The city of Biysk: geographical location, climate, economy, attractions

History and geographical location

In 1709, Peter I issued a Decree, according to which the Bikatunsky fort was required to be founded at the confluence of the Biya and Katun rivers. This task was completed. The Bikatun fort was founded to protect the southeastern borders and trade routes of the Russian Empire. In subsequent years, the fortress was destroyed, restored, and rebuilt several times. At the end of the 17th century it was elevated to the rank of “regular” cities. This is how Biysk appeared.

Several centuries have passed since its founding. During this time, the city turned into a large industrial and scientific center. It has an advantageous geographical location. Biysk is located in the southeastern part of the Altai Territory. Barnaul is 163 km north. This is the capital of the Altai Territory. Near the city there is the confluence of the Biya and Katun. Water resources are used in the housing and communal services sector, agriculture, industry and tourism. Rivers have a negative impact during spring floods. The areas of Biysk located next to them are slightly flooded during this period.

Climatic conditions

The climate of the city of Biysk is sharply continental. It is characterized by the following features:

• cold winter with stable snow cover;
• short dry spring with late return of cold weather;
• short warm summer;
• short autumn with early frosts.

Snow cover usually forms in November-December. At this time the temperature is about –15 °C. January is characterized by severe frosts. The lowest temperature this month was recorded in 2001. It was –51.8 °C. In February, frosts give way to winds. In March the snow begins to melt, and in April everything gradually dries out. The first grass and leaves appear on the trees in May. Hot days begin in June and July. The highest temperature was recorded at the end of July 2012 – +38.9 °C. In August the mornings become cool. During the day the temperature is quite comfortable. With the beginning of September comes autumn. The average temperature this month is about +12.2 °C, and in the next month it is only +3.8 °C.

Economy of Biysk

The economy of the city of Biysk has one peculiarity. The locomotive of its development is the industrial complex. It is developing at an accelerated pace. Among the existing enterprises in the city are:

• Biysk oleum plant. Operating since 1965. Manufactured products include industrial explosives, sulfuric acid, and civil goods. The plant has many awards. One of his achievements is victory at the all-Russian competition “Best Russian Enterprise” among enterprises of the military-industrial complex.
• Biysk Boiler Plant. Its history began back in 1942. The main activity is the production of steam and hot water boilers of low and medium power, boiler and auxiliary equipment for municipal and industrial energy.
• Biysk fiberglass plant. It was founded in 1991. Today the plant produces fiberglass reinforcement, construction dowels, fiberglass rods for polymer electrical insulators, sports equipment, etc.

This is interesting: what was the city of Biysk like 40 years ago?

Among the slightly yellowed pages of printed publications from the 80s and early 90s of the last century, stored in a personal archive, for me, a photojournalist with decent experience, one of the issues of the regional newspaper “Altaiskaya Pravda” is especially valuable.

It is no secret that in Soviet times, printed publications of all levels were in great demand among readers. Almost every family subscribed to a dozen or more favorite newspapers and magazines. And not only central, regional, but also city, regional, and large-circulation publications were popular. In them, every resident of a large city or small village found something interesting, educational or “for the soul,” and many were the heroes of publications. In general, the life of the country, region, city and small rural area entered the house with an expensive and valuable “printed word”.

Chemical plant mechanic L.V. Rudakov - Hero of Socialist Labor.

So why is this archived issue of Altaika valuable to me? Firstly, the release date is January 25, 1981. In a word. This is a kind of 40th anniversary. Secondly, I, as a photojournalist for the Leninsky Put district and the city newspaper, already had a strong creative connection with Altaiskaya Pravda. Rarely was an issue published without my photographs and photo reports. But this issue of the newspaper, published on six pages, with a circulation of 268 thousand copies, is a kind of report of the Altai Territory on achievements in labor collectives and in other areas of our life during the years of the 10th Five-Year Plan. And the materials were published under the heading “From Congress to Congress.” Today this may seem somewhat naive to someone, but for the people of that time - the five-year plan, inter-congress socialist competitions were an integral part of labor activity, a path to achieving certain goals in the economic development of the country.

Today, turning over the pages of this issue of the newspaper, I remember with sincere gratitude those most interesting days of preparing illustrative material for it, “in conjunction” with AP special correspondents V. Zaitsev, A. Kharybin. It was they who prepared voluminous material about Biysk and its workers, calling the printed work “City of Masters” and publishing it “drafty” from the first to the last page of the newspaper. This is the honor our city was awarded forty years ago. And reading the texts, you note that it is very deserved. After all, even then, in the daily and fruitful activities of Biysk residents, those imperceptible shoots of the future, which today we proudly call a science city, seemed to be invisibly “hatching”!

Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 10th convocation, operator of the Biysk Oleum Plant E. V. Shvetsova.

...The issue opens with I. Prilipchenko’s material under the heading “Delegates of the 26th Congress of the CPSU” - “The road continues further...” with a story about our fellow countryman, Hero of Socialist Labor V. G. Goltsov. He received this high title in 1950, as a 23-year-old guy, working as an MTS combine operator in the Altai region. And with the beginning of the virgin lands epic, he became an excavator operator in the construction of highways and spent many years working at DSU-1, introducing progressive work methods into life, for which he was awarded the USSR State Prize, the title “Honored Builder of the RSFSR”, and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. The famous road worker has built the Novosibirsk - Biysk - Tashanta, Biysk - Turochak - Artybash highways and others.

Here, on the first page, a large material starts, running in a “red line” through the entire issue - “City of Masters”, with photographs of the main square of the city - the Square of the Soviets and a portrait of a young apparatchik of the oleum plant, deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR E. V. Shvetsova. Beginning the material, the authors write:

“The hoary antiquity and the present day are reflected in the appearance of the city. Biychan residents know and love their city, honor and enhance its traditions. They are doing everything possible to make him younger and more beautiful every year.”

