Gostiny Dvors of Russia, like all trade, have their own wonderful history of origin and development. The earliest form of trade was "dumb trade", the essence of which was that the parties to the transaction did not collide with each other. "Silent trade" is characteristic of many peoples, most likely, of all, but there is no historical evidence of its real existence in Russia. The first mention of trade relations in Russia dates back to the 8th-9th centuries.
The first outlets in Russia
At one time, the main shopping center was Kiev, located at the very end of the waterway. All goods flocked here, all merchants, including foreign ones, sought. The square where the festivities took place became central. The residents of the city sought here not only for goods, but also to learn the news, exchange opinions, watch the performances of visiting buffoons. Later, the first guest yards, which, in fact, are premises for storing goods, appeared on the trading floors. In the future, they always existed nearby - malls and a guest yard.
Prerequisites for the appearance of living yards
In Novgorod, which took a leading place as a trade and economic center after the decline of Kiev, specialized rows appear on trading floors, for example rags, fish or fur. In the XII century, the center that gives trade absolutely everything - money, direction, measure and weight, becomes Moscow. The guest houses do not exist yet, partly their role is played by the churches located right there on the square - goods are stored in their basements, and they are weighed at the entrance. In Moscow at that time there are a lot of shops, but in all respects they are inferior to retail outlets in European countries. Their small size is directly related to duties and taxes. The most rapid trade in Moscow in the XIV-XV centuries was conducted near the Moskvoretsky bridge. The territory was huge - here were the Lower, Middle, Upper Rows and a lot of those very small shops.
Ancestor of the living rooms
Moscow burned repeatedly, and after another fire in 1493, merchants were evicted from the Kremlin and given them the territory of the future Red Square. Here, at the Ilyinsky sacrum (at the crossroads of shopping streets, trade was especially active) at the beginning of the 16th century, the first wooden guest house in Russia was erected.
Moscow was the founder of hotel construction. In addition to the merchants who came from far away, there were warehouses for storing goods and benches for wholesale in the yard — retail was never conducted on the squares of trading yards. Initially, the courtyards had their own specifics of construction. The need for them arose with an increase in trade with other regions and countries. Therefore, customs were immediately built in the yard. Yards, as a rule, were built, taking into account the national characteristics of the merchants.
Foreign presence
So, in large shopping centers in Russia (Moscow, Novgorod, Arkhangelsk, Tula), there have long been Dutch and German trading yards, Armenian and Jewish, "English" and Greek. These were such peculiar fortified areas - the territory was surrounded by a strong fence, there were always observation towers, because there were a lot of goods, they needed to be protected. In the courtyards there was a system of duties and taxes, which, in fact, were their improvement and expansion.
Independent structural unit
For people accompanying the goods, dwellings were built - merchants' huts, the payment for which had a differentiated approach - watered and hut. These shopping centers were built on one principle: everything needed to carry out wholesale trade in large lots was to be concentrated here.
In the center, of course, there was a square with official institutions representing the authority of the city, that is, customs. It also housed the “important” - a platform with weights. Permanent huts, a bathhouse, a tavern, tavern (compulsory institutions for body and soul), horse sheds were built closer to the fences. A large territory of the courtyard was occupied by barns - warehouses for storing goods.
Architecture specifics
These were storage facilities covered by a single gallery, and they were built mainly around the perimeter of the square, representing arcades or, more rarely, colonnades (Kostroma courtyard). Most often, galleries combining shops and barns were built on two floors. There were building standards. For example, the size of the bench reached two fathoms in length, the half-bench, of course, was half as much. However, there were deviations from the established sizes - this was due to the specifics of certain supplies. Tara in warehouses has retained its purpose to this day - they were boxes and “big boxes” or “porters”. Items such as boots were stored on crossbeams and poles. Sometimes, several merchants shared one storage room, and sometimes the entire guest yard was left to the mercy. Moscow, Veliky Novgorod and Tula know such examples.
Fees as a basis for further expansion
Janitors did not only monitor cleanliness and order - they charged a fee for the operation of barns (barn), entire living quarters (huts) and wage taxes. There were other types of duties - it was possible to lease certain types of fees or, when trading from a sleigh or aboard a ship, to pay a “turn-around charge”.
With the introduction of trading yards, all merchants were obliged to stop in them, of course, if he did not have his own retail space in the city. Further
sale of goods occurred if they were not purchased in bulk for subsequent transportation, in the shopping arcade, where they were delivered from the warehouses of the courtyard.
