Kursk Province Research Articles

Tenth-century Hoard from the village of Korobkino in Kursk Province

In 1915, near the village of Korobkino, Kursk Province, a hoard of seven silver bracelets and a solid dating from 923–924 was found. The article determines its place in the historical and cultural context of both the region and Eastern Europe as a whole. It has been established that these decorations are not characteristic of the Romny antiquities. It is evident from the design of bracelets with tied ends and the use of thick wire, polyhedral in section. Gold coins were found mainly on the territory of Rus. The solid from Korobkino is the only find in the vast area of the Romny archaeological culture, which fact emphasizes the peculiarity of the complex. The author suggests dating the hoard within the second–third quarters of the 10th century AD. In general, its composition demonstrates the synthesis of northern (Scandinavia) and southern (Byzantium) contacts of the population of the emerging Rus culture. The owner of the hoard was related to the druzhina (prince’s retinue) layer of society. No other traces of such a distinct “Russian presence” concentrated in one complex have been found in the Severian land so far.

Characteristics of banditry and illegal arms trafficking during the Civil War and the first post-war years in the Belgorod district of the Kursk province

Characteristics of banditry and illegal arms trafficking during the Civil War and the first post-war years in the Belgorod district of the Kursk province

The Views of Representatives of the Party and Political Activists of the Kursk Province on the Change in the Social Structure of the Urban Population (1918–1921)

Relevance. At the present stage of development of the Russian Federation, the preservation of historical truth is one of the main directions of state policy. Statements about the need to return the state ideology allow us to judge the relevance of referring to the experience of the early Soviet period, when communist doctrine became the basis for the formation of a new model of the state, which subsequently achieved considerable success on the world stage in various fields. The urban population has become a pillar for revolutionary transformations, which arouses interest in studying the views of representatives of regional authorities on the problems of the development of the social structure of society.The purpose – to reveal the specifics of the evolution of the public views of the party and political activists of the region on the social composition of the urban population of the Kursk province from 1918 to 1921.Objectives: based on the analysis of archival documents, to identify general trends in the formation of the social structure of the urban population of the Kursk province.Methodology. In the process of working on the research, the basic principles of historical science were used: historicism, objectivity and consistency. General scientific methods were also applied (analysis, synthesis, induction and deduction, analytical method), special historical methods: historical-genetic, comparative-historical.Results. Based on the analysis of archival documents, the peculiarities of the formation of views on the image of the social composition of the Kursk province in the views of the Kursk communists of the first years of Soviet power are revealed.Conclusion. The political basis of the social structure of the urban population of the region was recognized by the proletarians, who were the mainstay in the revolutionary transformations of all spheres of public life. The party activists of the Kursk province perceived the provisions of the communist teachings as a key model for the formation of an urban community. The semi-proletariat, the petty bourgeoisie and the intelligentsia, in the opinion of party leaders, should become part of the working people as the sole bearer of power. For the first time, women were considered as an equal part of the urban community in the field of state building.

Pedagogical and mentoring activities of the blind writer Vasily Eroshenko as a subject of research in the work of his memorial museum

The article examines the study of the activities of the symbolist writer, professional typhlopedagogue and wise mentor, Vasily Yakovlevich Eroshenko (12.01.1890–12.23.1952), as one of the priority areas of work of the House Museum of V. Ya. Eroshenko in his homeland — in the Starooskolsky region. The writer, a native of the village of Obukhovka, Starooskolsky district, Kursk province (now Starooskolsky district, Belgorod region), lived and worked, including creating schools for the visually impaired, in different countries of the world. Blinded at an early age, he understood the problems of the blind like no one else and studied all his life, engaged in self-education, thanks to this he was able to achieve success in various fields of activity. Vasily Yakovlevich’s innovative pedagogical method brought effective results, his students were able to live a full life and bring all possible benefits to society. The authors of the article highlight the main aspects of the writer’s worldview aimed at creating schools for the blind in different countries. V. Ya. Eroshenko considered the boarding school for the blind in Turkmenistan to be the main business of his life. The article contains the memoirs of his grateful Turkmen students. The memoirs are kept in the funds of the Starooskolsky Museum of Local Lore, they are written in a living language. One can imagine what a sensitive and wonderful teacher V. Ya. Eroshenko was. His unique teaching methods and extraordinary organizational skills motivated people with disabilities to live a full life. One of the priorities in the activities of the literary Memorial House Museum of V. Ya. Eroshenko is the popularization of the ascetic life and the unique literary and pedagogical experience of the writer and mentor. The staff of the house museum has experience in creating and implementing projects aimed at the socio-cultural rehabilitation of the visually impaired, thus they continue the mission of Eroshenko himself. The expediency of broadcasting such an experience is justified. It is concluded that the results of this study are relevant and in demand in modern museum realities.

