The Eiffel Tower, a land steamship and salted gold: what made the Ural merchants famous

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In the mid-18th century, there were about two hundred metalworking plants in the Urals alone. It became the first industrial region in Russia and one of the largest in the world. Westerns could be made based on the stories that took place here.

Megaplan continues its series of historical articles about Russian entrepreneurs who are truly something to be proud of. We have already told you about chocolate kings , great railroad workers and far-sighted traders . Today we will head to the Urals, where capital was earned among the mountains and forests, on the site of today's Perm, Nizhny Tagil and Chelyabinsk. The article will be useful to anyone who cares about the history of entrepreneurship and engineering discoveries.

The fact that the Urals are rich in furs, forests, copper ores and precious stones ukraine whatsapp list has been known since ancient times. But even in the 16th century, the area was still sparsely populated, and there were not enough resources for its development. Historian Mikhail Gavrilin cites an illustrative episode, indicating that the region was not a priority for the authorities at that time. When the Nogai Tatars attacked Solikamsk in 1552 and the residents asked for troops, Ivan IV was busy with the Kazan campaign and was able to send the Solikamsk residents only an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with a letter that the saint would protect them from enemies.

Due to the underdevelopment of territories and communication routes, lands were distributed to active and enterprising people. In return, it was necessary to develop hard-to-reach regions, despite difficult natural conditions: build fortified settlements, launch factories or turn unprofitable state enterprises into profitable ones.

"You won't get richer than the Stroganovs" - that's the whole point
This proverb appeared in the 18th century, so they could moderate the ardent hopes of someone who was very eager for money. And there was also the phrase "buy Permianka", which meant "buy salt". The fact is that in the 17th-19th centuries, salt mined in the territory of today's Perm region was the most widespread and popular. And the most successful in its production were the Stroganovs.

The Eiffel Tower, a land steamship and salted gold: what made the Ural merchants famous 1

Anika Stroganov in an engraving by an unknown author of the 16th century

The founder of the salt business was Anika Stroganov. In 1515, he built the first salt works on the Vychegda River. And in 1558, together with his sons, he received vast territories along the Kama and Chusovaya Rivers from Ivan the Terrible. The family was required not only to establish their business, but also to develop the region, to strengthen the eastern borders with their towns, which Khan Kuchum periodically encroached on. It was the Stroganovs who financed Yermak's campaign in 1581. As we remember, this event ended with the annexation of Western Siberia.

The growth of the Stroganov salt empire is clearly visible in two censuses. In 1623, they had 72 villages and 60 settlements, 1032 households and 1485 males. Nineteen years later, in 1642, there were already 3 towns, 3 forts, the settlement of Novoye Usolye, the Assumption Monastery, two villages, 163 villages and 23 settlements. A total of 1264 households and 4529 males.

In addition to industrial infrastructure, the Stroganovs built churches on their lands and organized workshops near them. And this ensured the connection of their name not only with industry, but also with culture. Many years later, art historians would single out a separate Stroganov school in architecture, icon painting and church embroidery.

The Eiffel Tower, a land steamship and salted gold: what made the Ural merchants famous 2

A memorial plaque at the site of the Stroganov Craft School in Solvychegodsk. Author: Georg Pik

The palace of this salt dynasty on Nevsky Prospect, built according to the design of the architect Rastrelli in 1753-1754, also became a true masterpiece. The Stroganovs were patrons of the arts and collectors. At a large-scale exhibition dedicated to the Stroganov dynasty, which was held in the Hermitage in 2003, more than 370 exhibits were displayed. Many members of this noble family supported education. For example, the famous Stroganovka (MGAPA named after S.G. Stroganov) was created in 1825 as the first free art school in Russia, where anyone could study, regardless of status and class.

The Demidovs: an empire of metal, malachite and platinum
This family line got lucky under Peter I. Tula master Nikita Demidov started producing guns based on foreign models, but sold them much cheaper. This is what import substitution looked like in the 17th century. As a result, he became a supplier of weapons during the Northern War and received land near Tula and the Verkhoturye Iron Works in the Urals to develop the business. In return, he had to supply military supplies at a favorable price, develop unprofitable state enterprises, and at the same time the metallurgical industry of the region.