The History of Kyakhta

The foundation of the town of Kyakhta is one of the pages of history of joining Siberia to Russia and establishments its relations with China. Historians connects its beginning with the name of Peter I. Several prospecting expeditions and official embassies were organized in the XVII century to China with the purpose to establish “ decent friendship and love ”, frontiers, trade relations between the countries - Russia and China. In 1689 Peter I sent to borders of China the mission headed by F.A.Golovin. However, the Nerchinsky treaty concluded by Golovin didn’t get the beginning to stable trading contacts with China off the ground.

For the final solving problems with China in the period of reigning of Ekaterina I, an embassy headed by Savva Vladislavich-Raguzunsky was formed. In 1726 Raguzinsky arrived here and excellently carried out his mission of the state truce envoy. The border in the eastern side was defined on mountain range of Hingan-Alin stretching to the Gorbitsa-river that was flowing into the Amur. For more exact definition of the border, on the place of the future Kyakhtinsky region, from both sides, commissioners were appointed.

The first Act, determining the lines of the border between Kyakhta and Shabin-Dobag, was signed on October 12, 1727 and on October 27, the second Act determined the line stretching to the border between Kyakhta and Argun.

Due to insistence of Raguzinsky, the Russian government made a decision to build a new Selenginskaya fortress and to strengthen its boundary garrisons. One of the garrisons Raguzinsky decided to establish on the place of the Barsukovsky zimovye (a winter camp) built earlier, where the Russian and Chinese merchants had exchanged goods long since.

By the end of 1727 on both banks of the Kyakhta river, at the confluence of the spring Gryaznukha into it, the Novotroitskaya fortress had been built by the project of Raguzinsky. In the plan it represented a wrong quadrangle (60X80 sazhens), surrounded by a palisade. Walls protruded in the corners as pentagonal bastions. In the centre of the fortress there was a big pond formed as a result of erection of a dam on the stream. Wooden officers’ and soldiers’ barracks, stables, barns and warehouses were built inside the fortress, and in the northern corner there was a church of Trinities with pridel (attachment) in honour of Saint Savva Serbsky. Next to it there was a gostiny dvor (an inn, the house for visitors) with 60 benches and a commandant's house.

As the fortress didn’t contain the whole population, it was decided to build sloboda (a large outskirt village). The first stone in the foundation of a trading sloboda of Kyakhta had been put by Raguzinsky himself just on the next day after the exchange of texts of the treaty in presence of Chinese diplomats and all members of the Russian mission. The construction of the forpost was headed by the captain F.Knyaginkin, under his command there were 350 soldiers of Yakut regiment and 30 cossacks from Udinsk. By the end of 1728 they had already erected a gostiny dvor with 24 benches (it represented a rectangular construction in the plan with thick outward walls and gates from northern and southern sides) and 32 merchant houses, located on the perimeter of defensive walls of the gostiny dvor. The town began to grow quickly, all estates of citizens settled here and in one century from the moment of its foundation, the town turned into the largest of Zabaykalye (Transbaykalye). It was named Тroitskosavsk in honour of Troitskaya fortress and the founder of Kyakhta, Savva Raguzinsky.

Kyakhtinskaya trade At the end of September, 1728 the Russian caravan came back to Troitskosavsk from Peking. It brought the furs which had been left from sale on the Peking market, including furs of the Kamchatka beaver, lynx and sable. The commissioner of the caravan handed these valuable goods in Kyakhtinsky forpost to the tselovalnik (a barber) Lyagunov, the last changed them with Chinese merchants. In this way the Kyakhtinskaya trade began. In 1729 the colonel I.D.Buhgolts who was carrying out together with Raguzinsky the common management of frontier affairs, informed the Board of foreign affairs that “ trade with the Chinese in Kyakhta has already opened ”. In 1743 by the decree of the Senate the Kyahtinsky forpost was erected in the rank of a trading sloboda (a large village).

In 1790 the town of Troitskosavsk was honoured with the coat of arms: on the field of a shield, in the top part there is an Irkutsk coat of arms – a beaver with a sable in his teeth, and in the bottom part on a blue field there is a horn of abundance, from which gold coins are pouring and on both sides - two horsemen, the Russian cossack on the left, and the Buryat one - on the right. In 1861 the coat of arms of Kyakhtinsky town chief was received, that became the insignia of Kyakhta: “ In the azure shield the gold torn off head of a dragon, with chervlyony eyes and a tongue, and accompanied by four gold gonts (ingots) ”. It was recognized more and was shown in all reference books. (the Full dragon - a symbol of China, a head of a dragon - a symbol of cities which traded with China).

