The Presidential Library spotlights the significance of the Russian province

The word “province” began to be used in Russia at the end of the 17th century and meant a governorate. In 1699, by Decree of October 27 “On the establishment of trading companies for merchants, as in other states, on the distribution of cities for trade affairs by provinces, with the subordination of small towns to the main provincial city”, Peter declared three regions provinces with centers in Novgorod, Astrakhan and Pskov.

In the New Dictionary by Nikolai Yanovsky (1806), an electronic copy of which is available at the Presidential Library, the word “province” is interpreted to mean “uezd, districts, roundabout villages, volosts, and villages under the jurisdiction of a provincial city”. There is also a historical note included, according to which “among the Romans, the word “province” meant the lands they conquered outside Italy, because provinces were never established in Italy itself.”

The term “province” began to be actively used as an administrative-territorial unit in the 18th century. And only after a century and a half, the province began to be considered as a phenomenon that characterizes the “special landscape of our country”.

Since the end of the 19th century, the provincial cities of the Russian Empire began to develop actively. The local economy was fueled by the opening of new hotels, inns and shops. Cultural life was influenced by the development of theaters and cozy provincial gardens. The improvement of crafts was of great importance. Free Sunday schools have played a significant role in the life of the province. At this time, educational activities began to gain momentum: folk readings were a great success, libraries and reading rooms were in demand. Folk festivals often served as a source of educational activity. Tea, family and dance evenings were very popular.

Provincial towns and villages, due to the considerable territory they occupy, make up the essence of Russia, so it is not surprising that their way of life and culture are reflected in many works of Russian literature. Alexander Ostrovsky and Nikolai Leskov, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin and Anton Chekhov, Valentin Rasputin and Viktor Astafyev, as well as many other writers closely observed the life of provinces.

“It is necessary for someone, who wants to learn the Russian spirit in genuine simplicity, to live in Siberia or in Perm Governorate”, wrote Pavel Melnikov-Pechersky.

In turn, Vladimir Korolenko, reflecting on the close relationship between the capital and the province, noted: “What in the capitals is mostly an idea, a formula, an abstraction, in the province – we see and touch in the people, feel, perceive for ourselves.”

Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, who knew the life of the Russian province, its weaknesses and troubles well (due to his experience as vice governor of Ryazan and Tver, and manager of the treasury chamber in Penza, Tula and Ryazan), in his works touched on the socio-economic processes that took place in post-reform Russia. The book Signs of Time. Letters about the Province (1869) says: “The need for reading and, moreover, thinking is already emerging in the province. Despite all the improvements and successes, that subtle smell of boredom continues to reign there, against which we are fighting so hopelessly.” In The Diary of a Provincial, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin ridicules the provincial’s attraction to metropolitan life. The author is right that indeed many of the “ringing names in the capital” came from the Russian hinterland.

So, for example, the film Literary Province. World Names (2015) published on the Presidential Library’s portal tells about the way the history of Penza Region is connected with the names of Russian writers. Vissarion Belinsky’s childhood years were spent in the city of Chembar, now it is the city of Belinsky, where the house-museum of the famous critic is located. Mikhail Lermontov spent his childhood in Tarkhany, in the estate of the poet’s grandmother Yelizaveta Arsenyeva, now it is one of the famous Lermontov places in Russia. Penza Region is associated with the names of writers Fyodor Gladkov and Ivan Lazhechnikov, Alexander Radishchev and Alexander Kuprin.

The significance of the province for Russia is great and diverse. Almost every region of our country is famous for its unique masters, whose creations serve as a trademark, a brand name that has glorified Russia far beyond its borders. Thus, the Tula samovar and Tula gingerbread are known to the whole world. The identity of Vyatka Region is emphasized by the Dymkovsky toy. Khokhloma painting originates from the Volga shores. Orenburg and Pavloposadsky shawls, Zhostovsky trays, Palekh boxes, Vologda lace, Rostov finifty – all these have become symbols of Russia.

Detailed information about what is commonly called the Russian province can be found on the Presidential Library’s portal in the Territory of Russia section. The electronic collection includes scientific, popular science and educational publications, archival documents, maps, photographs and newsreel describing the domestic territory, remote from the capital center, in various aspects and in different historical periods.