ЖЕЛЕЗОРУДНЫЙ БАССЕЙН КУРСКОЙ МАГНИТНОЙ АНОМАЛИИ. ИСТОРИЯ ВЕЛИЧАЙШЕГО ОТКРЫТИЯ ПЕРВОЙ ПОЛОВИНЫ XX В. В РОССИИ. Ч. II. ОТКРЫТИЕ ЖЕЛЕЗОРУДНОГО БАССЕЙНА КУРСКОЙ МАГНИТНОЙ АНОМАЛИИ

In April 2023, exactly 100 years have passed since the iron-ore core was taken from a well drilled in the Shchigry area of Kursk province, thereby the secret of the Kursk magnetic anomaly (KMA) nature was revealed and the beginning of the world’s largest iron-ore deposits development was marked. This article is devoted to the history of one of the greatest discoveries of geologists of the first half of the 20th century, full of actionpacked and dramatic events.

ЖЕЛЕЗОРУДНЫЙ БАССЕЙН КУРСКОЙ МАГНИТНОЙ АНОМАЛИИ. ИСТОРИЯ ВЕЛИЧАЙШЕГО ОТКРЫТИЯ ПЕРВОЙ ПОЛОВИНЫ ХХ В. В РОССИИ. Ч. I. ПРИРОДНЫЙ ФЕНОМЕН КУРСКОЙ ГУБЕРНИИ

In April 2023, exactly 100 years have passed since the iron-ore core was taken from a well drilled in the Shchigry area of Kursk province, thereby the secret of the Kursk magnetic anomaly nature was revealed and the beginning of the world’s largest iron-ore deposits development was marked. This article is devoted to the history of one of the greatest discoveries of geologists of the first half of the 20th century, full of action-packed and dramatic events.

"No Profit Needed, Glory Would be Good": the Family of Kursk Merchants Gnuchevs in the 18th – early 20th

Relevance. During the Soviet period, the activities of the merchant class were criticized for ideological reasons. Meanwhile, it was the entrepreneurial abilities of Russian merchants that were the most important factor in the development of the economy of the economy of the Russian state. Today, the state is making significant efforts to develop entrepreneurship. It is of interest to study the experience of developing entrepreneurship in the pre-revolutionary period.The Purpose. The study of the formation and development of the Kursk merchant dynasty of the Gnuchevs.Objectives. Within the framework of the article, the following tasks are solved: to trace the origin of the Gnuchev merchant dynasty, to identify the contribution of the Gnuchev merchants to the economy of the city of Kursk, to study the social activities of representatives of the Gnuchev merchant dynasty.Methodology. The article carried out a comprehensive analysis of archival sources and publications, used the methods of statistics and data comparison, analysis, synthesis, personal biographical method. Results. In the 18th - the first half of the 19th century, the Gnuchev dynasty of merchants developed. By the middle of the 19th century, the role of the Gnuchev merchants in the economic life of Kursk reached its maximum. In the second half of the XIX - early XX centuries. there was a decrease in the importance of trade and production activities of representatives of the dynasty.Conclusion. The success of the Gnuchev merchant dynasty was ensured by the determination and hard work of several of its key representatives who managed to achieve success in the entrepreneurial field. In the Gnuchev family, they include the ancestor - Ivan, who, thanks to his own efforts, was able to move from a seedy family of service people to the merchant class, Foma Afanasyevich, who decided to move from the small town of Oboyan to the center of the Kursk province, and Afanasy Fomich, who managed to concentrate in their hands control over a number of important commercial and industrial enterprises of Kursk. None of the merchant dynasty of the Gnuchevs disgraced the honest name of the family. None of them were held accountable for misconduct related to entrepreneurial activities. And today the descendants of the Gnuchev merchant dynasty live in Kursk.

The development of customs in the cities of the Kursk province of the XVII century

The development of customs in the cities of the Kursk province of the XVII century

Особенности наблюдения органов политической полиции за «политически неблагонадёжными» лицами в 1867–1917 гг. (на примере Курской губернии)

The article analyzes the system of monitoring «politically unreliable» persons in Russia in 1867–1917. The relevance of the topic under consideration is due to the need to study regional aspects for a comprehensive study of this issue. To this end, some aspects of the activities of the political police bodies performing the functions of political observation (on the example of the Kursk province) have been studied, conclusions have been drawn about the effectiveness of the implementation of observation measures in countering the development of the revolutionary situation in the country.

