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FIGURES
Let’s speak at first about statistics. Novozybkov is a town of a regional subjection in Bryansk region, 207 km to the south-west of Bryansk and 597 km from Moscow.
Population is 42, 700 (it is the third largest town of the region after Bryansk and Klintsy). Town land area within its boundaries is 3, 413 hectares (it is 32 times less than Moscow area and 17 times more than Monaco state area). Approximately 40% of Russian towns exceed Novozybkov in population, and approximately 60% have less population.
The date of the town foundation is considered to be 1701 when according to the list of siege of Starodub colonel, Miklashevsky, settlement Zybkaya was founded. In 1809 this settlement got the status of a chief town of uyezd (district), Novozybkov.
OLD BELIEVERS
The town was founded by Old Believers who ran from persecution of the dominant Church. In the XIXth century the Old Believers made up the overwhelming majority of Novozybkov population. In 1963 Novozybkov became the centre of one of the Old Belief branches, that is, Russian Old Orthodox Church ( this trend of Old Belief is also called “Novozybkov agreement” and its followers are called “Novozybkovtsy”). The Head of that Church was named Old Orthodox Archbishop of Novozybkov, Moscow and the whole Russia. At 2002 council (synod), the patriarchate was established in Russian Old Orthodox Church, and residence of Old Orthodox Patriarchy was transferred to Moscow. Just the publishing department and High religious school of Russian Old Orthodox Church remained in Novozybkov. Now two large Old Belief temples – Spaso-Preobrazhensky temple of Russian Old Orthodox Church and Nickolsko-Rozhdestvenskaya church of Russian Orthodox Old Belief Church ( the so-called “Belokrynitsk agreement” which is the largest branch of Old Belief) - function in the town.
INSTITUTE Despite its “status of a district chief town” and its small size, in Soviet times Novozybkov was a town of institutes. In 1930, Novozybkov State Teacher's Training (Pedagogical) Institute (NSTTI) started functioning. In 1970, more than 180 teachers worked in NSTTI, and the number of students amounted to 4,000. The main building of the Institute was housed in the former building of the technical high school situated on the bank of Karna lake. However, in 1976, when NSTTI new building project was ready, it was decided that the Institute should be transferred to Bryansk, and this decision was put into practice. In their turn, Surazhsk Teacher's Training School and Starodubsk Medical school got transferred to Novozybkov and occupied the buildings of NSTTI. As for the further history of the present Bryansk Teacher's Training (Pedagogical) Institute, several years ago it has got the status of a classical university, and its branch was established in Novozybkov. Now educational sphere in Novozybkov is well-advanced - a branch of Bryansk State University, professional pedagogical college, medical college, agricultural technical school, two vocational schools and 11 secondary schools function in the town. The opening of the branch of Bryansk Technical University which has now just the representative office in Novozybkov, is in prospect.
INDUSTRY Town-formative enterprises of Soviet Novozybkov were “Inductor” plant, machine-tool plant and garment factory. More than 1,000 labourers worked at each of them. To date, only “Inductor” plant is more or less “afloat”, it produces electrothermal equipment (smelting furnaces, welding machines etc.). The machine-tool plant and garment factory are on the verge of bankruptcy. In 2007, in Novozybkov a new large enterprise - carriage works “Bryanskwagonmach” - was set up. However, the crisis prevented the development of the new plant. Let’s hope that things will improve there.
Besides, concrete admixtures, knitted garments, house footwear, leather are produced in Novozybkov, and different food factories are functioning there.
MATCHES In XIXth and XXth century, Novozybkov was the first-rate centre of matches’ production. In the town and uyezd (district) 8 factories functioned producing 290 million of matchboxes per year. One of the largest match factories was Volkov factory. Now the machine-tool plant is in its place, and a museum of local lore is in Volkov’s house. Another manufacturer, Osipov, had built a remarkable mansion at Dolgorukov Street (now Communist Street). In Soviet times, a school was in Osipov’s mansion. Later the building fell into decay, and the school was evacuated. For a long time the town administration tried to find the investor for restoration of this mansion but failed – architectural monument is falling to ruin before our eyes…
NOVOYE MESTO (NEW PLACE) Now few people remember the fact that village Novoye Mesto which is located 6 km to the west of Novozybkov, was a town in former times. In 1781 village Zasukha (Drought) (this was its name in those times) was transformed to uyezd (district) town Novoye Mesto of Novgorod-Seversky governor-ruled region. A year later town coat of arms was approved (“6 gold beehives erected in a form of a pyramid, surrounded by gold bees, in green field, which means there were plenty of bees and due to them this country becomes rich”). At the same time settlement Zybkaya which was a part of Novomestsky uyezd (district), have got the status of suburb. In 1809 suburb Zybkov was transformed to uyezd (district) town Novozybkov, and Novoye Mesto have become a provincial town. And only on June 6, 1925, town Novoye Mesto of Novozybkov uyezd (district) was transformed to a village, by resolution of All-Union Central Executive Committee Presidium. Nowadays there is nothing in the look of Novoye Mesto reminding about its former town status.
TRAM This picturesque type of public transport could appear in Novozybkov at the beginning of the XXth century. The idea of a street tram line plotting from the centre to the railway station belonged to Novozybkov merchant, Boris Pevzner, which fact was mentioned by the student of local lore, Aron Volny (Apstein) in one of his books. Unfortunately, this splendid idea was not realized.
