Kherson you don't know
I want to tell you a story about a southern sunny city that you may not know. Of all the cities in southern Ukraine founded by the order of Catherine II, Kherson was unique, as it was a fortress city.
Having arrived in Kherson at a fairly mature age, my impression of the provincial center was not the best. There was a feeling that this was a city of bandits, revelers and bandits. The thought arose, but should I change my place of residence to a more cultural environment? But no! You can't do that right now! You need to find something good and start admiring it. I began to collect plus signs in Kherson karma. The first plus was a huge number of park areas, so I found out that Kherson is one of the greenest cities in Ukraine, and two luxurious parks with fountains, attractions and playgrounds are located directly in the center, where, in principle, all citizens have a rest.
The second plus was the close proximity to the sea, no, even to two seas - the Black and Azov, because both of them are located in the Kherson region.
In this regard, an incident often arises with visitors. Upon learning that there is a seaport in Kherson, they immediately ask how to get to the sea, and, having heard in response that you can only get to the sea, they are perplexed, how is it that there is a port, but there is no sea?
The third plus is the wide Dnieper and Dnieper floodplains, these places have become a favorite vacation spot for our family.
The fourth plus point is compactness and close accessibility to all historical sites and the center from anywhere in the city.
The fifth plus sign appeared with a closer acquaintance with the city and its environs. It turns out that the largest desert in Europe is located in this region, and the Stanislavsky mountains resemble American canyons, and coniferous forests begin outside the city.
There were many more such pluses later, but the city finally captivated me when I plunged into its history, and the wind of the past took me to the labyrinths of past centuries.
The distant 18th century, the war with the Turks was not over, the only outpost of that time was the fortress of Izmail, and if it fell, then Russia would fall too. It was necessary to build fortifications to protect the fatherland, therefore, in 1735, the Alexander Shants fortress was erected, which should become a reliable defense against the raids of the Turkish-Ottoman Empire.
Only garrison military personnel were on the territory of the fortress, temporary barracks were built for them and a well was dug, which has survived to this day, at the moment the well is not operational, but is a historical memorial.
During the tour, for some reason, everyone throws coins at him, it is believed that if a coin falls without hitting the wall even once, then a wish will come true.
So the history of Kherson began, with the construction of ordinary fortress walls.
After the end of the war and the establishment of a very shaky peace with the Turks, there is a need to build a marine shipyard for a full-fledged state flotilla. It was necessary to choose a place where to build ships for the state. For this purpose, an expedition was organized under the leadership of Admiral Senyavin, who proposed to build ship hulls under the cover of the Alexander-Shanz fortification. But the Dnieper delta at that time was very shallow, only two meters, therefore, it was possible to build only ship hulls here, and then lower them into the estuary in the Deep Harbor area and only then equip them with masts and rigging.
And so, in 1778, Empress Catherine II signed a decree on the construction of a shipyard and a city and named it Kherson in honor of Tauric Chersonesos.
The well-known favorite of Empress Catherine II, Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin, who is rightfully considered the creator of the Black Sea Fleet, arrives in the Fortress.
And now there is a square in the city that bears his name.
We need to build a city that should become a naval shipyard of the state. The construction was entrusted to General Ivan Andreevich Hannibal. In accordance with the plan, the fortress was surrounded by earthen ramparts and a moat, which, if necessary, could be filled with water from the Dnieper.
Fortress gates are erected on both sides to mark the borders and enter the city.
From the north - Petersburg Gate (which is a historical monument). . .
. . . and from the south - Ochakovsky Gates (today closed).
The Admiralty, an arsenal and a mint were built inside the fortress. And also built barracks for sailors.
Under the leadership of Prince Grigory Potemkin of Tauride, intensive construction of the Black Sea Fleet is underway. And, finally, on September 16.1783, the first large battleship of the Russian Empire, Slava Ekaterina, carrying 66 cannon guns, was launched from the stocks of the Admiralty shipyard. But for the construction of ships, sailors alone were not enough, artisans and laborers were needed, who needed somewhere to live, and the fortress area turned out to be too small for this.
So, in 1784, engineer-colonel N. I. Korsakov took over the management of the construction of the city, who was building a county town. However, the management of the city is completely in the hands of Grigory Potemkin, who receives huge funds from the treasury for the construction of the fleet and the city. Our Most Serene Prince, in addition to his courage, was known as an avid gambler and spender, who squandered not only his fortune, but also the treasury money allocated for the construction of a temple in honor of Catherine II, who was going to visit the Tauride lands and personally inspect how the state fleet was being built. Russian.