As we read the material, we will get to know in detail the builders of the famous SMT-122, who are rapidly building housing for citizens, transforming the ancient city with new microdistricts. Of course, the authors did not spare kind words from the workers of the flagships of the Biysk industry: the chemical plant, factories - oleum, boiler, machine-building; , Order of the Red Banner of Labor flour mill, flax mill, sewing association and other enterprises that make a great contribution to the economic potential of not only the city, region, but also the country. For example, if boilermakers sold 11 new boilers in 1975, then in 1980 more than a thousand of them were produced (!). Biysk chemists marked the last year of the tenth five-year plan with new victories; half a month before the New Year of 1981, they completed the task ahead of schedule, producing additional products worth millions of rubles.

Boiler plant. V. I. Yarusov’s advanced team from the block assembly shop.

...Until late in the evening, the floors of the Palace of Culture of Chemists, one of the largest centers of culture in the city, are lit with lights, where 27 teams of technical and artistic creativity work, which showed their high level in all-Union competitions. Three years ago, the Palace's pop orchestra, on a trip to the Central Committee of the Komsomol, traveled to a shock construction site in Central Asia. For twenty years this team has been called a national team, and of the eight teams in the city that bear this honorary title, five are organized on the basis of the chemists' cultural center. These teams are led by experienced teachers K.P. Knyazeva, G.N. Malinina, P.N. Cherepanov and others.

The City Palace of Culture (inherited from the Biysk Chemical Plant) is still one of the largest cultural institutions.
The authors did not ignore the oldest university in the city - the Biysk Pedagogical Institute, as well as the Biysk branch of the I. Polzunov API. The creative activity of students and teachers of these universities annually introduces inventions into industry with an economic effect of tens of thousands of rubles.

Special correspondents of Altaiskaya Pravda especially note big changes in the past five-year plan (1975-1980) in the field of healthcare: an adult clinic for 600 visits per day, a children's clinic for 500 visits, a 250-bed children's hospital were put into operation, a children's home was put into operation , construction of the largest blood transfusion station in the region has been completed and construction of a 600-bed multidisciplinary hospital has begun.

Technical creativity club at secondary school No. 25. The guys made these exhibits for the Lenin Museum themselves. January 1981

The tour around Biysk ends with these kind and insightful words from the authors: “...Today the right bank and the district of the city are connected by a reinforced concrete bridge across the Biya. From here begins the famous Chuisky tract - the road of international friendship... Look at the city from a bird's eye view - the city rose high into the sky above Biya, and its golden working hands raised it. Years will pass and the city will become even more beautiful and younger. Reliable, proven hands are writing the history of Biysk - an ancient and forever young city: Vladimir Zaitsev, Alexander Kharybin, Yuri Vereshchagin (photo), special correspondents of Altaiskaya Pravda on January 25, 1981.

A tour through the pages of “Altai Truth”,

printed 40 years ago,

conducted by Yuri VERESHCHAGIN,

Member of the Union of Journalists of Russia since 1975.

Photo by the author.

Honored Worker of Culture of the RSFSR G. A. Malinina with the team “Rucheyok”.

After the rehearsal, the soloist of the choreographic ensemble from the Chemists' Palace of Culture.

From the memorial sign in honor of the formation of Biysk according to the personal Decree of Peter the Great, the future boulevard named after him “started”, which over the decades became one of the most beautiful recreation areas of the city. Biysk cabinetmaker restorers give a second birth to the appearance of the city's ancient buildings. DK chemists. The vocal and instrumental ensemble led by Arseny Rybakov was famous for its talents. At the microphone is the soloist of the ensemble Vyacheslav Saprykin.

Altai biopharmaceutical cluster

In the city of Biysk, which has the status of a science city, there are pharmaceutical companies that produce unique medicines with antiviral, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory properties. On the basis of these enterprises, the Altai biopharmaceutical cluster was formed. The partnership allows us to implement innovative projects in the field of production of medicines, sanitary and hygiene products of a new generation.

The Altai pharmaceutical cluster includes leading enterprises of the Russian market of pharmaceutical products and dietary supplements:

• CJSC "Altaivitamins";
• JSC "Evalar";
• JSC "Vostokvit";
• small and medium-sized businesses, etc.

Educational field

Biysk is a city where decent educational institutions are located. They make it a major educational center in the south of the Altai Territory. A significant higher educational institution in the city is the Biysk Technological Institute (a branch of the Altai State Technical University). It was founded in 1959. Today the university is a modern institution with six faculties. Scientific activities are actively developing there. Both teachers and students participate in the development of innovative projects.

Another university in the city is Altai State Humanitarian and Pedagogical University named after. Shukshina. It has existed since 1939. The goal of this university is to train specialists in education and the social sphere of a new type. In addition to universities, Biysk has a variety of technical schools and colleges that train workers and mid-level specialists.

Pedigree of the streets

Each era leaves its mark on the history of cities. Biysk, the oldest settlement in the Altai Territory, was no exception.

Today, the younger generation of townspeople hardly thinks about why this or that street bears this particular name and what was located in ancient buildings, for example, a century ago. The famous Biychan resident, historian Pavel Kovalenko knows many interesting facts about the life of the science city. He invited us to take a walk around the microdistrict called Kazanka.

Street with ancient history

Our guide decided to start the tour from Irkutsk:

— Irkutskaya Street is one of the oldest in Biysk. It began to take shape in the 1880–1890s. It received its name not in honor of a geographical object - the city of Irkutsk, as many people think, but in memory of St. Innocent, Bishop of Irkutsk, especially revered in Siberia. He lived at the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries in different regions of Ukraine and Russia, but by the will of God he ended up in Siberia on the Angara, where he was canonized for his deeds.

From archival documents, Pavel Kovalenko learned that the main development of the street dates back to the end of the 19th - first half of the 20th centuries. But even today you can see that one-story residential private houses predominate here. There are four ancient two-story buildings on Irkutskaya, three of which are used for housing. The total number of buildings with their own serial number is 124.

In pre-revolutionary times and the first decades of Soviet power, there was a Kurkovs’ baking workshop on the street - now a brick one-story building in the depths of the estate at No. 36. By the way, in the estate house itself there was a sausage shop, as well as an artel for the production of woven carpets. Nearby, in building 20, there was a grain mill or, in modern terms, a small grain processing plant. Local residents made arcs and sleighs, were engaged in decorative wood carving and blacksmithing.

