Где заканчивалась Европейская Россия и начиналась Сибирь? Пространственное разграничение российских земель в XVIII–XIX веках и дорожная традиция

Abstract

This article examines historical evidence according to which the Urals and even the Vyatka region (located far to the west of the Ural Mountains, in Europe) in past centuries were considered to be a part of Siberia. These testimonies are revealed mainly in the analysis of narrative sources, such as memoirs, journalism, and works of fiction. Russian historical sources describe the situation primarily in the 18th–19th centuries, some texts of Western European origin date back to an earlier time. This topic is close to the study of the so-called Russia’s road tradition (otherwise: road daily life, road culture, traditional travel culture). The road tradition is the conditions, circumstances, and situations that accompanied overland travel over long distances in the era before railways and highways. The natural features of the Vyatka region and the Urals were similar to those of Siberia. There were a lot of fur-bearing animals on these lands, good conditions for cattle breeding, for the development of crafts, trades and even agriculture. The territories to the north-east of Moscow were considered abundant, attractive for people, and serfdom did not exist there either. The study of this topic refines our knowledge of the historical zoning of the Russian regions and makes a significant contribution to the humanitarian geography.