Section of monuments of Science and technology VOOPIK: history and main activities (on the example of the Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk regions)

The relevance of the proposed topic is due to the need at present to intensify activities for the preservation of monuments of science and technology, among which monuments of industrial heritage are of great importance. During the Soviet period, the preservation of such a category of monuments was carried out by the corresponding section, the appearance of which was caused by a number of factors.

The author's choice of the topic of this study is determined not only by its relevance, but also by scientific novelty: until now, the history of the emergence and functioning of the section of monuments of science and Technology as part of the All–Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments (hereinafter - VOOPIK) has not been studied specifically. It should be noted that many scientific papers have been devoted to the activities of VOOPIK in the country and its various regions. The most significant scientific work devoted to the history of the VOOPIK from its very foundation was written by scientists V. A. Livtsov and G. I. Malanicheva, who were also members of the VOOPIK ^[1]. The history and activities of the regional branches of the Society are also well studied. First of all, it is necessary to note the works of D. N. Filatov ^[2], A.V. Slabukhi ^[3], D. A. Belozerov and V. V. Korovin ^[4], M. A. Malish ^[5]. The history of the Sverdlovsk regional branch of the VOOPIK has also been well studied by Ural researchers: E. S. Lakhtionova ^{[6; 7]}, S. V. Sokolov ^[8]. However, the history of the creation of the section of monuments of science and technology as part of the VOOPIK was almost not touched upon, which determines the theoretical value of this article.

The object of the study is the section of monuments of science and technology of the VOOPIK. The subject is the activity of the section of monuments of science and technology for the identification, study, accounting, preservation and updating of the corresponding category of monuments.

The purpose of the article is to study the history of the formation and functioning of the section of monuments of science and technology VOOPIK. Chronological framework – 1960-1980s. The territorial framework is limited to the Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk regions, which are one of the leading industrial regions of the Urals, saturated with monuments of science and technology.

The source base for this study was archival materials stored in the Documentation Center of Public Organizations of the Sverdlovsk region (Yekaterinburg) and in the State Institution "United State Archive of the Chelyabinsk Region" (Chelyabinsk). Many materials are being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. Published sources in the form of information materials from the regional periodicals of the 1970s and 1990s ("Ural Worker", "Evening Chelyabinsk", "Chelyabinsk Worker") were also used.

The research is based on a number of methodological principles, for example, the principle involving the study of facts, phenomena and events in inextricable connection with a specific historical situation. Among the traditional methods of historical research used in this study, the following should be mentioned: historical-comparative (allows to identify the features of the emergence and functioning of sections of monuments of science and technology in Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk); historical-genetic method (helps to study the stages of evolution of the security activities of the VOOPIK in relation to monuments of science and technology from its inception in 1960-the 1980s before the organizational design in the 1980s), as well as some others (historical and genealogical, historical and systemic).

The All–Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments (hereinafter - VOOPIK) was formed according to the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR dated July 23, 1965 No. 882 ^{[9, p. 154]} and was a mass public organization. Its main tasks were to actively assist the state in the protection of historical and cultural monuments, to attract broad segments of the population to this, as well as to promote among them knowledge about monuments and the need for their preservation.

The history of the widespread creation of sections of monuments of science and technology at the VOOPIK begins in the second half of the 1970s. Then in 1977, at the Institute of the History of Natural Science and Technology of the USSR Academy of Sciences, a Problem group was created to identify and study monuments of science and technology, whose main tasks were to identify, study, classify such monuments, create theoretical and methodological foundations for their protection and use ^{[10, p. 37]}. To activate this process in 1979 The Presidium of the Central Council of the VOOPIK approved the "Regulations on Sections of Monuments of Science and Technology of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments", according to which such a section was formed at the Central Council ^{[11, p.12]}. Corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences V. I. Siforov became its chairman.

After that, at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s, such sections began to appear en masse in many local city, regional and regional councils of the VOOPIK: Leningrad, Saratov, Perm, Orenburg, Udmurt, etc.

