Urban estates in Astrakhan of the late XVIII – early XX centuries: typological aspect

Abstract

The subject of this research is the typological groups of urban estates in Astrakhan of the late XVIII – early XX centuries. The object is the peculiarities of urban estates in Russia of that time. The goal lies in studying the urban estates in Astrakhan of the late XVIII – early XX centuries from the perspective of their classification. The article touches upon the question of phenomenology of the Russian estate, the architecture and typology of urban estates in the Russian province, as well as the architecture of urban estates in Astrakhan. The research employs the general scientific method (analysis of the historical and logical), historical-architectural approach, and art history techniques for studying estates in urban environment and photographic evidence. The author also attracts historical references, archival and other documents on the topic. The theoretical framework is comprised of the works of M. B. Mikhaylova and E. I. Kirichenko on the estate construction in Russian cities; T. V. Vavilonskaya and G. G. Nugmanova on the classification of urban estates. The scientific novelty lies in outlining the typological groups of urban estates of Astrakhan from the perspective of their architectural and artistic characteristics, as well as social rank of the lords. It is established that the urban estates of Astrakhan are divided into wealthy estates of the merchants that are an artistic phenomena in the architectural image of the city; prosperous and middle-class of the merchants and officials oriented towards eclectic architecture; wooden estates of modest merchants and philistines that carry certain artistic value. The practical importance of this research consists in contribution to the creation of the holistic picture of the development of Astrakhan architecture.