In the two-story brick building at number 28a, where the Central City Veterinary Hospital is now located, at the end of the 19th century lived the family of the former owner of the iconostasis workshop Arkhip Aleksandrovich Borzenkov, created on the initiative of Bishop Macarius Nevsky of Biysk in 1885. A two-story workshop building built at the end of the 19th century has been preserved nearby in Sredny Lane and today cries out for help with its ownerless appearance.

The building of the iconostasis and icon painting workshop of A. Borzenkov. 1900

— Arkhip Borzenkov was a talented, self-taught craftsman. A tradesman, a native of the peasantry of the village of Srostki, Srostinsky volost, Biysk district, led the workshop until its closure in the 1920s. Experts in their field carried out orders for painting icons, carving iconostases and wooden house carvings, as well as building churches. It is interesting that since 1894, Grigory Choros-Gurkin worked here as an icon painter, who later became a famous and talented Altai artist.

Irkutskaya is the most attractive street on the territory of Kazanka, which has preserved ancient monuments. Even today they are attractions of the city and objects of educational tourism. Among the buildings, eight have the status of architectural and historical monuments of regional significance of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. The bishop's house and the building of the former Biysk Missionary Catechist School, which today houses the Biysk Orthodox School in the name of the Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt, are located in the depths of the quarter. The mentioned monuments include the mansion of the former owner of the iron foundry, entrepreneur Yagovtsev, and the houses of merchants Mikhail Kurkov and Chekanov.

— The facades of two-story and one-story houses at numbers 20 and 20a are attractive due to their ancient architecture. As old-timers recall, at the beginning of the 20th century there was an inn and office of the Biysk Trotting Horse Breeding Society. In the Soviet post-war years, the buildings housed apartments for furniture factory workers.

Of interest are the old log cabins built at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Frolov House at No. 6 is especially attractive for its skillful carvings of the second half of the last century. Former resident Gennady Vasilyevich Frolov, according to drawings from the beginning of that century, decorated the facades of the house and gates with sawdust carvings. The building still looks elegant and solemn.

It is worth noting that today one of the main automobile arteries of the area passes along the street. This year, Irkutsk was included in the “Safe and Quality Roads” program. This summer it will be completely renovated.

A group of woodcarvers from Arkhip Borzenkov's workshop

Rostovskaya, but not in honor of the city

Rostovskaya Street stretches from east to west, parallel to Irkutskaya, along the mountainside for almost two kilometers. By the beginning of the 20th century, the street received its name in honor of St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, author of the famous book “Lives of the Saints.” He was especially revered in the Altai spiritual mission as a zealous eradicator of schism.

On this street there are mainly one-story wooden houses and huts, there are several two-story buildings. Rostovskaya, unfortunately, is almost not landscaped; there is no asphalt pavement, organized pedestrian sidewalks or even lighting.

— At No. 57, at the intersection with Khudonogov Lane, there is an old large one-story building on a brick foundation with a semi-basement floor, stretched along the street. It also belonged to the owner of the iconostasis workshop, Arkhip Borzenkov. At various times schools were located here. Then the building was occupied by the housing and communal services department and a woodworking company.

Biysky Muromets

We are all accustomed to pronouncing the name of this lane with the emphasis on the third syllable. However, few people know that the emphasis should be on the first vowel.

— There are two versions of the origin of the name of the lane. According to one, we can assume that the first settlers here were people from the city of Murom. According to another, more reasonable and obvious one, the lane is named in honor of the folk epic hero Ilya Muromets, who is also a saint especially revered by the Russian Orthodox Church. He ended his earthly life as a monk. Today his incorruptible relics rest in the caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.

Fragment of the plan of the city of Biysk. 1914

Almost all the streets and alleys of the historical part of the city, called Kazanka, which was formed around the bishop's courtyard, before the 1917 revolution bore church names in honor of especially revered saints. This is due to the fact that from 1880 to 1920 the administrative center of the Altai Spiritual Mission was located here.

Until the second half of the 19th century, pine forest grew on the main part of the microdistrict, which was then cut down and used for the construction of estates. Initially, the lane was built up with residential wooden houses, mostly one-story houses of peasants, townspeople and church workers. Local residents were engaged in various crafts.

— At the beginning of the lane at the intersection with Mukhacheva Street, a century ago there was Nikolskaya Square, where the Kazan Bazaar was located. In its center stood a wooden chapel. Old residents of the city, who are over 80 years old, remember this.

Since the end of the 19th century, on the site at the intersection with Pozharnaya Street there was a wooden building of the Kazan fire station with a tower. A new two-story brick building of fire station No. 19 was built on this site in the middle of the last century.

The block between the former Pozharnaya and Shevchenko streets was occupied by the orchard of school No. 4. In 1963, a two-story building was erected in its place, attached to the old school building. Founded in 1909 as the Kazan Parish School, the educational institution has a rich history and centuries-old traditions. Many people know that the famous naturalist writer Vitaly Bianchi taught biology and the universe here. Since 2002, the school has operated a local history museum consisting of 17 exhibitions, where you can get acquainted with the colorful history of the city and school, the culture and life of the inhabitants of Kazanka. The museum has more than 53 thousand exhibits. Of particular interest is the watch museum, opened in 2010, where more than two thousand watch movements of the 19th–21st centuries are collected.

— On the even side of Muromtsevsky Lane from Shevchenko Street to Irkutskaya Street at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries there was a huge Alexander Garden. It is worth noting that there were such personalized gardens in almost every city in Russia. In Biysk, the garden was founded by court councilor Frolov in memory of Emperor Alexander II, the liberator of peasants from serfdom. In the center of the garden there was a picturesque lake, fed by groundwater from tertiary aquifers. In the middle of the last century, the garden was cut down and the reservoir was filled up.

Kazan fire station in Muromtsevsky lane. Early 20th century

Street confusion

Shevchenko Street, named in Soviet times in honor of the famous Ukrainian poet and artist Taras Grigorievich, was called Bishop's Street. Its formation dates back to the second half of the 19th century. It houses the bishop's house with the Museum of the History of the Altai Spiritual Mission, an Orthodox library and a house church, secondary schools No. 4 and No. 20, as well as the main building of the Altai State Humanitarian Pedagogical University named after Vasily Makarovich Shukshin.