Potyomkin, possessing the mind of an inventor and a penchant for entrepreneurship, announces that those who give money for the construction of a church for the Great Empress will be personally introduced to them by Matushka. And at that time, it was considered a huge privilege to receive a personal introduction to the royal person, merchants and officers willingly gave Potemkin their savings. Thus, with capital deftly fished out of the pockets of subjects, in honor of Catherine the Great, in 1886, the first Orthodox church in Kherson, Catherine's Cathedral, was consecrated.
The building was built of Ingulets limestone, in the style of Russian classicism with a quadrangular portico near the western facade. Sculptures of saints are placed in the outer niches.
And the inscription reads: “Catherine II dedicates to the Savior of the human race. ”
Two statues located near the main entrance have a symbolic meaning: St. Apostle Peter with the keys to paradise and St. Apostle Paul with a sword. According to the plan of the Empress, Kherson was to become the southern Petersburg, and the cathedral was one of the first steps on this path. And Potemkin, thus, recalled that the keys to the South (that is, the earthly paradise) went after heavy fighting, obtained by the sword.
The interior of the cathedral is of historical value, as it has practically remained unchanged. Photography in the cathedral is prohibited, the only exception is the chair of the Empress.
And the burial of Potemkin, who was buried in Catherine's Cathedral in 1901
Having created a temple for Catherine, the Prince of Tauride did not deprive himself of himself by building his own palace in the style of classicism. This is how it looked in those distant times:
The prince was never married, but according to unconfirmed information, he was in a morganatic marriage with Catherine II. There is an assumption that in this marriage Catherine gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth Temkina, who was given possession of multiple southern lands. The Prince himself fell to sin, settling unmarried nieces in his palace, whom he taught love joys before marrying them. Exquisite balls and banquets were also held in the palace, theatrical performances and concerts were staged.
But the building served not only as a place of entertainment for the favorite. The province was administered from here, however, after the death of the Prince, it was transferred to the ownership of the military department, and then replanned and converted into a military paramedic school. It should be noted that time and the indifference of the city authorities to the historical monument have done their devastating work, and now only a pile of stones remains from the palace.
And then this building gave a complete image to the fortress city, which was surprised even by foreigners who made the famous trip to the Crimea in 1787 together with the Empress. There are legends that during this trip Potemkin built villages literally in one day, using just Scenery. Naturally, all this was just a props, which later received the name "Potemkin villages. " How much this corresponds to the truth is not known. Although the empress was very pleased with Potemkin's state activities, and the sight of the Sevastopol raid with the squadron became the most spectacular sight of the entire trip. Potemkin received the honorary title of Prince of Taurida.
The route of the journey itself was drawn up by General I. M. Sinelnikov, and he personally accompanied the Empress, for which he was honored to be buried in the Catherine's Cathedral after numerous battles he won in the Russian-Turkish war.
But this trip also had a negative side, since it seriously angered the Turks, and in 1787 a new war with Turkey began. The organizer of Tavria had to take on the role of a commander, and the construction of the city's fortifications was entrusted to Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov, who would later become the governor-general of the region. And now one of the central streets of the city bears his name.
But then the commander did not imagine that this fortress could let him go around the world. Under Potemkin, many buildings and fortifications were built haphazardly, as the "Highest Prince" literally littered the treasury with money, using it for his own amusement. Suvorov, seeing the actual state of fortifications and structures, was horrified! For the restoration work, he entered into contracts with builders, having no cash and issuing bills to contractors. When the amount of the debt exceeded 100 thousand rubles, he turned to St. Petersburg to pay it off. But the financial department of Russia refused him. As a man of honor, Suvorov put all his estates up for sale to pay off his debt. And only the intervention of Catherine saved the general from ruin.
The house of the great commander has survived to this day, however, the building is in an extremely deplorable state. Our enthusiastic historians wanted to restore it, and there was even an opportunity to get a grant to carry out the work, but one of the conditions was that the building should not be in private hands, and our stewards had already sold it long ago, and this is how it stands shabby, in in the very center of the historic street.
Not all buildings on this street have a similar look, some have been slightly restored.
During the war, and even in times of unstable peace, the likelihood of an invasion of the southern regions of the empire was still high, so underground passages were laid from each building so that in case of danger one could take refuge in the fortress. That is why the entire historical part of Kherson stands on the catacombs.
But history has developed in such a way that the Kherson fortress was never destined to fire on the enemy and not withstand a single siege, since all the battles took place on the distant approaches to Kherson. And in 1835, already by order of Emperor Nicholas I, the fortress was abolished and transferred to the city department.
