Andrew Frol

Pokrovsk (Yakut. Pokrovskaya) is a city, the administrative center of the Khangalassky ulus of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), forms the urban settlement of the city of Pokrovsk.

Etymology

It was founded in 1682 by the Cossacks as a fortification of Cape Karaulny, where Pokrovskaya Hermitage, which belonged to the Yakutsk Monastery, was discovered. In the 1720s it was transformed into an independent monastery, later the village of Pokrovskoye, since 1941 the working settlement of Pokrovsk[2], in 1997 it received the status of a city.

Geography

A city on the left bank of the Lena, 78 km southwest of Yakutsk. Coordinates 61.481266 129.144128

Story

Before the arrival of the Russians, on the site where the city is now located, there was a guard post of Tygyn Darkhan. From the high cape, a wide panorama of the river opened up, and, as if in the palm of your hand, you could see the movement along the river up and downstream. The area was called Khoruol tumus (Yakut. Khoruol tumuһa) - Guard Cape

The year of foundation of the city is considered to be 1682, in which the last uprising of the Khangalas Yakuts against the Cossacks took place. Driven to despair by the exorbitant requisitions of the royal governors, they opposed them with weapons in their hands. At the head of the rebels was the non-myugyn prince Dennik. After the defeat of the rebels on October 1 (11), on Pokrov Day, the troops of the voivode Ivan Priklonsky installed a large wooden cross, called Pokrovsky, on a high guard cape.

In 1703, part of the hermits of the Spassky Monastery from Yakutsk moved to a new place and founded a kind of branch of the monastery, called the Intercession Hermitage. In 1720 a church was built here. In 1724 the desert burned down. Several families of Russian peasants settled in its place.

The settlement then became a coach station near the Lena tract. In 1787, a second church was built in Pokrovsk, which gave it the status of a village.

In 1821, a new two-story church building of unique architecture was built. The high belfry and the gilded cross were visible even from the mouth of the Buotama. Built by craftsmen from thick pine logs fused from the upper reaches of the Lena, the church building stood for 139 years until it was dismantled in 1960. In 1850, a postal station was opened in Pokrovsk. They built a typical building that stood until the 80s of the last century, in which N. A. Naumov, an old resident of Pokrovsk, lived in the last years of his life.

In 1870, a brick building of the Church of the Transfiguration was built at the expense of the merchant Shestakov from Yakutsk. The merchant donated money in the hope of alleviating the fate of his only son, who, as a student in St. Petersburg, joined the Social Democrats and was arrested. In 1887, a parochial school was opened in Pokrovsk in the church building. The first teacher was the priest Neverov.

Yakutia. Pokrovsk. Restored church.

In 1895, Pokrovsk became the volost center of the Prilensky peasant coachmen, uniting 20 stations from Tabaga to Sanyyakhtakh. After 10 years, the volost was disaggregated, leaving 10 stations from Batamay to Tabaga for Pokrovsk. It was a small village, where there were about a dozen peasant households, the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and the Transfiguration, the nunnery of Saints Zosima and Savvaty, a postal station.

In 1931, Pokrovsk became the administrative center of the West-Kangalassky district, which was then renamed Ordzhonikidzevsky, now Khangalassky. In 1941 it received the status of an urban-type settlement. On September 26, 1997, it was given the status of a city.

Starting from the 80s of the XIX century, exiled populists, socialist-revolutionaries, social democrats visited here: M. Chkheidze, V. Yokhelson, S. Kotikov, G. Lisenkov, A. Gromov, A. Borchaninov and many others. Sergo Ordzhonikidze was exiled here in 1916-1917.

monument to Sergo Ordzhonikidze

Russian writers Ivan Goncharov, the author of the novels Oblomov and Frigate Pallas, visited Pokrovsk in the 19th century; Vladimir Korolenko, who described in his stories "The Sovereign Coachmen", "At-Daban" the life and customs of local coachmen; famous traveler, author of the book "Trip to Yakutsk" Nikolai Shchukin; writer, ethnographer Vatslav Seroshevsky, author of the famous fundamental work "Yakuts" and many others.

Population

Population for 2021 is 9507 people.

As of January 1, 2021, in terms of population, the city was in 937th place out of 1116] cities of the Russian Federation.

Economy

Industry

The city has a building materials plant, an asphalt-bitumen plant, and a plant for the production of basalt products.

Forestry. A fur farm that breeds silver-black foxes and sable. Compound feed plant.

Transport

It is connected by an asphalt road with Yakutsk (Route R-501). City public transport - bus (at least two city routes - 9 and 10). There is a suburban and intercity bus service to Yakutsk (bus 202). River pier. Ferry across the river. Lena "Pokrovsk - Tit-Ebya".

