The Russian merchant class was also interested in the idea of such kind of building. So, in one of the letters from a merchant class to the Tsar, there were the following lines: “We are alone here in Siberia, Lord. Far away from You not by our hearts, but by the distance. From this, we suffer a lot. The riches of our fields lay with no use for Your throne as well as for us. Grant us a railway and, thus, make us, estranged from you, closer to Your Majesty. Join Siberia to Your kingdom”.
At the same time there were ardent critics of the railway idea. They were trying to intimidate encouraged people with rotten swamps and thick taiga, corrupted swindlers and crooks. Some were even trying to pose to a mental test those, who eagerly wanted to build the way as soon as possible. The prime minister of the Tobolsk district, Mr Sologub, was assuring that because of the road, the Russian Empire would soon get filched and all its treasures would secretly pass to cunning foreigners.
Nevertheless, the idea of connecting the Siberian part of Russia to its European side was getting new supporters. In January 1870 a discussion of the Siberian railway plan took place. The meeting caused further controversies and arguments.
Summer 1880. The major-general Bogdanovich went again to visit possible location of the railway and calculate its pros and cons. Because of the increasing tensions of the English-Russian relationships in Central Asia, because of a process of mass colonization of the Siberian territories and a formidable need of transportation roots in the area, the final decision was getting even more evident.
All the calculations, estimations, projects and letters, received from Bogdanovich, forced the Minister of Communication lines Prosiet to send another letter to the emperor Alexander III with a new request on building of the Siberian railway line.
In April-May of 1882, the Committee of Ministers took into consideration a new plan of building of the Siberian railway, offered by Mr Prosiet. The minister thought that the best way of building the line would be, if passing through 51°- 56° of northern latitude. This latitude represented better conditions for industrial and economic development. The extreme eastern point would be represented by the Omsk city, while the extreme western point would be Samara, as the most important Volga’s quay. The line was thought to be passing the most settled zones, compensating the need of builders force.
The plan was not argued at all, but the Committee of Ministers advised on choosing another route.
суббота, 16 июля 2011 г.
понедельник, 11 июля 2011 г.
The Great Siberian Way. The Beginning (1857-1891). The Tsar approves.
In the 1860s-70s the government suddenly expressed interest in adding the existent North Siberian railway to the European part of the Russian railway net.
The first road, which was supposed to send a positive impulse to the development of the Russian trade and industry, was the Ural mining line. Its plan was stated in 1861 by an engineer Reshet. His knowledge made it firm to say that the country needed stable railway connection between its most formidable Ural factories. According to the Reshet’s plans, the new road would be started from Perm continuously to Tyumen. It would be passing through all the major ore deposits and increase greatly the general turnover Siberia was able to afford that time. The costs of its building would come up to 25 million rubles. Its estimated good’s load came up to 10-12 million poods; its estimated passengers’s loead was approximately 250 000 per year.
The next project on the Ural’s line belonged to the colonel Bogdanovich, who was sent in 1866 straight to the district to figure out the needs of people of Perm’s and Vyatka’s regions who suffered from bad harvest of 1864. The colonel was practically the first one whose projects were supported both by the government and traders.
So in 1868 Bogdanovich announced his plans to the Minister of Communication lines Melnikov, who, by his turn, stated this idea to the tsar Alexander the Second. The tsar approved the plan and launched a research on necessary monetary funds.
In 1869 a new project of the Perm city head Lubimov appeared. He personally made a sufficient research on how the line should be developed. His way was passing through Kungur, Yekaterinburg and Shadrinks cities up to Belozerskaya village. This way was 50 milestones shorter that the Reshetov’s one, it was then 123 milestones shorter that the Bogdanovich’s plan also.
All these projects became a part of social property and were highly discussed by the society. The `committees on railway issue` (composed of the best citizens) were arranged in Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Vyatka, Kostroma and Perm.
The first road, which was supposed to send a positive impulse to the development of the Russian trade and industry, was the Ural mining line. Its plan was stated in 1861 by an engineer Reshet. His knowledge made it firm to say that the country needed stable railway connection between its most formidable Ural factories. According to the Reshet’s plans, the new road would be started from Perm continuously to Tyumen. It would be passing through all the major ore deposits and increase greatly the general turnover Siberia was able to afford that time. The costs of its building would come up to 25 million rubles. Its estimated good’s load came up to 10-12 million poods; its estimated passengers’s loead was approximately 250 000 per year.
The next project on the Ural’s line belonged to the colonel Bogdanovich, who was sent in 1866 straight to the district to figure out the needs of people of Perm’s and Vyatka’s regions who suffered from bad harvest of 1864. The colonel was practically the first one whose projects were supported both by the government and traders.
So in 1868 Bogdanovich announced his plans to the Minister of Communication lines Melnikov, who, by his turn, stated this idea to the tsar Alexander the Second. The tsar approved the plan and launched a research on necessary monetary funds.