— If you noticed, many buildings facing the street with facades, oddly enough, have completely different addresses: 1st Military Town, Irkutskaya, Mukhacheva, Korolenko, Muromtsevsky. Such confusion arose in the second half of the 20th century in connection with the development of the territory of the military unit. The construction of the north-western residential multi-storey microdistrict in the 1970s and 1980s contributed to this confusion.

The main attraction of the street is undoubtedly the historical buildings of the Biysk bishop's courtyard: the bishop's house, the Kazan church and the buildings of the Kazan parish schools.

The two-story U-shaped building of the Kazan men's and women's three-year parish schools is even listed as an architectural monument of regional significance. It was erected in 1911 with the participation of the city mayor, the second guild of the Biysk merchant Fyodor Fedorovich Dobrokhodov.

— In 1914, the first public free city library was opened here in memory of the 300th anniversary of the reign of the House of Romanov. 6 years later, the building housed Biysk prison No. 2 for several months, and then until 1924 - an experimental demonstration school named after the III Comintern of the 1st and 2nd stages with a pedagogical focus. For some time the building was occupied by a pedagogical technical school, then a comprehensive school returned here. In 2008–2017, part of the building housed Children's Art House No. 4.

Now the building belongs entirely to schoolchildren. Secondary school No. 4 named after Vitaly Bianki is one of the oldest in the city. Among its graduates there are many famous people: local historian, researcher of the history of Biysk, bibliographer, writer, linguist, encyclopedist and even multiple city chess champion Leonid Aleksandrovich Maltsev. His name is immortalized on a memorial plaque inaugurated on the school building in 2010. Another memorial plaque is dedicated to the school graduate, Hero of the Soviet Union Sergei Semenovich Bakanov.

Biysk missionary catechism school. Early 20th century

“Modern residents and tourists would probably be interested in knowing the historical names of the city’s squares, streets and alleys,” says Pavel Kovalenko. — How great it would be to place signs or information boards with historical street names next to modern ones on the facades of some houses. Perhaps this information will be of interest to someone and the townspeople will have a desire to learn something new.

Pavel Sergeevich is confident that Kazanka has serious prospects for organizing and developing educational and pilgrimage tourism. He also conducts hundreds of excursions every year for Biysk residents and tourists and local history lessons for his students, but not in the school office, but like this, walking along the streets of the old city.

Interesting Facts:

• Biysk had its own Red Square. Today few people know about this, but there is confirmation of this in historical documents. It was located on the eastern side of the bishop's courtyard, between the bishop's garden and Shorny Lane, now Kommunarsky. At the beginning of the 20th century, the square was called Yarmarochnaya. Every year traditional fairs were held here, which lasted for a week: Peter and Paul, Catherine and Holy Cross. In the center of the square stood the tall brick St. Nicholas Chapel, built by the bourgeois community in 1897 in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and in memory of the coronation of Their Imperial Majesties Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna. In the 20s, the newspaper “Star of Altai” published materials about rallies, parades and demonstrations held on Red Square.
• Before the famous events of 1917, Revolution Street was called Morozovskaya in honor of famous Biysk merchants and philanthropists.
• Kirov Avenue used to be called Barnaul Street. From here the road to Barnaul began. Therefore, the climb leading up the mountain is still called the Barnaul Vzvoz.
• The territory at the intersection of Revolution Street and Kommunarsky Lane was occupied by Sennaya Square, where the Sennaya Bazaar was located. They sold pets and livestock feed there.
• Until 1924, Vladimir Korolenko Street bore the name of the holy great martyr and healer Panteleimon. He was the heavenly patron of the Altai spiritual mission and Biysk.
• Liteiny Lane got its name in honor of the iron foundry of the merchant Yagovtsev, which was located under the mountain.

Photo from the archives of the Biysk Museum of Local Lore. V.V. Bianki and the Museum of the History of the Altai Spiritual Mission

State of Medicine

It is impossible to be a modern and successful city without developed healthcare. In a science city it is at the proper level. Clinics and state-owned hospitals provide medical care to people in the city of Biysk. It is especially worth noting that the procedure for making an appointment with a doctor is now being improved. They are actively introducing modern technologies. For example, you can now sign up for the Biysk Consultation and Diagnostic Center remotely through the public services portal.

There are many private medical clinics in the city that operate legally and have all the necessary documents for medical activities. Dental clinics and offices are actively developing. In private clinics, modern materials, the latest equipment and new technologies are appearing, allowing for better treatment.

The story of a Biysk merchant - the founder of a distillery and trustee of charitable institutions

Today the name of this man says little. However, at one time almost everyone in the district Biysk knew the merchant Rybakov. And not only as the founder of the distillery, the area around which over time turned into a distillery village, but also as a philanthropist - helping educational institutions, churches and simply disadvantaged citizens. He made a huge contribution to the development of merchant Biysk, and we, the descendants of the people who lived with him at the same time, are simply obliged to do everything so that the name of the merchant Vlas Rybakov does not sink into oblivion.

By the way, in Biysk the house in which the Rybakov family lived before the advent of Soviet power has been preserved - at 128 Lev Tolstoy Street (timber mill area). Today, this two-story wooden building of an ancient building is home to several families, who probably do not know who it once belonged to. Let's correct this injustice and tell about our wonderful fellow countryman - Vlas Maksimovich Rybakov, especially since this year he would have turned 180 years old.

Vitaly POPOV, executive secretary of the newspaper “Nash Biysk”.

Vlas Maksimovich belonged to the category of peasants who, after the abolition of serfdom, rushed from the central part of Russia to the sparsely populated lands of the outskirts of the empire in search of a better life. Many moved not at random, but to where one of their fellow countrymen settled down. Several families came to the city of Biysk from the Vladimir province. The first to arrive, according to available documents, were the Morozovs - Alexey Fedorovich and Elena Grigorievna. Vlas Maksimovich, like them, was from the village of Krasnaya Griva, Kovrov district. The Morozovs - Ofeni peasants - bought themselves out of serfdom before the reform, and Rybakov left for Biysk after the reform. And he went there purposefully - to the Morozovs, under their wing. It is unknown who he was initially accepted as, but soon the Morozovs made him their confidant. Apparently, in addition to devotion and honesty, Vlas Maksimovich also had business acumen.