Almost simultaneously with Kyakhta, in 1730, in a hundred and twenty sazhens from sloboda (a large village), near the border from the Mongolian side natives from northern Chinese province Shansi constructed a trade town of Maymachen.

In the first years of existence of the sloboda of Kyakhta the Russian-Chinese trade went languidly, that was connected to the introduction of the state monopoly on trade of furs, products from gold and silver. The development of smuggling forced the government of Ekaterina II in 1762 to cancel state caravan’s trade. It promoted the arrival of merchants and the enterprising people in southern border of the state, desiring to improve their affairs. The number of the population in Kyakhta and Troitskosavsk gradually grew, the construction of a trading sloboda and town extended. The volume of trade, passing through Kyakhta, increased from year to year. In 1775 there was a division of Kyakhtinsky merchants in guilds. The wholesale trade concentrated in the hands of the richest merchants, later becoming famous for their enourmous fortunes and business relations: Nerpin, Remennikov, Lushnikov, Sabashnikov, Molchanov, Shvetsov, Kokovin, Nemchinov, Basov, Sinitsyn, Tokmakov, Kandinsky, Startsev. Owing to their efforts Kyakhta had become the unique self-governing city of Russia.

The popularity of Kyakhta especially grew in the end of XVIII - middle of XIX century, when in Russia and in in the countries of Europe people began to be interested in tea. A considerable number of trade offices, firms and even companies with solid trade turnover appeared here.. So, in 1850-1860-s a trade turnover of Kyakhta – Troitskosavsk was more than 30 million roubles per one year. By this time 58 trading firms had been officially registrated here. Trade in the 40-s years in the XVIII century had already significant sizes, and in 90-s years the import of tea began to grow especially quickly.

Gradually Kyakhta became famous in the whole business world, including the countries of Europe, England and America. In 1862 the sloboda had already 276 merchants and 165 trading houses, 60 of them belonged to the merchants having a trade turnover of more than 5 million of roubles per year, due to it Kyakhta was the only settlement of millionaires in the world in that period. It became the main frontier centre of tea trade on the trading way, connecting China, Russia and countries of Europe, that later received the name “Great Tea Road”.

Owing to the development of tea trade accompanying it other trades and crafts arose in Kyakhta – Troitskosavsk. According to the data of 1862 the town had 16 small manufactures, including four soap-producing-, three candle-, four tissue-paper and one manufacture of processing leather and sheepskins. It caused the growth of the town and sloboda population: in 1862 in Kyakhta and in Troitskosavsk lived 5430 people.

The image of the town also changed, it had already 960 houses, including the first stone houses. By 1850 stone Troitskosavsk trading buildings, customs and hotel in Kyakhta had been built. The construction of sloboda and the town began to be regulated. In the town centre appeared the Troitsky cathedral (1812-17 years), on the border in Kyakhtinskaya merchant sloboda – the Voznesenskaya church (1830). First the wooden, then the stone Uspenskaya church in Russian –Byzantian style (1884) was built on the old cemetery, now it works again. The Uspenskaya church was constructed by Kyakhtinsky merchant of the first guild, a famous millionaire Y.A. Nemchinov, it is the monument of Russian cult architecture of XIX century.

Being the acknowledged centre of trade with China, Kyakhta gradually turned into the centre not only business, but also public and cultural life of Zabaikalye.(Transbaikalye). In opinion of a famous narodnik (a populist) I.I.Popov, who served exile in Kyakhta, the reason of it was the location of Kyakhta on the border of several cultures: European, Russian, Chinese, Mongolian, and also complication of trading operations because of liquidation of exchange trade that caused the demand in educated people. Many Kyakhtinsky merchants were such people. The merchants A.M.Lushnikov, V.N.Sabashnikov, I.A.Nerpin, I.F.Tokmakov, I.D.Sinitsyn by their views joined the advanced part of intelligentsia of the town and sloboda. They were greatly influenced by the Decembrists, with whom some representatives of the merchant class of Kyakhta had been familiar since the times of the Petrovsky Zavod and later when the ex-convicts left for settling, they supported friendly relations with them. Many famous scientists, teachers, writers visited this town in the middle of the last century.