Climate

The climate of Pokrovsk, like the whole of central Yakutia, is distinguished by a very high degree of continentality. Summers are warm, often hot, but short, and winters are very long and severe. In winter, the temperature can drop below -50 °C, in summer it rises above +30 °C.

The average annual air temperature is -9.3 °C

Relative humidity - 69.5%

Average wind speed - 2.4 m/s

Climate of Pokrovsk

Source: NASA. RETScreen database

Culture, science, education

There are 4 schools in the city. Music and Art Schools.

The Pokrovsky College of Business Technologies operates (formerly a branch of the SFVU, former YSU).

There is a local history museum named after G. V. Ksenofontov and a house-museum of Grigory Konstantinovich Ordzhonikidze (Sergo Ordzhonikidze)

An Orthodox church was built for the 325th anniversary in 2007.

Pilot production farm "Pokrovskoe" of the Yakutsk Research Institute of Agriculture.

Near the city in the village of Oktyomtsy - a branch of the Yakut State Agricultural Academy

Yakutsk EAS Complex Facility of the Institute of Cosmophysical Research and Aeronomy. Yu. G. Shafer.

A mitochondrial haplogroup D was found in a male warrior from the Pokrovsky burial of the 2nd era of the Early Iron Age of Yakutia (2400–2200 years ago).

outskirts of Pokrovsk

Pokrovsk city administration building

It so happened that it was the Yakuts who were able to preserve the largest number of rituals and algys (blessings) of the ancient faith in Heaven. Living proof of this is June 22 - the day of the summer equinox and, at the same time, the beginning of the short northern summer. The Sakha people have always worshiped the Sun and Fire in their divine, metaphysical sense. Even the root “sah” of this word means fire, sunlight, or simply light.

The Ysyakh scenario provides that the solar deities Aiyy will arrive on Earth. Therefore, Aiyy Serge is established for them - the divine hitching post. After all, the gods will come on their fiery horses.

Serge (Yakut serge - "tethering post") - ritual poles among the Yakuts. Serge means that the area where it is installed has an owner. It is placed in the form of a processed pillar at the booth, at the gates of the house (“as long as the serge stands, the family is alive”). You can not destroy the serge - it must itself become worthless. Serge is associated with the cult of the horse and is also a symbol of the tree of life, the world tree that unites the three worlds. Three horizontal grooves are cut into the post. The upper one is intended for tying the horses of the celestials of the upper world, the middle one is for the horses of people, and the lower one is for the horses of the underworld. In the past, serge were installed during the initiation of a shaman (rite of passage shanar). In the burial places of shamans, very high serge were installed - for the hitching post of gods and spirits.

The word "Ysyakh" can be translated by the words "sprinkle", "sprinkle". On this day they say and sing good parting words - Algys. They refer not only to Aiyy and Tangara, but also to people and nature - forests, fields, lakes, rivers.

Ысыах

Later, stories begin about what was done, what moments in life were especially exciting over the past year, what was lost and what was gained, what was achieved.

By the way, the latter was used during the years of socialism. Ysyakh is so significant for the Yakut people that they decided not to cancel or ban it, but to add Soviet reality to it. As a result, representatives of the party and the Soviet government, heads of farms, ordinary workers and hunters took to the stands. And we talked about how they are fulfilling the five-year plan. After that, the foremost workers were honored and festivities began. Of course, there was nothing wrong with this, but the essence and meaning of the holiday, as a way of uniting man and Heaven, was lost.

National holiday Ysyakh

Ysyakh in Yakutia lasts for several days, which is why it was called a festival. The procedure for conducting Ysyakh is approved at the republican level. In ancient times, this time was not included in the calendar and equalized the failure of identical days in months. During these days, dozens of rituals were performed. They are mainly associated with the feeding and drinking of Fire, Sun and Sky. This symbolizes the relationship that established tengrism between gods and people. The participants in the celebration behave before the gods as they would if respected and beloved older relatives arrived. I want to feed and show strength, dexterity, surprise with dance, updates with Yakut ornaments and patterns, talk, share what is in my heart. This is precisely the main motive of Ysyakh.

Ысыах

It should be noted that the Yakut holiday Ysyakh has always been and remains cheerful and childishly naive. Its very atmosphere of stone upon stone does not leave the idea of ​​such events as some kind of gloomy pagan obscurantism with bloody sacrifices, dull shamans and mournful music. Here are examples of some of the competitions that are held during the celebration. Jumping on one leg, jumping on two legs on the marks, a competition to eat the most food and drink the most koumiss. You might think that the pioneer leaders in pioneer camps or mass entertainers come up with the same thing. True, children and adults rarely perceive such competitions with enthusiasm.