Vlas Maksimovich’s parents, Maxim Lvovich and Alexandra Savelyevna Rybakov, were peasants, but they were taught to read and write and were able to give their son a good education at home. The first information about the independent activities of Vlas Maksimovich dates back to 1872 - he conducted a delivery trade in small goods. I chose the Guild trade certificate much later. The Book of Issuance of Trade Certificates and Tickets of the Biysk City Council records that in December 1878, a peasant from the Vladimir province, Rybakov Vlas Maksimovich, chose a trade certificate of the 2nd guild for the next year, for which he was charged 39 rubles. 90 kopecks

It has not yet been possible to find information about when Vlas Maksimovich decided to create the main business of his life - to build a distillery. But from the materials of Biysk local historian V. Shipilov, it is known that permission to build a plant near the city of Biysk was issued in December 1887. Merchants N. I. Gusev and M. A. Yanovsky became partners in the construction. The matter, apparently, was in dispute, and, according to data from the documents of the Biysk city government, in 1889 V. M. Rybakov had three wine warehouses of the 2nd category, a Rensk cellar and a distillery in Biysk. In addition, beer establishments in the city and villages of nearby volosts: Nizhne-Charyshskaya, Smolenskaya, Srostinskaya, Sychevskaya, Shubenskaya, etc. The demand for the plant’s products, apparently, was great. This is confirmed by data from the books of tax collection from commercial and industrial enterprises. For example, a drinking establishment in Biysk, located in the house of a retired soldier, in 1894-1895. had a turnover of 1,000 rubles. A wholesale wine warehouse at your own home had a turnover of 15,000 rubles, a Rensk cellar was 2,000 rubles, and the turnover of a wholesale warehouse on Torgovaya Street was 45,000 rubles. The total trade turnover of Vlas Maksimovich's enterprises in 1896 amounted to 75,000 rubles. Over the next year, 1897, the trade turnover of Rybakov’s enterprises amounted to 168 thousand rubles, and the net profit was 20 thousand rubles. The plant produced 50 thousand buckets of 40% alcohol.

In 1903, V. M. Rybakov, concerned about the productivity of the plant and wanting to keep pace with progress, installed a steam boiler at the enterprise with a pressure of 8 atmospheres. During that year, 59,164.8 buckets of alcohol were produced in the amount of 60,796 rubles. 45 kopecks The plant's staff consisted of 34 people, of which 26 were workers (including 4 women), 8 were office workers.

But the plant's business did not always go well. So, on the night of September 20, 1904, a fire occurred, as a result of which only some parts of the plant remained operational. In 1905, rectification of state distillates was carried out only from August 22 to September 22. The plant began operating at full capacity on October 18, 1905. But, despite the fire and an incomplete working year, the production turnover in 1904 amounted to 300 thousand rubles. For comparison, let’s take Vlas Maksimovich’s report for 1909: 44 workers, 9 employees were involved in production, and only 21,640.325 buckets of alcohol were smoked for 79,088 rubles. 48 kopecks

From some documents it follows that the distillery functioned until 1915. But in the archives of the region there is a case about Vlas Maksimovich’s litigation from October 1918 to October 1919 with the authorities over an incorrectly assessed tax on the activities of the distillery. In addition, from the inventory of the Biysk city government for real estate in 1919-1920. recorded: on the outskirts of the city, Vlas Maksimovich Rybakov and Andrei Platonovich Firsov have a stone two-story distillery; stone two-story distillation department; wooden two-story house; three wooden one-story houses; two wooden one-story outbuildings; wooden guard hut; stone forge; bathhouse and basement; four wooden barns; barn; grain dryer; stable; cellar; malt house From this we can conclude that in 1920 the plant was still owned by Rybakov and Firsov.

Distilling was Rybakov's main business. But, like all entrepreneurs, he did not shy away from any business that could bring profit. So, for example, he had shops with petty trade and hardware. In addition, he has participated in many contract tenders. In 1900, he won the auction for 350 rubles. for cutting 351 cubic meters. fathoms of forest for urban needs. A little later he wins another auction, but this time for the procurement of 986 cubic meters. fathoms of pine logs, and also for the needs of the city. This work cost 1200 rubles. Capital, as we see, was accumulated by the penny, by the ruble, from different sources, but did not come from one business at once.

The first documentary mentions of the public work of Vlas Maksimovich date back to January 1880, when he was elected a member of the Biysk City Duma, and on December 14 of the same year, at a meeting of the City Duma, he was elected market leader. At that time, this position was not only honorable, but also responsible. As a rule, an authoritative, strong-willed person who cared for the public cause was elected to this position. And the fact that V. M. Rybakov cared about the well-being of the townspeople and the city was evident from everyday life. Let's take a simple example. In the pre-revolutionary city of Biysk there were many not only puddles, but also small lakes and swampy places from which streams flowed into the river. But the streams could not cope with the removal of rain and melt water, the streets and estates were flooded, especially in the spring. To drain lakes and swamps, the city government installed drainage canals, one of which ran between the houses of V. M. Rybakov’s neighbors and the government building. Some careless residents. As often happens, they began to throw household waste into the canal, and as a result the canal was dammed. And no one, except Vlas Maksimovich, took care to clean it up and bring the violators to order.

In those years, the city government compiled a waiting list for accepting visiting generals for residence. And it is quite natural that the generals’ reception list included only those people whom society trusted. Vlas Maksimovich was in third place on this list. The resettlement of generals to it was planned from November 1, 1898 to November 1, 1899.

For three years, from 1897 to 1899, Vlas Maksimovich was elected and approved by the governor as a member of the Biysk district tax presence. It should be noted that people with a reputation for honesty were elected to the presence. There were cases when the governor did not approve the candidate. In addition, Vlas Maksimovich was an honorary member of the Society for Primary Education in Biysk, the founder of the Society for the Promotion of Trotting Horse Breeding. Since 1895, he was a member of the board of trustees of the Biysk women's gymnasium. In 1900, V. M. Rybakov, in company with the eminent merchant of the first guild M. S. Sychev, organized the first voluntary fire society in Biysk and participated in its maintenance. But this is a lot of money, and not for your own benefit, but for the protection of the entire population of the city. Although a year earlier, Vlas Maksimovich filed a complaint with the province against M. S. Sychev for the fact that he had unauthorizedly built up part of the land that belonged to the city and, according to the plan, was intended for an alley.

