Читать книгу The most detailed guide around Circum-Baikal Railroad: Irkutsk, Listvyanka, Slyudyanka, Shelekhov - - Страница 7

From the bridge over the Irkut, we enter the Kaya Mountain, which glorified the city to the whole world with the discovery of the Glazkovo necropolis – the largest ancient burial ground on the territory of the modern metropolis. On the whole territory of Eastern, Western Siberia and the Far East taken together, as many burials of the Stone Age were found as at the area of Lokomotiv stadium in Irkutsk. Moreover, this is only 2% of the total number of finds in Glazkovo, many of which are the most valuable artifacts that adorn collections of many museums in Siberia and central Russia.

Artifacts of the Glazkovo necropolis

We will continue moving along Botkin street. Here, at the turn of the road on the right, you can see the building of an old hospital (Botkin Str., 4В), which is the only one preserved from the huge complex of the resettlement center of the Eastern Part of the Siberian Railway, built in 1906 for the needs of landless peasants coming from European Russia to live in Siberia and on the Far East. In this building since 1912 as local doctor worked M.P. Gerasimov in in whose family was born the famous scientist M.M. Gerasimov. Even at the age of 9, little Misha collected strange stones in the vicinity of his house and brought them to the local history museum, where he showed them to the Swiss archaeologist B.E. Petri. In 2007, during the construction of a new building (Dzhambul Str., 30), a 36,000-year-old site was opened, traces of which were found in 1924 by a young archaeologist. A few thousand items as unique pendants made of talc, articles made of rhinoceros and mammoth bones and tools of labor were found.

Archaeologist B.E. Petri (1884—1937)

The career of a professional archaeologist M.M. Gerasimov began in 1928 by conducting excavations right in next to his house at the Cyclodrom park, opened in 1891 for the first cycling races in Irkutsk. Today, this territory bears the name of the Paris Commune, and part of it is occupied by Lokomotiv railroad stadium, built in 1954. This is certainly an iconic place for Irkutsk. Since 1984, the ancient burial grounds have been preserved here under special asphalt caps for the creation in 2023 the first mankind history museum in Russia.

Archaeologist M.M. Gerasimov (1907—1970)

Opposite the stadium, in a five-story building, there is the Siberian Federal Scientific Center for Agrobiotechnologies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, since 1979 it has been subordinate to research institutes, breeding and experimental stations operating throughout Siberia (Botkina Str., 4). Its neighbor is the Irkutsk Interregional Veterinary Laboratory, which has been operating here since 2003 and serves about 30% of the territory of the Russian Federation (Republic of Buryatia, Republic of Sakha, Zabaykalsky Kray, Irkutskaya Oblast). Today, this creates a scientific basis for the agro-industry in the vast Siberian territory.

Garden «Locomotive» and the monument to I.V. Stalin, 1950s

At the intersection with 2nd Zheleznodorozhnaya Street, on the right side, it is hard not to notice the buildings of the Road Clinical Hospital of the Eastern Railway (Botkin Str., 10), built in 1965 to serve railway workers and their families. Directly behind them, in a relic pine grove, is the territory of the «Angara» health resort. It was built at the expense of the merchant of the 1st guild I.L. Medvednikov as a hospital for chronic patients in 1901. The old building of the medical institution can still be seen if you go down the street to Irkut River (2nd Zheleznodorozhnaya Str., 4). The construction project was created by the famous Irkutsk architect A.I. Kuznetsov.

Medvednikovs hospital for chronic patients, 1911

Today, here is the hospital which houses the Irkutsk State Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, which was created on the basis of a physiotherapy institute that opened here in 1932. During the WWII, there was a neurosurgical officer’s evacuation hospital, and after the victory in 1955, a sanatorium with mineral waters was opened. It operates in our time, scientific research is being carried out, new methods of treatment are being introduced.

Health resort «Angara»

We reach the intersection with Kasyanova street. In the past, this area was mostly inhabited by families of railway workers, due to the proximity of the station. At the intersection with Ostrovsky Street (Kasyanova Str., 35) there is a lonely wooden house in which the future famous film director L.I. Gaidai lived since 1937. In the summer of 1961 here he wrote the script for the film «Dog Barbos and Unusual Cross» while visiting his parents. By the 350th anniversary of Irkutsk, it was planned to create the director’s memorial museum with a cinema alley. However, the plans were not destined to come true due to litigation between the heirs of L.I. Gaidai.

Monument to L.I. Gaidai in Irkutsk

Let’s go down the street the same way that young Leonid went to school every day. At the intersection with 2nd Zheleznodorozhnaya Street, we are greeted by a completely ordinary wooden house (Kasyanova Str., 17), where since 1900 lived the famous creator of the publishing house «Irisy» M.E. Stozh. He not only published pocket guides about Siberia and postcards with views of Irkutsk, but also published such outrageous Russian poets as A.S. Sorokin and D.D. Burliuk. Next to it is the Center for the Culture of the Indigenous Peoples of Baikal Region.

