Two month ago, 27th March, we opened this website for testing and writing first posts. Yes, it is necessary, because nobody wants to see an empty website. Initially, Elina and I have thought up several sections of the blog: photos, stories, history, music, news and podcasts. Today some of posts can simultaneously belong to two or even three sections. Sometimes I can't decide which part of the website is more suitable. I wanted to expand our blog with new section, but we decided to remain the structure intact. Nevertheless, there are lots of project within the blog. For example, there are Yaroslavl details and Yaroslavl Front door. During two month we wrote more than 45 post and sent lots of postcards with the view of Yaroslavl. By the way, if you want to receive a postcard then contact us.
Within a short time there will be some new projects. I think that you will be interested in these posts.
So, I want to make a short summary of some our interesting existed posts (three for each section).
We continue our series of Yaroslavl front doors which made by LJ user yanlev. One of our readers complained of bad photo quality, so I've decided to correct some of yanlev's photographs. Possible in the future we will take photos on our own.
It's Sakin's rented apartment house. This building was built in 1907 year. Mikhail Sakin was a famous Yaroslavl supporter (patron). In 1880s his father founded a weaving mill nearby the city. Today it is Krasnye tkachi (Красные ткачи). Mikhail liked the mill and worked a lot but ungrateful workers had been being on strike for two weeks.
After that incident he decided to give up the mill and take up his apartment house on Netecha street (ул. Нетеча). It's Sobinova street (ул. Собинова) now.
The door.
The door is modern but simple and fits into the facade.
This vertical implements three functions: the entrance, the living room and the balcony.
The staircase.
The staircase remains intact. And judging by carpet holders we can see that it was restored and not only one time.
Pay attention on staircase legs: they are in a Art Nouveau style. This pattern is a "classic" Art Nouveau.
The landing.
Go outdoor...
There is a big window with handsome frames on the first floor.
And it is a great example of an Art Nouveau window:
The landing is spacious and neat but not light. This narrow windows give little light. But Sakin was one of the first who used elictricity in 1907 year.
The address: Stantsiya Uroch street (ул. Станция Урочь), 10
What: The sign "SCHOOL" (in Russian: школа, transliteration: shkola) made of wooden lathes.
The comment: Common and simple inscription "SCHOOL" clearly shows that a building is a school. It's the school #97 and it's 109 years old! In the past it was the school for railwayman children.
Not only the sign remains intact but the building is in a good condition. It was built in 1900 year!
On 20th of May there was the Volga Day in Yaroslavl. The holiday is only two years old and in this day there are lots of different activities which are focused on a cleaning work. Volunteers of Yaroslavl joined in All-Russia movement "The Clean Volga. Clear the banks of the Volga".
There was a big number of schoolchildren (nearly 1000 pupils) who helped clear the territory of the city center.
We have already written posts of five Yaroslavl music bands. They play different music, but basically they perform in pop rock style. Nevertheless, there are lots of other music bands in Yaroslavl. There are both folk and jazz groups. Latter is very wide-spread in our city. We have a good Jazz Center, a good jazz school and a good attitude of jazz. Some citizens say that Yaroslavl Jazz Center is only place with a good music.
So, allow me to present one of the interesting jazz and blues groups of Yaroslavl. It's Overdrive Blues Band. I think that this group is good beginning of posts about our jazz bands.
Overdrive Blues Band:
Sergey Kuznetsov — vocal, wind instrument
Yury Tikhomirov — guitar
Andrey Volkovich — bass
Mikhail Fadeichev — drums
There are the albums "No More Jazz" and "Live in Yarburg bar". Latter is interesting because Max Nekrasov participated in the recording. Max is one of the best harmonicists in Russia.
All musicians of Overdrive Blues Band are serious and they are known not only in Yaroslavl.
Recently a huge catfish was caught in the Kotorosl river by one of the fisherman-fanciers. The fight with the river monster lasted more than one hour. Valery Igonkin, a fisherman:
It is approximately one meter in length. Well-well... Okay, I cannot hold it more. Heavily.