For more than 40 years, Vlas Maksimovich Rybakov was engaged in charitable activities. There is no point in listing all his good deeds; let’s talk about some that emphasize his characteristic and spiritual qualities. The first thing he did, having collected capital that would give him the opportunity to conduct independent trade, was become a trustee of a school in his native village. Krasnaya Griva and annually transferred 100 rubles for his maintenance. — apparently, he understood very well the importance of the school in the life of his fellow countrymen and was well aware of the financial situation of the educational institution. In addition to the distant Krasnogriv school, Vlas Maksimovich was a trustee of the Smolensk rural school (Biysk district), part of the buildings of which were erected at his expense. He also allocated money for the maintenance of teachers at the Usyat school (Biysk district). In addition, he financed the New Year holidays and the purchase of gifts for children of the educational institutions he supervised.

In September 1894, V. M. Rybakov, using his own funds, cast and installed a bell for the Alexander Nevsky Church. Somewhat later, he allocated a large sum of money for the repair of the bell tower of the same temple.

When a new stone Trinity Cathedral was built in Biysk, Vlas Maksimovich paid for the casting and installation of the bell. An interesting fact: at the time the bell was installed, the bell tower, already dilapidated, collapsed. This is popularly considered a bad omen. Many then decided that the affairs of V. M. Rybakov had come to an end. But this did not happen. And instead of the collapsed bell tower, Vlas Maksimovich built a new one.

In 1895, at the Church of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, V. M. Rybakov opened and maintained an almshouse, which until the beginning of the 20th century. was the only almshouse that existed under the parish patronage of the Tomsk diocese. In 1900, when they began to build a new stone church instead of a dilapidated wooden church, Vlas Maksimovich contributed a significant amount of money and was unanimously elected chairman of the board of trustees for the construction of the church.

In 1916, V. M. Rybakov, despite the fact that the main activity - the sale of alcohol - was squeezed, donated 3 thousand rubles. for the purchase of basic necessities for low-income residents of Biysk.

Vlas Maksimovich and his wife Ksenia Ivanovna had many children, but only two survived and entered independent life: son Ivan (b. 1861) and daughter Anna (b. 24 July 1870). On April 27, 1890, in the Assumption Church in Biysk, Anna married the tradesman M.F. Ivlev. In December of the same year, Anna had a son, Vyacheslav. The daughter’s marriage to a tradesman, apparently, was against the will of the father, because later Vlas Maksimovich distanced himself from his grandson. April 6, 1892 Anna dies of dropsy. She was buried on April 8 in the city cemetery. Son Ivan started a family in adulthood - on November 6, 1894, he got married in the Trinity Church to the bourgeois girl Olga Stefanovna Bykova, and on January 23, 1899, their son Georgy was born. In those years, if a merchant loved a descendant and wanted to help him in life, he, choosing a guild certificate, annually entered into it everyone he wanted, regardless of their age. Also, Vlas Maksimovich, until 1900, only included his wife Ksenia Ivanovna in the certificate. Since 1900, he entered his wife, daughter-in-law and grandson Georgy, but never entered his first grandson, Vyacheslav, into the guild certificate. Vlas Maksimovich’s social activities and charity did not go unnoticed: he was awarded silver and gold neck medals “For Diligence” on the Stanislav Ribbon.

Vlas Maksimovich died on August 31, 1920. In the death certificate it is written “from old age”, in fact, apparently, the heart could not stand it - with the final arrival of Soviet power in the city of Biysk, “proletarians” were moved into the Rybakovs’ house. The new government left only one floor out of two to the owners. One can only guess how the new residents treated the “former exploiters” and their property. Son Ivan Vlasovich Rybakov died at the age of 69 on September 14, 1930 from pulmonary tuberculosis. I.V. Rybakov lived at the expense of his son Georgy in the city of Biysk, in Krasnoyarsky Lane, 29. Georgy Ivanovich Rybakov was arrested in October 1937. In December of the same year, a special meeting of the NKVD of the USSR sentenced him to capital punishment.

Vladimir SCHNEIDER.

(“Calendar of significant and memorable dates” 2022).

Photo by Vitaly POPOV.

Places worth visiting

Museum of Local Lore named after. V.V. Bianki is the place in the city of Biysk where you can get to know the history of the settlement and its cultural heritage. The institution was opened in 1920. One of the founders was V.V. Bianchi. It is his name that the museum bears today. The work of this institution began with the receipt of several collections from the zemstvo government and the natural history office of the Altai People's University. Subsequent work made it possible to increase the number of exhibits.

Today, the museum’s collections contain collections of stuffed animals and birds of Altai, herbariums, unique collections of weapons, samovars, shamanic tambourines and other interesting items. Important documents of the past, works of artists from Biysk and the Altai Territory are offered to visitors. The museum has a special music and exhibition salon. It regularly hosts interesting evenings, lectures and concerts, festive events, and thematic excursions.

For lovers of performances and acting productions, a city drama theater has been created in Biysk. The prehistory of this institution began back in 1887, when Narodnaya Volya member L.P. Yeshin organized the first theater group of lovers of dramatic art. This later led to the creation of the theater. The official date of its foundation is 1939. Today the theater stages performances for both children and adults. A special advantage of the institution is the availability of a variety of costumes and decorations. They provide a high aesthetic level of theatrical productions.

Photo facts. Merchant Biysk: a lush past and an unenviable present

Mansion of merchant Assanov

Mansion of the merchant Assanov.

Oleg Bogdanov

The building was built according to the design of the chief architect of Western Siberia, Konstantin Lygin, in 1914 for the Biysk merchant Nikolai Assanov.

Assanov is one of the richest and most authoritative people in the city. Conducted trading activities with Mongolia. He was a trustee (sponsor) of a women's gymnasium and supported the Society for the Development of Russian Horse Breeding. He was a member of the leadership of many public organizations in Biysk. He was a full corresponding member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. He helped financially with scientific expeditions to Mongolia. It is believed that Assanov saved Przewalski's horse for wildlife. One of the representatives of the breed was later presented to Emperor Nicholas II.

