Participation of Industrial Enterprises in the Activities to Preserve Industrial Heritage Monuments in the Sverdlovsk Region in the 1970–1980s

Abstract

Introduction. The Sverdlovsk region has historically always been distinguished by the presence of a large number of industrial enterprises on its territory, as well as monuments that can be attributed to the industrial heritage. The preservation of these monuments is a task not only of the state, but also of a local scale, dictating the need to attract the capabilities and resources of industrial enterprises to this. The purpose of the article is to analyze the degree of participation of industrial enterprises, on the territory of which the monuments were located, in the activities for their preservation and museumification. The chronological framework is the 1970s – 1980s, when the need to intensify monument protection activities began to be realized at the state level, which was reflected in the legal documents. Materials and Methods. The study was based on unpublished archival materials stored in the Documentation Center of the Sverdlovsk Region. As well as published sources: legal acts, office documentation, periodicals. As part of the research, the author applied general scientific and special-historical methods. Results and Discussion. The responsibility of industrial enterprises regarding industrial heritage monuments began to be fixed in the legal documents of all-Union and regional significance, starting from the 1970s. This was due to the intensification of state control over the protection of monuments in general. Gradually, the financial obligation of enterprises to ensure the preservation and carry out work on the museumification of monuments located on their territory is also prescribed. In the Sverdlovsk region, two industrial enterprises took an active part in this activity: the Nevyansk Mechanical Plant and the Seversky Pipe Plant. Conclusion. By the beginning of the 1990s on the territory of the Sverdlovsk region there were 34 monuments that can be attributed to the industrial heritage. 20 of them were on the balance sheet and under the responsibility of industrial enterprises, which was reflected in the legal documents only in the second half of the 1980s. In the 1970s – 1980s two objects underwent restoration and museumification – the Nevyansk leaning tower and the Severskaya blast furnace. An important role in this was played by the vigorous activity of the factories on the territory of which they were located. However, there were also mistakes made by the management of one of the factories, which led to the partial destruction of one of the monuments.