The fish was caught at 3 p.m. on spinning. The hungry catfish bit on a foam rubber blende. It was very difficult to catch it on fisherman's own. And another fisherman decided to help him. But even two fishermen had been catching the fish for more than two hours. Valery Igonkin:
He pulled. I immediately felt this. He was swimming near me during one hour when he gave in.
Anatoly Posatskov, a fisherman:
He was exhausted by us. Than we closed him to the bank. I went to water in boots, put the screws on him and threw him on the bank. And there I was helped by those who was in shoes.
The length of the fish is one and a half meters. The weight is approximately sixteen kilograms. It's not uncommon. Fishermen name this place Catfish's pit (translitiration: Somova Yama, in Russian: Сомова Яма).
The red double-decker bus is the sign of England like Queen, Big Ben and football. But there was double decker in USSR! By the end of 30th of the previous century, there were two levels trolley buses YaTB-3 (ЯТБ-3, it's abbreviation of Yaroslavl Trolley Bus) on Moscow streets. They were made on Yaroslavl automobile plant. After 70 years there are no those trolley buses, no those plant which produced them (now it's Yaroslavl Diesel Engine Plant "Avtodiesel"). How did they appear and why did they disappear?
The first YaTB-3 was made on June, 22th in 1938 year and in four days — the second. Initially there were only two machines, but in 1939 else eight were produced.
The basis of a construction was two levels city trolley bus (the model of 1935 year) of England company "English Electric Company". At the first time the design was changed a bit for our conditions: the steering wheel was transmitted from the right side to the left side. English variant had only one back entrance, but YaTB-3 had both front and back doors. The trolley bus was 9,5 meters in width and 4,7 meters in height, could contain 72 sitting passengers (32 — on the first floor and 40 — on the second) and 28 standing passengers but only on the first level. The engine had 75 kilowatt (101 hp) and could reach 54 k/h.
At that time YaTB-3 had lot of new technical features: a ventilation, an electrical heating, a stylish cabin, an indicator board "There are no seat left". The trolley bus was all metal.
Unfortunately, experience suggested that it was very complicated to control this machine in our Russian condition. Also there were lots of disadvantages of the machine: high center of gravity, low height of the cabin, bad driving in the winter and others.
By the end of 1939 year Moscow government decided to discontinue the exportation of the trolley buses. Alack, there are no any example of those trolley buses — it was the only double-decker trolley bus which was produced outside England.
Addition materials concerning Yaroslavl double-decker on the Internet (all in Russian):
The first train left from the station Pionerskaya in Victory Day. Schoolboys were in a blue uniform and they surprised their fellows by controlling locomotives and demonstrating an unusual model of the railway. In the opening day there were a lot of desirous. All visitors wanted to ride on a train.
Everything was fascinating and great! It is like a real train! But, however, the main that there is not any buffet!
The schoolboy who controlled the train thought about a route rather than about drinks in the buffet. Route's time was almost 40 minutes.
And there was another entertainment: the model of the railway. The railway apprentices study how to control the whole system: there are nearly 1200 of girls and boys. The next trip is on Saturday, 17th of May.
We are continuing our "project": finding interesting details in Yaroslavl (signs, decorative elements, buildings, even some bricks and other). In this post we are going to say about interesting tile on a building.
What: The ceramics tile-as-business-card with the inscription "Decorative building company. ARTUR PERKS. Moscow. Telephone # 2589" ("Декоративно-строительная контора. АРТУРЪ ПЕРКСЪ. г. Москва. Телефонъ № 2589").
The comment: It was very modish to decorate buildings with ceramics tiles. Especially in capitals, but Yaroslavl wasn't exception. The company of Artur Perks was one of the biggest companies which could tile.
Most of tiles were lost but Yaroslavl tile is one of few survivors. Because of this tile, the building is known as "Bricks" ("Kirpichi").
There are lots of gorgeous music bands in Yaroslavl. Today I want to tell you about one of them — it is Broadside. Let's start with their song "Ustala" (in English: Exhausted) from the new album "Inside of Me":
The band was founded in 1997 year, but Broadside's birthday is January, 1998. Three students of Yaroslavl Music Specialized School after L.B. Sobinov have decided to create a music band of an unknown style. The style consisted of elements of funk, punk-rock, hard-rock, jazz, rap core and a form and features of classic music. They defined their style as alternative rock/nu metal. Band's rendering is bright but not aggressive. Music and creative work of the band is for general public: both youth and adults.
