House of free apartments for widows with many children and poor students on the Sofia embankment. Photo 1902
How Rosneft pressed with Bolotnaya widows of many children
If you have been to Bolotnaya Square, you probably saw behind the "monument to sins" a huge building of Rosneft, overlooking the Kremlin and Bolotnaya (this is the Sofia embankment, 26/1). But you hardly know that this complex of buildings before the revolution was called "House of free apartments for widows with many children and poor students on the Sofia embankment", and it was arranged and maintained by merchants Bakhrushin - Moscow benefactors, who were among the five richest people in the country. In 1912, about 2 thousand people lived in the house. In addition to apartments with heating and lighting, they used the infirmary, reading rooms and library, two kindergartens, a school, two craft schools with equipment (orders for linen came, including from the Bolshoi Theater), working rooms with sewing machines for widows, a bath and a gym. And there was a free dining room for the students. "The largest and only institution of its kind in all of Russia" – wrote about the Widow's House in the press of that time. The Bakhrushins came up with and implemented two more unique projects for that time - the first hospice in Russia and the first family-type orphanage. Both complexes of buildings still stand, but, like the Widow's House, changed owners. Representatives of no other merchant family have built in Moscow as many God-pleasing institutions and temples as the Bakhrushins.
Millionaire from the basket
The Bakhrushins lived in Zaraysk and earned money by prasolstvo, that is, they bought cattle in the villages and distilled them for sale in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Not all animals could withstand the long road. In order not to lose the good, the carcasses of animals were freshened, and the skins were made and sold. In this case, Alexander Bakhrushin earned a certain amount and moved his wife and children to Moscow. The smallest of the future multimillionaires rode in a two-handed chicken basket wrapped in fur coats. The family settled in the Kozhevniki district and opened its own glove production here.
They worked as a family, lived poorly. "The income was penny," recalls a contemporary. "The eldest son Peter went to the Mytny yard, where there was hay bargaining, and for the hryvnia-five-altyn accompanied the purchased cart with hay to the buyer's yard, so as not to steal along the way." The brothers, according to the memoirs of the great-granddaughter of A. Bakhrushin, "loved folk entertainment; participated in fist fights, possessing remarkable strength, and enthusiastically rode in the yard on barrels, quickly sorting through the legs. " Education Bakhrushin tried to give his children the best that his income could allow, and the middle son even taught french.
Сам Бахрушин хоть и был «образован на медные деньги», но недостаток образования восполнял природным умом и наблюдательностью. Его любознательность и любовь ко всему новому определили направление развития семейного предприятия. «Он стремился поставить, развить и дать прогрессивный намек тому делу, которым начал заниматься почти случайно», — вспоминали люди, близко его знавшие.
Мастер высокой трубы
Бахрушин одним из первых в Москве модернизировал свое производство: выписал из-за границы 12-сильную паровую машину, провел к ней водопровод и соорудил самую первую в столице кирпичную трубу, по совместительству являвшуюся и самой высокой в городе. Хозяин даже воспел в стихах свою паровую машину и трубу, «которая горит на фабрике, как свеча».
Предприимчивость и деловитость не мешали Александру Федоровичу быть поэтом и философом, он сочинял афоризмы и стихи, а понравившиеся мысли записывал в блокнот. На западный манер Бахрушин сделал производство почти безотходным — из отходов варили клей и мыло. Многие посматривали на трубу Бахрушина с неодобрением, качая головой: «Вылетит он в эту самую трубу». Возможно, именно эта и есть та самая труба, которая способствовала широкому распространению крылатой фразы.
And it would be fine only a pipe, but Bakhrushin also shaved off his beard, which for a merchant of that time was considered shameful. Here is how P. Buryshkin describes it in the book "Merchant Moscow": "They said about the beard that once, having drunk, A. F. argued with other merchants for 100 rubles that he would shave his beard. Immediately he called the barber: "Shave my beard." - "I can't, your degree, when you sober up, you will beat me." - "Come On Scissors" And he cut off his beard, and then the barber shaved it." Advanced views extended to the sons. And if the mother ordered her sons coats with too long, in the opinion of the father, floors, he silently took scissors and cut off the excess.
With all the modernity of technology, Bakhrushin's affairs were kept according to ancient merchant traditions, and the family itself was known for its firm Orthodox faith. Alexander Fedorovich taught his children this way: "You knew the need with me together, be able to respect it in others; never say anything about a person that could damage his good name, or business relationships and well-being. If you hear anything, know for yourself."
Flew into the pipe
Incomes have risen, and things seem to have gone uphill. Bakhrushin bought his first house in Moscow in 1836. In 1845, 80 people worked at the factory of the merchant of the 2nd guild A. F. Bakhrushin, and goods were produced in the amount of 73 thousand 500 rubles. silver. For comparison, the largest enterprise of the leather industry of that time produced products for 103 thousand 500 rubles.
