In the very center of Kostroma, above the Susaninskaya Square, fire tower rises in its grandeur.
Kostroma began to acquire a modern architectural appearance from the beginning of the second half of the 1780s. The buildings located on the central square of the city complement each other and the architectural styles of their neighbors, but at the same time they are beautiful, unique and separate from each other. These include the remarkable brainchild of P.I. Fursov - fire tower.
Kostroma. The transition from wooden bowls to decent
As of 1904, Kostroma was 84% wooden houses. Therefore, fire departments never sat idle. The most memorable Kostroma fire is the one that broke out in May 1773. He destroyed almost the entire city. To combat the destructive elements in the city were built wooden bowls. However, they often burned themselves.
Assessing the current situation, the Governor K.I. Baumgarten issued an order:
In accordance with the prescription, the provincial architect Pyotr Fursov completed drawings of the future tower.
Project approved! Kalanche to be!
Drawings and estimates made by Pyotr Ivanovich were approved in April 1824 in St. Petersburg.
Kalancha was built over two years - from 1824 to 1825. A. Stepanov became the contractor responsible for the construction of the main attraction of Kostroma in the future .
Finishing work was carried out during the years 1825-1827 in accordance with the sketches drawn up by P. I. Fursov. This was done by a team of plasterers led by A.P. Temnov, and sculptors from Yaroslavl under the leadership of S. S. Povyrznev and S. F. Babakin.
Over the long history of its existence, fire tower (Kostroma) has undergone a number of changes. Transformations of the original appearance began in the second half of the 19th century. The first thing that has been changed is functionality. In the 1860s, fire tower was not just a tower for observation - it housed a fire station. The efficient placement of the fire section was facilitated by the spacious side wings. They are located along the front of the square and the streets enveloping the tower.
Simplified in the 1880s, the “lantern” on the guard tower did not take root - in 1956, after the next restoration, the upper part of the tower acquired its original appearance. This happened thanks to the architect G.I. Zosimov.
The object of admiration is the fire tower in Kostroma
History says that in 1834 the All-Russian Emperor Nicholas I visited Kostroma on a visit. He admired the external and internal decoration of the Kalancha.
Fire tower in Kostroma (photo above) bears the proud title given to it by the emperor himself: "The best fire tower of the Russian province." This is the pride of the city.
An unprepared and unknowing tourist will say: “What is interesting and beautiful can be stored in such a commonplace facility as a fire tower?”
Kostroma is one of the few tourist sites where Kalancha has become the property of the city. She is beautiful at any time of the day: day or night.
Outwardly, it looks like a fabulous palace. And if you don’t know in advance what this building is, you might think that the watchtower is the belfry of the temple.
Architectural solutions
Fire tower is a style of late classicism. Its height is 35 meters. In a two-story building, everything was perfectly placed for the perfect functioning of the fire brigade. In the building there were living quarters with stables and barns for water barrels.
Kalancha looks like an ancient temple: it has a cubic volume and six-columned porticoes. Behind the columns is a facade decorated with round windows. Looking above, you can see the beautiful two-headed eagle: it is located in the center of the triangular pediment.
The octagonal watch post smoothly passes to the observation deck (bypass balcony with a lantern). This is facilitated by the presence of an attic floor located above the cornice.
The wonderful architectural style and ideal location in the city center on the main square made Kalancha one of the main symbols of Kostroma. Now it is considered the highest point in the city center.
The purpose of the fire tower
The main modern purpose of the building is to decorate the Susaninskaya Square of the city. But it was built, not only to please people, but mainly to ensure the safety of the population in case of fires. Safety is the main goal, according to which the camera was used.
It is unusually multifunctional: here there were stables, storage facilities for water, garages for official vehicles, sheds, office and residential premises.
In the early 90s of the 19th century, a departmental exhibition was held here. It was dedicated to the history of Russian firefighting. Since 2005, the interior of the building has become available for viewing to every resident and guest of the Russian city called Kostroma: fire tower - a museum for ten years. It is located in the statement of the Kostroma Museum-Reserve.