Architectural heritage of Eastern Russian railways

Abstract

This article covers the topic of museumification of railway architecture along the eastern sections of the former Great Siberian Railway located in the Russian Far East and Northeast China. Currently this is the lines of the Far Eastern Railway (part of Trans-Siberian Railway) and the Chinese lines of Binzhou and Binhai. Analysis is conducted on the museum objects that are diverse in their origin, but belonged to the large-scale railway construction of the late XIX – early XX centuries and played a significant role in the development of scarcely populated regions: 1) placed in former locomotive depots that are no longer used as intended; 2) new models based upon former passenger terminal buildings. The article reviews the experience of museumification of railway architecture not only in the Russian cities, but also the works of Chinese colleagues, employees of the center for conservation of Russian heritage in Harbin, on projects of which were reconstructed dozens of railway objects –along the former Chinese Eastern Railway. The authors believe it is important in light of the study of the problems of conservation of similar objects in the territory of Russia (Khabarovsk – Vladivostok, Ussuriysk – Grodekovo, etc.). A brief overview is given to utilization of the objects of railway architecture in the Russian Far East  (Khabarovsk, Vyazemsky) and People’s Republic of China (Harbin, Manchuria, Handaohezi, Buhedu, and Anyang). The article also describes the projects aimed preservation of the regional heritage of the turn of centuries, carried out by the students of Pacific National University in Khabarovsk.