Kolomna Merchant

Kolomna is an ancient city, which since ancient times was famous for its craft and trade traditions, attracting guests from all over Russia with hard work and skill of local craftsmen. Kolomna XVIII – XIX centuries, usually called a merchant city. It was crossed by many trade routes, the largest of which is the land Astrakhan highway. Through Astrakhan and Kolomna transported goods from Persia and China to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Here, in Kolomna, was one of the transshipment points of all-Russian trade with the countries of the East. Local merchants maintained close ties with merchants from Moscow, Voronezh, St. Petersburg, Ryazan, Taganrog, Astrakhan and other cities. In Kolomna there is a confluence of three rivers: the Kolomenka River, which gave the name to the city, the Moscow River and the majestic Russian Oka River.

What is Kolomna merchants and why is this phenomenon unique in pre-revolutionary Russia? Russian classical literature left a very bright image of the merchant: "Boots with an accordion, a voluminous belly, across which stretches a golden chain, hair with a scab, a cunning look with a squint of a merchant and a tyrant."

The merchant in Russia differed significantly from the Western merchant in that he was not only engaged in trade, in Russia he was also an industrialist, a ship owner, a broker, a creditor, a manager in the city magistrate and a philanthropist. What were the merchants wearing? Basically, it is a black coat, a squirrel, a vest that was decorated with a watch chain of gold or silver and wide ports - sharovars that were tucked into boots. The boots had many folds. It was believed that the more folds, the more elegant, for this purpose, a rope was sewn under the skin. Still famous boots with creaking, and to creak louder under the sole sew the hemp or poured sand. The main entertainment of Kolomna kuts was a game of checkers in taverns for beer. Rich Kolomna merchants lived mainly in the Kremlin, while their trading shops were located on the posada. The merchant is an organic part of the Kolomna bargaining: her mouth, nose and teeth that begin to erupt. Entire merchant dynasties are closely intertwined with the past of Kolomna. Meshchaninovs, Tupitsyns, Chuprikovs, Levins, these names are written in golden letters in the history of Kolomna.