and flour milling centers. In the second half of the 19th century, steam mills appeared in the city. The first was the Seifert and Uvarov mill (1865). Behind them, steam mills were built by Borel (1876), Reinecke and Schmidt (1879). As a result, Saratov takes first place in the country in flour production.
Schmidt's Mill
In 1888, the three Schmidt brothers established the Schmidt Brothers Trading House. In addition to steam mills, work continued at water mills in Saratov. In the 1890s. Flour milling business reached a large scale. A new branch of the company opens in Moscow. Flour was sold very widely. Low grades and bran were sent to Astrakhan and the Kazakhstan steppes, and high grades to the Upper Volga region, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and abroad.
The products of the Schmidt Brothers Trading House were awarded a gold medal at the agricultural exhibition in Saratov in 1889, and in 1893 they were awarded a large bronze medal at the World Exhibition in Chicago.
At the piers of Samara, Rovny, Khvalynsk, Baronsk (now the city of Marx), Saratov merchants and flour millers purchased several million quarters of the famous “Russian” and “non-borod” wheat.
Oil presses were also a significant branch of industry. The leading factory of the merchant Shumilin A.I. was the largest in the Middle and Lower Volga. The city became a major intermediary in the trade of oil products, meat, fish, salt, wool; the tobacco “factory” of the merchant K. Shtaf was one of the first in Russia. The factory industry primarily processed agricultural products. Saratov ranked first in Russia in the production of flour, mustard and sunflower oil.
The iron foundry and metalworking industries occupied a small place in the industrial production of the province. But changes have occurred in this part of the industry as well. If in 1860 the share of production of bell and iron foundries of Saratov and Kuznetsk managed to reach only 1.7% of the total industrial output of the province, then in 1892 7 mechanical and 10 iron foundries of the province produced products worth 1,251,000 rubles, which accounted for 5.3% of the total production of the entire industry of the province.
At the turn of the century, metal-working enterprises such as the Volzhsky Steel Foundry, machine-building, nail-wire and other factories appeared in the province.
The historian S. Kedrov wrote about Saratov in 1893:
...Saratov today, with its 120 thousand population, about 8 thousand students in 69 schools, approximately organized, 600 thousand annual budget, 138 factories and factories, 16,933 buildings, a relatively developed public press (9 publications, including five newspapers), with its museum, arcade, partly asphalt sidewalks on the main streets, water supply, railway and horse-drawn railways, opera and drama theatres, an extensive library and a bright public reading room - takes on the appearance of a metropolitan city according to the local public consciousness.
In 1908, a tram appeared in Saratov. The Saratov tram system is one of the oldest tram systems in Russia. The construction of a tram in Saratov began in August 1907 with the laying of tram rails along Ilyinskaya (now Chapaeva) street. By this time, a horse tram had been operating in Saratov for 20 years. On April 27, 1887, the Saratov City Council signed an act on the commissioning of a horse-drawn railway in Saratov. On October 1, 1908, a test tram passed along Ilyinskaya Street. On December 11, 1908, regular tram service began. At the end of October 1909, there were already nine tram lines operating in the city, running along the streets of Nemetskaya, Moskovskaya, Ilyinskaya, Konstantinovskaya, Bolshaya and Malaya Gorny, Bolshaya Sergievskaya, Kladbischenskaya, and Aleksandrovskaya. The fee ranged from 3 to 5 kopecks and depended on the distance. The speed in the city should have been no more than 15 and no less than 12 versts per hour, and outside the city no less than 20 versts per hour. In the summer of 1910, the Dachnaya line was opened from the corner of Moskovskaya and Astrakhanskaya streets along Astrakhanskaya Street to the Trofimovsky crossing (district 5th Dachnaya). Then the Dacha line was extended to the remote dacha area “Kumysnaya Polyana”. The tram has gained immense popularity among citizens. The contribution of the tram is noted even in the toponymy of the city - to this day, microdistricts in the west of the city bear names derived from the numbering of stops on that Dachnaya line - 3rd Dachnaya, 5th Dachnaya, 6th Dachnaya, etc.
Until the end of the 1920s, Saratov remained the largest of the cities of the Volga region (larger than Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, etc.) and was often unofficially called the “capital of the Volga region.”
Saratov Academic Opera and Ballet Theater
In 1865, Pisemsky’s play “Bitter Fate” began the season in the newly built stone city theater on Theater Square. At the same time, a country theater operated in a large garden on the outskirts of the city, housed in a small wooden building. In the same year, the play “The Thunderstorm” was staged in the theater with the participation of A. N. Ostrovsky, who was in Saratov.