Ысыах

During Ysyakh they play with great enthusiasm. The fact is that each such game is a symbolic act of reprogramming one's destiny. Food plays the role of a symbol of prosperity, and jumping allows you to jump over failures. As a result, people change their fate for the whole year ahead. They change in a positive way, because in sports, and in comic competitions, as in fortune-telling, a happy fate is predetermined from the very beginning. After all, all this happens in front of the gods with horse teams behind their backs, in front of the Celestials, the messengers of the Father of all things - Tengri.

Ysyakh Olonkho

The tradition of celebrating Ysyakh is inseparable from the epic of the people of Sakha Olonkho. So much so that the full name of the holiday consists of two words - Ysyakh Olonkho. The relationship can be expressed something like this: Olonkho covers a huge layer of space and time. It is in this epic that it is said that God, Yuryug Aiyy Toion, created everything that we can or cannot perceive, gods and humans, the animal kingdom and the world of spirits. At the same time, the Middle World is granted to man. People are relatives of aiyy deities. The reins and bridles that people hold behind their backs are symbols of those reins and bridles that the celestials hold in their hands. They control people, but not as slaves. Rather, the deities see the limitations of people and come to the rescue in difficult situations.

In the form of an epic, Olonkho is a collection of poems. They tell about the fate of the Aiyy aimaga tribe, which was sent from the Upper World (Үөhee Doydu) to the Middle World (Orto Doydu). This is the world that people are able to perceive. The stories tell about how the settlement took place, what obstacles the heroes had to meet, how they withstood the difficulties. At the same time, the heroes often fight with representatives of the Abasy tribe - the Lower World (Allaraa Doidu).

Ысыах

By tradition, Olonkho is performed without musical accompaniment. Narrators (olonkhosuts) use a special tonality. They either pronounce poetic stanzas in a special recitative, or sing stanzas. All this is done with a special tonality.

Olonkho is completely saturated with the spirit of Tengrism. It is the message of the ancestors, and the ancient Sakhas made the main way of transmitting information not even the verses themselves, but their symbolism and the rituals arising from it. For some time they were almost completely replaced by theatricality. Narrators recited poems, dancers danced dances, even shamans fed sky, fire, sun and lawns with koumiss as a tribute to traditions with elements of folklore. Now the situation has begun to change radically. They even talked about the need to completely abandon the theatrical side and leave only the sacred part of the rituals and ceremonies. But such a radical approach did not work because of the very nature of Tengrism, which never put its own values ​​at the forefront.

Osuohai

It is no coincidence that the most culminating moment of the holiday is the Yakut Osuokhay. This is a symbolic unity of all people in one big round dance. Making measured movements, they move in the direction of the Sun. The leader of the olonkhosut continuously sings songs that praise everything that happens. The movement can start in the afternoon and continue until sunrise. However, in some uluses, the Yakut dance Osuokhay lasts three days and three nights. Of course, the members change. This is not an endurance marathon. The main thing is that the round dance lasts and lasts for long hours, filling the participants and spectators with the energy of unity.

Ысыах

Agree, an uninitiated tourist can take pictures and call it all a folklore dance. Maybe this is so, but at the same time there is also a collective prayer and meditation.

Ysyakh Tuimaady

Ysyakh in Yakutsk is held in the area of ​​Us Khatyn. The celebration of the meeting of summer, which takes place in the capital of the Republic of Sakha, is respectfully called Ysyakh Tuimaady. At the end of June, in the area of ​​Us Khatyn, near the city of Yakutsk, people from all over the republic gather to celebrate this special holiday together. Even the mayor of Yakutsk takes part in the grand opening of the event. For two days, various festive events are held here: horse races, sports, osuokhay dance, koumiss drinking, feasts, concerts with the participation of Yakut pop stars, meeting the sun, etc. In order not to spoil the national Yakut holiday, during Ysyakh, the sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited throughout the city.

Ысыах

Ysyakh Tuimaady has become so famous that guests from other cities of Russia come here, even representatives of various countries. After all, this holiday fully reflects the essence of the Yakut culture. In addition to Ysyakh Tuymaada and Olonkho, Ysyakh of Youth is also held, as the name itself says, a celebration of the meeting of summer, dedicated to youth. Ysyakh Manchaary is also held annually, a holiday with a sports bias. All self-respecting athletes of Yakutia are waiting for this holiday to measure their strength and exchange experiences in sports competitions.