ПОЛИЦЕЙСКИЙ НАДЗОР ИЛИ МЕТОДЫ РАБОТЫ С «ПОЛИТИЧЕСКИ НЕБЛАГОНАДЁЖНЫМИ ЛИЦАМИ» ВО ВТОРОЙ ПОЛОВИНЕ XIX- НАЧАЛЕ XX ВВ. (НА ПРИМЕРЕ КУРСКОЙ ГУБЕРНИИ)

Using the example of the Kursk province, the article examines the main methods of government work with persons with dubious «political reliability», «potential» and «real» political criminals in the second half of the XIX - early XX centuries. This paper examines the types (investigative, judicial and administrative) of police supervision. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the public and secret (secret) modes of police surveillance. During the period under review, persons who, by their behavior, gave any reason for distrust (in political terms) were subject to secret (secret) supervision. Persons whose «political unreliability» was established «officially» were subordinated to public police supervision, but the decision of the authorities recognized that stricter measures of state coercion could not be applied to these persons to correct them. The study also provides grounds for establishing supervision over persons with questionable «political reliability», describes the mechanisms of interaction between different departments of the Kursk province that monitor the political situation in the region, the activities of «potential», «real» political criminals. At the end of the study, conclusions were drawn about the role of police surveillance (both public and secret) in the system of punitive and protective measures.

Fyodor Ivanovich INOZEMTSEV - Professor, founder of the Moscow Society of Russian Doctors. To the 220th of birthday

Fyodor Inozemtsev was born on February 24, 1802 in the family of a manor manager in the village of Belkino, Kaluga province. In 1814, after the death of his father, F.I. Inozemtsev moved to his older brother, a student of the medical faculty of Kharkiv University, Egor. At the age of 12, Fyodor studied first at a college, then at a gymnasium, and after completing preparatory courses, he entered the verbal faculty of Kharkiv University to study at the state expense, although he initially aspired to the medical faculty. Protesting against studying at the Faculty of Words, he skips classes, becomes the "first hooligan" and for re-education is sent as a history teacher to the Kursk province, where he also teaches arithmetic, geometry and German. In 1826, F.I. Inozemtsev was already studying medicine at the 2nd year of Kharkov, and after that - Dorpat University. A good knowledge of the German language in which the teaching is conducted distinguishes him from other students. The famous surgeon Nikolai Yellinsky, considering that F.I. Inozemtsev has an unconditional "operator talent" already in the 3rd year allows him to perform his first operation - amputation of the lower leg. In 1833, Fyodor Ivanovich defended his doctoral dissertation and went on an internship abroad. Since 1835, F.I. Inozemtsev has been an extraordinary, and in 1937 an ordinary professor of surgery at Moscow University. In 1839-1840 F.I. Inozemtsev studied medicine in Germany, France, Italy, after which he created his own free clinic. He was one of the reformers of the educational system (1840-1860): he prepared a new modern training program for practical surgery (1850), was one of the first in the country to lecture on topographic anatomy; developed a course of eye diseases; created the first faculty surgical clinic in Russia at Moscow University (1846). Fedor Inozemtsev was a very popular doctor, who treated over 6 thousand patients a year. F.I. Inozemtsev performed the operation under general ether anesthesia for the first time in the country; Russian Russian doctor proposed to use a setting for treatment, the recipe of which has been used for more than 100 years; was the organizer of the Congress of Russian doctors, the founder of the Society of Russian Doctors in Moscow (1861); created the Moscow Medical Newspaper (1858-1878). Fyodor Ivanovich advocated that the surgeon should be a therapist at the same time. F.I. Inozemtsev author of 3-x monographs and 33 scientific articles, the founder of the medical school, whose prominent representatives were I.M. Sechenov, S.P. Botkin, G. A. Zakharin, N.V. Sklifosovsky and others. Inozemtsev was awarded the rank of state councilor with seniority, the Orders of St. Anna of the 2nd and 3rd degrees, St. Stanislav of the 2nd degree. In 1859, F.I. Inozemtsev retired due to deteriorating health, but in 1864 he was elected an honorary member of Moscow University. F.I. Inozemtsev died on August 6, 1869 and was buried in the famous cemetery of the Donskoy Monastery. The historian Pyotr Ivanovich Bartenev wrote about Fyodor Ivanovich: "A useful professor, a skilled doctor, a well-meaning citizen, a kind man, an ever-memorable friend of mankind."

