what will remain of the legacy after the 650th anniversary of Kirov?

Svoykirovsky continues to study the problems of preserving heritage in Kirov, which arose on the eve of its anniversary. In the second part of the article, we tell you why historical houses were no longer given protective status and this led to their demolition, whether tourism is possible without ancient architecture, and what ways to save heritage are seen by social activists after the anniversary.

“Non-detection policy”

On the eve of the anniversary, in Kirov, as in some cities, an unspoken (that is, not supported by any document) “policy of non-detection” began. The State Security Department of the OKN of the Kirov Region does not initiate the identification of historically and architecturally valuable objects, and those applications that were nevertheless considered, including usually from ordinary citizens, received official refusals. In 2023, the department did not officially identify a single building or archaeological site as OKN (and did not even assign it the status of “identified OKN,” which prohibits the demolition of the building). But you can get acquainted with five refusals, among them completely harmless ones – the Church of the Akhtyrka Icon of the Mother of God and the Mount Chimbulat prayer site.

In 2024, the story of identifying the houses ended with their demolition and a strong response in social networks and the media, including outside the city. In particular, the house of P.A. Yakimova (30 Herzen St.) and the house of the priest A. Tanaevsky (125/1 Svoboda St.) were demolished while the application for their identification as OKN was being considered by the OKN state security department.

Demolition of the house of A. Tanaevsky (Svobody St., 125/1). Photo: “Through Fingers”

In the case of the first house, the activists even found two investors from Kirov and Moscow, but the next day after contacting the governor, they began treacherously demolishing it, without allowing the activists to carefully remove at least the trim and other decorative elements. And to save the second, they found a contractor who would not demolish, but dismantle it in order to transport and subsequently reassemble the house on the territory of the ethnopark – the future museum of wooden architecture in Nikulchino. In connection with the demolition of the house on Svobody, social activists quoted the head of the Kirov housing administration, who clarified that historical houses are demolished first of all in order to “free the historical center”… from dangerous objects. But such a rush, obviously, was justified not only by this (according to the documents, the house was supposed to be demolished before 2020), but by the fact that on April 15, 2024, amendments to the 73rd Federal Law came into force, which officially prohibit the demolition of houses for the period of consideration applications for their identification as OKN and in some cases even during legal proceedings.

– Over the past year, the identification of OKN has not been carried out, it turns out that the direct responsibilities of the State Security Administration are not being fulfilled. Houses that were at least somehow preserved before this, under the program of relocation from emergency housing, stand idle for many years (and this is usually the responsibility of the municipality), during which time there are attempts at vandalism (arson, landfills), and then the buildings are demolished en masse, he believes social activist Vasily Taganov.

– For the authorities, OKN is a liability in which one must invest heavily, which must be monitored, looked after, and maintained. All this needs to be done at the expense of the budget or raised funds, but there are few or none at all. This could lead to valuable houses gradually disappearing and the historic environment disappearing, said a building survey expert Dmitry Zhuravlev.

Recreated “Irkutskaya Sloboda” (130th quarter) for the 350th anniversary of Irkutsk. Photo: baikal.mk.ru / Roman Sokolov

– Clashes regarding the demolition of historical buildings between townspeople and the authorities in the pre-anniversary years are not uncommon. The solution to this problem in large cities, as a rule, occurs through the development of dialogue by creating a special commission under the governor, consisting of experts, social activists and officials, says the historian Elena Kustova. – Similar experience, for example, exists in Kazan, where there is an interdepartmental commission on issues of urban planning in the historical settlements of Tatarstan. Without dialogue, the degree of tension will, apparently, only increase with each demolition.

In addition, taking into account the annual loss of wooden historical buildings, social activists propose to recreate houses within the boundaries of the historical settlement, relying on the traditional types of houses and architectural elements of Vyatka, characteristic of the 19th – early 20th centuries.

Glossy tourism

To prepare for the 650th anniversary, a special organizing committee has been created in Kirov, many events are being prepared for the “triple” celebration, the region’s stand is presented at VDNKh, and much more. In 2023, Governor Alexander Sokolov ordered to attract a million tourists to our region by 2030. The feasibility of this installation will be judged, among other things, by the results of the tourist season in the anniversary year. However, cultural and public figures believe that it is impossible to turn a blind eye to the state of architecture, which, despite the ongoing restoration of many buildings, may alienate tourists and spoil the impression of the city.

