Each year, in late August or early September, the inhabitants of Barnaul celebrate the day of their glorious city, however, celebrating the next anniversary, many among them are not quite sure how many years Barnaul is actually celebrating. The fact is that the history is silent about the founding date of this city, but the official date is 1730.
Akinfiy Demidov Plant
According to historians, the beginning of Barnaul was laid by Akinfiy Demidov, the builder of a smelter on land rented from the state. In 1730, two hundred souls of ascribed peasants, transferred by Demidov to Altai, appeared on the banks of the Barnaulka and Ob rivers. The mission of these peasants was the laying of factories. This serious event may well serve as a starting point in the search for an answer to the question of how old Barnaul is.
However, the construction of the plant itself began on September 29, 1739. And some researchers believe the founding of Barnaul was the beginning of this date, especially since it had the first written mention of the city of Barnaul, and then this year was generally rich in creative events, namely: dam construction and laying of a branch channel. That is why there is often a debate between citizens on City Day about how old Barnaul is.
During the tumultuous activity of Demidov, it was planned to build a wooden Kremlin with a fortress so that the copper and silver-smelting plant was safe. But for objective reasons, the construction did not take place. The enterprising merchant Demidov, along with good undertakings, could not resist the temptation to smelter gold and silver clandestinely. And since everything secret becomes apparent, in St. Petersburg everything became known.
Mining city development
The year 1749 was marked by the transfer of the office of the mountain district to the Barnaul factory from Kolyvan. The plant becomes the property of the imperial family with all its consequences. Production is increasing, the staff of the plant is replenished by mining engineers and officers who came from the Urals. Among them was Ivan Polzunov, whose inventive talent served the fatherland with dignity. In 1766, it was here, in the Altai outback, the test of his steam engine passed.
And five years later, in 1771, Barnaul was deservedly endowed with the status of a mountain city. This date also gives rise to the question of how old Barnaul is.
Having received a powerful impetus for development, Barnaul began to grow qualitatively and quantitatively: in 1764 a technical library appeared, in 1779 a mining school was opened, the population was growing, neighborhoods were built up, in the architecture of which St. Petersburg's influence was noticeable. By the middle of the 19th century, the city became a significant cultural and scientific-technical center for Siberia.
Shopping center
By the end of the 19th century, ore reserves were depleted, serfdom remained in the past, the plant management did not cope with these difficulties, and in 1893 the plant ceased to exist. Other industries are developing, and trade is flourishing in Barnaul, the city is also becoming the center of a fairly developed agricultural region. Since 1915, the Altai Railway was put into operation, which further strengthened the economic development of Barnaul. Development in the social sphere was ensured by the local merchants, among whom there were many patrons and public figures. Their efforts opened educational institutions (there were 29), a city hospital, churches and a monastery are being built. In concern for the moral health of citizens in 1914, all brothels were closed by a resolution of the City Duma.
1917, in addition to public upheaval, brought Barnaul a devastating fire on May 2, half a town burned out, architecture was irreparably damaged, people lost their homes, and there were victims.
In the country of Soviets
The cataclysms of the revolution and the Civil War Barnaul experienced, like other Siberian cities, undergoing one power, then another. Only on December 11, 1919 with the advent of the Red Army in the city, the power of the Soviets was finally established.
Under the new conditions, Barnaul developed, like all Soviet cities, in the context of the electrification and industrialization of the whole country. In 1923, the Barnaul Power Plant started operating, in 1925 - the radio. The first buses appeared in Barnaul in 1929, 1931 was marked by air connections with Novosibirsk and other nearby cities. The foundation of a large melange plant took place in 1932. And in the dashing 1937 Barnaul received the status of the administrative center of the Altai Territory. And if we consider Barnaul exclusively as the capital of the region, then the question of how old Barnaul is is also relevant here.
When the Great Patriotic War broke out, Barnaul, like all the Trans-Ural cities, had to forge victory in the rear. After the war, many industrial enterprises were commissioned here.
After the collapse of the USSR
The Soviet Union remained in the historical past, the "dashing nineties" came, Barnaul, like all industrial cities of the country, suffered from new trends. The threat of bankruptcy loomed over large factories and plants, and Barnaul, the former industrial center, had to step on another economic path. For the city, the era of trade, construction, the heyday of the service sector has come. Outwardly, it is changing: stalls, offices, luxury housing in the center, devastation on the outskirts.
In the early 2000s, the city gradually, synchronously with the country, Barnaul is selected from the economic crisis. Thanks to investors, industry revived somewhat, private business flourished, and the facades of buildings in the city center were reconstructed.
And today Barnaul has again become an industrial, scientific, cultural and educational center. The city has worthily passed the difficult path of its development. How many years is Barnaul celebrating this year - 286, 277 or 245? Is it important whether he is nine years older or forty-one years younger? Today, in 2016, he is beautiful, full of hope, populated by smart and hardworking people. Does it really matter how old Barnaul is?