At the Sverdlovsk regional branch of the VOOPIK , such a section was created back in 1966 . It was called "The Section of Monuments of the History of Science and Technology, industrial, civil and religious Architecture". It was headed by architect K. A. Uzkikh. It also included V. G. Fedorov and T. K. Guskova ^{[12, L. 14]}. In the early 1980s, this section was renamed the section of Monuments of Science and Technology, and historian A. G. Kozlov took over its head.

In the Chelyabinsk regional branch of the VOOPIK , the section of science and technology appeared in 1977 . The chairman was the candidate writer, local historian K. A. Shishov ^{[13, L. 40]}.

The main activities of these sections were quite diverse, but subordinated to the achievement of one goal: to identify and preserve monuments of science and technology, as well as objects related to the industrial development of the country.

In March-April 1980 The Sverdlovsk Regional branch of the VOOPIK developed and adopted a program directly related to the protection of monuments of science and technology. The leading role here was assigned to the corresponding section. In the first part of this document, a number of requirements were formulated for the city and district offices of the company, among which the following should be mentioned. Firstly, to strengthen activities for the identification, accounting, protection, study and use of monuments of science and technology for scientific and cultural and educational purposes. Secondly, the Science and Technology Section needed to develop and conduct scientific and methodological activities aimed at studying this category of monuments and formulating theoretical and methodological foundations for their preservation and use. In this case, the section was supposed to collaborate with leading industry, scientific and educational institutions of Sverdlovsk. Thirdly, to carry out regular activities to promote and popularize knowledge about monuments of science and technology through lectures, reports, conversations, exhibitions, expeditions, meetings with scientists, engineers, local historians on topics related to the coverage of achievements in the field of monument protection on domestic and foreign material ^{[14, L. 11]}.

In the second part of the Program of the section of monuments of Science and Technology at the Sverdlovsk Regional branch of the VOOPIK, it was prescribed to hold a number of events in 1980-1985, among which the following should be mentioned. Firstly, to take part in the creation of the museum of agriculture in the village of Krasnopolye (Prigorodny district, Nizhny Tagil), where it was supposed to concentrate systematic collections of hand tools, tractors, harvesters, combines and other agricultural machines. Secondly, to participate in joint expeditions with scientific and educational institutions to survey abandoned mines and old factories in order to identify objects to be accounted for and preserved. Thirdly, to take part in the creation of a Mining Museum in Sverdlovsk. (Not to be confused with the Ural Geological Museum, created earlier). Fourth, to assist in the preparation of a Consolidated catalog of monuments of science and technology stored in the museums of the region ^{[15, l. 11-12]}. It should be noted that the first part of the Program was implemented, as will be discussed below. And from the points of the second part, only the second and fourth will be fulfilled.

Very closely connected with the problem of monument protection is the problem of their scientific study and qualified accounting. Therefore, one of the primary activities of the VOOPIK – the identification and study of monuments – was characteristic of the section we are interested in. Thus, purposeful activities to identify monuments of science and technology and determine the degree of their value were carried out regularly by the VOOPIK. It especially intensified in the 1980s, in accordance with the general line of the Central Council of the Society in Moscow. But even before that, in the 1970s, a number of expeditions were organized to identify historical monuments of the mining and metallurgical industry in the Urals of the XVIII-XIX centuries. ^{[16, p. 97]} Teachers and students of the Sverdlovsk Architectural Institute took part, who collected significant material in the form of photographs, sketches, plans, drawings.

Purposeful study of monuments based on archival materials and as part of a field survey was regularly carried out by members of the section of Monuments of Science and Technology. After all, as a rule, it consisted of scientists, teachers, engineers. So, a lot in this regard was done by the architect Yu. A. Vladimirsky, who was in the Sverdlovsk regional branch of the VOOPIK almost from its very foundation. At the request of the society, he examined a number of industrial enterprises, on the basis of which conclusions and proposals were made on the registration and the need to preserve a number of old Ural plants, for example, Nizhnesaldinsky Metallurgical ^{[17, l. 63-76]}, Artinsky Mechanical ^{[18, l. 1-10]}, etc.

