Наследие Александра фон Гумбольдта в России

Abstract

The article attempts to consider the attitude of the Russian society towards the heritage of the universal Prussian scientist and great traveler Alexander von Humboldt. Based on the study of his biography, it is shown that from his youth he gravitated to research of the natural environment and did not want to make a career in the civil service. He devoted himself to science and travel. His 1829 expedition across Russia became a decisive factor in the distribution of his works in Russia, the intensification of contacts with Russian researchers, as well as the popularization of his works in the scientific and educational space of Russia in the mid-19th and early 20th centuries. The most important works of the scientist, "Views of Nature" and "Cosmos," were translated into Russian. Based on archival documents, the article deals with the dramatic fate of the translation into Russian of his book “Central Asia”, which was written by Humboldt on the basis of his expedition to Russia. The October revolution of 1917 prevented the completion of the translation of this work into Russian, which still exists in Russian in only one volume. The actualization of the Humboldt heritage in Russia is connected with anniversaries related to it. The article examines the strict ideological framework in which the centenary of Humboldt’s death was celebrated in the USSR. It is shown that this celebration was also a demonstration of the unbreakable friendship between the USSR and the GDR. However, the reprint of the scientist's works, the publication of his correspondence , and the appearance of new biographies of Humboldt contributed to the popularisation of scientific knowledge in the USSR.