Verbovskyi Vladimir Ivanovich, State Councilor, Head of the city of Lugansk (1891-1902)

Verbovskyi Vladimir Ivanovich, State Councilor, Head of the city of Lugansk (1891-1902)

The nobility was one of the most important and system-forming estates of the Russian Empire. The nobility represented a significant part of the ruling class, was not homogeneous, but was undoubtedly the most educated and maximally involved in government and local government in Russian society, the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Upbringing, education, material well-being, were the most important, but not the defining characteristics of the nobility. The main and defining occupation of the nobility was serving the state, which was personified by the sovereign.
As a rule, the nobles formed the command staff of the army and navy, the nobles dominated the responsible posts of the civil service, and the diplomatic corps was formed mainly from the nobles[7].
One of the most characteristic representatives of his class, who formed the backbone of local self-government in hundreds and thousands of county towns of the Russian Empire, was Vladimir Ivanovich Verbovskyi (1854-1902), a nobleman, state councilor, city head (born 1891- died 1902).
The motives and inner world of Vladimir Ivanovich's personality were formed among the Slavyanoserbsky county nobility, as part of a huge and diverse community of Russian nobility. The history of the Slavonoserbsky nobility is closely intertwined with the history of the Russian Empire, in general, and the development of the Azov region, in particular.
A brief digression into the history of the settlement and formation of Slavyanoserbsky uyezd, Yekaterinoslav province, was largely due to the strategic importance of the region, proximity to the theater of military operations with the Ottoman Empire. The discovery of coal and the beginning of its extraction, as well as the related development of metallurgy, had a significant impact on the economic development of this region[8].
However, in ancient times, during the heyday of Kievan Rus, the territory of the future Luhansk region bordered the lands of nomadic tribes, whose frequent raids did not contribute to its settlement. Therefore, the territory was sparsely populated and had the character of temporary winter shelters. During the Mongol-Tatar invasion of the 13th century, this trend continued, and was expressed in the further devastation of the lands, which suspended the economic and cultural development of the region, led to the depopulation of the steppes between the Dnieper and the Don[7].
However, despite the nomads, since the 16th century the flow of fugitive Russian and Ukrainian peasants began to increase, driven by landlessness and oppression of Polish-Lithuanian magnates and Moscow landlords.
Forested river valleys and gullies settled down, untouched lands were developed. The spontaneous national resettlement was followed by the military-governmental colonization of the Russian state.
By the end of the 17th century, the Russian government began to establish a guard service and fortified lines in the southern steppes. At the same time, the Zaporozhye and Don Cossacks continued to settle in the region.
In 1753 The Government Senate of the Russian Empire, guided by military and strategic considerations of strengthening the southern borders of the state, issued decrees. The decrees spoke about the settlement of Serbs, Bulgarians, Hungarians and other immigrants from the Balkan countries in the free territories on the right bank of the Donets River between the Bakhmut and Lugansk rivers.
Slavs and settlers of the Orthodox confession who fought on the side of the Empire, against Turkey and Poland. All those who fled from the Turkish yoke or the persecution of Orthodox Slavs in Austria-Hungary[1].
By the will of the Russian state, a policy of military colonization of the region was initiated. The settlers from among the refugees and veterans were united into two hussar regiments, named after their organizers – the regiment of Ivan Shevich and the regiment of Raiko Preradovich. As a result, the area inhabited by the regiments of Shevich and Preradovich was named Slavo-Serbia.
This territory was not part of the administrative structure of any South Russian province, but was directly subordinate to the Senate and the Supreme Collegium.
The development of the administrative structure of the Empire, its unification and centralization, led to the fact that in 1764 Slavo-Serbia was abolished, and in 1784 this territory became the Donetsk district of the Yekaterinoslav governorate.
Twelve years later, in 1796, Novorossiysk province was formed, and in 1802 Yekaterinoslav province was separated from it, which included Donetsk (Slavyanoserbsky) district.
During this period, free lands (i.e., rank dachas) were actively distributed for military service. It should be noted that land plots were allocated to persons of "every rank", with the exception of serfs[1].
