Budnikov House in Smolensk

Budnikov House in Smolensk

One of the most unusual, simply fabulously beautiful city building of Smolensk is the former house of industrialist Budnikov, now the House of Creativity of Children and Youth. Interestingly, the Smolensk merchant of the 2nd Guild Peter Budnikov never lived in this house. He built this building in the "Old Russian" style in 1896, just a few steps from the Noble Assembly for officers of the then large Smolensk garrison, and, accordingly, the name "Officers' Assembly" was fixed for the house for almost a decade. But it is interesting not even that, but that since the construction of the house P. Budnikov was cited as an example of how an architectural structure can become a visual advertising of factory products. The fact is that the merchant had his own ceramic production - a tile and pottery factory. The plant he built produced tiles of various colors, vases, figures for decorating gardens, etc. Also, for the first time in the Smolensk region, he began to produce glazed facing bricks for external and internal walls, which not only gave extraordinary beauty to houses, but also protected against moisture and dampness. Accordingly, the whole Budnikov house was built of this brick and decorated with samples of almost all types of tiles and ceramic products produced by the merchant. And when after the solemn opening of the House of Officers' Assembly, the merchant Budnikov was awarded a gratitude and a gift from His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, who at that time held the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Guards, the house became a local landmark and for 20 years with all its unusual appearance advertised the factories of a successful industrialist. By the way, Budnikovsky special brick was exported abroad and was in great demand there. During the Russo-Japanese War, the divisions stationed in Smolensk were transferred to the Far East, and in early 1906 the Public Club was established in the building. Then the house was acquired by the Smolensk Society of Commercial Employees and was given the unofficial name "Merchant's Meeting". But special significance for Smolensk is preserved on the facade of the house Smolensk coat of arms, known at least since the 14th century - sitting on a cannon hamayun bird. In this house, as in the vast majority of buildings of the city, during the Great Patriotic War, a fascist bomb hit. The house burned down, but the strong brick walls survived and saved the coat of arms of Smolensk, which adorned the facade of the building. The coat of arms is fixed in a round niche, and, probably, for the facade of this house, the coat of arms was not specifically made, but a plate with the Smolensk coat of arms was taken, which was installed as a boundary mark on the border of the Smolensk province. This is evidenced by a poorly preserved or specially erased, but still readable inscription located below the coat of arms: "The border of the Smolensk province." The sign with the coat of arms of the city is made at a high artistic level. The artist performed the figure of the Gamayun bird sitting on a cannon, elegant, with a long rounded tail descending to the gun carriage. The most interesting thing is that during the time of Catherine the Great, the Smolensk coat of arms underwent significant changes - a strip of land was removed from under the cannon, symbolizing the Smolensk region itself, and the Gamayun bird was replaced by a bird of paradise. The main difference is that the Gamayun bird is wingless, it does not descend from the place where it was born. Well, since the bird is broadcasting, the one who saw it could claim the royal crown. In the 14th century, this coat of arms symbolized the ability of the Grand Dukes of Smolensk to rule the whole country. There is a version that this property of the Gamayun bird did not like the Empress, who took the throne, to put it mildly, not quite legitimately and denied any attempt to take the throne except by right of succession. Since then, on the Smolensk coat of arms, the bird is large-winged and ankle, just such on the famous Smolensk monument “with eagles”, and the plate with the “wrong” coat of arms is probably somehow preserved after replacing the boundary signs to still decorate one of the most remarkable buildings of Smolensk.