Although the fortress was abolished later, it was during the reign of Suvorov that the city grew and reached its peak. In 1790, the first Black Sea cannon foundry was opened here. And Kherson itself played an important role in the development of external relations with European countries. And if Peter I cut a window to Europe from the north, then Catherine II cut it from the south. Through the port of Kherson, trade was carried out with France, Italy, Spain and many other European countries. And already at the beginning of the 19th century, Kherson became the center of the Kherson province, which included vast territories, as well as such cities as Nikolaev and Odessa. It should be noted that an important role in the fate of the city was played by Emmanuel Osipovich de Richelieu, who in 1805 became the governor-general of Novorossia, who decided to direct the wine trade tax to the development of Kherson, thereby preserving its importance and the role of a regional center.
Trade is gaining momentum and developing, and in addition to the navy, the state begins to feel the need for merchant ships. For their construction, artisans are required, who are invited from different parts of the country and abroad. There is an urgent need for residential premises - this is how the city begins to grow and goes beyond the fortress. First, the so-called Greek or merchant suburb is built. It was here that merchants, nobility, artisans, shopkeepers and other respected people settled. Luxurious banks and residences were built in the Greek suburbs. And the streets had sonorous names: Cathedral, Richelieu, Dvoryanskaya, Merchant.
Holy Assumption Cathedral (restoration work is underway here):
Former Lutheran church:
This is how the import looked like (the Odessa import is already a prototype and similarity of the Kherson import):
But not all residents of the city had the honor of living in this prestigious area. In addition to artisans, laborers were needed, and they were required in huge numbers (approximately 5.000 artisans and 20.000 laborers were required to build a merchant ship). And the cheapest labor force at that time was runaway convicts and prisoners who were hired for a plate of gruel. And they settled in the farthest region, on the Arrestantka, which still exists here, however, it is already called the Military Commissariat. Maybe that's why Kherson has a certain touch of ignorance and brutality, formed by his accursed past? The hardest and most dangerous job was to launch the ship into the water. The fact is that the props had to be deftly knocked out from under the ship, risking being crushed. Only those sentenced to death agreed to this work, for those who remained alive received a full indulgence.
It was planned to launch up to four ships a year, but the plague raged, resulting in the death of a large number of workers and sailors. During this period, the captain of the 1st rank Fedor Fedorovich Ushakov was at the shipyard as a commander, who skillfully organized the construction and took active measures to combat the plague epidemic. And now the central street of Kherson bears his name.
(photo from the Internet)
Thanks to Admiral Ushakov only for 10 years - from 1780 to 1790. - more than ten merchant and warships were built and launched. In the future, the construction of the fleet only grew stronger and developed, and more than 10 different ships were already launched into the water a year. So, before 1825, more than 150 merchant and warships were built and launched.
However, the shallowness of the Dnieper, when flowing into the estuary, imposed certain restrictions on the displacement and draft of ships under construction in Kherson. Therefore, the construction center gradually moved to Nikolaev. And only after the deepening of the bottom in the channel of the Dnieper in the 1890s, the depth of approaches was increased to 7 meters and Kherson restored its status quo as an important seaport.
The city continues to grow and develop. In 1815, the first provincial naval gymnasium was opened. In 1834, a merchant shipping school (now the Maritime Academy) was opened.
On the other side of the street, an institute for noble maidens is being opened.
There was such a funny story that pious girls began to run at night to meet sailors. And in order to somehow resist such indecency, the Church of St. Martyr Queen Alexandra.
I wrote about the life of the city in the 19th century in the story "Kherson de Mason", when the province passes into the possession of foreign subjects and Kherson becomes the center of wool harvesting and processing of agricultural products, and later industry begins to develop. And in the second half of the 19th century, 22 wool-washers, 10 lard furnaces, 2 sawmills and 10 brick factories operated in the city, and the first mechanical iron foundry was built.
And already in the second half of the 19th century, a theater, a library were built, archaeological and natural history museums were created.
The building of the former City Council, and now the Art Museum. Shovkunenko:
Public library (now the city registry office):
First Credit Society:
The State Bank (now the National Bank of Ukraine):
The governor's house (now the house of youth creativity):
Italian consulate. House of Angelo Anatro (now a chess and drafts club):
Hotel "London" (now the regional department of finance):
The house of the Peruvian merchant:
Restaurant "Kherson":
Hospital:
Local History Museum:
By the beginning of the revolutions, that is, by 1917, Kherson had become a large industrial city by the standards of that time, where more than 100 enterprises operated, including 2 shipyards, 3 iron foundries, 4 sawmills, 5 tanneries, tobacco factory, 2 breweries and many small artels.
Now Kherson is a regional center, a very small city by modern standards, with a very interesting history of creation and a difficult fate.
(Internet photo)
I would like to finish my story with the words of a talented musician of our time, Kuzma Skryabin, smiling to his descendants from a mural created recently on Khersonskaya Suvorov Street:
