Berdsk

It was founded in 1716 on the river Berd (right tributary of the Ob) as the fortress of the Berd fortress. The city since 1944. The main part of the territory of Berdsk fell into the zone of flooding of the Novosibirsk reservoir ("Ob Sea"). The name of the city is derived from the name of the river on which it stands, and most likely has Turkic roots. The word "berdu" ("birdu") in Turkic languages means "beru" or "taken". The territories of the modern Novosibirsk region were populated by Russians from the XVII-XVIII centuries, they were fugitive peasants (who escaped from the oppression of the authorities under Peter I), schismatics, volunteers, Old Believers, as well as fur hunters. In the pool, they settled for a long time to start a new or to continue their free life. At the beginning of the XVIII century, the Berdy basin was already inhabited significantly, and the local population demanded that the authorities build a fortress to protect them from possible raids by nomads from the south. In 1716, under the leadership of Ivan Butkeev (a captured Pole who took root in Russia and became a serving man), construction of the prison began. On both sides it was protected by natural obstacles: Obue and Birdew and their high steep banks, from which the Obi Valley was well visible. On the third side, the city was closed by a dense forest. The date of the foundation of the prison is controversial: according to some researchers, this happened earlier, since there are earlier references to the existence of the prison in this place. In addition, the fact of the existence in this place of the yasak road to Kuznetsk in the XVII century, and it is very likely that the settlement here has already been. The fact that in the drawing book of 1710 there is no settlement on this site may mean that it was destroyed during the raid, and the prison was built on the site of a pre-existing settlement. Description of 1734 says: "A wall of skinned logs with a height of three sazhens stood an arc between Ob and Birdew, in front of the wall was a moat with slingshots and stakes." There were watchtowers at the edges. All the houses, the church of Cretnia, the house of the head, the court hut, barns and the garrison were inside the prison. The garrison consisted of white-seat Cossacks who had guns and only one small cannon. In 1730, the Moscow highway passed here, which gave impetus to the new development of the city: trade arose, artisans appeared. At the beginning of the XIX century in the area of Berdsk in Birdy found gold brought from the upper reaches of the river, Salair Ridge, 200 kilometers to the southeast. By the beginning of the XX century, Berdsk became a major center for processing grain from the upper Ob basin - from the present Novosibirsk region and the Altai Territory, especially after laying the Trans-Siberian Railway. For example, the mill of the merchant V. A. Gorokhov was considered one of the leading enterprises of the Tomsk province, capable of processing 90 tons of grain per day, with equipment that was not inferior to modern European mills, giving out flour of several varieties. The flour was packed in special marked bags, sold in other cities of Siberia, exported to European Russia and abroad. Expeditions were also made along the Northern Sea Route, where Gorokhov's barges met with ships of English merchants and handed over large batches of flour. In 1909, the mill’s products won a small gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris. The Gorokhov enterprise was very developed not only from the technical and economic sides, but also socially: the owner not only paid high salaries and gave gifts for holidays, but also maintained a library, a culture house and a technical school on the territory of the enterprise, where specialists were trained to work at the mill and towing steamers. In 1915, the Altai Railway was opened, which passed near the city and connected it with fast communication with Novo-Nikolaevsk and Barnaul. General mobilization in the First World War, then the civil war, and in the 30s collectivization, hit hard on the industry of the city and its welfare. Due to the construction of the Novosibirsk reservoir, the main territory of the city was in the flood zone. The city was rebuilt around the existing area near the railway station. There are no historical buildings in Berdsk: the oldest were built near the station by 1915, the streets of the city are flat rectangles. The city is located on the shores of the Berd Bay (the flooded Birdie Valley). The terrain is flat, in the west, between the city and the coast of the Ob Sea, there is a pine forest with an area of about 20 km. The nearest cities to Berdsk (distance to the center directly by road; direction; name of the region, if not in the Novosibirsk region).