We continue to move along Kasyanova Street and turn left at the intersection with Profsoyuznaya. At the crossroads, on the so-called Mogilev’s site, you can see the memorial complex, installed in 1967 on the site of a mass grave of 19 participants in the uprising against A.V. Kolchak in the Glazkovo suburb in December 1919.

Memorial at the Mogilev site

A little further away you can see an old brick building built in 1916 according to the project of V.I. Kolyanovsky for the primary railway school, which was later transformed into the school No. 10 and then No. 42 (Profsoyuznaya Str., 3). Here was the headquarters of the worker-peasant squads during the battles on December 1917. Until 1941, a famous film director L.I. Gaidai studied here, who graduated from school three days before the start of the war. Among the graduates of the school there are other famous personalities: the writer I.I. Molchanov-Sibirsky, author of the method of restoring the human appearance of a person based on the skeletal remains M.M. Gerasimov, the first director of the Irkutsk Institute of the Earth’s Crust N.A. Florensov and many others.

Railway Lyceum No. 36

In 2002, according to the plan of the architect S.A. Chumakov, a new school building appeared nearby, which two years later was transformed into the Russian Railways Lyceum No. 36. Until the middle of the 20th century, a very picturesque wooden church built in 1916 and the almshouse of the educational brotherhood of Saint Innocent stood on this site.

Church of St. Innocent, first half of the 20th century

On the left, at the intersection with Mayakovskogo Street, you can see a stele dedicated to the Sverdlovsk district of Irkutsk. It stands opposite the magnificent wooden tenement house of the Verkholensk merchant A.N. Abramov (Mayakovskogo Str., 5). From here we will go down to Dzhambul Street, which is named after the famous Kazakh poet and winner of the Stalin Prize. But before that, let’s linger on the top of the Kaya mountain and admire one of the best panoramas of Irkutsk city.

The Glazkovsky Bridge, the oldest in Irkutsk, goes to the right bank of Angara River. And, although it had a predecessor like pontoon Nikolaevsky bridge, the remains of which are still visible near the shore downstream (it existed since 1891), nevertheless, a permanent crossing appeared in Irkutsk only in 1936. By the time it was put into operation, this was the most longspan reinforced concrete bridge in the USSR. The architect of the bridge I.A. Frantsuz was the author of the project of the mausoleum of V.I. Lenin on Red Square in Moscow. And on the last parapet pedestal on the left towards the city, you can still see a sign stating that this bridge is a real «monument to V.I. Lenin.»

Glazkovsky bridge, 1936

In the meantime, we will turn right and continue our movement along Chelnokov Street, named after the twice Hero of the Soviet Union, General N.V. Chelnokov, who made more than 270 sorties, bringing death to the enemy in the air and on the ground from the Baltic to Black Sea. How symbolic that he was born in Irkutsk on a Great Victoru Day on May 9, 1906. A monument to him was set here at the entrance group to the Sverdlovsk region, in a small square at the foot of the Kaya Mountain. However, this was done unforgivably late: only on October 2, 2016, on the 110th anniversary of the birth of the aviation general.

Twice Hero of the Soviet Union N.V. Chelnokov (1906—1974)

Ahead appeared the building of one of the most beautiful passenger stations in Russia – Irkutsk. It was built in 1907 according to the project of architect V.I. Kolyanovsky, and which is undergoing a complete reconstruction in our time (Chelnokova Str., 1). Above the station, on a steep slope, the small Saint Nicholas and Innocent Church froze. It became the first temple that arose in Irkutsk on the left bank of the Angara.

Irkutsk railway station, old (right) and new (left), 1907

Previously, the residents of the Glazkovo suburb were forced to cross the tempestuous waters of the river, sometimes risking their lives in order to be able to pray at the nearby Holy Trinity Church (5 Armii Str., 8). Therefore, in 1859, at the expense of the merchant of the 3rd guild, Y.S. Malkov, on the left bank of the Angara, a new stone temple was built in the classical style (Profsoyuznaya Str., 45A).

Praam on the Holy Trinity ferry, 1890

With the arrival of the railway in Irkutsk, the population of the city doubled, and the church became small for all parishioners, but due to lack of funds and the Russian Revolution, plans for enlargement were not destined to come true. In 1934, the emergency building was closed and «Zarya» cinema was opened in it. Only in 2003 the temple was restored and returned to believers at the expense of the East Siberian Railroad.