The Yakut taiga hunter and the thunderstorm of German snipers Fedor Matveyevich Okhlopkov was born on March 3, 1908 in the village of Krest-Khaldzhai, now the Tomponsky ulus of Yakutia. Endurance and composure, endurance and self-control, flavored and multiplied by the skill of a hunter, peasant ingenuity - these are the qualities that distinguished him as a warrior.

In the Red Army - since September 1941. Since December 12 of the same year - at the front. Initially, he was a machine gunner in the 375th division of the 30th army. Its distinguishing feature was the accuracy of shooting from all types of small arms. Okhlopkov's brother Vasily died in the war. And Fedor swore an oath: to avenge his brother. And he kept his oath, beat the German to the fullest.

In August 1942, he was seriously wounded, but two months later he returned to the front again, already taking up a sniper rifle.

The battalion commander was delighted with the appearance of Fedor Okhlopkov: the enemy had a well-aimed shooter, who “shot” 7 of our soldiers with seven shots in a day. Okhlopkov was ordered to destroy an invulnerable enemy sniper. At dawn, the magic shooter went hunting. German snipers chose high positions, Okhlopkov preferred the ground.

Okhlopkov examined all the trees through binoculars from roots to crowns. The German shooter most likely chose a place on a pine tree with a forked trunk. The sniper glared at the suspicious tree, examining every branch on it. The mysterious silence grew ominous. He was looking for a sniper who was looking for him. The one who first finds his opponent and, ahead of him, pulls the trigger, wins.

As agreed, at 8:12 a.m. in a trench 100 meters from Okhlopkov, a soldier’s helmet was raised on a bayonet. A shot rang out from the forest. But the flash could not be detected. Okhlopkov continued to watch the suspicious pine tree.

"Cuckoo" hid on a tree. It is necessary, without betraying oneself, to wait patiently and, as soon as the sniper opens up, to strike him down with one bullet ... After an unsuccessful shot, the fascist will either disappear, or, having discovered him, will engage in single combat and return fire. In Okhlopkov's rich practice, he rarely succeeded in aiming twice at the same target. Every time after a miss, I had to seek out, track down, wait for days ...

Half an hour after the shot of the German sniper, at the place where the helmet was lifted, a glove appeared - one, then the second. From the side, one might have thought that the wounded man was trying to rise, grabbing his hand on the parapet of the trench. The enemy took the bait and took aim. Okhlopkov saw part of his face appear among the branches and the black dot of the muzzle of a rifle. Two shots fired at the same time. The German sniper flew head first to the ground.

For a week in the new division, Fedor Okhlopkov sent 11 fascists to the next world. This was reported from observation posts by witnesses of unusual duels.

The fighters, who saw Okhlopkov in battle, were surprised at his luckiness, spoke about him with love and a joke:

- Fedya is like an insured ... Two-wire ...

They did not know that invulnerability was given to the Yakut by caution and labor, he preferred to dig 10 meters of trenches than 1 meter of grave.

Okhlopkov went hunting at night too: he fired at the lights of cigarettes, at voices, at the clang of weapons, bowlers and helmets.

Once he pretended to be killed and lay motionless all day in a no man's land in a completely open field, among the silent, smoldering bodies of the slain soldiers. From this unusual position, he brought down an enemy sniper who was buried under an embankment in a drainpipe. The enemy soldiers did not even notice where the unexpected shot came from. The sniper lay until evening and, under the cover of darkness, crawled back to his own.

In the spring of 1944, Fedor's account reached 429 liquidated Germans.

In the battles for the city of Vitebsk on June 23, 1944, a sniper, supporting an assault group, received a through wound in the chest, was sent to a rear hospital and never returned to the front.

After demobilization, Fedor Matveyevich returned to Yakutia in 1945. The countrymen greeted their illustrious sniper with joy. In peaceful labor, 20 years flew by unnoticed. He raised ten children whom he loved very much. Okhlopkov was often visited by journalists and writers, hoping to find out details about his front-line biography. But every time he fell silent, not wanting to remember it.

On May 6, 1965, a decree was issued conferring the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to Okhlopkov. A month later, in Yakutsk, the highest award was presented to the war hero.

Increasingly, the severe wounds received by Fyodor Matveyevich in the war made themselves felt. On May 28, 1968, the inhabitants of the village of Krest-Khaldzhai saw off the famous countryman on his last journey.

Near the grave of Okhlopkov F.M. in with. Cross - Khaldzhay of the Tomponsky district of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

The Baikal-Amur Mainline is a grandiose phenomenon not only in Russian, but also in world history. The road with a length of over 4000 kilometers passes among the harsh ridges, on permafrost, in the vast expanses of Siberia. BAM became the most expensive project in the history of the Soviet state. Enthusiasts from all the republics of the USSR united to build this path.