But in 1848, the predictions of envious people suddenly come true. The cholera epidemic takes the life of the head of the family. After his death, it turns out that Bakhrushin took money for the reconstruction of the factory at interest, and the company had not yet had time to recoup the invested funds. Lenders, having learned about the death of the borrower, demanded their money back. But even the value of all the property of the company was not enough to pay, and the family was advised to abandon the inheritance in order not to take on debts. Widow Natalia Ivanovna (1791-1862) gathered her sons Peter (1819-1894), Alexander (1823-1916) and Vasily (1832-1906) for a family council.
At the council, it was decided to continue the work of his father, not to give up his debts and work - God will help. Creditors were asked for a delay, promising to pay everything from future profits. The brothers also put money for the future at interest never to take, and with partners to pay only in cash. Following the order of his father, the family decided to spend part of the profit at the end of the year on charity. In addition, it was decided not to divide the capital and conduct business together in the form of a partnership. The management was taken over by an illiterate, but knowledgeable company Natalia Ivanovna.
Without the elder, no one dared to sit down at the table.
"Tuesday 14. At 7 a.m.... Praying to God, I got drunk with tea, I passed through the plant, I accepted the goods and disassembled ...", - the elder brother Pyotr Alekseevich writes in his diary. Judging by the records, almost every day he began with participation in worship. After the death of his mother, the brothers divided control among themselves. Peter became the head of the family and took over the management of the family budget, as well as the cloth factory. The middle brother Alexander managed the leather production, and the younger Vasily - the system of sale of goods. By this time, the brothers had finally paid off their creditors and the business flourished, and goods were sold not only throughout Russia, but also in Persia and China. Pyotr
"The brothers lived very patriarchally," writes Buryshkin, who knew the family. - The eldest, Pyotr Alekseevich, ruled the whole house, the whole family and brothers, and adults, married sons, as a dictator ... no one could sit down until he came to the dining room." When the eldest in the family entered, someone read a prayer and everyone sat silently. At the table, no one dared to speak, except the elder. If he asked questions, he was answered. Children were not allowed to the table of adults at all. One brother could save for two years for a God-pleasing cause, and if he lacked, he went to the elder and beat his forehead, that is, on his knees bowed to the floor, and asked for help, which he received. For the effectiveness of bakhrushin already in the XIX century was called professional benefactors.
Stingy but generous
The Bakhrushins' charity was distinguished by several characteristic features. First, none of the charitable institutions built by bakhrushin was left without a temple. Secondly, about half of the donated funds were put in the bank at interest on the maintenance and development of the institution. In order for the money to be spent as efficiently as possible, the brothers and their relatives were included in the boards of trustees of the institutions being created, delved into all internal affairs, "giving their knowledge and experience in order to save every penny of the amounts they donated." Contemporaries mistaken this feature for greed for money and miscercraft.
Fuel to the fire added moderation in everyday life and saving on their whims, which distinguished the Bakhrushins. According to a family acquaintance. N. A. Varentsova: "Their affairs were very successful, but Muscovites could not imagine their wealth in modesty and restraint of their lives, although they lived in their mansions and, perhaps, large sizes, but not conspicuous luxury finishes ... We rode in simple carriages... I've never seen any of the ... the Bakhrushin brothers in... trendy restaurants or sitting in the front rows of chairs during special theatrical performances." The Bakhrushins had the most modest finishing reception offices in Moscow, over which contemporaries made fun of. Here, for example, is what "New Time" wrote: "One of the largest and richest firms in Moscow is the trading house of the Bakhrushin brothers ... The owners are still young people, with higher education, well-known benefactors who donate hundreds of thousands. They conduct their work, albeit on a new basis, that is, using the last words of science, but according to the old Moscow customs. Their offices and reception rooms, for example, make you want a lot." But if the offices could be scolded by someone, the charitable institutions were the most advanced.
In an orphanage, as in paradise
The ensemble of 7 red brick buildings with a decapitated temple, lost on the outskirts of the Mosvodopribor plant, is all that remains today from the first family-type orphanage in Russia, created by the Bakhrushins. (1st Riga lane, 2, p. 7). In the center of the ensemble created specifically for boys "children's temple" in honor of the Life-Giving Trinity. The temple was made in a pseudo-Byzantine style, with an abundance of gold and decoration reminiscent of illustrations to a fairy tale. Above the altar is a rare fresco - Christ in his youth, that is, without a beard. Today, the temple is returned to the Church, and the hive of rooms, into which the inner space was turned, was destroyed. When the community began to clean the walls, frescoes, presumably the work of Vasnetsov, came out from under the paint in Zhirinovsky's former office (he worked here before he entered politics). According to the descendants of the Bakhrushins, Vasnetsov was one of the artists benethetized by patrons, and in gratitude painted many of their temples.
В январе 2013 года умер последний из воспитанников приюта (ему было 106 лет) по фамилии Рачков. Он рассказывал о жизни в приюте такими словами: «Я был как в раю, я всю жизнь потом вспоминал это место и то, как нас любили».