Saint Nicholas and Innocent Church, 1900

At the tram ring, we turn sharply to the right – onto the street named after the world’s first female cosmonaut V.V. Tereshkova. In the past, this street was called Krugobaikalskaya, and since 1801 the main route from Irkutsk to China called «Circum-Baikal» began from here. It started right from Troitsky ferry on the site of the modern station and went up to the Kaya mountain. Since then, the width of the street has remained the same.

Krugobaikalskaya Street in the begining of XX century

Up the street on the right side of the road, the last wooden house attracts attention, where the famous Siberian writer I.I. Molchanov-Sibirsky (Tereshkova Str., 20) lived. Opposite, at the turn of the tram rails, once happened the worst disaster on public transport in the history of Irkutsk. On May 1, 1953, during the opening of a branch line of route No. 1 to Studgorodok, the brakes failed on a crowded tram. At full speed on the turn, it rolled over and hit the wall. The tragedy was hushed up by the authorities, and the number of dead is still unknown. After this event, the branch was launched in 1961, and only when the slope of the road was minimized.

Writer I.I. Molchanov-Sibirsky (1903—1958)

At the intersection with Gogolya Street, a children’s clinic No. 5 construction is underway. In 1971, the cinema «Chaika» was built on this site, named after the space call sign of V.V. Tereshkova. Opposite across the road is a small Peter and Paul Church, which appeared on the site of a magnificent wooden church, transferred here from the village of Mikhalevo in 1918. It was originally built in 1911 by the architect F.F. Koshtyal in the Art Nouveau style on the territory of the Mikhalevo’s military camps 26 km south of Irkutsk, where the 7th East Siberian Rifle Division took summer training. Today, at that place is Kurminsky Bay – the largest on the Irkutsk reservoir. In 1990, the temple was dismantled for restoration, and burned down. Today, funds are being raised for the restoration of the monument (Gogolya Str., 42).

Peter and Paul Church in Mikhalevo, 1911

We turn right and find ourselves on Gogolya Street. On the right hand, a large complex of buildings attracts attention. From 1935 to 2002 it belonged to the main pasta factory in Irkutsk. Every day, about 50 tons of products were produced here, almost 300 people worked. Today the fate of buildings is being decided (Gogolya Str., 35).

On the other side of the road is another old trading platform of Irkutsk – the Sverdlovsk market or the Glazkovsky shopping arcade, which opened on this site in 1903. As before, in more than 200 pavilions you can buy any food and goods (Gogolya Str., 44).

Behind the market on the right, you can see the building of another old school (Gogolya Str., 33), built in 1902 according to the project of V.A. Rassushin for the needs of the Saint Vladimir School, which previously occupied a room near the railway. Initially, it was based on the funds of V.P. Sukachev in 1888 in honor of the 900th anniversary of the Christening of Russia. Nowadays, an educational institution is still located here – children’s music school No. 3.

Saint Vladimir school

At the crossroads we turn left onto Kaiskaya Street to the intersection with 2nd Zheleznodorozhnaya, where you can see one of the most beautiful wooden houses in Glazkovo belonged to F.S. Shachkov, built in 1910 (Kaiskaya Str., 24). Directly opposite it, across the road until 2019, you could see the house of the Irkutsk Baptist Church, which appeared here back in 1944, but only at the beginning of the 21st century moved to a nearby modern stone building (Kaiskaya Str., 5). Today there are four Evangelical churches in the Irkutsk.

Evangelical Church

At this point we will turn left onto the street named after the great Russian poet M.Y. Lermontov. On the right hand, we will definitely visit the Irkutsk nerpinarium (2nd Zheleznodorozhnaya Str., 66), where since 2004 the Baikal seals (nerpa) have been demonstrating their unusual abilities to visitors. At the same time, the cost of tickets for the performance is lower than in Listvyanka.

Having passed the Cosmonauts Square, where a monument to V.V. Tereshkova appeared in 2022, at the next intersection we will find ourselves at the Gorky House of Culture (Klara Zetkin Str., 13A). It was built in 1967 on the site of the old Glazkovsky cemetery, which previously occupied the territory of the modern Griboyedovskaya grove. During its existence, about 10 thousand Irkutsk people were buried here, as well as 25 Czech legionnaires, mostly killed during combat skirmishes with the Red Army in May 1918. In fact, no grave monuments have been preserved, apart from rare fragments that can be found throughout the area of the grove. Contrary to the general delusion, the student hostel, the children’s polyclinic and the garden that follows the House of Culture are not «built on bones.»

Czechoslovak burials at the Staro-Glazkovskoye cemetery

Having reached the tram tracks, we will turn left down Schmidt Street towards the Angara. On the descent you can see many magnificent wooden houses. Unfortunately, among all this beauty, only one house of Rublev (Shmidt Str., 9) is recognized as a monument.

