Oh, that Zhatkin!

There are probably very few people in Kharkiv who haven’t heard the name of this truly legendary figure at least once! But for those who aren’t familiar with him or have perhaps forgotten, here’s a brief reminder…

Back in 1909, First Guild merchant V. V. Zhatkin purchased the Maly Theater building and the adjacent land—on which the “Bavaria” garden was laid out—from A. M. Lvov for 183,000 rubles.

The Maly Theater itself was built in 1902 on the Kharkivs’ka Embankment, based on a design by Jūlijs Caune. After renovations a few years later, the auditorium could seat up to 1,000 spectators. By the time he purchased the Maly Theater, Mr. Zhatkin owned the “Tivoli” and “Buff” gardens on Blagovischenska Street and the so-called “Suburban Versailles” on Belgorodske Highway.

The new owner immediately set about renovating both the theater itself—which soon came to be known as “Zhatkin’s Villa”—and the surrounding area. For example, the practical-minded Zhatkin built a private power plant adjacent to the theater for convenience.

An entire street was also built, and a single-track tram line was laid specifically for the theater. And “Zhatkin’s Villa” itself entertained the public around the clock: in the morning—performances; in the afternoon in the garden—amusement rides; in the evening and until dawn—shows, balls, farces, and so on.

All in all, for the people of Kharkiv at that time, this villa was a veritable entertainment hub. After all, many renowned musicians and singers performed there.

Quickly, Zhatkin’s villa became known not only as a music venue but also as a place where “films for men” (that is, to put it in modern terms, porn) were shown and as a popular brothel.

In this regard, a remark made in 1912 by Nikolai von Ditmar, a member of the Kharkiv City Duma, is quite interesting:

Nowhere else have cafes and nightclubs displayed such blatant cynicism and depravity as in Kharkiv. All these Zhatkin and Tivoli establishments are openly corrupting our youth—it is time they should be shut down

Zhatkin himself had a reputation and was just as notorious in our town as his establishments.

But in 1915, “Zhatkin’s Villa” was sold at public auction due to claims by creditors and purchased by V.I. Pashchenko. After changing hands and names several times, the villa stood until the 1940s and was destroyed during the bombing.

Thanks to numerous photographs, we know exactly what the building looked like.
However, few people have seen images of its infamous owner. However, thanks to a caricature published on page 5 of the first issue of the Kharkiv humor magazine “Zhalo” from 1907, we can still, so to speak, “look into the eyes” of that very legendary Zhatkin.

The text below the image is also worth noting.

The tireless and insatiable “director” V.V. Zhatkin, who has snatched up every entertainment venue in the city of Kharkiv. The former owner of “Tivoli,” thanks to his managers from among the “liberators,” now sees nothing but writs of execution everywhere. He sits by the fence and weeps bitterly, bitterly.

So, as we can see, Zhatkin had run-ins with the law as early as 1907.