Members of the section of Monuments of Science and Technology, especially its head, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Metal Structures of the Chelyabinsk Polytechnic Institute K. A. Shishov, were also engaged in this at the Chelyabinsk Regional department of VOOPIK. Based on the field surveys of monuments conducted by him, the study of archival materials and historical publications, a "List of monuments of science and technology in the Chelyabinsk Region" appeared, which included 6 large metallurgical complexes, 5 complexes of museum objects associated with the names of outstanding scientists, as well as individual samples of technical monuments ^{[19, pp. 108-121]}.

The members of the VOOPIK were engaged in the identification of monuments of science and technology not only purposefully, but also accidentally. One of the most striking examples is when F. F. Vasiliev, a local historian, executive secretary of the Sysert branch of the VOOPIK, while studying the history of the Sysert factories in literature, quite accidentally discovered a photograph of a longitudinal planer of 1849. And having subsequently conducted a full-scale survey of one of these plants, I found exactly this machine. A special commission has established that the age of the machine is 130 years. After that, a commemorative plaque was placed on this registered equipment object ^[20].

The result of this painstaking activity was embodied in the form of a catalog or list of monuments of science and technology.

So, in 1980 S. I. Zagrebin (Deputy Chairman of the Chelyabinsk regional branch of the VOOPIK (1969-1994)) issued a "Catalog of monuments of science and technology on the territory of the Chelyabinsk region". It consisted of two parts. The first part was a simple list of 46 objects classified into 4 categories. The first section ^{[21, l. 1-6]} included objects of metallurgy and construction art, the second – memorials and objects associated with the names of scientists, the third – samples of technical products of the XVIII – early XX century, the fourth – monuments of technology of the Soviet period. A detailed description of them and comments on the listed monuments are given in the second part of the Catalog ^{[22, l. 7-34]}.

As for the Sverdlovsk region, a special catalog was never created here, although it was in the work plans of the section of monuments of science and technology ^{[23, l. 12]}. However, a list of monuments of this category was still compiled. It consisted of 21 monuments, five of which belonged to objects of industrial heritage ^{[24, l. 5-6]}.

It should be noted that on a union-wide scale in the early 1980s, a map of monuments of science and technology was created, placed on the pages of the magazine "Technology for Youth", and represented a display on the map of the USSR of the geographical location of 125 objects related to the scientific and technical activities of the Soviet people, the history and development of various industries ^[25]. When it was published, the editorial board of the magazine specifically warned that the map was not very comprehensive and needed to be supplemented. However, the very fact of creating such a map indicates the increased interest of part of the population in the problem of preserving monuments of science and technology. This is evidenced by a number of articles published in this journal devoted to the protection of monuments related to the scientific, technical and industrial past of our country ^[26].

In addition to participating in the identification, study and accounting of monuments of science and technology, the relevant section of the VOOPIK contributed to the actual preservation of some objects of science and technology. So, a member of the section Yu. A. Vladimirsky (Sverdlovsk) was one of the first to raise in 1982 the question of the need to stop the destruction of a unique monument of industrial heritage – Seversk blast furnace (Seversky Pipe Plant). As a result of the resonance caused by the letters of the Sverdlovsk architect and publications in the regional press, an investigation was conducted, following which the directorate of the plant was ordered to restore the monument and turn it into a museum, which was completed by 1989 ^{[27, l. 1-54]}