"We have the honor to ask you to bring to the attention of the Moscow City Duma that we want to donate capital of 600 thousand rubles. ... for the construction in Moscow of a free shelter for poor, abandoned by their parents children and orphans of the Orthodox faith, mainly Moscow residents," bakhrushin wrote to Prince Golitsyn in 1895. For shelter, merchants gave the city land in the park area of Sokolniki. Six houses, in which large families of 20-25 people lived children together with the teachers attached to them. By 1905, the shelter contained 150 "scholars of the Bakhrushin brothers." A home theater was arranged in the shelter, orchards were laid out in front of each house by the hands of children, several chicken coops, dovecotes and enclosures for geese were arranged, there was an infirmary, a laundry and a bath. On holidays, the buildings were decorated with electric garlands, and in the evenings - readings with a magic lantern were arranged. Women of the Bakhrushin family taught in the shelter school.
The task of the shelter was to prepare children for independent life, for which they were not only taught literacy, but also given any profession, depending on the inclination. The main craft was chosen quite then a new and most promising electrical engineering. In the shelter there were carpentry and locksmith workshops, a forge. Already during their studies, teenagers professionally performed third-party orders and earned their work. Bakhrushins continued to participate in the life of the fellows after they left the shelter at the age of 18. They were employed.
The First Hospice of the Empire
Another know-how of the humane dynasty was the first hospice in Russia. Today it is hospital number 14 (Stromynka street, 7) near the Sokolniki metro station, the former 33rd Ostroumovskaya, named after the first chief physician and outstanding therapist. Ostroumov, like Vasnetsov, was raised from poverty by the Bakhrushins, in gratitude for which he became their family doctor.
In 1882, the Bakhrushins offered the Mayor 450 thousand rubles. for the construction of a hospital for those suffering from chronic diseases for 200 beds. According to the charter, "persons of any rank and condition, mainly from insufficient ones" were accepted for treatment. In 1893, the hospital was built a House for the care of terminally ill for another 200 people. Analogues to this type of institutions at that time in Moscow did not exist. Bakhrushins continued to donate, and the complex grew with new buildings: the largest maternity hospital in Moscow, an outpatient clinic to assist incoming patients, a light clinic, an X-ray room, the first women's tuberculosis barracks in Moscow. Patients were brought to the hospital from almshouses, shelters and factories, and even directly from the street, if a person was picked up by doctors or police.
Treating their employees as family members was another hallmark of the family. The Bakhrushins believed that God had deliberately brought them together with these people so that the merchants would take part in their fate. One of the grandchildren of benefactors, Yuri Bakhrushin, will write that after the war, many people came to him and told how their grandfathers lifted them out of the ditch, washed them, dressed them, brought them to the factory, gave them education and work. He will write that he did not even know, and the grandfathers did not like to talk about it, how many souls - hundreds, thousands, they benethed. Grateful workers and employees worked at Bakhrushin enterprises for many years and entire dynasties, which contributed to the prosperity of the company.
Самые известные и самые забытые
В общей сложности Бахрушиными было создано около десятка профессиональных училищ, заложены основы трех музеев (в том числе небезызвестного театрального музея Бахрушина), с их помощью создано четыре театра. Братья построили 10 храмов, систематически помогали 17 храмам и 3 монастырям. Всего же, по воспоминаниям родственников, оказали значительное участие в создании или создали с нуля около 100 учреждений. На филантропию, включая пожертвования Церкви, эта семья потратила более 6 млн. 390 тыс. руб. При том, что к 1917 г. недвижимое имущество фирмы оценивалось в 5 млн. 215 тыс. руб. Братья тратили на благотворительность больше, чем на бизнес, и процветали. Для сравнения, самый богатый человек Российской Империи барон Александр Штиглиц имел состояние примерно в 100 млн., а пожертвовал около 6. Братья Третьяковы обладали капиталом более 8 млн., пожертвовали более 3 млн.
In 1901, Alexander and Vasily Bakhrushin "for many years of charitable work in favor of the poorest population of Moscow" were awarded the title of Honorary Citizens. From the moment of its appearance this title and until the revolution, only 12 people were awarded it, and only three of them were merchants - Pavel Tretyakov and the Bakhrushin brothers. The grandson of A. Bakhrushin recalled: "My grandfather, with pure bourgeois disdain for the orders and other insignia that fell to his lot, was sincerely proud of the title granted to him by the Duma, and an artistically executed letter of granting him such, inserted into a massive frame, adorned the wall of his modest and uncomfortable office."
Many entrepreneurial families were engaged in wide charity: Apricots, Alekseevs, Baevs, Karzinkins, Lepeshkins, Morozovs, Tretyakovs and others. And yet, in the words of V. P. Ryabushinsky, the most significant contribution to the cause of love and mercy was made by the Bakhrushins. After the revolution, foreign journalists asked the granddaughter of one of the Bakhrushins how they were now going to live without money. She replied, "It's not a pity, the power would be alive."
In the preparation of the article, the dissertation of Ph.D. Natalia Filatkina "The Bakhrushin Dynasty" was used