In 1869 a new project of the Perm city head Lubimov appeared. He personally made a sufficient research on how the line should be developed. His way was passing through Kungur, Yekaterinburg and Shadrinks cities up to Belozerskaya village. This way was 50 milestones shorter that the Reshetov’s one, it was then 123 milestones shorter that the Bogdanovich’s plan also.
All these projects became a part of social property and were highly discussed by the society. The `committees on railway issue` (composed of the best citizens) were arranged in Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Vyatka, Kostroma and Perm.
суббота, 9 июля 2011 г.
The Great Siberian Way. The Beginning (1857-1891). The first projects.
The story of the Great Siberian Way starts its roots in the middle of XIX century. During the Crimean war of 1853-1856 the English and the French squadrons attacked Russian ports, located at the seashore of the Pacific Ocean. Russians made, thus, a decision of creation of stable and strong Siberian flotilla with its sea-base in Nikolayevsk-on-Amur.
In 1857 N. Muravyev, a young and keen statesman of the epoch, sent one of his military engineers, the staff capital D. Romanov, to the district between the Amur river and the seashore of the Japanese sea to make a research on the grounds, good for building of an ordinary road, which could be consequently converted into a rail one. Muravyev was also conscious about creating a new railway government of the country as well as of development of Russian locomotive and rail-rolling base, which would be of great use in the future. He was the first one to offer a map of the Russian railway net, long 21 000 milestones with its center in Moscow. Basically, his plan was realized in the 70s of the XIX century only.
After a thorough research on the location, Romanov came up with a project of the road-to-be, which started from the Amur river with its famous city of Sofiysk, founded in 1858, to the very comfortable mooring of the De Castri port. Taking into consideration the severe local climate, Romanov concluded that the best realization of the project would be in using services of some joint-stock company that would have a right to use the road for the next 99 years from the moment of its building. Apart from that many other privileges would also be offered. As for the staff, 5000 workers would be sent to the place to start building the road.
Muravyev sent his research and conclusions to the great prince Konstantin. He reasoned the need of this road and its urgency. Just in the same time lots of other foreign dealers directed same projects to the Russian government, but their plans were all rejected.
In 1858 another project on creation of a railway net was sent to the Russian cabinet. This time A. Sofronov was offering building of a road from Saratov to Semipalatinsk, and then to Minusinsk and, finally, Beijing. This project clearly reflected the costs of building and reasoned greatly its necessity: Russian transportation would never be dependent on ANY maritime nation. But his project was also rejected, because it had already been a historical fact, that the Siberian way would pass through the Urals.
In 1857 N. Muravyev, a young and keen statesman of the epoch, sent one of his military engineers, the staff capital D. Romanov, to the district between the Amur river and the seashore of the Japanese sea to make a research on the grounds, good for building of an ordinary road, which could be consequently converted into a rail one. Muravyev was also conscious about creating a new railway government of the country as well as of development of Russian locomotive and rail-rolling base, which would be of great use in the future. He was the first one to offer a map of the Russian railway net, long 21 000 milestones with its center in Moscow. Basically, his plan was realized in the 70s of the XIX century only.
After a thorough research on the location, Romanov came up with a project of the road-to-be, which started from the Amur river with its famous city of Sofiysk, founded in 1858, to the very comfortable mooring of the De Castri port. Taking into consideration the severe local climate, Romanov concluded that the best realization of the project would be in using services of some joint-stock company that would have a right to use the road for the next 99 years from the moment of its building. Apart from that many other privileges would also be offered. As for the staff, 5000 workers would be sent to the place to start building the road.
Muravyev sent his research and conclusions to the great prince Konstantin. He reasoned the need of this road and its urgency. Just in the same time lots of other foreign dealers directed same projects to the Russian government, but their plans were all rejected.
In 1858 another project on creation of a railway net was sent to the Russian cabinet. This time A. Sofronov was offering building of a road from Saratov to Semipalatinsk, and then to Minusinsk and, finally, Beijing. This project clearly reflected the costs of building and reasoned greatly its necessity: Russian transportation would never be dependent on ANY maritime nation. But his project was also rejected, because it had already been a historical fact, that the Siberian way would pass through the Urals.
пятница, 17 июня 2011 г.
St Peterburg wins!
St Petersburg has won in the poll which guide you'd like us to publish this summer.
Watch our Trans-Siberian blog for updates, we will be publishing an article a week about the best sites to see in the Northern Venice.
Watch our Trans-Siberian blog for updates, we will be publishing an article a week about the best sites to see in the Northern Venice.
понедельник, 13 июня 2011 г.
Free Travel Guides - Summer 2011
Transsiberian.com will be publishing free travel guides on selected destinations along the Trans-Siberian railway. Vote on facebook to choose the city you'd like to read about!
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