Rol' prokuratury v proizvodstve doznaniya po delam politicheskogo haraktera vo vtoroj polovine XIX — ​nachale XX v. (na primere Kurskoj gubernii)

The article examines the system of organization of prosecutorial supervision over the process of consideration of cases of a political nature in the second half of the 19th - early 20th century in Russia (on the example of the Kursk province). The article analyzes the basic rules for conducting an inquiry on state crimes, the role of the prosecutor’s office in investigating this category of cases, and other supervisory powers of prosecutors related to the organization of countering the spread of political crime.

Local History, Power, Estimates: Analysis of Financial Documentation of Local History Organizations in 1920–1930 through the Prism of Soviet Ideology (on the example of the Kursk province)

Introduction. the end of the Civil War and the return to peaceful life contributed to the restoration of the activities of various public organizations, including local history. Period 1920s went down in history as the “golden decade” of the local lore movement. Encouraged by the opportunity to act, researchers left over from pre-revolutionary Russia, new staff made plans to study the history, culture, and natural monuments of their regions. Active organizational work was carried out, regional, provincial, allRussian conferences on local history problems were held, a central coordinating body was created – the Central Bureau of Local History. In the Kursk province, multi-level local history organizations began to be created since 1921. The activities of activists were aimed at preserving the established monuments of history, culture, nature, identifying and examining new ones, popularizing knowledge about the region, and attracting new members to local history organizations. The purpose of the work is to analyze the activities of the local history organization of the Kursk province through the preserved estimates of income and expenses. Materials and Methods. The set scientific tasks were solved through the use of a number of methods: theoretical (analysis of scientific literature, comparative analysis, comparison, generalization, systematization) and empirical (study and generalization of sources, hermeneutic). Results. Being formally independent organizations, local lore associations did not have the possibility of financial independence, since membership fees, the activities of societies were ineffective from a profit standpoint. Through the payment of subsidies by various institutions of both federal and regional subordination, the alleged voluntary and independent local history organizations fell under the strict control of the state authorities, which are trying to introduce the principles of Soviet ideology, planned economy and local history. Discussion and Conclusion. Local history organizations in the USSR as a whole, and in the Kursk province in particular, were not completely independent organizations, they did not always act in accordance with the orders of the authorities, reserving the right to make decisions. It resulted in their liquidation and the formation of “state local history” as a phenomenon

Образотворчі портрети нації: «свій» і «чужий» Іллі Рєпіна

The article examines the problem of representing the collective portrait of the nation in the language of painting. The relevance of such a study is determined by the need for identification, which is especially acute in war conditions: the distinction between "own" and "foreign" is a necessary condition for national self-identity and the unity of the human community as a nation. Ilya Repin's painting work was chosen as the object of analysis. The goal is to determine the typological features of the collective portrait of the nation based on Repin's canvases. Achieving the set goal is realized in the following tasks: outline in dotted lines how the tradition of the collective portrait of the nation was formed; consider pictorial versions of Repin's portrait of the nation; compare the portraits of "own" and "other" ("alien") nations. The novelty of the study is determined by the proposed view of Repin's masterpieces as symbolic portraits of the Ukrainian and Russian nations, created according to the principle of contrast. For the first time, features characteristic of the author's interpretation of the image of the nation were considered in the context of the formation of this tradition in painting. The article uses the historical-cultural and comparative methods of research, the method of commented reading of the pictorial "text". It is determined that the genre of the portrait of the nation began to form in the era of romanticism. Its authors sought to reproduce events, exterior, and interior with national marking. Emphasis was placed on them as "typical", or "characteristic" of a certain nation or country. We consider Repin's paintings "Zaporozhians writing a letter to the Turkish Sultan" and "Hopak" as pictorial portraits of the Ukrainian nation. They have in common an idealized romantic past. Events and phenomena associated with the concepts of "heroic" and "spiritual" are reproduced. The depicted characters are archetypes but endowed with individual traits that form a mosaic national portrait. We compare "Zaporozhians writing a letter to the Turkish Sultan" with the portrait of France in E. Delacroix's painting "Freedom on the Barricades." Common to both paintings is the concept of freedom, which must be chosen. At the same time, Repin complements the idea of freedom with a trait typical of the Ukrainian character. We are talking about laughter as a manifestation of inner freedom. Therefore, the artist offers a kind of formula according to which only those who are free inside can win freedom. Instead, Repin's national portrait of the "stranger" is represented in the paintings "Burlaks on the Volga" and "Crusade in the Kursk Province." Their modern plots are interpreted realistically. In the center are depicted events or phenomena associated with the struggle for survival, silent obedience, and external and internal slavery. The characters are emphatically unaesthetic, merging into a "faceless" portrait of the scumbag. Thus, the pictorial portraits of Ukraine and Russia in Repin's work are directly opposite in terms of their ideological content and stylistic content. For the artist, a collective portrait of Ukrainians is also an attempt to declare one's own identity in the conditions of an inferiority complex imposed by the empire.