• In 1830-1832 the expedition of the Department of foreign affairs headed by the orientalist, a member – correspondent of Petersburg Academy of Sciences Pavel Lvovich Shilling worked in Kyakhta. The expedition should have examined the condition of trade between Russia, China and Mongolia, and also the state of the local population.
• And just here in Kyakhta, P.L. Shilling together with N.Y..Bichurin, the first Russian specialist of China carried out an extensive program of research works: they collected Chinese, Mongolian, Tibetan and Manchzhur books, subjects of Buryat culture, surveyed the monuments of ancient eastern cultures, finished the work on creation of the electromagnetic device, the model of which is exhibited now in Kyakhtinsky Museum of Regional Studies.
• N.Y. Bichurin made a huge work on translation of history of Tibet and Huhenor from the Chinese language, made the dictionary of the Mongolian language and made many efforts to found in Kyakhta the college of Chinese language. In 1835-1837 Bichurin again visited Kyakhta with the purpose of the organization here the school of Chinese translators. During this stay he got acquainted with the brothers - the Decembrists Bestuzhevs.

The poet and teacher D.P.Davydov was one of active participants of literary club of Kyakhtinskaya youth, he did his best to studying folklore of the Buryats, Evenks, Yakuts, and also ethnography of these peoples.

The representatives of the educated circles of Kyakhtinsky society attended the literary salon of S.S.Sabashnikova, the wife of a merchant and public figure V.N.Sabashnikov, who simultaneously with A.M.Lushnikov began to receive since 1855 Gertsen’s editions: "Polar star" and " the Bell", and as I.I. Popov recollected, these small volumes with great interest were read and discussed in the club of the advanced Kyakhtinskaya youth. On one of the parties of S.S.Sabashnikova’s salon the idea about the edition of “Kyakhtinsky listok (a leaf)” was born, it became the first printed newspaper in Zabaikalye. “Kyakhtinsky listok” began to be published since May, 3, 1862. The sons of the Sabashnikovs, famous publishers - the brothers M. and S.Sabashnikovs for many years completed the library of Troitskosavsk female gymnasium with the best books both from Russian and foreign publishing houses. One of the descendants of the merchants Sabashnikovs - a businessman from Ulan-Ude, Nikolay Telegin, at present has became the author of the idea of revival trading “ Tea way ” as the international tourist route.

• In 1811 church and district schools were opened in the town, at the same time private schools began to appear.
• In 1833 the military Russian-Mongolian school was opened, in which later the first scientist of Buryatia, Dorzhi Banzarov studied.
• In 1862 the female school was opened in Troitskosavsk, the teaching there, as the Decembrist M.A.Bestuzhev said, was conducted on high level. Later the school was transformed in pre-gymnasium, then in gymnasium, and it was the 3-rd gymnasium in Russia according to the time of its opening.
• In 1876 on the initiative and due to the financial support of M.A. Lushnikov, the six-class Аlekseevsky real school with commercial branch – the first men’s educational institution in Zabaikalye was opened. It settled down in a magnificent for that time building.
• In August, 1897 in the town was opened a female parish school founded due to financial means of the merchant M.V.Shishmakov, and in 1899 appeared a four-class town school.
• Progressive representatives of Kyakhtinskaya intelligentsia made a lot of efforts for the development education, culture and science in the town. In 1887 the opening of Troitskosavsk public library was held, its book fund comprised 2540 volumes. At the end of XIX - the beginning of XX century Troitskosavsk occupied one of the first places among the cities of Eastern Siberia according to the number of educational institutions and the qualified pedagogical staff. The town had a numerous progressive intelligentsia.
• In 1890 in the cultural life of the town a significant event took place. Teachers of real school, female gymnasium, other representatives of local intelligentuals were initiators of creation in the town a museum of regional studies, nowadays one of the largest depositary of unique values in Zabaikalye. The museum was founded due to such people as Y.D.Talko-Gryntsevich, V.S.Molleson, I.I. Popov, N.A. Charushin, N.N. Sarychev, P.S. Mihno, A.P. Mostits, M.V.Lisovsky, J.S. Smolyov and others. The first director and keeper of the museum became P.S. Mihno.
• In 1894 with the assistance of G.N.Potanin and D.A.Klements the Troitskosavsk- Kyakhtinskaya branch of the Russian Geographical Society was founded, headed by doctor Y.D.Talko-Gryntsevich, the regional ethnographer and the archaeologist by vocation, who subsequently became a famous scientist, the professor of the Krakow university.
• In 1897 in Kyakhta the new newspaper - "Baikal" began to be issued. Its publisher and editor became a historian and a regional ethnographer of Zabaikalye, I.V.Bagashev. “ Baikal ” turned out to be an interesting, lively newspaper which covered in detail the events of cultural life of the town and area, gave the review of news in Russia and published information from abroad. But because of financial difficulties Bagashev in 1900 transferred it to Irkutsk where only one issue was printed in 1901. In the following year "Baikal" was not issued at all. In 1903 Bagashev transferred the right of publishing the newspaper to I.A.Lushnikov , the son of A.M.Lushnikov, and since then "Baikal" again began to be printed in Kyakhta – Тroitskosavsk up to the end of 1905. Materials of the newspaper of that period testify to the big interest shown by Kyakhta people to political events in the centre of Russia. The newspaper had its subscribers and correspondents not only in Тroitskosavsk and in western and eastern Zabaikalye, also in China (A.D. Startsev), Manchzhuria, Mongolia and Tibet.