On the stages of Saratov theaters there were plays by N. V. Gogol, A. N. Ostrovsky, F. Schiller, W. Shakespeare, operas by M. I. Glinka, P. I. Tchaikovsky, N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, C. Gounod , D. Verdi and many other writers and composers. Saratov residents saw the performance of P. A. Strepetova, M. G. Savina, V. I. Kachalov, V. N. Davydov and other famous artists.
In the 1880s and especially from the mid-1890s of the last century, various societies began to be created that organized amateur performances for the masses. The organization of folk theaters became part of the democratization of art. At this time, cheap publications of literature for the people appeared, traveling exhibitions of artists' works were held, and public musical concerts were organized.
In 1874, the exhibition of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions was shown for the first time in Saratov. The audience saw paintings by N. N. Ge “Peter I interrogating Tsarevich Alexei”, G. G. Myasoedov “Reading the Manifesto of February 19, 1861”, two landscapes by M. K. Klodt, several landscapes by A. P. Bogolyubov and others. At subsequent exhibitions of the Wanderers, works by I. Repin, I. Shishkin, V. E. Makovsky, A. I. Kuindzhi, I. N. Kramskoy and other famous artists were shown.
Radishchevsky Museum
A major event in the cultural life of Saratov was the opening of a public art museum in the city in 1885. It was founded by the famous Russian artist Alexei Petrovich Bogolyubov, the grandson of the revolutionary educator A. N. Radishchev, whose name was given to the museum. A special building was built for the Radishchevsky Museum according to the design of the architect I.V. Shtrom. Help in organizing the museum was provided by the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, K. P. Pobedonostsev. And the future Emperor Alexander III personally approved the design of the building and donated many paintings from his collection. The museum collection represented a collection of more than 300 paintings and 250 graphic works donated by Bogolyubov. In addition, the museum received paintings and items from the Hermitage, palace storerooms, the Academy of Arts, artists and collectors. The Radishchevsky Museum was the first art museum in the province, the Tretyakov Gallery became public property of Moscow only in 1892, and the Russian Museum was founded in 1897. The Radishchevsky Museum was visited by 62 thousand people in the first six months, and the Tretyakov Gallery was visited by about 10 thousand people for the entire year. Therefore, the Radishchevsky Museum should rightfully be considered one of the main attractions of Saratov.
The appearance of an art museum in Saratov influenced the development of the culture of the region and the revival of exhibition activities. In 1888, the Society of Lovers of Fine Arts appeared.
In 1876, the first stationary circus in Russia was built. The Russian circus began its history back in 1873, when still young, but already well-known circus artists in Russia, brothers Peter, Akim and Dmitry Nikitin, natives and residents of the Saratov province, returned to their native Saratov after a long tour of the cities of central Russia. In Saratov, news awaited them: the owner of the “traveling” circus, an Austrian citizen Emanuel Beranek (Czech by nationality), elderly, tired of failures and losses, and therefore stuck in Saratov for a long time, invited the enterprising brothers to enter the business as partners. The Nikitins agreed and, having formed their own circus program, began giving performances in the districts of the Saratov province. It soon became clear that one person should be in charge of the business, and in order to avoid disputes and a humiliating division of proceeds, Beranek decided to sell to the Nikitin brothers his “circus establishment, consisting of horses, wagons, a big top, and other accessories.” On December 5, 1873, a bill of sale was drawn up, where the conditions for the transfer of circus property and settlement through the Saratov Public Bank were discussed. This is how the Russian Circus was born and the credit for its creation, of course, belongs to the Nikitin brothers. Until this day, all circus enterprises were headed by foreign entrepreneurs. Natives of Saratov, the Nikitin brothers organized a troupe of famous Russian artists and in a short time managed to attract attention and win the love of the audience. The circus was located on the Mitrofanevskaya shopping square in Saratov; in 1876, a round wooden building with a canvas roof was built, the sign on it read: “The First Russian Circus of the Nikitin Brothers” (this place is now the location of the Pobeda cinema). The Nikitins, extraordinary acrobats, also performed in the arena of their circus. It was in Saratov that the Russian circus truly stood on its feet and received its first and highest recognition. The building, built by the Nikitin brothers, stood until 1928.
On August 30, 1871, the opening of the Alexander Trade School took place in Saratov,
where children of the lower strata of the urban population were enrolled.
At the very end of the century, a paramedic school
and
a secondary technical school appeared.
In Nikolaevsky town (now Oktyabrsky town, Tatishchevsky district),
the Mariinsky Agricultural School was created.
The activities of various societies occupied a significant place in the cultural life of Saratov. On December 1, 1860, the Beseda Society of Doctors was created.
This was the second medical society in Russia. At the end of the century, it was transformed into a physical and medical society, which was engaged in the development of scientific and practical issues of therapeutic medicine. Later, university professors V.I. Razumovsky, S.I. Spasokukotsky and others took an active part in the work of the society.