Another significant area of activity, which was successfully carried out by the section of monuments of science and technology, was the organization of scientific and methodological events dedicated to the study of this category of monuments. So, at the all-Russian level, an important event was the conference "Protection of Monuments of Science and Technology", held in 1979 with the active participation of the VOOPIK. The conference was attended by scientists, museum workers, representatives of government agencies and members of the VOOPIK. In addition to the capital's specialists, delegates came from other cities: Sverdlovsk, Nizhny Tagil, Perm, Chelyabinsk, Izhevsk, Ufa ^{[28, p. 37]}. More than 40 reports were heard, as a result of which the conference made a number of decisions, in particular on the creation of the Central Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Moscow and on the development of a draft regulation on the protection and use of historical and cultural monuments in relation to scientific and technical monuments ^{[29, p. 30]}. As noted by contemporaries, this conference gave a powerful incentive to organize sections of monuments of science and technology as part of the local branches of the VOOPIK and to further deepen scientific and methodological developments in relation to this category of monuments ^{[30, p. 38; 31, p. 95-96]}.

At the regional level, events were also held to promote the study and actualization of monuments of science and technology. So, in June 1981, a conference "Study and preservation of monuments of science and technology in the Urals" was held in Sverdlovsk, organized with the active assistance of the relevant section of the Sverdlovsk regional branch of the VOOPIK ^[32]. The topics of the proposed messages concerned the problems of studying, preserving and museumifying monuments of the history of mining science and technology, which was quite a popular direction at that time in the field of preserving achievements in the field of mining in the Urals.

The fact is that in the early 1980s, the question of the need for conservation and museumification of some objects of open-pit mining in the Urals became acute: Bogoslovsky deposit, Bakalsky iron ore deposit, etc. The section of monuments of science and technology took an active part in the discussion and solution of this issue. For example, on her recommendation, the Sverdlovsk Regional branch of the VOOPIK petitioned the Central Council of the society in 1983 to transform the Vysokogorsky Mine (Nizhny Tagil) into an open-air museum. According to local experts, "the main quarry of the mountain is High, it is a genuine monument to the history of mining technology in Russia" and it needs museumification ^{[33, L. 64-65]}. However, at least this letter did not have any significant result, but the very fact of the initiative in this direction deserves attention.

In May 1983, the Council of the Chelyabinsk Regional branch of the VOOPIK prepared and conducted a scientific and methodological seminar "Problems of protection of monuments of science and technology". 120 people took part in its work ^{[34, L. 79]}. Among them were leading scientists from Moscow, Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and other cities. Within the framework of the seminar, 11 reports were presented, which can be divided into the following groups: 1) Theoretical and methodological foundations of the study and preservation of monuments of science and technology ("Problems of protection of handwritten monuments of science and technology", "Classification of monuments of science and technology"); 2) Concrete examples of monuments of science and technology and proposals for their preservation ("Monuments of metallurgy in our country", "Creators of science and technology technologies in the Urals", "History of transport equipment and issues of its preservation", "The Stone Belt Program and its implementation"); 3) Issues of propaganda and popularization of knowledge about monuments of science and technology ("The role of the youth press in the promotion of monuments of science and technology", "Problems of propaganda of monuments of science and technology"); 4) Creation and functioning of museums ("Problems of the creation of the Ural Museum of Science and Technology", "On the creation of the Museum of Blacksmithing equipment", "Technical museums abroad") ^{[35, L. 1-2]}. Naturally, the section of monuments of science and technology took an active role in organizing this scientific event, and its head, K. A. Shishov, made a report on the need to create a Polytechnic Museum in the Urals.

These scientific events were of great importance for the development of monument science and technology in the USSR, as well as for the formulation and implementation in practice of theoretical and methodological foundations for the preservation and use of this category of monuments.

The scientific and methodological activity of the section was supported by publishing activity. Thus, members of the Chelyabinsk section regularly published articles in the regional press ("Evening Chelyabinsk", "Chelyabinsk Worker", "Komsomolets") ^{[36; 37; 38; 39]}. The publications were devoted to the issues of protection and careful attitude to monuments of science and technology, monuments of industrial heritage, the need to create a Ural museum of the history of science and technology in Chelyabinsk. A significant part of the articles was published by K. A. Shishov, who believed that "the monuments of science and technology in the Southern Urals are the embodied and dramatic fate of our people, the chronicle of their intense searches." Therefore, "to preserve them, to understand their deep meaning and lessons is our duty today" ^[40].