The frontier Kyakhta - Тroitskosavsk played a prominent role in XIX - the beginning of XX century in cultural relations of Russia with the countries of Central Asia and it was the only Russian town which was visited by the Mongols. They sold here cattle, wool, hay and bought manufacture goods. Some Mongolian young men studied at schools of the town. Many inhabitants of the town, neighboring villages and uluses (Buryat villages) - the Russians and Buryats - left for frontier areas of Mongolia on affairs of trading firms, and also for accompanying travellers, geologists, doctors, going to the neighbouring country. The cossacks of the First military department of the Zabaikalsky Cossack army, with its management in Troitskosavsk, together with the Mongols served a post way Kyakhta – Urga. Just in that period the foundation for the development of trading, business and friendly relations between peoples of Russia and Mongolia was laid.

But in 1880-s and especially in the end of 1890-s the condition of trade in Kyakhta began seriously to worry “ fathers of the town "." Golden Gate of Russia ” began to lose its importance because of the construction of the Suez canal in 1890 when shorter and more convenient way of transportation of tea from China to Russia and East Europe through Odessa appeared. It made the Russian government to lower taxes and to establish a number of trading privileges for the town of Kyakhta. Nevertheless, it didn’t provide the growth or even stability of the Russian-Chinese trade - its volume from year to year was reduced.

When in the end of 1890-s the construction of Transsiberian railroad was completed, the basic freight traffic went along it and after the Russian-Japanese war by 1905 the gostiny dvor ( the inn) in Kyakhta finally became empty. Many Kyakhta merchants transferred their business to Moscow or St. Petersburg and moved to live to the Russian capitals. So Kyakhta lost its former greatness. The nice 200-years page of the history of the city, the former main centre of the Russian - Chinese trade was closed and a new epoch began in its history.

During the Revolution and Civil war Kyakhta turned out to be in the centre of these events. The First Troitskosavsk Sovet of the Bolsheviks was formed here, the majority of its members were lost in the result of punitive actions of the armies of the ataman of the Zabaikalsky Cossack army, G.Semenov, whose garrison was located in Troitskosavsk.

After the defeat of the army of the admiral Kolchak in the Urals, 1200 political prisoners were carried to Kyakhta, who together with 400 local inhabitants were shoot on the territory of the Red barracks. In memory of these victims the obelisk is established on this place..

In January, 1920 the Chinese armies overthrew the governor of Mongolia, Bogdo-gegen, and aspiring not to admit the Bolsheviks to their borders, captured Тroitskosavsk. In the same year the army of the German baron serving at the Russian imperial court, the general R.F.Ungern came to Mongolia where under the slogan of protection of Buddhism and restoration of independence of Mongolia and with the support of the part of the population, after fierce fights with the Chinese armies, Bogdo-gegen again was throned.

In March, 1921 in Troitskosavsk the First congress of the Mongolian national revolutionary party was held and the provisional Government of Mongolia was formed headed by Sukhe-Bator. The Mongolian national army seized Maymachen.

In May the armies of the baron Ungern marched to Troitskosavsk, planning to destroy the Mongolian detachments, to go to Baikal and to separate the Far East Republic from the Soviet Russia.

In June in Mongolia unexpectedly appeared the 35-th cavalry regiment of the Red Army led by K.K.Rokossovsky. The regiment made a quick march from Irkutsk, joined the detachments of Sukhe-Bator and destroyed the army of Ungern. Then the Red army captured Ungern (nowadays Ulan- Bator) and brought Sukhe-Bator to power.

Military actions on this territory stopped at the end of summer in 1921. In 1922, after the abolition of Far East Republic Troitskosavsk was included into the structure of RSFSR.