Buses of 7 town routes carry Novozybkov passengers. As to Pevzner, he went down in the town history due to a large two-storeyed building of a beautiful design which embellishes the centre of Novozybkov to present day. Another merchant, Afanasiy Shvedov, have built a diversity of houses in Novozybkov. Some of them lasted out to our days, and at Sovetsky Street a small strip of pavement remained which was paved by bricks with initials “A. Sh”. Opposite to its own house, Shvedov had built a very fine church which was named Vonifatiev church (people called it Shvedov church). This church was destroyed in the Soviet times. Several years ago the chapel of Vonifatiev church was restored, and the underground passage connecting the chapel and Shvedov house was found during the construction work.
CHERNOBYL As a result of Chernobyl catastrophe in 1986 Novozybkov turned out to be in “evacuation zone”. Quite often the town is called the “capital of Russian Chernobyl” (Novozybkov is the largest inhabited locality got to evacuation zone). Ancient village Svyatsk in the environs of Novozybkov turned out to be in “evacuation zone” and was resettled. Novozybkov inhabitants were not evacuated, and many of those who left for other towns on their own initiative, returned back later. In 1992, the President of Russia, Boris Yeltsyn, visited Novozybkov. After this visit, the town reconstruction program was worked out providing for the large-scale building of houses, roads, gas network. For realization of this program large sums of money were assigned at first, that’s why building of several tens of apartment houses was started. In the town, gas was supplied to all private houses, almost the whole town was paved with asphalt. Then the financing stopped and for many years the unfinished house-frames might be seen throughout the town. Now the most part of “Chernobyl unfinished houses” is finished. Abandoned constructions remained just in 116th area where the building of houses of the whole microdistrict was started simultaneously.
LIONS For years that passed from the moment of Chernobyl catastrophe, Novozybkov had got great help from international philanthropic organizations. At first it were devices for dosimetry control and medical products. Due to European philanthropic organizations, Novozybkov children regularly go to European countries for rest and recovery living in European families and getting everything required. With assistance of philanthropic organizations, the rehabilitation room for children sick with cerebral spastic infantile paralysis was set up in Novozybkov. Now this room is well-known far beyond the bounds of Bryansk region. For the last years the most important example of philanthropic help is the reconstruction of a maternity hospital. Representatives of Swedish philanthropic organization "The Lions Club" visited Novozybkov time and again. They not only financed the repair of both buildings of the maternity hospital but also bought the newest medical facilities for it. Due to the efforts of Swedish Lions, Novozybkov maternity hospital have become one of the best in the region, and patients not only from Novozybkov and the region but also from other towns arrive here.
NESTEROV From 1991 to 2009, Ivan Nesterov was the head of the town. As I am not informed enough to speak about the Mayor’s work in detail, I’ll tell you just about one side of his activities. In 1996, to the 295th anniversary of Novozybkov, at the triangular area overgrown with wild grass, near the road fork of Vokzalnaya Street and 307th Division Street, a public garden (a square) with a memorable token, foot-paths, lamps and benches was arranged. Since then, the establishment of new public gardens (squares) had become a tradition in Novozybkov. The town is changing swiftly and whatever the ill-wishers say (for example, the opposition press called Nesterov “ Square Mayor” which in Russian sounds like a “bad Mayor”), during these years the look of Novozybkov unrecognizably changed to the best. In this period, in addition to the public garden near the railway station, other places of interest appeared, that is, Fame Alley, Friendship Square, children’s public garden, public garden at Michurin street with the memorable token to R.E. Alexeyev, public garden with an arch at Uritsky Street, Memorial at the Embankment, stele in honour of 300th town anniversary and pond Nizhniy which have become one of the favourite relaxation places of Novozybkov inhabitants and town guests. The pond became a residence of swans and ducks, and in spring 2006 the ostriches joined them. Two ostriches were bought at the special farm in Unecha (it turned out that they were bred there), and were called Boris and Naina. In the last years of Ivan Alexanrovich being a Mayor, the architectural public green area “Kind Angel of Peace” was opened, monuments to the military railway men (steam locomotive in the public garden near the railway station) and pilots (airplane at the Red Square) were established, “Fairytale Meadow” with the wooden sculptures in a birch wood was arranged, a public garden at the crossing of Naberezhnaya (Embankment) Street and Vorovsky Street was constructed and in its centre the sculptural composition “Appearance of Odigitriya Icon to the Old Believers” (according to the legend about the town foundation) was placed. In 2009 a winning of opposition at the elections to the Town Council was a surprise for many people. “United Russia” was just the second, and the winner was the party “Equitable Russia”. According to the acting town statute, Town Mayor is elected by the Town Council, that’s why after elections the representative of “Equitable Russia”, Mikhail Milachiov, have become a head of the town.
DETAILS You may find more details about the town on the following pages in the archival part of the site:
- Symbolism - coat of arms, hymn and banner of Novozybkov,
- Photo-reports – reports by A.Taloverko about different cultural events in Novozybkov in 2004-2005,
- Artists – copies of Novozybkov artists’ pictures,
- Statistics – Novozybkov population and its structure for each year, data on towns of Bryansk region.
ABOUT THE SITE This site is by no means official site of the town despite the fact that somebody called it that already. It is completely author's project basically containing town photographs. Republishing of any information of the site is allowed just by approbation of the author and with the reference to the source. I will be glad to receive Your opinions about the site, Your remarks and offers, to the e-mail voprak@voprak.ru Thank You for visiting my site.
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© Author: Alexander Karpov. 2003-2006.