Much attention in the activities of the science and technology section was paid to the educational and propaganda direction. Different methods were used for this. For example, in 1979-1981, 10 programs were shown on Chelyabinsk television under the heading "Native Land". The presenter was the head of the section of monuments of science and technology of the Chelyabinsk regional branch of the VOOPIK K. A. Shishov, who told the audience about the monuments of history, science and technology of the cities of Zlatoust, Kyshtym, Kasli, etc. ^{[41, L. 41, 59]}

In the Sverdlovsk branch of the VOOPIK, members of the section of monuments of science and technology regularly gave lectures themselves and attracted scientists and teachers of Sverdlovsk for this. The topics concerned various achievements available in the protection of monuments of science and technology. The problems that needed to be solved in this area were not overlooked. To do this, according to the lecturers, it is necessary to pay more attention to educating the population about the need to preserve monuments of this category ^{[42, L. 10]}.

As part of the educational direction of the section, the project of the Museum of the History of Science and Technology, developed in 1976 under the leadership of K. A. Shishov, was of great importance ^{[43, l. 1-5]}. This scientist did a lot to popularize knowledge about the monuments of science and technology, but his most important idea was to create a similar museum in Chelyabinsk. In the early 1980s, the project was approved and supported by local authorities, specialists from Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk, Moscow, and the leadership of the Central Council of the VOOPIK ^[44]. The location for the Museum was determined and exhibits were found, thematic expositions were developed ^{[45, l. 1-14]}. Unfortunately, this project was never implemented.

Thus, the activities of the section of monuments of science and technology were as follows. Firstly, identification, study, assistance in the state registration of monuments of this category. Secondly, the implementation of real actions that contribute to the preservation and museification of monuments of science and technology. Thirdly, active assistance and participation in scientific and methodological events dedicated to the monuments of science and technology. Fourth, popularization of knowledge about these monuments among the population.

Comparing the history of functioning and the results of the activities of the sections of monuments of science and technology in the Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk regional branches of the VOOPIK, the following differences should be noted. Firstly, in Sverdlovsk, the section that purposefully dealt with monuments of this category appeared much earlier, which was due, in our opinion, to the specifics of the Sverdlovsk region as one of the oldest industrial regions of the country, saturated with various objects of the history of science and technology. Secondly, in the Chelyabinsk regional department, as a result of the purposeful activity of the members of the section of monuments of science and Technology, already in 1980, a full-fledged Catalog of monuments of this category was created, with a detailed description of them, whereas in Sverdlovsk, despite the plans, there was only a simple list- a list of such monuments. This indicates the insufficiently active activity of the Sverdlovsk section in terms of identifying and describing potential monuments, because such a catalog would be extremely useful for placing identified objects on state registration and their further protection. Thirdly, in Chelyabinsk, the idea of creating the Ural Museum of Science and Technology was almost completely brought to realization, while in Sverdlovsk, the idea of the need to create a Museum of Mining Equipment remained only on paper. However, despite this, by the beginning of the 1990s, a number of monuments of the industrial past were restored and museumified in the Sverdlovsk region: buildings and structures of the Yekaterinburg Iron-making plant "Monetka" (Sverdlovsk) ^[46], Seversk blast furnace (Polevskoy) ^{[47, pp. 12-13]}, Nevyanskaya inclined tower and structures of the old Nevyansky plant (Nevyansk) ^[48].

Despite the noted differences in the history of the creation and functioning of the sections of monuments of science and technology at the regional branches of the VOOPIK, it is necessary to emphasize the importance of the results of the activities in the 1960s-1980s of these structural divisions of the Society, especially their individual representatives. However, in the 1990s, the public organization VOOPIK was experiencing difficulties with financing, which turned out to be critical for its further successful existence ^{[49, p. 336]}.