The history of Transbaikalia turned out to be inextricably linked with the history of the Baikal-Amur Mainline. The need to build good roads in Siberia arose long ago - only in this way could "Russia's wealth grow in Siberia." The construction of roads in Siberia began in the 19th century. In connection with large-scale projects for the study of Siberia and its natural resources, the question was raised of building a railway line to the very Pacific coast. Even then, two routes were outlined along which the railway could pass: through the southern Transbaikalia or through the northern one.

Interestingly, according to the original plans, the Trans-Siberian Railway, the Great Siberian Way, was supposed to pass on the site of the current BAM. It was believed that this route to the banks of the Amur would be 500 miles shorter. The governor of the Turgai region, Alexander Petrovich Protsenko, took into account the fact that the option of the northern route of the Great Siberian Route would be further from the Chinese border and therefore more strategically safe. In 1889, in the village of Boyarskoye on the southeastern shore of Lake Baikal, to discuss the construction of a railway from

Baikal to the Amur met the Irkutsk governor-general Ignatiev and the Amur governor Baron Korf. It was decided to conduct a reconnaissance of the area. Two groups led by prospectors Nikolai Afanasyevich Voloshinov and Ludwig Ivanovich Prohasky faced completely unsuitable conditions not only for construction, but also for life. In their reports, they wrote that the future road would have to pass "to the north of the line of successful arable farming", that it "is unsuitable for cultivation and cannot be considered as a reserve of land for settlement."

After the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway went south, there was some calm with the future BAM. But then, at the beginning of the 20th century, the idea of ​​building a railway in these parts began to sound again, this time in the Bodaibo region. This is a gold-bearing region, and the reason was the desire to develop the Lena gold mines. At the same time, it was planned to build a port on the Lena River in order to deliver cargo from the mines to the railroad. Various projects were presented. So, the first version of Loic de Lobel's project covered: Irkutsk - Yakutsk - Bering Strait - Alaska.

The second version of the de Lobel project was more feasible: Baikal - Amur. However, the construction of the century began only in Soviet times. The very name Baikal-Amur Mainline, like the abbreviation BAM, appeared in 1930. In the 1930s, intensive exploration work began to the northeast of Lake Baikal. The road was supposed to pass through the richest places of the Irkutsk region, Buryatia, Transbaikalia, Yakutia, the Amur region and the Khabarovsk Territory in order to develop mineral deposits. Political considerations also contributed to the construction of the BAM: Japan occupied the northeast of China.

In 1938, there was a conflict at Lake Khasan, in 1939, hostilities took place at Khalkhin Gol. The Trans-Siberian, running close to the Chinese border, was too vulnerable. However, after the first studies of the area, it became clear that the territory was sparsely populated and people had to be found for construction. According to Komsomol vouchers, people were recruited 10 times less than the expected number. For the construction of BAM, a whole special system was created - BAMLAG.

Among the prisoners of BAMLAG was Father Pavel Florensky, who not only served time there, but also prepared a study on construction in permafrost. The words of Florensky himself are known: “The task of life is not to live without worries, but to live with dignity and not be an empty place and ballast of your country.”

In 1938, the first approaches to the future route from the Trans-Siberian were built. These are the lines BAM - Tynda and Izvestkovaya - Urgal. In wartime, the construction of the BAM was suspended - the rails from the already built approaches were taken to the famous Volga Rokada near Stalingrad in 1942, where they were very needed.

But already in 1943, they began to build the Komsomolsk-Sovetskaya Gavan line, and in 1945 this line started working. In 1951, the western approach to the BAM from Taishet to Lena was opened, but it was put into permanent operation only in 1958, seven years later. Then, for ten years, there was a lull again at the BAM, until the deterioration of relations with China again made the strategic motives for laying the northern highway to the east relevant again. In 1967, a decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR was issued, and regular surveys of the route began.

In April 1974, the XVII Congress of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League took place, at which the BAM was declared a shock Komsomol construction site and the headquarters of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League was created under the patronage of the BAM. The first detachment of Komsomol builders was sent from the Congress of the Komsomol. The work was carried out in all directions, from ideological propaganda to various incentives for young builders.

In the 1970s, life at BAM and during its construction was very difficult. Many of those who arrived were not aware of the difficulties of their future life and work. Living conditions were very difficult. Nevertheless, many of the former Komsomol members do not regret the years spent on the construction of the highway and remember them as one of the best periods of their lives.

