Originally, I planned to write about how, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, wealthy (and not-so-wealthy) residents of Kharkiv bequeathed their property for the benefit and development of our beloved city. There are many such stories that can inspire both delight and admiration. But you have to admit, it’s easy enough to live in Kharkiv and love it. It’s much harder to continue loving and remembering the city after leaving it, or without having a direct connection to it. Yet wills in which famous and successful people who didn’t live in Kharkiv left something to our city or region were by no means rare for that time. Today we’ll talk about some of them.
An art lover who passed away on December 19, 1885, in distant St. Petersburg, art critic, and honorary associate member of the Academy of Arts, bequeathed his rich collection of books, paintings, and other art objects to our city’s university. It was truly a priceless gift. The library, painstakingly assembled over the course of his entire life, consisted of Matushinsky’s published works, numerous scholarly books, and expensive, unique art publications in luxurious bindings.
Its size and significance can be gauged, if only by the fact that it contained 1,961 book titles alone (many of which were multi-volume works)! In addition, the collection included 237 photographs and 57 engravings. Given that these days the illustrious name of Apollon Mikhailovich, a native of Sloboda Ukraine, means little to most people, I’d like to say a few words about him to help explain the reasons behind such a generous gift.
He was born on November 1, 1828, in the village of Kotelva into a noble family. He was educated at Slivitsky’s private boarding school in Kharkiv, and then, from 1845 to 1849, studied at the Faculty of History and Philology at Kharkiv Imperial University. Afterward, Matushinsky, having served for several years in St. Petersburg, retired and spent a long time traveling throughout Europe, where he devoted himself entirely to the study of sculpture and painting. Thanks to his profound knowledge, Apollon Mikhailovich wrote extensive articles throughout his life for various newspapers and magazines on contemporary trends in art, various exhibitions, and the biographies of outstanding artists. Although he lived in St. Petersburg, Matushinsky made a point of visiting Kharkiv and his hometown of Kotelva. So it is hardly surprising that his entire book collection ended up in our city.
In January 1897, the renowned physician Georgy Ivanovich Tkachev passed away in Rostov-on-Don. According to his will, a portion of the considerable fortune he left behind went to Kharkiv University. To be more precise, it amounted to 75,000 rubles. The interest earned on this sum was used to establish the following in our city:
- two university awards for the best essays on medicine;
- four scholarships for university students;
- Three scholarships for students at the Kharkiv Institute of Technology.
The prize for first place was 600 rubles, and 400 rubles for second place; scholarships of 300 rubles each were paid out to the recipients in equal installments. For the prizes:
- The essay topics were determined annually by the university’s medical school according to a specific schedule: in the first year, on internal medicine; in the second, on surgery; and in the third, on gynecology. The school also set the deadlines for submitting the essays.
- To avoid any suspicion of bias, the essays were evaluated not only by scholars from our city, but also by two representatives from other universities in the Russian Empire. However, the final decision on awarding the prize still rested with the Kharkiv University Council.
However, not everyone in need was eligible for the scholarship. After all, the rules stated clearly and unambiguously:
…Scholarships are awarded to Orthodox natives of the city of Rostov-on-Don, of purely Russian descent, who demonstrate diligence, academic success, and good character
…In the event of poor academic performance or unacceptable behavior on the part of a scholarship recipient, the scholarship may be revoked….
As far as I’m concerned, restricting people who seek knowledge on the basis of nationality or religion is completely absurd. However, to my great regret, such discrimination was far from rare in the universities of the Russian Empire at that time. On the other hand, it is possible that Georgy Ivanovich Tkachev, having himself been a young student from out of town at Kharkiv University, simply wanted to support his less fortunate fellow countrymen—an act that cannot fail to command respect.
Alexander Nikolaevich Aksakov, a well-known journalist, translator, and publisher who died in St. Petersburg in January 1903, also mentioned our city in his will. As a result, the Kharkiv Public Library received part of his magnificent collection of over 600 volumes. These publications were mainly in foreign languages and covered topics in theology, philosophy, natural sciences, and history.
That same year, the former commander of the 124th Voronezh Infantry Regiment (which, as is well known, was stationed in Kharkiv)—Retired Lieutenant General Vasily Mitrofanovich Gulyayev—also passed away. Honoring his 14 years of command of this military unit, he bequeathed 15,000 rubles to it in his will. The interest from this capital was used to provide allowances to the regiment’s officers, chaplain, and doctors, as well as to support the education of children in educational institutions. A special commission, elected annually by the officers, managed the capital, and decisions on each specific case were made by a majority vote. Allowances for the education of children in educational institutions were issued to those in particular need. Regimental officers, chaplains, and doctors who wished to receive assistance had to submit a request to their commander, which was then forwarded to the commission chair. In this case, the amount of the allowance was not fixed but was determined on a case-by-case basis according to each individual’s actual needs.
It should be noted that high-ranking military officers bequeathed funds in their wills not only to military units in our city. For example, Lieutenant General Fyodor Agafonovich Preobrazhensky, who died in 1895 near Kolomna, bequeathed 5,400 rubles to Kharkiv University to establish a scholarship in his name in the amount of 190 rubles. The conditions for receiving it were extremely simple: the selection of the scholarship recipient was left to the discretion of the university’s board, and receiving it imposed no obligations on the student. However, there was one requirement: the recipient had to be of the Orthodox faith.
Konstantin Nikanorovich Annenkov, a renowned lawyer and author of works on civil law and legal proceedings, who passed away at his family estate on February 22, 1910, also paid special attention to Kharkiv. According to his will, his entire extensive library was bequeathed to the Kharkiv Public Library. All rights to reprint his numerous works were transferred to Kharkiv University on the condition that the royalties be deposited into a fund to provide financial aid to low-income students (primarily law students), “who, until they find paid employment, will lack the means to support themselves.” The reason for this truly noble act is extremely simple. After all, at the age of 14, Konstantin Nikanorovich enrolled in the Second Kharkiv Gymnasium, from which he graduated in 1861 with a gold medal. He then spent five years studying at the law faculty of the Kharkiv Imperial University. So it is no surprise that this renowned and successful lawyer retained warm memories of our city and his alma mater until the end of his days.
Moreover, N. F. Gorbachev, a townsman who died in the summer of 1912 in Rostov-on-Don, apparently also loved our region and its people. In his will, he requested that all movable property found in his apartment on the day of his death be sold, and that the proceeds be distributed to schools and charitable causes in the villages of Bannoe, Tatyanovka, and Udy, located in the Izyum and Kharkiv districts.
Well, as for what exactly the residents of our city and region left as a legacy at that time, I’ll write about that next time…