Пропагандистская и агитационная деятельность эсеров в Курской губернии в конце XIX–начале XX в. как проявление политической преступности

The annotation examines the forms of agitation and propaganda work of the Social revolutionaries in the Kursk province in the late XIX–early XX century, from the point of view of their relevance to criminally punishable acts. The urgency of the problem is due to the need to study regional aspects for a comprehensive study of the topic. To do this, the article analyzes the criminal legislation in force during this period in order to detect articles aimed at combating political agitation and propaganda. The paper presents an analysis of the main criminal laws, examines the grounds for bringing to criminal responsibility for the compilation, storage, reproduction, distribution of politically dangerous literature, making public speeches questioning the course implemented by the state. The agitation and propaganda activities of the Kursk Social revolutionaries have been studied, the necessary conclusions have been drawn.

Реформирование управления лесами в Российской империи в середине ХIХ века Первые шаги реформы (на примере Курской губернии)

Relevance. Serious transformations have been carried out in the forest law of Russia in recent decades. The State is currently testing a new concept of forest management and use of forest resources based on the priority of public law. In the history of Russia, there is an experience of evolutionary transformation of the concepts of private and public law in the field of forest legal relations. The Purpose – study the experience of the evolutionary transformation of private and public law in the field of forest management in Russia in the middle of the XIX century. Objectives. Within the framework of the article, the following tasks are solved: analysis of the legal foundations of forest management reform in the middle of the XIX century, features of the implementation of certain provisions at the first stage of the reform on the example of the Kursk province. The methodology of the research is based on the use of a dialectical approach, involving modern methods and methods of studying normative legal acts. Results. Despite the absence of any fundamental legislative act marking the beginning of the reform in the field of forest management in the European part of Russia in the middle of the XIX century, the reform was of a fundamental nature. The provisions of public law were extended to the sphere in which the norms of private law had previously dominated. Conclusion. By the middle of the XIX century, the state had good reasons to streamline and strictly regulate the use of forests, including those that were privately owned. In privately owned forests by the 50s of the XIX century, the problem of forest destruction in the European part of Russia became obvious. The state began the reform with the unprivileged estate – the peasantry. However, the reform was misunderstood not only by peasants, but also by government officials responsible for its implementation. The negative attitude of the officials of the Forestry Department of the Kursk Chamber of State Property to the transformation of the forestry management of the province led to a delay in the reform.

О реализации задач инспектирования школьных учреждений России в 1921–1923 годы (на примере Курской губернии)

The relevance of the article stems from the importance of a qualitative study of the tasks of inspection inspections of schools in Soviet Russia, which was used by the state as a control over the process of building a new school. A century later, inspection tasks have a similar focus. In addition, the inspection and control activities in the schools of the Kursk region in the first revolutions and the civil War have not been studied, which increases the relevance of the presented material. The purpose of the article is to define the tasks of inspecting schools in Russia in 1921-1923. The objectives of the article follow from the goal and are to: to determine the timing of the creation of the Soviet inspection apparatus of schools; to formulate the tasks of the inspection of the Soviet school; to indicate the specifics of the inspection of school institutions in the counties of the Kursk province. The methodology of the article is based on the principles of historicism, objectivity and consistency, which are supplemented by special methods, which include historical-legal, historical-comparative and historical-typological. Result. After the establishment of Soviet power in Russia, a new educational doctrine is being formed. Control over its implementation in schools was carried out by the inspection apparatus. It was built on new principles. The inspectors were faced with tasks related to monitoring the implementation of the instructions of the new government in the field of public education. The inspectors were trained in special courses, but the main professional criterion of the inspector was the acceptance and dissemination of the ideology of state power. In the Kursk region, the process of creating an inspection apparatus was completed in 1923, but a thorough study of schools in the outback began in 1924. An important area of control was the execution in school institutions of decrees, resolutions and orders of the Central Executive Committee and the SNK on public education. Based on the inspectors' reports, new directives were developed. Conclusions. The change of the state-political system in Russia predetermined fundamental changes in the education system, which were controlled by a specially created inspectorate. The education system was based on principles different from the "old" school. The goal of the Soviet government was to build a labor school and, as a result, the conformity of the educational and educational process with the principles of the labor school. The inspection apparatus, which controls the implementation of the ideological principles of power, was a supervisory body and a connecting element between educational institutions and public education departments.

