The history of Saratov has more than four centuries. During this time, the city grew from a small streltsy fortress to an important industrial center of the Volga region. At different times, he experienced several waves of population growth: Old Believers, German colonists, who were looking for the best share of peasants. Saratov is the small homeland of many prominent figures in the history of Russia, including Tsarist Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin.
Frontier fort
According to the generally accepted interpretation, the date of foundation of Saratov is July 12, 1590. The city appeared as a fortress, which gradually developed into a serious fortification on the southeastern borders of Russia. From here continued the development and settlement of vast lands. The founding date of the city of Saratov coincided with another round of trade development along the Volga Route.
The fortresses, which were then built along the underdeveloped banks of the great river, were a powerful barrier against raids by the Nogais and Crimean Tatars. Dangerous nomads forced the tsarist government almost simultaneously to build Samara, Tsaritsyn and Saratov. All these cities had one founding father - Grigory Osipovich Zasekin. A skilled fortifier, an experienced military leader and builder remained one of the main figures associated with the consolidation of Russia's power on the Volga. The 1590th (the year Saratov was founded) is a date that turned out to be an important milestone in this process. Thanks to the fortress, it was possible to establish a constant connection between the lower and upper Volga.
Fortress Features
Zasekin determined not only what the date of foundation of Saratov will be, but also what will be the original place of construction of the fortress. They became a convenient ferry on the Volga, located exactly halfway from Tsaritsyn to Samara. At first, about 300 streltsy served in the settlement. Near the town was a hill. It was used as a convenient platform for viewing the area for several kilometers around.
The city was protected not only by fortifications, but also by natural barriers: steep river slopes, forest, elders, canals and small lakes. On one side, the natural border of Saratov was a deep ravine. The builders of the city also tried. When the date of the foundation of Saratov came, fortress walls and watch towers appeared on the previously deserted place.
City of Service People
The voivode’s office immediately became the heart of the new settlement. Next to it were the yards of archers, centurions, and other military men. The rest of the city was occupied by the buildings of merchants and artisans. Service people (including gunners) lived near the fortress walls, so that in the event of an alarm, they would immediately prepare for the defense of the city.
Separate from the rest of the buildings were powder cellars, barns with bread and a prison. The tallest building was the church, which towered above the rest of the buildings. Saratov for the most part was built of wood, because of which there was a constant danger of fire. For the sake of the safety of the inhabitants, the pottery and metallurgical horns stood in a bare field. The successful foundation date of Saratov and the natural conditions of the Lower Volga region allowed the city to grow rapidly. There were vast untouched expanses of fertile land and abundant pastures. The rich side and hunting grounds also attracted more new immigrants here.
Population influx
In the history of Russian colonization of the Volga region, the date of foundation of the city of Saratov became an important mark, after which the influx of immigrants into the region increased significantly. Service people traveled to the steppes for new perspectives and decent salaries. Sagittarius accompanied merchant ships and caravans, fighting not only with nomad Nogais, but also with gangs of "thieves" Cossacks who robbed merchants.
The founder of the city, Grigory Zasekin, was appointed his first governor. He was in charge of all city life and was responsible for paying the archers a salary. In the days of rest from military affairs, they were engaged in gardening, tilling, and raising livestock. Another wave of people who wanted to settle in Saratov appeared at the beginning of the 17th century, when the Russian state survived the bloody Civil War and the Polish intervention.
In the Time of Troubles
Amid the horrors of war, Posad residents and peasants fled from the chaos of the central provinces in the Volga region. The date of formation of Saratov is 1590, but it was after 20 years that he grew up in a real city due to internally displaced persons. At the same time, the Volga fortress had to endure the prolonged oppression of the local Cossacks, commanded by all kinds of impostors (for example, Ileika Muromets and Ilya Gorchakov).
In the summer of 1607, a new threat appeared. A certain prince Ivan-August gathered a Cossack detachment, captured Tsaritsyn and moved up the Volga. The Saratov garrison was then commanded by Vladimir Anichkov and Jam Saburov. The defenders of the fortress repulsed all the attacks of the gang and did not allow it to enter the city.
New challenges
The imaginary prince Ivan fled to the Don, where he died in a clash with the army of False Dmitry II. Saratov also briefly ceased to obey Moscow authorities - supporters of the next impostor seized power in it.
Peace soon came, but in 1614 a real catastrophe overtook the settlement. The city burned to the ground. Many residents died, and those who managed to survive moved to Samara. Gradually, the fortress was restored. Its revival coincided with the restoration of legitimate power in Moscow (the throne passed to the Romanov dynasty).
The Volga region, meanwhile, continued to live its provincial life, divorced from great political passions. The main event here was the construction of new fortresses (for example, the foundation date for Saratov became fundamental for the region). The history of the region in the XVII century is known fragmentarily enough. In 1636, Saratov was visited by Adam Olearius, the head of the German embassy, who left unique notes on the life of then-Russia.
