Imperial Tomsk University and Siberian merchants: the experience of co-operation

The main objective of this article is to describe the role of merchants in the formation and development of the first higher educational institution in Siberia - Imperial Tomsk University. Merchants represented a very small part of the urban population, not more than 1.5-2 %, they still dominated in the economic and social development of the Siberian society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It should be emphasized that government officials and intellectuals often showed a negative attitude to merchants. For example, the main organizer of Tomsk University Professor V.M. Florinskiy wrote that all power was in the capitals of merchants, but the University was above their understanding. However, this article allows disproving his statement. Siberian merchants contributed large sums to the needs of the University in Tomsk. There is an evidence that 814 thousand rubles was spent on the construction and arrangement of the University by its opening in 1888. At that time, merchant donations amounted to 310 thousand rubles. The largest contributor for the University needs was Tomsk merchant Z.M. Tsibulskiy. In total, he donated over 158 thousand rubles to the University. The Russian Government was very grateful to him and awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, third degree, to him. Tsibulskiy was also first in Tomsk to be awarded the title "The honorary citizen of the city of Tomsk" in 1878. In addition to construction costs, merchant money was used for educational needs, for equipment of laboratories and classrooms. Merchants contributed to the formation of the scholarship fund for students as well. The merchant support of research in the Imperial Tomsk University was of great importance. Merchants sponsored research expeditions of university professors, donated for purchasing book collections. For example, A.M. Sibiryakov's donation paid for the famous poet Zhukovsky's book collection. Merchant M.K. Sidorov helped to buy the collection of "Tobolsk antiquities", and that collection was the first in the Archaeological Museum at the University. Krasnoyarsk merchants I.P. Kuznetsov and G.P. Safiyanov donated large collections on archeology and ethnography. These collections still represent the main value of the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography of Tomsk State University. The great interest of merchants to the University showed in the fact that their children studied in the University. The article notes that such Imperial Tomsk University graduates from merchants as N. Sherlaimov, N. Patrushev, V. Prasolov, N. Piskunov, M. Zelenevskaya, G. Patushinskiy, A. Mariupolskiy played a prominent role in the life of Siberia. The article concludes that the relationship of Imperial Tomsk University and merchants satisfied their mutual interests, made a great contribution to the socio-cultural integration of various strata of Siberian society.

Keywords

Authors

References