Первые исследователи Амура

15 июня 1643 года отряд (detachment) под руководством Василия Пояркова вышел из Якутска. В отряде было около 130 человек. Целью Василия Пояркова было найти путь к загадочной реке Амур. Первая зима была трагична для отряда. Люди умирали от голода (to starve). К весне выжили только 40 человек. Они смогли достичь Амура и отправились вниз по реке. Осенью 1644 года Поярков решил причалить к берегу, предположительно,в окрестностях будущего Хабаровска. Поярковцы занимались рыболовстом и охотой полтора месяца, затем отправились дальше вниз (to go down) по Амуру. Вторая зимовка была намного благоприятней, и отряд благополучно достиг Охотского моря. Во время пути Поярков вел записи об окружающей природе и жизни коренного населения. В Якутск вернулись только 20 человек. Сто человек принесли себя в жертву (to sacrifice one's life to) для того, чтобы путь на Амур был открыт.

Ерофей Павлович Хабаров был родом из Великого Устюга, Вологодской области. Хабар – значит "удача". Хабаров был удачливым, талантливым и предприимчивым человеком. Его соляные варницы (salt-making plants) снабжали Якутск и ближайшие поселения солью. Кроме того, Хабаров организовал рыбный и соболиный промыслы и занялся хлебопашеством. Весной 1649 года Хабаров решил отправиться на Амур. Зиму 1650–1651 годов отряд Хабарова провел на Амуре, ниже слияния (blowing together) Шилки и Аргуни, в городке, оставленном местным князьком Албазой (в будущем русская Албазинская крепость). Весной отряд плыл до устья Уссури. Хабаров составил чертеж Амура. Он основал Ачанский городок. Местонахождение поселения до сих пор не найдено. Известно, что оно находилось на территории от нынешнего Хабаровска до озера Болонь. Отряд Хабарова постоянно подвергался нападениям маньчжурских отрядов. Хабаров решил, что пока безопаснее селиться ближе к Якутску. Но он оставил донесение о богатствах амурских земель. Воевода Якутска Дмитрий Францбеков (православный немец) писал царю: "… та Даурская земля будет прибыльнее Лены, а сказывал он, Ярко Хабаров, что и против всей Сибири, место то украшено и изобильно". В 1652 году из Москвы был направлен дворянин Дмитрий Зиновьев. Он прибыл на Амур летом 1653 года. Обратно Зиновьев возвращался в Москву с Хабаровым. Дальнейшая судьба Хабарова неизвестна. Есть версия, что Хабарова обвинили в растрате казны (stealing of state money). Согласно другой версии Хабарова наградили и даровали (to be gifted) дворянский титул. На Амур он больше не вернулся, хотя сохранилось письмо Хабарова Тобольскому воеводе, в котором он просил отпустить его в Даурскую землю. Свое имущество Хабаров завещал Усть-Киренскому Троицкому монастырю (Иркутская область). Неизвестно, где точно Хабаров был захоронен, предположительно, в Иркутской области, недалеко от Киренска, где в 1641 Хабаров основал селение Хабаровка, либо в Читинской области, недалеко от Нерчинска, на монастырском кладбище, где были захоронены погибшие в схватках с маньчжурами.

Ex. 11. Read and translate the dialogue.

Two first-year students of KSAEL were asked to prepare an excursion tour around Khabarovsk for the participants of the annual regional English competition. Now they are checking their knowledge and making up the plan of the future excursion.

Sergey: Now we are in the centre of the historical part of the city – Komsomolskaya square. The first street Alexeevskaya, now Shevchenko, crosses this square. At first, the square was called Sobornaya because of the Cathedral of Holy Virgin (1886) designed by the architect Ber.

Sveta: Monetary means for construction of the cathedral had been collected by the whole population. A thousand silver rubles were donated by the Empress Maria Fyodorovna.

Sergey: In 1923 the Catherdal was closed and the square got the name Red Square. Finally, the Cathedral was closed in 1930.

Sveta: Now to the right of us we can see a new cathedral, erected in 2002 to remember the original one. In the centre of the square there is monument to the heroes of the Civil war of 1918-1922, erected in 1956. I must say the Civil war was the most tragic time in the history of Khabarovsk. It made a great harm to the town and its population decreased from 54 to 30 thousand people. The decisive battle took place in Volochaevka, February, 1922. The People's Revolutionary Army of the Far Eastern Republic commanded by Vassiliy Konstantinovich Blukher, the military minister of the FER, defeated the allied army of Japanese interventionalists and white guardsmen.

Sergey: Turning back to earlier history of the square I can't help mentioning the Triumph Arch, which stood to the left of the Cathedral, in front of the modern building of the Amur Shipping Company. The wooden-carved arch was built especially for a visit by Cesarevitch Nikolay in May 1891. In front of it on the left there was the Amur Treasury, now the business-centre "Parus".