Having passed the temporary detention center (Gogolya Str., 53Б), as well as the student hostel (Pushkina Str., 62A), we will turn onto Profsoyuznaya Street, already familiar to us, formerly known as Aleksandrovskaya, named after Emperor Alexander II, who was killed in 1881. In the past, many celebrities in Irkutsk had summer houses («dacha») along this street, such as mayors V.P. Sukachev, V.V. Zharnikov and B.P. Shostakovich. On the land of the latter in 1910 the therapeutic department of the railway hospital was built, which is one of the most striking wooden modernist buildings in the city. It meets us second on the left side of the road (Profsoyuznaya Str., 87Д).

Old railroad hospital

We rest against one of the entrances to the grove «Zvesdochka». This park got its name back in 1861 after the «zvesdochka» of fireworks, which were so loved by the first owner of this suburban area Governor-General of Eastern Siberia M.S. Korsakov. In 1925, during archaeological excavations in the territory of the garden L.N. Ivaniev discovered many Paleolithic ceramic adornments and utensils, as well as bronze cauldrons, swords and knives.

Moving along the grove up by Zvezdinskaya Street, we pass on the right hand the modern school No. 80 (Pushkina Str., 64), the project of which, created in 2001 by architects E.I. Grigorieva and S.V. Mullayarov, received many gold diplomas and several state awards. Previously, the school was located in the neighboring building of the music department of the college of teacher education, built in 1936. Here studied L.I. Gaidai before was expelled for behavior, and during the WWII, an evacuation hospital was located here (Zvezdinskaya Str., 12).

On the opposite side of the road, behind a wooden building, you can see an old stone building, which was built in 1916 according to a typical design by engineer K.V. Mital for Lomonosov School (Gogolya Str., 55). It is still used for educational purposes as Irkutsk Regional College of Pedagogical Education. It has repeatedly been awarded the gold medal «European Quality of Education» and included in the list of «100 best colleges» in Russia.

Lomonosov School and the monument to K.K. Rokossovsky

Opposite it you can see the bust of K.K. Rokossovsky, which was installed in 2015 on the closed territory of Irkutsk Higher Military Aviation Engineering School (IHMAES), and three years later it was moved here. This is not by chance, because it was in this building that in 1920 the headquarters of the 30th cavalry regiment of the 5th Army was located which was under the command of the future marshal. Many things connected K.K. Rokossovsky with Irkutsk. In this city, he received his first Soviet award – the Order of the Red Banner, his first true love, Y.S. Brylovskaya, lived here, who gave birth to his son Victor.

Having passed the semi-antique guest house on Zvezdinskaya Street, we will return to Lermontov Street and at the Sports Palace «Izumrud» we will again turn to Angara River (Chernyshevsky Str., 12). The latter is under the jurisdiction of the Irkutsk State University of Communications (IrSUC), whose unusual building we will see a little lower down the slope (Chernyshevsky Str., 15). This educational institution appeared in 1975 due to an acute shortage of engineers during the resumption of the construction of the Baikal-Amur Magistral (BAM).

Irkutsk State University of Communications

At the intersection with Belinskogo Street, there is a small but very picturesque two-story house of Syskov (Belinskogo Str., 1) built at the end of the 19th century. Next, near the bank of Angara, we turn right after the rails of Trans-Siberian Railway. In front of the intersection with Zhukovskogo Street, there are two beautiful wooden houses built in 1915 (Gerzen St., 16 and 18). The first belonged to the clerk of the traffic service of Trans-Baikal Railway A.S. Dubenevich, and the second to a certain Vishnyakova.

House of A. S. Dubenevich

Having reached the end of Herzena Street, we will find ourselves at the ancient border of the Glazkovo suburb. From the side of the Angara River, since 1890, there was a favorite place for summer recreation of Irkutsk people – «Tsar’ Devitsa» garden. It was named after the historical figure of Maria Titova, who lived in the 19th century, who left at home alone without a father and hacked to death with an ax five robbers who got into her room at night. The park operated a restaurant with drinks, light snacks and confectionery, as well as a photo pavilion. However, a few years later, when a railway passed along the park, and the smoke from passing steam locomotives began to pester the guests, the place lost its popularity, and in 1910 it was closed for debts. In 1930, the first broadcast radio station in Irkutsk appeared in the garden, and it’s still there today (Radiostantsiya 5 Str., 1).

Garden «Tsar Devitsa», 1908

Slightly upstream of the Angara, next to the park, was the village of Titovo, which today is reminiscent of several wooden houses at the very edge of the railway along Lesia Ukrainka Street. The first settlement at this place was mentioned by the ambassador to China N.G. Melescu-Spafari in 1675. It was also inhabited in the earlier eras of the Bronze, Iron, Neolithic, Early Metal and Mesolithic, as evidenced by the collection of ceramics and stone tools collected here.

Radio Station No. 5