In April 1974, the XVII Congress of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League took place, at which the BAM was declared a shock Komsomol construction site and the headquarters of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League was created under the patronage of the BAM. The first detachment of Komsomol builders was sent from the Congress of the Komsomol. The work was carried out in all directions, from ideological propaganda to various incentives for young builders.

In the 1970s, life at BAM and during its construction was very difficult. Many of those who arrived were not aware of the difficulties of their future life and work. Living conditions were very difficult. Nevertheless, many of the former Komsomol members do not regret the years spent on the construction of the highway and remember them as one of the best periods of their lives.

The road to the BAM country starts from Taishet, a junction station on the Trans-Siberian Railway. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, professional railway workers and soldiers helped to build the most difficult sections of the road. Brigades from all the republics of the USSR, detachments of volunteers from Bulgaria, Hungary, and Mongolia worked at the construction site. Tynda - the capital of BAM - was built by Muscovites, Ulkan and Angoya - by Azerbaijanis, stations Kyuchelbekerskaya and Zvezdnaya - by Armenians, Severobaikalsk - by Leningraders, Alonka - by Moldavians.

In total, over 2 million people participated in the construction. For a whole decade BAM was in the center of attention of the country. News from the construction site opened news releases, poets and composers raced to compose songs. Among the authors of BAM hits were Alexandra Pakhmutova and Nikolai Dobronravov, Oscar Feltsman and Robert Rozhdestvensky, Vladimir Shainsky, Lev Oshanin and others.

The construction of BAM was carried out simultaneously from the west and east. On September 29, 1984, the brigades of Alexander Bondar and Ivan Varshavsky met at the Balbukhta junction in the Chita region. On October 1, the “golden link” was solemnly laid at the Kuanda station, and on October 27, the Baikal-Amur Mainline was officially declared open. More than 88,000 people were awarded the medal "For the construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline".

Despite the docked tracks, there was still a lot of work to be done. Only in 1989 BAM was put into permanent operation. And the longest Severomuysky tunnel in Russia (15 km) was put into operation only in December 2003.

BAM became Russia's second railway access to the Pacific Ocean after the Trans-Siberian Railway. The length of its main route is 4287 km. The highway, called the Baikal-Amur, actually begins much west of Lake Baikal, and ends southeast of the Amur. BAM is connected with the Trans-Siberian Railway by three lines, has branches to Ust-Ilimsk and towards Yakutsk. The highway crosses seven mountain ranges and 11 major rivers.

10 tunnels have been dug along the route. More than 1,000 km of track was laid in areas of permafrost and high seismicity. About 200 railway stations and sidings, more than 60 cities, towns, and industrial enterprises have been built along the BAM. BAM is traditionally called not only the road itself, but also the entire territory associated with it. In the 90s of the XX century, the highway, like the whole country, went through severe trials.

Much has been said about the unprofitability of BAM. Nevertheless, it was possible to keep its working capacity. And today the highway is relevant again. Interest in it has appeared both among the state and large businesses, including due to the growth of coal exports through the ports of the Far East to the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. Traffic volumes along the BAM are growing, the road is operating at its capacity limit. Surprisingly, the construction of BAM continues today. Nowadays, after 80 years of construction, in 2012 the new Kuznetsovsky Tunnel was completed.

BAM is one of the largest geopolitical world projects of the 20th century.

During his short life, Macedonian achieved incredible results, conquering vast territories and gaining world fame. Thanks to his military campaigns, the popularization of Greek culture in the East began, and the king himself became known in Western historiography as Alexander the Great.

There are many mysterious things in his biography that are unlikely to ever be cleared up. However, we will try to tell all the most interesting facts from his life.

Biography of Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great (Alexander III the Great) was supposedly born on July 20/23 or October 6/10, 356 BC. e. in the Macedonian capital of Pella. He came from the famous Argead family, which, according to Greek mythology, originated from Hercules himself.

Alexander's father, Philip II, was the king of Macedonia, and his mother, Olympias, was the daughter of the ruler of Epirus. The prince had a paternal half-brother - Philip 3, who suffered from dementia.

Childhood and youth

Alexander from an early age admired his father, who often won victories over his opponents and was an excellent diplomat.

It is worth noting that in childhood, the mother had a strong influence on the boy. An interesting fact is that she turned her son against his father.

History of Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great was trained in Miez by his relatives. He was taught military affairs and lifestyle by Leonid, whom the future king considered his adoptive father. To the young man he was very strict and demanding, but fair.

Alexander the Great on a fragment of an ancient Roman mosaic from Pompeii

Alexander also had a second tutor named Lismakh, who taught him philosophy, gymnastics, music and other sciences.

Having reached the age of 13, the great ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle became the new teacher of the teenager. He did his best to give his student as much knowledge as possible.