Differentiated approach
For foreigners, there were special rules of trade. So, back in the 15th century, in Veliky Novgorod, German merchants were only allowed twice a year for a strictly defined period to import their goods. Even then, the princes stood guard over the interests of local producers. On the territories of foreign trading yards, as well as embassies, their laws acted, and the prince of Novgorod did not have the right to intervene. But (presumably) local merchants and they should have somehow familiarized themselves with the goods, especially with their new modifications, the guest house should have been interested in this. Exhibitions or some kind of samples would have to exist on its territory, based on which subsequent transactions could be made.
One of the fundamental industries
Trade in the Middle Ages is a huge industry, which was entrusted with diplomatic, cultural, and missionary duties. The guest houses of the
Genoese Republic, which, in principle, was a world trading platform, are devoted to German Dutch merchants many paintings of artists and literary works. Our king Saltan was only looking for merchant ships in the sea to find out “okay, Il’s bad beyond the sea, and what a miracle in the world.” From these lines, one can judge the significance of the merchants (the king himself accepts them) and trade in general. From those memorable times to the present day, ancient shopping centers of this type have been preserved on the territory of our country. They are not only historical and architectural monuments, but also an adornment of cities. Recently, the "aroma of antiquity" has come into fashion. And how patriotically, attractively and win-win to call the large modern shopping and entertainment complex "Gostiny Dvor"! Tula is a city in which there is such a center.
Interconnection of centuries
Legends go about this place, enthusiasm and positive reviews can be heard quite often. Over the past few years, a construction boom has been observed in the country. Now a lot of original, non-standard buildings for various purposes are being built. But the modern guest house in Tula managed to stand out against this background. As in ancient times, shopping areas were the center of city life, a place where it was possible to satisfy their cultural and everyday needs, which all citizens wanted, so today the city authorities have managed to build a center that can interest Tulchan, make them leave the walls of their homes and visit the Gostiny Dvor for some reason. Tula has been celebrating the opening of a grandiose shopping and entertainment complex, which is, in fact, a city with its own structure, for two years now. In addition to 150 shops, a 6-screen movie theater, numerous cafes and restaurants, gyms, fitness centers, beauty salons, there are facilities for registering marriages with subsequent wedding celebrations. Absolutely everything that a modern person needs can be provided by the Tula "Gostiny Dvor". Exhibitions held in all such centers are held here in a beautiful exhibition hall.
The most famous guest house in the country
Of course, even judging by the name, the Big Gostiny Dvor, a monument of the history and architecture of Russia of the 18th century, which is under the protection of UNESCO, deserves special words. Conceived back under Elizabeth Petrovna, he was erected according to the Rastrelli project by decree of 1758 on the “sacrum” of Nevsky Prospect and Sadovaya Street.
The warehouses and shops erected by the merchants were supposed to be given to them for eternal use with the right of inheritance, because it was planned to finance the construction at the expense of the merchants, but with the start of work everyone delayed, and in the end the project itself was rejected.
The construction was carried out according to the project of Jean-Baptiste Wallen-Delamot. It lasted from 1761 to 1785. Since its inception, the Great Gostiny Dvor began to play an irreplaceable role in ensuring the life of St. Petersburg. To him, as an especially significant object for the Northern capital, the first one was given gas lighting. Over the years of its existence, it was repeatedly restored, and the best painters, restorers and architects of both tsarist and Soviet Russia were involved in repairs and restoration. In the years 1886-1887 N.L. Benoit restored the Gostiny Dvor.
Petersburg was especially proud and the coast is a building. During the days of the blockade, he was guarded along with other religious buildings of the Northern capital. In 1945-1948, Gostiny Dvor was restored and recognized as a monument of architecture. After the next major overhaul, carried out in 1955-1967, 167 individual stores that existed on its endless squares were combined into the central department store of the city called Gostiny Dvor. With all repairs, this building was decorated - it was magnificently decorated the central entrance, then new stained-glass windows and fountains were added. Since 1994, the department store has become a joint stock company, and the building itself now belongs to the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
Petersburgers are very fond and proud of their "Gostinka". Today, not only all kinds of shopping centers are located on its territory, which are visited daily by up to 300,000 customers from all over the world, but also the High Fashion House, and beautiful halls for demonstrating various exhibits. The exhibition in the Gostiny Dvor nowadays sounds like something for granted - but where, if not there?