– Most tourists (and I give a lot of excursions, several times almost every week) say: “What wonderful interesting buildings you have, what wonderful architecture, but why are they in such poor condition?” Absolutely everyone notes the poor condition of the monuments – I won’t hide anything here at all,” the guide shares Svetlana Dozhdev. – Often we have to somehow answer the questions: “Why aren’t your houses restored? Why are cultural heritage sites being destroyed?” Constantly on excursions we have to smooth out this situation.

– There are certain local successes in event tourism, but there is no such thing as mass tourism in the style of “Vyatka – an ancient merchant city”. First of all, because the infrastructure is not ready, the environmental development has not been thought out: there are some separate pieces here, pieces here, he believes Dmitry Zhuravlev. – Pedestrian routes around the city are also not integral, there is no single concept. And historical buildings are definitely not the main thing here – no one will go to Kirov specifically to see the architecture, as, for example, to Suzdal. The architectural environment should act as a backdrop for street events, museums, gastronomy, but so far we have not seen examples of such integration.

Babina’s house on the street. Spasskaya. Photo: Concert for one home

– It’s stupid to argue that our city and region are rich in museums, cultural institutions, and natural monuments. In other words, we have something for tourists to see. Another thing is that historical buildings create a certain atmosphere of perception of a particular city, says the historian. Alexey Leontyev. – This is the tourist face of the city. Without it, our city, despite all its museums, will be perceived as a “newly built city”, and, therefore, will not be particularly interesting in terms of walking, spending leisure time in the open air, etc. Tourists are often attracted to new places by the architectural component, so I see it as right to preserve and, if possible, restore historically important buildings for our city (including wooden ones), creating a cozy atmosphere of old Vyatka, especially in the center.

No longer anti-trend

As part of his message to the Federal Assembly, Russian President Vladimir Putin set the task of putting in order at least a thousand cultural heritage sites by 2030 and forming a long-term program for the preservation of Russian cultural heritage sites for 20 years.

– Ancient buildings, estates, temples are the embodiment of our national identity and the inextricable connection of generations. I ask the government, parliamentarians, and specialized commissions of the State Council, with the participation of the public, to analyze the regulatory framework in the field of protection and use of cultural heritage sites,” Putin emphasized.

According to social activists, “the anniversary will end, but the city will remain.” For example, in Nizhny Novgorod the 800th anniversary was not in vain. Until now, ANO “ASIRIS” (Agency for the Preservation and Development of Historical Environment Objects) is actively working on the restoration and revitalization of entire neighborhoods with the popularization of heritage among the population.

– For many years now the question has been raised about creating a specialized organization following the example of ASIRIS in Nizhny Novgorod, which could deal directly with historical buildings. In particular, it could create investment passports for historical objects (both those with OKN status and those without it), develop mechanisms for interaction with investors (websites, house fairs, documentary support for investors, etc.). It is also possible to create a restoration department with such an organization, including by inviting specialists from other fields for this purpose, suggests the historian, coordinator of the Tom Sawyer Fest on Vyatka movement. Elena Kustova.

The Nizhny Novgorod organization includes city defenders, historians, local historians, tour guides on the one hand, business (including restoration and design firms) on the other, and, at the core, departments that can quickly answer any question and make the necessary decision in favor of the investor. Social activists have been talking about the creation of such an organization for several years now; they tried to raise this issue in the administration, but to no avail.

Also, according to social activists, it is necessary to introduce working and transparent preferential programs for investors. For example, exemption from VAT for the period of restoration, provision of land, preferential interest rates on loans, etc.

“Any preferential programs should be clear and transparent, presented on the websites of the city/regional administration, and generally created in dialogue with the public and business in order to understand what requests there are and what problems may arise during the implementation of the program,” he believes Elena Kustova.

Both to decide the fate of historical buildings and to control the quality of restoration and repair work, special advice is needed. There is also a need to open a regional branch of VOOPIK.

Gallery “Zavarka” in the restored Mashtakov house in Samara. Photo: zavarka-gallery.ru

The larger goal, which has long been voiced by social activists, is to educate and train competent specialists. Nowadays in the city higher education can only be obtained as a civil engineer, but neither architects nor restorers are trained in Kirov.

– I think the main thing that is missing is specialists, competence and opportunity, the desire to do this. For other non-core officials, cultural heritage sites and all old buildings, in fact, are the fifth wheel in the cart – there are more important works in the city, he said Dmitry Zhuravlev.