Antituberculous three-days as one of the types of tuberculosis control in the Belgorod district of the Kursk province in the 1920s

The article presents data on the state of the county health care and the organization three days against tuberculosis, as one of the types of tuberculosis control in the Belgorod district of the Kursk province. It is noted that in the Belgorod district until 1926 there were no specialized medical institutions for tuberculosis patients. The work on anti-tuberculosis activities was carried out haphazardly. During the three-day, the population was taught the elementary rules of tuberculosis prevention and organized a fundraiser.

Problems of the Development of Local History Organizations in the USSR in the 1920s (on the example of the Kursk Society of Local Lore)

Introduction. The local history movement in the USSR began to form organizationally after the end of the Civil War, in the first half of the 1920s. The personnel basis of the Society was made up of local historians of pre-revolutionary Russia who did not emigrate, figures of the Soviet authorities of the province, scientists, specialists in the field of culture. The tasks of the new organization were defined very broadly: the study and popularization of the geographical and climatic, economic, cultural, historical potential of the province, the protection of natural monuments and resources, etc. The methods of work were defined as traditional (publication of scientific works, popular scientific brochures, magazines; holding public lectures, debates, excursions, competitions and exhibitions), and innovative (identification and legal registration of protected areas, organization of botanical gardens, opening of new museums, expositions, creation of biological, meteorological stations, etc. The Kursk Society of Local Lore has covered all layers of society with its work, getting used to the active activity of interested specialists, which was already shown by the first congress of the Union. Methods. The solution of the research problems was provided by a set of interconnected theoretical (analysis of scientific literature, comparative analysis, comparison, generalization, systematization) and empirical (study and generalization of sources, hermeneutic) methods. Results. For the transition to the planned work of disparate groups of enthusiasts-local historians, it was decided to create a public organization, which was legally formalized in 1923. The Charter of the Company determined the areas of work, membership parameters, the amount of contributions, etc. Immediately after the registration, the Society launched an active work, which will be forcibly discontinued by 1937. Conclusion. The selfless work of the members of the Society of Local Lore led to an increase in the interest of the population in the historical and cultural potential of the Kursk province, the emergence of various voluntary societies at schools, libraries, museums that conduct active propaganda work.

Lighting of Socio-Economic Issues in the Activities of City Government in the Pages of Pre-Revolutionary Regional Periodicals (for example, “The Kursk Provincial Gazette”)

Introduction. City self-government bodies created in the second half of the XIX century. They occupied an important place in the life of society, as they solved the everyday problems of urban residents: paving roads, lighting, landscaping, etc. The effectiveness of the activity depended on a well-thought-out financial and personnel policy of the City Duma. The decisions of the Duma were covered in the pages of the provincial press (both official and private publications). It should be noted that in the regional press, a large place was given to news from the city authorities for two reasons: this was attributed to the regulation on publications and the interest of residents in news of this kind. The purpose of the work is to analyze information about the activities of the City Duma of the Kursk province in 1880. Materials and Methods. The solution of the set research tasks was provided by a complex of interrelated theoretical (analysis of scientific literature, comparative analysis, comparison, generalization, systematization) and empirical (study and generalization of sources, hermeneutical) methods. The results of the study. During the year under study, each issue of the newspaper published reports on the issues under consideration and decisions taken by the county city councils. The issues that were put up for discussion were important for the citizens: from the adoption of the budget to personnel changes taking into account local characteristics. Discussion and Conclusion. For example, a typical provincial edition “provincial sheets Kursk” shows the activities of fifteen County-level City councils, the issues raised for discussion, specificity of problem-solving, depending on the level of socio-economic development of the district. The analyzed material allows us to conclude that the City Councils were quite effective self-government bodies, the main problem of which was the budget deficit.