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Describing his visiting of Aleksandrovsky factory, V.Mainov informs the following: "The mining board makes quite the state in the state in Petrozavodsk and unusually carefully closes the doors before the intolerable curious visitors. Thus, for example, at the first abzug (from German here – 'sign') we were nearly banished from the property of the dark-blue piping. Sure in culture of the mountain heads, as well as of any heads in general, we were headed towards the forbidden gate of Aleksandrovsky factory, but were stopped by terrible shouts of the real Cerberus " where to! where!"; we were struck, but have hastened to explain that we dared to think that it was possible to look over the factory. "Whether the heads would allow!" – was the answer of Cerberus, who immediately explained to us wondering what great hardship we should pass through to receive the right to enter the gate prohibited for the mortal. Only some time after we have risked at last to go on the hardship and have looked over the factory and the so-called store, where heaps of irons, shovels, weights were piled."
As for the cathedral of Peter and Paul, in notes they write that "the cathedral was kept in that kind as it had appeared at foundation of Petrozavodsk". But, as it is known, it was reconstructed many times, and one of travellers marks it also informing that " from Peter there remained completely reconstructed cathedral which the descendants have wanted to alter in more beautiful way, but instead have deprived this monument of the genius of that stamp characterized Peter so much".
Nevertheless in the cathedral there are some icons from Peter the First's field church. Speaking about monuments, all travelers mark the fine monument to Peter the First in their notes. Here's the tourists' description of it: "Peter the Great is represented in the working suit, he is facing the cannon foundry, which he with specifies his right hand as the deed of his genius". The monument stands on Petrovskaya square.
 | | The monument to Alexander II |
The second monument is on Sobornaya square: the emperor Alexander II is represented in the general's uniform, in the porphyry, holding a scroll with an inscription: "February, 19, 1861" in the right hand. On the pedestal of the monument there was the inscription: "to the reign the liberator from zemstvo of Olonets, 1881". Around of this and the other monuments decent squares are laid out, which considerably decorate the city".
But all visited in Petrozavodsk gave special attention to the diocesan museum. Mainov writes: "First of all we went to the museum open under initiative of the chief of the Olonets province. The museum is located in extensive round hall of the so-called governor's palace or house. From the subjects located in the museum a full collection of marbles quarried in Olonets province, the small collection of minerals and grounds, assembly of ancient coins found within the boundaries of the province, utensils, cordage, parts of clothes, instruments and weapons of the inhabitants Prionezhsky territory and, at last, the excellently executed moulds of the district of the Marcial Waters and remarkable Kizhi church with 28 domes pay attention to itself" – the author considers necessary to note this remarkable undertaking and compliments the provincial statistical committee as they have created this museum, and calls to create similar museums in other cities of Russia.
Here's one more certificate on visiting of the museum: the special attention was paid to the historical department, in which "the first place is occupied by the lectern and the candlesticks made with own hand of the Emperor Peter the Great when he was visiting in the Marcial waters…, the big reliefs representing Marcial waters, the church of that place, the church on Vytegorsky country churchyard (both of Peter's times) and the falls Kivatch and Por-Porog, and also the relief plan of Petrozavodsk".
And Krukovsky having visited the diocesan museum in 1904 and informing that there are many interesting subjects of the Stone Age and also of Olonets olden time and modern ethnography, has found necessary to note that many sections are absent and the ethnographic collection consists mostly of new and clean things and is not full. "A few years later the pearl kokoshniks and earrings will disappear, along with wood traces of crafts will disappear, the type of the person will change together with nature, and nothing remains immortalized, written down in the book of life of peoples. In the museum there are no even good modern photographs", – complains Krukovsky.
Visiting Petrozavodsk, many marked a plenty of various educational institutions (grammar school, seminary, spiritual school, female eparchial school, craft school). The Nikolayevsky shelter, the city school, a few civil parochial schools and six parish school were there in the city as well. Except for that in Petrozavodsk there were two hospitals, two drugstore, and two charitable institutions: the Petrozavodsk charitable society and committee of care for the poor; Alekseyevskaya library; there were two societies: of the fancy of music and drama art and of hunters of Olonia.
 | The summer theatre in the Public Garden
of Petrozavodsk, 1910 |
Among the most beautiful places of Petrozavodsk tourists of the beginning of the century marked the summer public garden located on the coast of the lake, near cathedrals. "As the monuments assert, it was originally laid out by Peter the Great. Nowadays it is located on the place where the imperial palace and the most part of the former factory constructions were. Nowadays on the place of the former palace there is a column with the inscription about its former existence. As the historical place, this garden is carefully supported by the city society and in summertime serves for walks and other amusements".
 | General view of the quay of Petrozavodsk
1914 |
Speaking of the walks and the amusements, many tourists marked that in the summer (namely in this period Petrozavodsk is attended by a great number of tourists, who come to admire "wild and majestic" pictures of Olonets nature), " as the most innocent entertainments for the townspeople and for the coming tourists are, by the way, boating over beautiful Onega, then walks to neighboring groves and mountains, for example to Kukkovka, Senatorks, Drevlianka, Vladimirka, and also walks to the steamship quay when steamships come and depart. The huge crowd of people ordinarily gathers on the steamship quay, more often when steamships leave. In celebratory and Sundays the flower of Petrozavodsk youth, both intelligent, and idle gather here. After seeing-off the steamship the public moves towards the public summer garden, from which the beautiful view of the entire lake opens. In summertime Petrozavodsk with the beautiful vicinities can be a magnificent summer residence especially for those who like to enjoy a variety of views of nature. The climate in Petrozavodsk, as well as in Olonia in general, is very healthy. The means of foodstuffs here are not bad here as well. In the city there are always fine fish, and fine game; except for that in summertime there is sometimes no lack of mushrooms and different berries, which are carried both by city dwellers and inhabitants of the next villages. These subjects are delivered to Petrozavodsk both over land, and by boats from the opposite coast. In neighboring woods of Petrozavodsk wolves and bears appear from time to time, whom in the Petrozavodsk, unfortunately, nobody hunts; … in winter wolves sometimes run in the city. Once the wolf, having made the way at night to Petrozavodsk, has got on the Factory bridge and has jumped off from it in the court yard of the factory, from where, certainly, he could not run out and was killed on the place by the workers. In dark autumn and winter nights sometimes it might be not safe in the suburbs of the city. In this period of time they quite often fill the suburbs of the city with the loud howling. However, the number of wolves is much more in any internal province of Russia, than in Olonia".
Tourists notice then that "Petrozavodsk was considerably decorated in the last 20 – 25 years (it is said in the book "Kivatch falls and a way to it", issued in St.Petersburg in 1910) …appearance of the city is rather tidy, and its trading value was much improved with development in general shipping companies on Onega and with establishment of the urgent steamship communication with the capital. In this respect the improvement of the city of Petrozavodsk is obliged to the Olonets governor's tireless activity, energy and love to Olonets territory".
These are, in my opinion, interesting opinions about our city were stated by the various travelers and tourists in the beginning of the 20-th century. I think, that these opinions were as well interesting to our dear readers living in Petrozavodsk in the next century.
Maria Neyolova,
the manageress of the scientific reference library of the National archive of the RK
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