Karelia. Adventures of foreigners in Karelia

Adventures of foreigners in Karelia. One of the Europeans who made a significant contribution to the history of Karelia was the English engineer Charles Gascoigne, better known as the inventor of the ship's gun. Its appearance on the Karelian lands is associated with the attempts of Empress Catherine II to re-enter the Olonets factories. Gascoigne took the task very seriously, and after a while brought to Karelia not only equipment for factories, but also building materials for repairing production buildings. The indefatigable Englishman also laid down a new iron foundry near Kronstadt and built the first hand-driven railway in Russia, which was used at the Alexander Plant as a transport for heavy guns. During his work, the engineer was repeatedly awarded honorary state awards. Gascoigne died in 1806 and was buried in the Petrozavodsk cemetery.

The post of Gascoigne was subsequently taken by Scotsman Adam Armstrong. He directed the St. Petersburg and Olonetsky factories until 1818. At Armstrong near the factories, a deposit of refractory clay was discovered, which made the production of weapons in the region completely independent of the supply of this type of raw material. As a chief, the Scotsman not only monitored the quality of the items and tools cast at the factory, but also took care of the peasants assigned to his enterprises. By the way, among researchers there is an assumption that Gascoigne’s grandson is the prototype of Evgeny Onegin – the main character of the eponymous work of the great poet Alexander Pushkin. The relative of the famous Englishman in Karelia was Alexander Poltoratsky, who was born in Petrozavodsk and lived in this city until the age of 16.

After graduation, he went to St. Petersburg, where, serving in the Semyonov regiment, he met Pushkin. By the way, it was Poltoratsky who introduced Anna Kern to the poet, who later played an important role in the life of Alexander Sergeyevich. Comparing all the available facts, it is possible to assume that a few centuries ago a real “prototype” of Eugene Onegin walked along the embankment of Lake Onega. Speaking about eminent foreigners associated with Karelia, it is impossible not to mention the Polish poet and philosopher Eduard Zheligovsky, who was exiled to the Olonets province for "political misconduct." Here he was under constant surveillance as an unreliable citizen. After his exile, Zheligovsky moved to St. Petersburg, where he lived and worked for several years before emigrating to Switzerland.