Relocated officers and foreign officials received many landowner's awards. Thus, the village of Sentenina, now Sentyanovka, appeared on the banks of the Lugani River. The city of Alchevsk and the railway station, now known as Rodakovo, were partially built on Radakov's lands. Several farms were founded by Shevich, Shterich, Bozhedarovich and Rashkovich[1].
Thus, the noble society of Slavyanoserbsky Uyezd in the 18th century was formed by 85% of people of the middle officer rank, and at the end of the 19th - the beginning. In the 20th century, it consisted of serving noblemen and noble landowners.
Many of them were connected by common economic and economic partnerships or kinship ties. Belonging to the noble class in itself did not provide them with any advantages; personal qualities, the ability to enlist the support of other noble families, professional qualities, education and authority in society played an important role. The position of the head of the city was elective and competitive, so the candidate had to make a lot of efforts to get a submission to the emperor for approval[7].
All that we know about the influence and role of Vladimir Ivanovich among the nobility is that Vladimir Ivanovich Verbovskyi (1854-1902), a state councilor, was elected chairman of the City Duma in 1891 and held this post until his death in October 1902[4]. After the death of Verbovskyi V.I., his widow, also a representative of the famous noble family of Rosalion-Soshalsky, Natalia Fedorovna Verbovskaya, died. 316 des of land became the personal property of Bolshaya Martynovka, Illyrian volost. In addition, Rosalion is Fedor Grigorievich Soshalsky, the provincial secretary, Natalia Fedorovna's father, also under the village. Rozalionovka owned 400 des. of land.
Rosalion is Sofya Mikhailovna Soshalskaya, the wife of the provincial secretary. Under der. Razsypnoy had 500 des. of land.
Having intermarried with the Rosalion-Soshalsky family, Verbovskyi V.I. significantly improved his financial condition and strengthened his authority among the county nobility. Interestingly, information about the Rosalion-Soshalsky family coat of arms has been preserved, it depicted a Rose and a Lion. The possession of the coat of arms was quite rare for the county nobility and testified to belonging to the princely branch of the Naryshkins[1].
Along with Lev Viktorovich Golubev (1876-1942), court counselor, chamberlain of Her Majesty's Court, member of the Slavyanoserbsky Uyezd zemstvo, owner of the village of Alexandrovsk in Slavyanoserbsky Uyezd, the Rozalion–Soshalskys were the most prominent and prosperous noblemen of Slavyanoserbsky Uyezd. Golubev L.V., in addition, had 3243 des. of land in the village. His wife, Alexandra Stepanovna Golubeva (1886-1982), daughter of naval commander S.O. Makarov, from the noble Naryshkin family, owned 314 land plots in the village of Alexandrovsk. the lands, as well as Ilyenko Sergey Mikhailovich (1847-1918), the long-term leader of the nobility of Slavyanoserbskogo district, and Rodakov Viktor Nikolaevich (1864-1929), a nobleman, deputy of the 1st State Duma from Yekaterinoslav province, owned significant land plots. The Golubevs, Rodakovs, Rozalion-Soshalskys, and Verbovskyi were the most influential and large landowners in the county[5].
By the way, the fate of V.N. Rodakov was closely intertwined with the fate of N.F. Verbovskaya. Many researchers attribute joint economic activity to them after the death of Vladimir Ivanovich, which turned into an affair and marriage. This revealed the whole essence of the nobility of the county, their close economic and family ties [2].
Important for the career and fate of V.I. Verbovskyi in general are the 80s of the nineteenth century, when Lugansk was given the status of a county town. From that time on, they begin to choose the head of the city[9;10;12].
It so happened that Vladimir Ivanovich became the second head and replaced the First head of the Lugansk City council, Nikolai Petrovich Kholodilin (1843-1929), who was elected to this position in 1883, immediately after Lugansk was awarded the status of a county town and the center of Slavyanoserbsky Uyezd (1882).
According to the 1897 census conducted as the head of the city by Verbovskyi V.I., the population was 20,404 people, distributed according to their native language as follows: Great Russian - 13,907 people, Little Russian - 3902 people, Jewish - 1449 people, Belarusian - 716 people[5].
The period when Vladimir Ivanovich became the head of the city was marked by such events as the construction of the first steam locomotive at the Lugansk Plant in 1900[4].
