The Development of Yaroslavl in the Second Half of XIX - Early XX Century

Abstract

The article provides an overview of urban change and project initiatives in all spheres of urban life in Yaroslavl in the second half of the XIX - beginning of XX century and is based on archival documents. Yaroslavl is alarge governorate city located on a high cape at the confluence of the Kotorosli river in the Volga, the emergence of which is associated with the name of Yaroslav the Wise, by the middle of the XIX century it was more than eight centuries old. As in most of the Volga cities, the main town-forming factor in Yaroslavl in the second half of the XIX - early XX century was the development of the port and associated access roads (including rapidly multiplying railways), warehouse areas, bridges, port engineering facilities, and the development of industry, sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly interconnected with the life of the port, which, as a rule, depended on the import of raw materials and export of finished products. The study showed that the current urban structure of Yaroslavl was not subjected to serious reconstructive changes during this period, adjustments often served immediate needs. Implementation of projects designed for the long term (such as winter harbour at the mouth of the Kotorosl river) faced economic obstacles and private property interests that ran counter to the interests of the city as a whole. Thus, a distinctive feature of the urban development of Yaroslavl in this period was consistent traditionalism in the field of architectural image and style, combined with the introduction of urban improvement of many technical innovations, the development of railway construction and port facilities.