SCIENTISTS AND TRAVELERS ABOUT BIYSK IN THE 19th – THE BEGINNING OF THE 20th CENTURY

Abstract

Biysk, being the second town of Altai of its size, attracted many scientists and travelers. They created colorful and unforgettable images of the town in the XIX – the beginning of XX century. 14 descriptions produced by 12 authors in 1810 – 1917 were analyzed to establish if the image corresponded with reality. There were rather different descriptions ranging from official geographical reviews to emotional lines of travel diaries. A comparative analysis allowed us to conclude that those images of Biysk were real in their description of dirty streets adjoining beautiful churches and comfortable fashionable hotels. Still, subjective factor influenced to the images of Biysk as well. Readers in the XIX century could trace all changes of the life of the town – from a fortress on the boarder to a small trade town (where inhabitants hadn’t got even a sundial) and then to the important economic and cultural center of the region – “the window to Europe” for Mongolia”. The image of the town gradually changed from negative to neutral and positive. It was determined by real economic and cultural development of Biysk. The result of this exploration allows one to define the way a Russian regional town was represented in informational area of the country in XIX – the beginning of XX century.