Most of all, Aristotle tried to instill in Alexander the Great a love for politics, philosophy and ethics, since these disciplines, in his opinion, were essential for the future king. They often talked on various topics, raising important issues and exchanging their own views on life.

In this period of his biography, Alexander the Great was distinguished by stubbornness and purposefulness. At the same time, he showed absolute indifference to physical benefits, for a long time not having feelings for women and limiting himself to food. In many ways, this was the merit of Leonid, who from an early age raised the boy in the spirit of the Spartans.

For the first time, Alexander the Great was on the battlefield at the age of 16. When Philip 2 went to war against Byzantium, unrest arose in his homeland, initiated by the Thracians. The young commander brilliantly suppressed the uprising with the remaining soldiers, and formed the city of Alexandropol on the site of the Thracian settlements.

Later, Alexander the Great also participated in the battles, showing the courage and talent of a wise military leader. When in 336 BC. e. his father Philip was killed, Alexander became the new king of Macedonia.

From that time began the history of the legendary ruler and commander.

Campaigns of Alexander the Great

Once in power, Alexander killed all the enemies of his father involved in his death. Then he abolished taxes and set about restoring power in Macedonia and Greece. Having united all of Hellas, the king organized a campaign against Persia, which Philip had dreamed of for so long.

Alexander: "Ask me for whatever you want." Diogenes: "Don't block the sun for me!"р

In the battle with the Persians, Alexander the Great fully revealed his talent as a commander. In the battle near the Granik River, he defeated the enemy, as a result of which he managed to capture almost all of Asia Minor.

This victory brought him worldwide fame and recognition.

Soon Alexander conquered Syria, Palestine, Caria, Phoenicia and other states. Then he went to war against Egypt, where he was greeted as a national hero. There he founded the city of Alexandria in his honor.

In general, it must be said that the biography of Alexander the Great consists almost entirely of military campaigns.

Alexander enters Babylon

Returning to Persia, he captured Susa, Persepolis and Babylon, which later became the capital of the united state. In 329 BC. e. The king of Persia, Darius, was killed by his own associates.

Alexander the Great skillfully took advantage of this situation and again showed himself as a wise tactician and strategist. He stated that it was not the invaders who were to blame for the collapse of the Persian Empire, but the murderers of Darius. Immediately after this, he announced that he was ready to avenge Darius.

Becoming the ruler of Asia, Alexander captured Sogdean and Bactria in 2 years. An interesting fact is that when conquering new cities, he often renamed them in his honor.

Conquests of Alexander the Great

In 326 BC. e. Alexander the Great organized a military campaign against India. Initially, he was able to capture some territories, but after crossing the Indus River, his soldiers refused to continue the offensive.

One of the most reliable depictions of Alexander (Louvre Museum)

The soldiers are seriously tired from the endless battles, tropical rains, snakes and unaccustomed food. In addition, they were afraid of the large Indian army and its elephants. Thus, the king had to return home.

A characteristic feature of Alexander the Great was that when he invaded this or that land, he never imposed his beliefs and customs on people.

On the contrary, the commander willingly accepted the religious views and traditions of other peoples.

In addition, an interesting fact of the biography of Alexander the Great is that he left the conquered kings in their places, thanks to which he avoided unnecessary unrest in the occupied territories.

Future Roman emperors would do the same.

Personal life

It is generally accepted that Alexander the Great had 360 concubines, of which Campaspa and Barsina are distinguished, who gave birth to his son Hercules. He was also in a relationship with the leader of the Amazons Thalestris and the Indian princess Cleophis.

In general, in the biography of Alexander the Great there were 3 wives. The first was the daughter of a local nobleman, Roxana. An interesting fact is that the king married her when the girl was barely 14 years old. In this marriage, their son Alexander was born.

After that, Alexander the Great married the daughters of King Darius - Stateira and King Artaxerxes 3 - Parysatis. It is fair to say that both marriages were entered into only for political reasons. Although this did not prevent Roxana from killing Stateira on the basis of jealousy immediately after the death of her husband.

Interestingly, Alexander the Great respected the weaker sex and even believed that women were actually equal to men. This position was very unusual for that time.

Death

In the winter of 323 B.C. e. Alexander the Great began to prepare for the conquest of the Arabian Peninsula and a campaign against Carthage. But a few days before the start of the military campaign, he became seriously ill.

Many historians believe that the commander was sick with malaria, but there are versions in favor of poisoning the king.

After 10 days of severe fever, June 10 or 13, 323 BC. Alexander the Great died at the age of 32. It is worth noting that the great commander did not leave behind any orders regarding who would take his throne. Perhaps that is why immediately after his death, the gigantic empire of Alexander the Great collapsed.

Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov (1729-1800) - Count Rymniksky (1789), Prince of Italy (1799), Russian commander, Generalissimo (1799). He began his service as a corporal in 1748. Member of the Seven Years' War. During the Russian-Turkish wars (1768-74 and 1787-91) he won victories at Kozludzha (1774), Kinburn (1787), Focsani (1789), Rymnik (1789) and captured the Izmail fortress by storm (1790).

In the last stage of the Emelyan Pugachev uprising from August 1774, Suvorov led the troops sent to suppress it. He commanded the troops that suppressed the Polish uprising of 1794. In 1799 he conducted the Italian and Swiss campaigns, defeating the French troops on the rivers Adda and Trebbia and at Novi; out of encirclement by crossing the Swiss Alps.

Author of military-theoretical works ("Regimental Institution", "Science of Victory"). He created an original system of views on the methods of warfare and combat, education and training of troops. Suvorov's strategy was offensive in nature. He developed the tactics of columns and loose formation. Didn't lose a single battle.

The beginning of a military career

Alexander Suvorov was born on November 13 (24), 1729, in Moscow in the family of a nobleman. His father was a general in the Russian army, who strictly followed the upbringing and education of his son. The most favorite subject of young Alexander Suvorov was military history, while he spoke seven languages. In 1742, according to the custom of that time, he was enlisted as a private in the Semyonovsky Life Guards Regiment. He began his active service at the age of seventeen as a corporal. From that moment on, Suvorov's whole life was subordinated to military service. Later, Suvorov wrote about himself: "I am only a military man and I am a stranger to other talents."

Possessing relatively poor health, Alexander Suvorov constantly tempered himself physically. Even then, he established himself as a serviceable and demanding non-commissioned officer. In 1754 he was promoted to the first officer rank of lieutenant and assigned to the Ingermanland Infantry Regiment. He received his baptism of fire during the Seven Years' War, then took part in the hostilities against the Prussians in the period 1758-1761, in particular, in the bloody battle of Kunersdorf in 1759. Since 1761 A.V. Suvorov successfully commanded a cavalry regiment and was promoted to colonel for his distinction in battle. Thus, in six years he went from junior officer to colonel and was praised by many Russian military leaders for his composure and courage on the battlefields.

The formation of the commander

The formation and formation of Alexander Suvorov as a commander took place during two Russian-Turkish wars in the victorious century of Empress Catherine II. In 1770, becoming a major general, he participated in the war with the Turks of 1768-1774, however, at its final stage, commanding a separate detachment. Thanks to successful actions against the Turks near Turtukai and Kozludzha, he was promoted to lieutenant general. At the same time, he had the honor to fight under the leadership of Field Marshal P. A. Rumyantsev, which played a significant role in the development of his military talents.

But Suvorov's talent, both as a tactician and an original strategist, was fully revealed during the second war with the Turks in 1787-1791. Produced in 1786 to the rank of General-in-Chief, Alexander Suvorov, first commanding a corps, distinguished himself in the defense of Kinburn, where he was seriously wounded; then he took part in the assault on the Turkish fortress of Ochakov, receiving a second wound. In 1789, the Russian-Austrian troops under his leadership inflicted a crushing defeat on the Turks near Focsani, and then on the Rymnik River. These victories radically changed the strategic situation in the theater of operations in favor of the Russian army.

But a particularly striking victory for Alexander Suvorov was the swift assault on the impregnable Turkish fortress of Izmail in 1790. The participants in the bloody Izmail battle were rightly proud that they fought under the command of Suvorov that day, and this event entered the annals of Russian history on a par with the Poltava and Borodino battles. Military successes brought the commander and new awards, for this war he received the highest Russian orders of St. Andrew the First-Called and St. George 1st class, and was also granted the title of Count Rymniksky with posterity.

The next stage in the military biography of Alexander Suvorov was the command of Russian troops against the Polish confederates (Polish uprising, 1794). The arrival of Suvorov in Poland immediately turned the tide in favor of the Russians, the Poles began to suffer one defeat after another, and after the assault on Prague, the fortified suburb of Warsaw, the Confederates laid down their arms and capitulated. For successful operations in Poland, he received the rank of Field Marshal.

Theorist and practitioner

Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov, ahead of his time, nevertheless, was able to develop and enrich the best traditions of Russian military art. They were embodied in the famous Suvorov instruction - the book "The Science of Victory", written by him before 1796. This work summarizes not only the richest combat experience of Suvorov, accumulated over a long military career, it can be considered an excellent tactical aid.