Settlement growth
In 1674, under Alexei Mikhailovich, the Saratov fortress was moved to a new place near the Sokolovaya Mountain. During the Persian campaign , Peter I was here. The foundation of Saratov was long ago behind. Now the city has steadily grown and developed. Travelers celebrated its straight streets and rich shopping arcades. Saratov became the center of pottery, manufacture, bread growing, salt production. The pride of the locals was the factory that produced taffeta, satin and stockings. In 1774, the city was attacked by a detachment of Emelyan Pugachev. His rebellion was already on its last legs. Ataman was arrested the same fall near Saratov.
The growth of the city and surrounding villages was facilitated by landowners, ruling circles and merchants. New residents appeared spontaneously. Such migrants were serfs who fled from the landlords. Many villages sprang up around the monasteries (for example, the future Khvalynsk). In the middle of the XVIII century, more than 200 thousand people lived in the Saratov region. During this period, new settlements were built in the city involved in salt production on Lake Elton.
Center of the province
Perhaps Saratov today would not be such a large settlement if Catherine II had not yet signed a decree on the resettlement of schismatics to the local land. The Old Believers founded many settlements, including Balakovo and Pugachev. The growth of Saratov took place in a southwestern direction, where new residential areas appeared. In 1803, the first theater appeared in the city. In the era of Catherine II, the provincial center was flooded with German colonists.
In 1782, the Saratov province was formed . Until 1850, it remained one of the largest in all of Russia. People from central districts, where there was a lack of land, sought to Saratov and its environs. In addition to Russians and colonists from Germany, Ukrainians, Mordovians, and Tatars settled in the region. According to the census of 1897, 2.5 million people lived in the Saratov province, and on the eve of the First World War this figure exceeded 3 million. Growth stopped only due to bloodshed and the ensuing shocks. The population of Saratov itself was 242 thousand people. It was the largest city of the entire Volga region (more than Kazan, Astrakhan, Samara and Nizhny Novgorod).
Saratov and Stolypin
Many attractions of Saratov and its environs are associated with Peter Stolypin (1862-1911), probably his most famous native. The famous statesman of the era of Nicholas II for several years served as Prime Minister of Russia. He was the main initiator of reforms during the period of the imperial Duma. His path to big politics began in his native Saratov - in 1903 he was appointed Saratov governor. In 1906, he became Minister of the Interior and left the city, where after that he was only on short visits.
Stolypin died after being shot dead in a Kiev theater. The chair on which he sat after the fatal hit of a bullet was exhibited at the Saratov Museum of Local Lore. Also in the city is a portrait of the Prime Minister, painted by the great Russian artist Ilya Repin. In 2002, the first monument to Stolypin appeared in Saratov in modern Russia.
Soviet industrialization
Due to the First World War and the Civil War, the economy of Saratov was significantly degraded. Only after more than ten years have passed, did production reach the previously record level of 1913. In the 30s. the city survived industrialization and collectivization. The transformations of that period greatly influenced what Saratov is today.
Photos of many modern enterprises are images of factories founded during forced industrialization. These include "Universal" - a plant engaged in the production of machine tools, as well as a knitting factory, a boiler plant, a meat factory, etc. Thanks to industrialization, the structure of Saratov's industry has changed. Metalworking played an increasing role in it, and the food industry played an ever smaller role.
The Great Patriotic War
During World War II, many enterprises from front-line regions were evacuated to relatively safe Saratov. Photos and reviews of tourists visiting the city today characterize it as a center of modern production, however, a significant part of this economic capital was laid in 1941-1945. Additional development was given to the rubber, textile and light industries of local industry.
Engels, located on the opposite left bank of the Volga, was evacuated to the satellite city of Saratov, the Bryansk Engineering Plant, which later became a trolleybus. There are completely new production. So, near Saratov, gas production was established, which was delivered to the city through a specially constructed gas pipeline. Most of the enterprises were reorganized to meet the needs of the front, because of which the share of engineering increased in the urban economy.
Last decades
In the 1950s In Saratov and surrounding cities, several large chemical industry enterprises appeared. The fuel and energy complex, including the gas, shale, oil and heat power industries, was developing. The city attracted more and more highly qualified specialists of scientific and technical profile.
Among other things, instrumentation, engineering and electronics factories were updated. At the same time, the regional center became one of the fronts for raising virgin soil in the steppe regions of the RSFSR and Kazakhstan.
In the 1970s In the Saratov Territory, a land reclamation complex was born and was rapidly developing. Irrigation canals and systems were built, as well as other related infrastructure. Today, Saratov remains one of the largest cities in the Volga region. Together with the satellite city of Engels, it forms an agglomeration with a population of one million people.