Discovery and Arrangement of Nizhny Novgorod Public Widow’s House name of Blinovs and Bugrovs in Late XIX — Early XX Centuries

Abstract

The article is devoted to the organization and cherishing of the Nizhny Novgorod city public name of the Blinovs and Bugrovs of the Widow’s House at the end of the 19th — beginning of the 20th century. The relevance of the study is due to the intensification of entrepreneurial activity and private initiative in the field of charity in modern Russia, the emergence of numerous charitable organizations and foundations, and the need to get acquainted with historical experience. The history of the construction and opening of the Widow’s House, active interaction in this process with the Nizhny Novgorod City Duma are traced in the article. Based on the charter and reports of the institution, its goals, objectives, management structure, sources of financial resources, forms of assistance to those in need are considered. The author shows the quantitative, class and age composition of the detainees, their marital status, types of occupations. Expenditure of funds (heating, lighting, repairs, purchase of food and equipment, salaries to employees, school), sources and forms of donations (charitable foundations, contributions from individuals, free meals, events, gifts) are covered in detail. The author comes to the conclusion that the Widow’s House in Nizhny Novgorod is a unique charitable institution of its time, the public need for which only increased. Thus, the second half of the 19th — the beginning of the 20th century was a period of private initiative in the matter of social security with significant support from local governments.