The Saratov Scientific Archival Commission was especially popular
, founded in 1886.
Its members were engaged in collecting archival documents, studying the history of the local region, and carried out small archaeological excavations. The commission had an archaeological museum, and later an exhibition about P. A. Stolypin. The Archival Commission published collections of works. To this day, scientists and local historians use the works of A. N. Minkh, N. F. Khovansky, A. A. Heraclitov, F. F. Chekalin and others. Saratov State University named after.
N. G. Chernyshevsky On June 10, 1909, the Imperial Nicholas University was opened. Its grand opening took place on December 6 of that year; a stone was laid at the site of construction of future university buildings. This event became possible thanks to the persistence of the Saratov public, the administration and Prime Minister P. A. Stolypin. Karl Ludvigovich Mufke was brought in as an architect for the construction of the university. Over the course of several years, he managed to create a unique integral ensemble, distinguished by unity of concept and high quality of execution.
The first rector of the Imperial Nikolaev Saratov University was the famous scientist, doctor and public figure Vasily Ivanovich Razumovsky.
In 1917, the faculties of physics, mathematics, history, philology and law were created. The first dean of the Faculty of History and Philology was one of the outstanding humanities scientists of the 20th century, philosopher Semyon Ludwigovich Frank.
mass media
As is known, the first real newspaper in the Russian Empire was the state publication Vedomosti (December 1702-1727), created by Decree of Peter the Great. And the first private publication appeared in the late fifties of the 18th century. In Saratov, the first newspaper appeared in 1838, it was the newspaper “Saratov Provincial Gazette”. Since January 1863, a newspaper began to be published in Saratov - “Saratov reference sheet”, and in the late 1870s - “Saratov diary”. In addition to official materials, newspapers published reports about events in the province, articles on economics, the history of the local region, agriculture, home economics, and others. At the beginning of the 20th century, eight printing houses operated in Saratov, several dozen periodicals were published: “Volga”, “Saratov Diocesan Gazette”, “Collection of Saratov Zemstvo”, and many others.
Patrons make a significant contribution to the economic and cultural life of the province. There were enough people in Saratov who loved their hometown very much and spared no effort and money for the prosperity of their region.
Among the first benefactors of the Saratov region were large landowners: princes S. F. Golitsyn and A. B. Kurakin, V. A. Volsky and K. V. Zlobin, A. P. Sapozhnikov, Saratov merchant M. A. Ustinov.
In the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. Various charitable organizations and societies appeared in the province. For example, the Provincial Board of Trustees of orphanages was created. One of its members was the merchant V. Ya. Agafonov, who annually contributed 150 rubles to the Council fund. He was also the treasurer of the trusteeship of the Ministerial Children's Orphanage - the very first orphanage in Saratov, opened in 1843. Vasily Yakovlevich’s wife, merchant K.N. Agafonov, together with her son Vladimir, built a church and school in 1912 in a remote village, which is still called Agafonovka.
Among the philanthropists of this time, the Egorovs were well-known and respected people in the city. With funds bequeathed by the merchant Fyodor Dmitrievich Egorov, an almshouse was built at the Novo-Nikolskaya Church. Natalya Petrovna ran handicraft classes at one of the elementary schools. After the death of her husband, she set up an orphanage in her house.
There are many good deeds on the account of the Saratov merchant, the owner of the iron foundry A.V. Chirikhina. So, with the help of Anna Vasilievna, a school for blind boys was opened in 1892.
Thanks to the energy and enterprise of the merchant T. E. Zhegin, the Alexander Trade School was built in Saratov in 1871 (now the Vocational Pedagogical College of the SSTU named after Yu. A. Gagarin.)
At the expense of the Saratov merchant and philanthropist Daria Semyonovna Pozdeeva, a children's hospital was built on Sokolova Street. For a long time the hospital was named after her. The building is made in the Russian tower style and is a real landmark of Saratov. And today, more than 100 years later, the building is used for its intended purpose. Today it is one of the buildings of a children's hospital.
The famous Saratov doctor, Doctor of Medicine M. A. Aplavin was the first to donate his library to the Saratov University, which was opened in 1909. The University received the most valuable gift from a fellow countryman, a graduate of a classical gymnasium, academician, emeritus professor and life physician of the court, founder of the department of otorhinolaryngology at the Military Medical Academy in St. Petersburg N. P. Simanovsky. He donated 100,000 rubles for the construction of a clinic for ear, nose and throat diseases.
Thanks to philanthropists, many beautiful churches and cathedrals were built in the Saratov province in the 17th-20th, the first schools, vocational educational institutions, hospitals, orphanages and almshouses were opened.
- The building of the children's hospital named after. Pozdeeva D.S. XIX century
- Alexander-Mariinsky Real School, 1890.
