The capital of Altai. Sights of Barnaul

Barnaul is the largest industrial city, which is located in the south of Western Siberia. Its name was given to the capital of Altai from the river Barnaulka flowing there. In the place where this river flows into the Ob, and there is a city rich in attractions. Barnaul is famous for its historical places, among which settlements of ancient people and barrows. But at first sight the capital of Altai will not be liked by everyone. This is a city where heavy industry is flourishing. Those who travel through the Altai, mostly come to his capital only by passing through, not for long. Arriving by plane to the city center will be able to only through the industrial zones, which will please not everyone. Those who arrived on the train were more fortunate - they will immediately be in the center of the city.

Legends of origin of the city name

There are several versions concerning the etymology of the name of the city. Previously, it was believed that the word "Barnaul" was translated from Kazakh as a "good camp." But this version is rather doubtful, since Kazakhs have never roamed in the place where the capital of the Altai is located. There is another version of the origin of the word "Barnaul", which has already been mentioned: it comes from the river flowing in this area, called earlier on the maps "Boronol" and "Boronour".

A bit of history

The capital of Altai - Barnaul - appeared after the reforms of Peter I, which resulted in a big leap forward in the development of Russia. Before the city's appearance in the foothills of Altai, rich copper ore deposits were discovered, the Russian copper smelting plant was built in these places.

Already in 1730, the well-known breeder A.N. Demidov sent people to find a convenient place to build a large factory. The choice of the latter fell at the mouth of the Barnaulka River . This choice was based on the need for the production of water and forest resources. There was only one problem: the site for the construction of the plant was significantly removed from the source of raw materials, namely copper ore, but this shortcoming had to be tolerated. Moreover, the choice of Akinfiy Demidov regarding the location of the plant was also influenced by the fact that silver ore was found in the Altai. The territory of Western Siberia by the decree of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna was recognized as the territory of the royal estate. Since 1771, Barnaul began to have the status of a "mountain city", later was part of the Tomsk province, and then the Tomsk region. Only since 1937 Barnaul has become the administrative center of the newly formed Altai Territory. The Great Patriotic War did not bypass this city as well - during this time most of the industrial enterprises that were located in the western part of the country were evacuated here. Now the capital of the Altai is nothing but a large cultural and industrial center of Siberia.

Famous urban legends

Mark Yudalevich in his play "The Blue Lady" described the ghost of a woman who allegedly appears in the current building of the city administration. At the same time, the legend shows that the young wife of the general was immured in these walls alive. The following legend says that A. Demidov smelted silver in his factories, so these enterprises were transferred to the treasury. Because of this, before his death, Demidov cursed these plants. Because of this, allegedly in places where they were located, in May there are times of disaster (flood in 1793, fire in 1917, etc.).

sights

Numerous attractions of Barnaul, photos of which can be seen below, attract tourists with their stories, accessibility and beauty. Only city legends excite imagination and give rise to interest among researchers. The capital of the Altai Mountains is famous for its mountain business. In honor of the centennial anniversary of this field of activity, the Demidov Pillar was erected, which is located on Demidov Square. Construction began in the distant 1825 and ended 14 years later. Since then, the obelisk has been supplemented with a bas-relief depicting the founder of the city Demidov, which, unfortunately, was removed in the post-revolutionary period. The height of the pillar is 14 meters, the supports were erected from cast iron. To date, the pillar is a monument of federal significance. Often Demidov's pillar is compared with the Egyptian obelisk in Paris.

Square of fallen fighters for socialism is interesting for fans of history. The square is a memorial complex, located between the city administration and the "Rodina" cinema. This is a whole composition, which includes common graves, stelae and a monument with eternal fire. The first stone of the monument was laid in 1920, the construction of the whole complex was completed by the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution.

Heroes of his time

The monument to Vasily Shukshin, writer, director and actor, is located on the street of V. Makarovich and has a rather interesting history. The only monument of outstanding personality was created by Nikolai Zvonkov - a milling machine, who trained himself in sculpture. The idea was supported by the chief, who assisted in creating the sculpture. When the head of the city administration became aware that such a monument was made by an amateur, he forbade further work, but this did not stop Zvonkov. The striking similarity between the work and the living person was appreciated: by July 25, 1989, the monument was installed.

Constant development of the city

The youngest museum in the city can be considered a museum with an interesting name "City". It was opened in September 2007. The main idea and concept of the museum is to show the history of the capital, illustrating the destinies of the most diverse people who have made their significant contribution to the development of the city. Here Akinfiy Demidov, and VM Shukshin, and F. Gebler, and NM Yadrintsev. The museum is not only engaged in exhibition activities (projects "Faith: the era of formation", an exhibition in honor of the 80th birthday of Shukshin VM), but also research: museum staff are engaged in the development of thematic lecture materials on the history of the city, including Different regions of the Altai Republic.