Under the leadership of Verbovskyi, Lugansk finally gained the status of a major industrial center in Russia. There were 16 factories and factories, about 40 craft enterprises. A telephone exchange was opened in the city, a new post and telegraph office was built, and a new building for the city bank and the Duma assembly was built. Education was actively developing, scientific and industrial schools were being born[8].
Thanks to the efforts of Vladimir Ivanovich Verbovskyi, a three-year trade school was opened in 1901. Vladimir Ivanovich's organizational talent helped unite patrons and wealthy people around the creation of this and other educational institutions.
The trade school was supported by private and public funds. Private funds came from merchants and patrons of the city. The opening of the school met the needs of the booming economy and commerce in Luhansk. The school made it possible to train personnel for local commercial, industrial and credit institutions[2].
Under Vladimir Ivanovich Verbovskyi, construction was actively developing. This was most vividly manifested in the architecture of Natalia Street.
Natalyevskaya Street became part of the new planning structure of the county town, approved in 1882[5].
According to the existing legend, the lane owes its historical name to Natalia Verbovskaya, the wife of Vladimir Ivanovich Verbovskyi, whose love for his wife knew no bounds. Knowing this trait of Vladimir Ivanovich, many citizens took advantage of it, often addressing their problems not to the reception, but to Natalia Verbovskaya herself, who received them at home. Unfortunately, their house has not been preserved[2].
Natalyevsky Lane also had another name – Polsky Lane. In 1902, at the request of Poles living in the city, the city government allocated them a plot of land on which a Polish Catholic church and a priest's house were built, and with them a Polish school.
According to the book of registration of nationalized households, according to the decree of 08/24/1918, in addition to Ilyenko's house in Natalyevsky Lane, houses with house buildings belonging to: Natalia Fedorovna Verbovskaya – stone house, covered with iron, wing, carriage house, stable and glacier, valued at 2500 rubles; Gita Zalmovna Notkina ("house of the mine owner Notkin", – as it is called) – a stone house, covered with iron, a kitchen, a glacier, a canopy, a stable, a carriage house and an outhouse, estimated at 2500 rubles.; Kholodilin Ivan Ivanovich – a house covered with iron, a cellar, an outhouse, a glacier and a carriage house, estimated at 1025 rubles.; Filatova Vera Sergeevna (Most likely Miokovich Stepan Alekseevich – two stone houses, covered with tiles, a stable, a barn and a barn, estimated at 900 rubles.; Filatova Anna Sergeevna, nee Ilyenko.– Approx. by the author) – an outhouse, a barn, a hayloft and a glacier, estimated at 300 rubles. The Polish Church and the Monastery Compound, located in the same Natalyevsky Lane, were also nationalized[3].
Without a doubt, Natalyevsky Lane was a symbol of the county nobility, the personification of the "old regime", the aristocratic decision-making center and informal meetings of all those on whom the fate of the city depended. And after the Russian Empire fell under the onslaught of the Bolsheviks, the nationalization and looting of this alley was symbolic.
There were houses on this lane within walking distance: the Notkin mine owners, the Filatov and Verbovskyi nobles.
There is no doubt that the decoration of the alley was and remains the Ilyenko mansion (9 Natalyevsky Lane). The house is made in the style of Russian classicism and is a city landmark to this day[6].
There is evidence that local noblemen gathered in the evenings in Natalyevsky Lane at Ilyenko's house. We played cards, made small talk, and had dinner. Among those invited were the Rosalion-Soshalskys, the Ungern-Sternbergs, the Verbovskyi, and others.
Sergei Mikhailovich Ilyenko was the leader of the nobility of Slavyanoserbsky Uyezd for more than forty years, during which time he developed friendly and working relations with Verbovskyi V.I. Thanks to such friendship, it was possible to implement many projects, but the most famous are the creation of the sobriety Society (1894) and the construction of the Lugansk-Millerovo railway line (1897)
. sobriety made it possible to distract a significant part of the working class from drunkenness, increase their productivity and organize useful leisure activities.