Nicholas II on horseback.

With the beginning of troubled times, Assanov attempted to emigrate, but was caught by partisans and taken back to Biysk. He died in the 20s in a hospital at the city prison. Some people still wonder: where are Assanov’s wealth hidden?

Mansion of the merchant Assanov.

Oleg Bogdanov

Even more tragic was the fate of his wife Maria. In better times, the Assanov couple traveled around Europe in style; Maria Andreevna always wore expensive dresses, the train of which was held by servants. However, with the advent of the revolutionary regime, Assanova was kicked out of the mansion. She lost everything and was homeless for some time, partially losing her mind. There is evidence that in the 20s, Cheka officers tortured Assanikha, as she was popularly called, by burning her body with cigarettes. The former merchant's wife died in 1958 in poverty and oblivion.

In the mansion of the merchant Assanov.

Oleg Bogdanov

As for the mansion itself, later one of the headquarters of Admiral Kolchak was located here, and then the headquarters of special forces units of the Red Army (a unit of the Cheka). The basements were adapted into prison dungeons. There is still a glacier room there (in which Assanov once kept the carcasses of sheep), in which sentences were carried out - those undesirable were shot. In the 70s of the last century, suicide notes of prisoners were discovered on the walls of the basements. But according to the party's instructions, they were erased.

During the Soviet period, the district committee of the CPSU was located in the former Assanov mansion. Now there is a local history museum named after. V. V. Bianchi. By the way, last year the Moscow Museum of Russian Art Nouveau hosted a photo exhibition dedicated directly to this building.

City Drama Theater

Drama Theater.

Oleg Bogdanov

Construction according to the design of the Barnaul architect and engineer Nasovich was completed in 1916.

Merchants Pavel and Pyotr Kopylov lived in Biysk. Pavel Andreevich left his entire fortune - about 300 thousand rubles - to his nephew Anton Kopylov, who by that time had made a brilliant military career. In 1909, Lieutenant Colonel Kopylov was transferred as a military commander to Biysk and, according to his uncle’s will, began the construction of the People’s House, which later became a theater.

During the Second World War, the Lensovet Theater troupe gave performances there.

Makaryevsky numbers

Makaryevsky numbers.

Oleg Bogdanov

An iconic place in the city - a prestigious hotel with a restaurant and live music, elite rooms.

The writer Vladimir Obruchev left memories of Makaryev’s numbers, who in 1914 traveled with his son to Altai: here they did not let you sleep until the morning - the orchestra was playing, there was a party.

The people hanging out at the hotel were mostly locals - the golden, as they would call it now, youth and the richest people of Biysk, including the eminent merchant Assanov.

The main entertainment for visitors was card games for money. They won and lost entire fortunes overnight. For example, there is information about the merchant Dobrokhodov, who won 30 thousand rubles. But it was not customary to put hard money into commercial circulation, so Dobrokhodov gave the entire amount for the construction of a school. Nowadays there is a dental clinic here.

Abandoned Morozov mansion

House of the Morozov merchants.

Oleg Bogdanov

Built at the end of the 19th century for the merchant couple Alexei and Elena Morozov, immigrants from the Vladimir province.

Morozov was engaged in large-scale grain trading. He owned an entire shipping company. The merchant purchased grain throughout Altai and floated it down the river to Tyumen. Each such expedition brought Morozov income up to 300 thousand rubles.

In 1895, Alexey Morozov died and his wife took over all matters. She didn’t know how to read and write, so instead of signing the documents she put a family seal. Morozova was also remembered for distributing large bills to the poor, scattering them from the balcony of her mansion. After the death of Morozikha in 1908, the Society of the Heirs of Elena Morozova was established. The family’s fortune at that time was estimated at 1.5 million rubles. In addition, there were five other operating enterprises.

Under Soviet rule, a city court operated in the Morozov mansion.

Gilev mansion

Gilev mansion.

Oleg Bogdanov

The first stone building in Biysk, built in 1860.

The house belonged to Vasily Gilev, one of the founders of the Chui trade. He is known for the fact that, with the permission of the Tomsk governor, he went to northwestern Mongolia and agreed with the local authorities to organize a trading business.

The second wing of the building appeared later - in 1914. It was built by the former clerk of the merchant Gilev Ignatiev. There is evidence that Ignatiev subsequently fraudulently took possession of the capital and property of his employer.

The building of the first Biysk power station

The first power plant.

Oleg Bogdanov

Built at the expense of the Morozov merchant family in 1900. This was the third station in the entire territory of Western Siberia; equipment was installed at the facility.

Now this power station is associated with Biysk legends about dungeons that permeate the old part of the city. Under the station there are large underground technical communications.

Nikolaevskaya gymnasium

Nikolaevskaya gymnasium.

Oleg Bogdanov

Built with funds from the Morozov family. At its base there are many gold and silver coins. The children of major Biysk merchants studied at the gymnasium.

The building is associated with two historical figures. Firstly, the future Prime Minister of Kolchak, Viktor Pepelyaev, began his career here. Here he taught, and later became a deputy of the State Duma. In 1920 he was shot along with Kolchak.

The second figure is Yuri Kondratyuk (aka Alexander Shargei, a former Denikin officer who hid his past), author of the famous book “The Conquest of Interplanetary Spaces.” In the USA he is revered, just as Tsiolkovsky is in Russia. The Americans erected a monument to Kondratyuk at Cape Canaveral.

Sychev's House

House of Sychevs.

Oleg Bogdanov

The building was built in 1910 for the influential Biychan Mikhail Sychev. So, in 1895 he served as city mayor. Sychev also donated most of the money for the construction of the Assumption Cathedral. Legend has it that he himself chose the site for the construction of the temple, and then served as its headman for 18 years. Pilgrims and holy fools often found shelter in Sychev’s house.

