09.08.2018 /

Kharkiv in the 1930s: A Photographic Journey

This collection features Kharkiv in the 1930s, as captured in photographs from Soviet magazines. Of particular interest are the photos of the young Kharkiv Tractor Plant (KhTZ) and the tractor plant settlement, taken by Yakov Khalip and published in the 6th issue of the magazine *The USSR Under Construction* in the grim year of 1937… You can see both new houses for families and six-story “Titanics” for singles; what is particularly striking is the still almost complete lack of greenery.

SKhTZ-15/30, a licensed copy of the American International Harvester 15/30 tractor

“A tractor manufactured by KhTZ.” A rare photo of a model with rubber tires. The SKhTZ-15/30, from which the tractor unit was derived, had all-metal wheels.

A pre-production prototype of the new KhTZ tractor, model KhTZ-NATI. Production is set to begin in 1937, already featuring a cab.

Photo caption: “Workers’ housing—spacious and bright, with cozy, well-appointed apartments; streets lined with young trees, tennis courts, playgrounds, fountains, a beautiful clubhouse, daycare centers, movie theaters, hospitals, and schools—such is the town of the tractor factory, which sprang up alongside the factory on a vacant land.”

KhTZ Factory Administration

Photo courtesy of Uładzimir Sadoŭski.

Іvan Ponomarenko
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CategoriesArchitecture Constructivist Transport