Sveta: Behind the cathedral there is the building of ODORA, but few people know that it was the residence of governor-general, built in 1884. It was designed by the military engineer Mooro. During its life-time the building has been completely rebuilt.

Sergey: Going down Schevchenko street, on the right there is museum of the Far Eastern Military Okrug. Originally, it was built as the State Bank in 1908. It has housed the Museum since 1982 and preserved its original appearance.

Sveta: Opposite the Museum there is a big beautiful building housing the Far Eastern Art Museum and the Concert Hall. Originally, it was the officer's club (Ofitserskoye sobraniye) built in the end of 1880-s and designed by Mooro. In 1890 A.P. Chekhov stayed here during his traveling to Sakhalin.

Sergey: Speaking about the Far Eastern Art Museum, I should mention that this building has housed in since 1990.

Sveta: Further down street we can see the State Museum of the Far East. The Museum and the Public Library situated near, were opened in 1894 on the initiative of the Russian Geographic Society, the Priamursky Branch. The building of the Museum was designed by Alexandrov and was under construction from 1896 to 1900. In 1903 the Museum got the name of the Grodekovskiy Museum in honour of Governor–General Nikolay Ivanovich Grodecov (1898-1902), who was the first chairman of the Priamursky Geographic Society, he contributed much effort and donated personal monetary means for creation of the Museum.

Sergey: Public Library named after Nikolay II began from an Invalids' House, a reading hall was added in 1899. In 1894 there were 400 volumes in the library, in 1897 – 45.000. It is known that Nikolay II gave it more than 400 books from his personal library. Near the Museum we can see a monument to Muravyov-Amurskiy, erected in May, 1992. It is the exact copy of the original monument designed by the academician Opekushin (the author of the Pushkin monument in Moskow). It was opened in May, 1891 in the presence of Cesarevitch Nikolay.

Sveta: Not far from this place there is the second stone church-the Innokentyevskaya Church. It was erected in 1898 to replace the wooden one that had been built in 1868. The red brick building was designed by engineers Mooro and Bykov. And the third stone church was the Alexeevskaya Church, situated on Artilleriyskaya mountain. The wooden Alexeevskaya chapel was built in 1903 and the construction of the stone church began in 1907. It was opened in 1914. The Church was named after Alexiy, the protector of the Priamursky Cossack army. In 1932 the church was closed and soon destroyed.

Sergey: But now on Glory Square there is the largest and the most beautiful cathedral of the city – Spaso-Preobrazhenskiy Cathedral. It was finally built in 2004. The height of the Cathedral is 91 m. It can be seen from different geographic points of Khabarovsk.

Sveta: Let's turn back to the Muravyov-Amurskiy street. It is rich in historical buildings. The most beautiful is the building of the Far Eastern State Scientific-Research Library, built in 1901-1902. It was the Trade House of Plusnin. The family of the brothers Plushins was one of the richest family in Khabarovsk. They were the famous philanthropists and state figures of the town. Opposite the Library we can see a building of the chemist's store, built in 1902. It was the Trade House of Khlebnikovykh. The brothers Khlebnikovy produced wine and spirit-producing plant was placed in the basement of this building.

Sergey: Next to the Library there were trade houses of different Khabarovsk merchants. The building of the hotel "Rus" with jewelry, clock repair, Barber' shop was erected in 1912 by a Japanese subject Takeuchi – a famous photographer in Khabarovsk. Next to it there is the building of the Kunst and Albers Trade Company erected in 1906. It was designed by German architect Junghendel in style of European grocery stores. A state of Mercury – the God of Trade – still crowns the roof of the building.

Sveta: Opposite the Central Provision Shop there is the building of the former hotel "Esplanad" erected in 1912 (the right part of "Dalniy Vostok"). That time it was the modern hotel with running water, electricity and heating. It belonged to the Estonian Henrikh Lykht. The list of historical buildings is very long with the buildings of "Sovkino" ("Grand Ilusion", the first cinema, 1910) Central Department store (1914), "Amur-Optik" (Railway Trade School, the first in Siberia and the Far East, 1899) Children's Art Centre (the Town Duma, 1909) among them.

Sergey: I must mention one more historical building which is not placed in the Muravyov-Amurskiy street. The building of the Headquarters of the Far Earstern Military Okrug. It was built in early 1900-s and housed the Military District staff and Military School named after Muravyov-Amurskiy. It is situated in the street of Seryshev, the commander of the Eastern front during the Civil war, the military attaché in Japan.

Sveta: I think, Sergey, we have already checked our knowledge on historical places of Khabarovsk and we are ready for guiding the excursion.