The creativity of the band was influenced by a lot of different music: from Grieg, Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, George Gershwin, to AC/DC, Deep Purple, Metallica, reen day, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Guano Apes, R.H.C.P., S.O.A.D.
Every year the band takes place on the festival Equilibrium in Yaroslavl. Also in 2007 year Broadside won in rock-festival in Kovrov in nomination "The best alternative music band".
Broadside remains untouched for all time. There are only three musicians in the band:
Andrey Kharchev — band's father, vocal, guitar and lyrics
Dmitry Shapulin — vocal, bass guitar, lyrics
Alexey Prilepsky — drums
The band had performances in many cities: Moscow, Arkhangelsk, St. Petersburg, Vologda, Orenburg, Rossosh, Nyandoma, Tutaev, Ivanovo, Rybinsk and other.
Broadside has recorded four albums:
"Spherical" — 2002 year
"Bezdna" (in Russian: Бездна, in English: Abyss) — 2003 year
"Antarktida" (in Russian: Антарктида, in English: Antarctica) — 2004 year
"Pozitiv" (in Russian: Позитив, in English: Positive) — 2006 year
In 2008 year the band decided to add something new. They took on Anastasiya Subbotina (vocal) and started to work on the new program "Inside Of Me".
We carry on our investigation of Yaroslavl front doors. So, the Object #3
Address is Moskovsky prospect (Московский проспект), 12
It's a neat three-storey penthouse which opens a small enfilade (a line of houses) of nice historical buildings on the right side of Moskovsky prospect (if you go from the city center).
Three storey of this massive house are dominated in this part of prospect. The facade is richly decorated: since the beginning of time it's the main entrance of the city. The house was built in the second part of the 19th century and the whole 20th century it was as dwelling house. Only by the ends of the century there was a computer shop on the first floor. Now this computer company owns the entire building.
The door.
Modern. Plastic "Rehau". Stylish. Modish.
Near the main entrance there is an unclaimed another door. It's more older the the previous one.
The staircase.
There is a corridor (hall) from the door before the staircase. The corridor is preserved without any changes:
Walk up, and now both flight of stairs are in all their beauty:
The staircase remains intact from the time of the construction of the building. These interesting things are wonderfully preserved, reminding us of those times when the whole upstairs had a carpet track.
Pay attention to the authentic legs of the banisters:
The landing.
Indeed, both the staircase and the landing are the best example of a real front door. Only have seen the landing, one can understand the design of an architect.
The front door in this building is the key design element. The designers gave so serious attention to it that they took it outside as a jetty (bay window).
Here it is, on the left, a special bay window for the front:
This architecture method allowed to give an imperial scope to the front door. The landing can contain a small room. But more possible there was a big plant there.
In any case, this space was unobtrusively filled without losing its core function: to provide space and scope.
The modeling has remained on the walls and ceiling. It visually divides this side into parts. Probably, there were wall paintings. The "circle" of the modeling indicates the place of the chandelier.
The trick.
The window. The whole front door serves this window. It's gigantic,
as two man's height.
Unfortunately, the window frame has been lost. But we can see the marble windowsill.
In spite of a number of losses, we can exactly imagine how the building looked by the ends of 19th century.
It's a real front door: gorgeous, spacious and bright.
We want to tell you about interesting life in Russian provincial city Yaroslavl (in Russian: Ярославль) which was founded in 1010 year.
You can find here amusing stories and news, everyday photographs, reviews of Yaroslavl musicians, our podcasts, video and some other real information about life in Russia.
You can contact us via email yarforme@gmail.com. We would be grateful if you write us a letter.
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Authors
Elina The IT-manager of a big IT-company. Photographer: that's why you can see lots of beautiful photographs here. Contact Elina.
Evgeny Pavlov The blogger, the PhD student of Yaroslavl State University. Yaroslavl funny stories, music, news appeal to Evgeny. Contact Evgeny Pavlov.