No less famous was Sychev’s son Mikhail Mikhailovich, who was popularly nicknamed Minka the Fool. He received his education at a Swiss boarding school. He returned to Biysk in 1912 as a polished European dandy. He had the first passenger car and motorcycle in the city. Minka is remembered for making a bet with his father’s clerks: “Guess how many geese, chickens and other living creatures I will run over with my car at full speed. You guessed it – I’ll drive you for free or give you money. You won’t guess - carry me all day like a king in your arms.” And the townsfolk themselves threw poultry under his wheels in order to get good money from Duroplyas, fortunately Minka paid generously. He ended his days in Paris, working as a driver.

Now in the Sychevs’ house there is a library of a pedagogical university.

Firsovsky passage

Firsovsky passage.

Oleg Bogdanov

Entrepreneur Andrei Firsov managed to lose big at cards in a gambling house in one of the European countries. And in retaliation it is not clear to whom, perhaps fate, built the largest arcade in Biysk, similar in architecture to that same European casino.

Firsov Passage was considered the most luxurious store in the city. And the clerks had to be unmarried (so that the family did not interfere with work) and dressed in St. Petersburg fashion.

Firsovsky passage.

Oleg Bogdanov

Andrei Firsov himself loved to throw grand dinners on the banks of the Biya. The entrepreneur invited all his friends to the belly festival. And it was Firsov’s food that ruined him: having suffered from typhus, he was on a strict diet, and then, with the doctors’ permission, he decided to have lunch - he ate several dozen pies at once, washing them down with a bucket of well water. He died from a volvulus.

Currently, the burned building of Firsovsky Passage has been acquired by a private investor. His plans are not yet known.

Data

• The most valuable monuments in Biysk are concentrated in the area of ​​Tolstoy and Sovetskaya streets. This is the historical part of the city.
• 77 small and medium-sized businesses received state and municipal support in 2015.
• 23 banks operate in Biysk

The editors would like to thank Dmitry Eroshkin, a researcher at the historical department of the Biysk Local Lore Museum named after V.V. Bianki, for his assistance in preparing the material.

City attractions

Biysk is a modern city with a huge number of shops, shopping centers, entertainment, but it also has historical places and cultural attractions. Monuments and ancient buildings can be found in almost every district. Most of the attractions are concentrated in the historical center. In this area of ​​the city of Biysk there is a park named after. Garkavogo is a favorite place of many townspeople. Here you can admire the equestrian monument to Peter I. It was installed in 2010. Nearby is a sculpture of Peter and Fevronia, which is a symbol of long and faithful love, a strong family.

The most important and important attraction of the city is the square in memory of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War with an eternal flame. About 25 thousand Biy residents defended their homeland from the fascist invaders. Unfortunately, half of the people were not destined to return back to Biysk - our fellow countrymen died on the battlefields.

Interesting buildings

In the old center of the city of Biysk on Sovetskaya Street there is a marvelous architectural structure - the majestic white stone Assumption Cathedral. The first work on its construction began at the end of the 19th century. The building was made in pseudo-Russian (Byzantine) style. The erected temple functioned until 1932. Then it was closed for several years. Grain was stored in the building during this period. The re-opening of the church took place in 1947. Today the cathedral is operational.

It is impossible to tell about all the interesting buildings, because there are so many of them. Let's take a closer look at the building of secondary school No. 4 in the city of Biysk, the photo of which is presented below. This educational institution with the status of a school was opened in 1904 by order of Nicholas II in the historical part of the city (Kazanka). In 1911, the educational institution acquired a new building on Arkhiereyskaya Street (now Shevchenko). During the war, an evacuation hospital operated here, as evidenced by the memorial plaque. Today the building houses a school. In 2004, it celebrated its centenary.

At first glance, Biysk seems to be a simple and unremarkable city. In reality this is not the case. Today it is considered the locomotive of innovative development of the region and the country as a whole. Important enterprises and organizations operate there, there are effective educational institutions, and history and culture have been preserved. The administration of the city of Biysk will do everything necessary for its development. Systematic work will make it possible to preserve and effectively use production, scientific and technical potential, and create comfortable conditions for the life and creativity of city residents.

Village in the center of Biysk: photo walk around the former distillery area

Friends, the cold weather is behind us and we decided to resume our photo walks through the city's neighborhoods. Moreover, last time the timber mill area was very popular. Today we will show you an inconspicuous-looking area located in the center; but it stretches all the way to the Green Wedge, where its path is blocked by new buildings in microdistrict 16A (residential buildings and a school are currently being built there).

Photo by Vitaly Popov

Photo by Vitaly Popov

At one time, a distillery was located along Smolny Lane, a strategically important enterprise for the economy of the region. This giant was one of the largest Altai companies and had a rich history. The Biysk distillery was built and put into operation in 1882 as a division of the Itkul distillery, founded in 1868. In 1893, the Biysk distillery was officially opened as an independent distillery. The equipment at that time was the most modern, mainly produced by foreign companies. Production output in 1894-1900 ranged from 9,400 to 18,000 buckets of wine per year. From 1930 to 1932, the plant was reconstructed. Alcohol production in 1934 was 521 thousand deciliters per year. By the end of the 30s, the Biysk distillery became one of the largest enterprises in Altai and its industry. In 1941, the plant mastered vodka production, and in the mid-50s the plant underwent a major reconstruction and switched to round-the-clock operation and a continuous alcohol bottling system. By 1985, the Biysk Distillery had good financial performance and was a major taxpayer to the state and regional budgets. As of October 1, 2000, the number of workers at the enterprise was about 400 people...

Photo by Vitaly Popov

Quite recently, some residents of the microdistrict complained on social networks about local stray dogs: they say they don’t give life, they rush and tear... However, not a single dog offended our journalist.

Photo by Vitaly Popov

In general, the microdistrict is interesting, first of all, for its location: on the one hand there is a dam and a river, on the other there is a busy city center. Look from the heights of Krasnoarmeyskaya Street: a real Russian village!

Photo by Vitaly Popov

In general, the history of this area is very interesting: we recommend that you definitely study online resources and do some research. After all, you probably don’t even know that once there was a floodplain lake here, where townspeople came and came to relax. According to history, it was located in the area of ​​Soltonsky and Smolny lanes and 2nd Forshtadtskaya street. And there were crucian carp and pike in it! Then the human factor played a role: the reservoir was filled with industrial and construction waste. Such are the things...

Photo by Vitaly Popov.

Photo report by Vitaly POPOV.