However, the construction of the Lugansk–Millerovo railway line (1897), which connected the county with central Russia, obviously became the most significant for Lugansk. The friendship of Verbovskyi and Ilyenka made it possible to combine the administrative capabilities of the mayor and the financial resources of a large landowner. The result of this cooperation was the opening of a nursing home and an orphanage by Sergey Mikhailovich and further financing[6].
In addition, in the 90s of the twentieth century, financial and administrative buildings were built with the participation of the mayor Verbovskyi V.V.. Along with the building of the City Bank, a new building of the City Duma was built (30 Karl Marx Street). Nowadays, it houses the Museum of History and Culture of the city of Lugansk. This building housed the halls of the Duma meetings. The name of the author of the building has been lost, but it is known that the facade has been preserved in its original form, with the exception of the fire tower on the roof. At the same time, the internal layout was repeatedly changed by the organizations that occupied the building at different times.
Vladimir Ivanovich Verbovskyi also entered the history of Lugansk as one of the authors and active supporters of the fastest approval of the coat of arms of the city in St. Petersburg. In 1891, together with the Slavyanoserbsky district police officer Timofeev N., with the support of the leader of the county nobility Ilyenka S.M., Verbovskyi V.I. repeatedly visited the capital of the empire, and he also wrote letters to the capital officials and the emperor to speed up this process. Only after the death of Vladimir Ivanovich, Emperor Nicholas II approved the coat of arms proposed by Verbovskyi as the official one in 1903[3].
The result of the mayor's active work was that, according to many statistics, by the end of the 19th century, and especially at the beginning of the twentieth, Lugansk had become one of the largest industrial cities in southern Russia. The population has increased dramatically. According to the first All-Russian census, it was 20419 thousand people (1897), and by 1911 this number had increased to 61400 thousand people. The number of young people who needed to get an education also increased. This was facilitated by the emergence of new educational institutions in the city, mainly of a lower type. So, in 1897 in Lugansk there were 8 male lower educational institutions with 635 students and 6 female ones with 422 students[4]. It should also be noted that with the assistance of the mayor, a women's gymnasium and a men's gymnasium were also opened in Lugansk[2].
Таким, образом, роль Владимира Ивановича, для города была неоценима. Во время руководства городом Вербовским В.В. сложилась команда единомышленников, - меценатов, купцов, землевладельцев, дворян и служивых людей, которые объединившись вокруг личности городского головы, что обеспечило стремительное экономическое и социальное развитие города и региона, в целом.

Литература и источники

1. Драй А.Я.Славяносербия // http://www.ruslug.ru/?page_id=1611
2. Некрылов Д. Этапы формирования поселенческой сети Луганской области (укр.). История украинской географии. Всеукраинский научно-теоретический журнал. Учебники и пособия. Тернополь. Выпуск 2 (14). С.41-45..
3. История городов и сёл Украинской ССР: Луганская область.- К.:Глав. Ред. УРЕ, 1968.-939с.
4. Горелик А., Намдаров Г., Башкин В. «История родного края». В 2 частях. Луганск, 1995—1997.-Ч.2.: ХІХ - нач. ХХ века. - 255с.
5. «Мой родной край — Луганщина». Под общей редакцией С. Харченко. Луганск, 2012.
6. История Луганского края: Учебное пособие/ Ефремов А.С., Курило В.С., Бровченкр И. и др. - Луганск: Альма-матер, 2003.-432с.
7. История Донбасса: В 3 т. Т. 2: Донбасс в XIX в. / Уд В. И., Курило В. С. — Луганск: Альма-матер, 2004. — 384 с.
8. История Луганского края. Монография / Климов А. О., Курило В. С., Бровченко И. Ю. — Луганск, 2008. — 400 с.
9. История Донбасса / Уд В. И., Курило В. С. — Луганск, 2009. — 300 с.
10. Пирко В. О. Заселение и хозяйственное освоение Степной Украины в XVI—XVIII вв. — Донецк, 2004.- 223 с.
11. Пирко В. О. Историография и источники по истории заселения и хозяйственного освоения Донбасса в XVI—XVIII вв.// Вестник ДонНУ. — 2004.- № 1 (0,5 а.)
12. Пирко В. О. Юго-Восточная Украина: краткие очерки из истории // Восток, 1995, № 1, с. 32-35.