Back in 1926, the book *Fish of Subcarpathian Rus and Methods of Catching Them* was published in Uzhhorod. Its author was Vadim Dmitrievich Vladykov, a 28-year-old émigré from the Russian Empire who lived there. This study was of such high scientific caliber that as early as 1931, the book was translated into French and awarded a gold medal in Paris. Today, Vladykov’s work is considered the best scientific treatise on the fish of the entire Subcarpathian region. And everything would be fine if the authors, in their publications about the scientist, had mentioned his connection to our region. In today’s article, I decided to add a few “Sloboda Ukraine touches” to the biography of this great researcher.
So, in 1884, Dmitry Vladykov graduated from the Kharkiv Theological Seminary and then studied for two years at the University of Warsaw. There is reason to believe that he was by no means the first priest in his family. In the Kharkiv Diocese in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there were quite a few priests with that surname. Some time later, on December 4, 1887, Dmitry Vladykov was ordained. From 1887 to 1905, he served at the Cathedral of the Dormition in the city of Bohodukhiv, which, unfortunately, has not survived to this day. During this period, Father Vladykov served as chairman of the district branch of the school board, principal and law teacher at the local parish school, and as a law teacher and catechist at the Bohodukhiv Public School.
For his service and significant contribution to church education and the fight against sectarians in those regions, Dmitry Vladykov was awarded on more than one occasion by the leadership of the Kharkiv Diocese. On March 18, 1898 (according to the old calendar), his son was born, and they named him Vadim. However, biographers of Vladykov Jr. list his place of birth as the completely incomprehensible “near Kharkiv.” Given Father Dmitry Vladykov’s active ministry in his parish, it is highly probable that the town of Bohodukhiv should be considered the birthplace of this world-renowned scholar. Furthermore, those who mention Vadim Vladykov in their research write that he was the son of a priest. But this, too, is far from the truth, for Dmitry Vladykov was far from being a mere clergyman. I have already written above about his activities and awards during his time in Bohodukhiv. In the years that followed, the elder Vladykov’s ecclesiastical career also continued to rise. Thus, beginning in 1905, Father Dmitry became the first rector of the new Transfiguration Church in the city of Okhtyrka, built according to a design by architect Vladimir Christianovich Nemkin.
He was subsequently honored several times by the diocesan leadership for his work and also served as a member of several important church commissions. In 1911, a book he co-authored with another theologian, Lev Zakharovich Kuntsevich, was published in Okhtyrka: *A Guide for Discussions with Baptists, Molokans, and Other Sectarian Rationalists*. And Dmitry Vladykov’s independent work, published in three parts in 1913–1914, “A Guide for Conversations with Baptists, Pashkovites (Evangelical Christians), Molokans, and Others,” published in 1913–1914, became—to use modern terminology—a true religious bestseller in the Kharkiv Diocese (and beyond). Arseny (Bryantsev), then Archbishop of Kharkiv and Okhtyrka, spoke of it as follows: “This is a commendable work and one that is useful for the diocese: I recommend that the clergy of the Kharkiv Diocese order these books for the church libraries.” Furthermore, a number of authors assert that it is precisely the *Guide for Conversations with Baptists…* that is the finest and most comprehensive anti-sectarian work in the Kharkiv Diocese of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.”
Furthermore, all publications about Vadim Dmitrievich Vladykov state that he received his education at a certain “lyceum in the city of Okhtyrka,” and that his first published scientific work was “Fisheries of the Kerch Strait,” published in 1923 in Prague (Vladykov, Y.D. 1923. Fisheries of the Kerch Channel. Bull. of the Institute for the Study of Russia, Prague 1). However, none of this is true either. Indeed, upon examining the documents, it was established that Vadim Vladykov attended a boys’ gymnasium in Okhtyrka, the building of which still stands today. In 1916, Issue No. 1 of the magazine *Shkolny Luch* (“School Ray”), “Publications by Upperclassmen of the Okhtyrka Boys’ Gymnasium,” was printed at I. E. Pevzner’s printing house. In the introductory note to the first issue, its creators wrote, among other things, that, as it was intended for middle and high school students, *Shkolny Luch* sought to broaden students’ horizons and foster their curiosity, as well as to give them the opportunity to test their—often modest—talents on the pages of a student magazine. They also pointed out that history offers many examples of future great writers and poets taking their first steps precisely in the pages of such magazines. And on page 24 of the same issue, the first part of the essay “The Freshwater Aquarium and Its Inhabitants” by Vadim Dmitrievich Vladykov, a 17-year-old student at the Okhtyrka Boys’ Gymnasium, was published. In my opinion, it is precisely this publication that should be considered the first.
The next two parts of this—by no means a school project—were published in issues No. 2 and No. 3 of the journal *Shkolny Luch* in 1917. From the very first sentences, the author literally grabs the reader’s attention, beginning his essay with the words: “We are accustomed to thinking of an aquarium as a decoration for wealthy homes and a fixture of well-equipped science labs, but in reality, even a good aquarium can be set up very inexpensively by an amateur.” He then devotes considerable attention to topics such as aquarium setup, aquarium maintenance, flora (floating plants, submerged plants), and fauna. He provides very detailed descriptions of the fish kept in aquariums of that time and offers advice on their care and feeding, demonstrating his deep knowledge of the subject. Oh, yes, I almost forgot: you can read and download all three of these unique issues of the magazine “Shkolny Luch” on the website of the Central Scientific Library of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University—“eScriptorium.”
In that same year, 1917, Vadim Vladykov enrolled as a student at Kharkiv Imperial University in the Department of Natural Sciences of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. There, his teachers included the renowned zoologist and paleontologist Pyotr Petrovich Sushkin and the equally renowned botanist of international renown, Valery Ivanovich Taliev. Vladimir Dmitrievich left Slobozhanshchina with his father (who, by that time, had already been ordained an archpriest for his merits), apparently in early December 1919, along with the troops of General Anton Denikin’s Volunteer Army, which were retreating under pressure from the Red Army. However, it remains unclear to this day whether Vladykov, then a student, took direct part in the fighting, or from which specific city the Vladykov family fled with the “Whites”—Kharkiv or Okhtyrka. Be that as it may, as early as November 12, 1920, the loading of Volunteer Army soldiers and civilian refugees—who did not wish to live under Bolshevik rule—onto ships began in many ports of Crimea. The evacuation lasted four days, and as a result, approximately 146,000 people left Crimea for Istanbul, among them Archpriest Dmitry Vladykov and his son.
After living in the Turkish capital for some time, the paths of the elder and younger Vladykovs diverged. Archpriest Dmitry served as rector of the church attached to Russian Dormitory No. 9 in Constantinople until June 12, 1922. From May 10, 1921, to June 12, 1922, he also served as rector of the church at the Russian Embassy’s “Buyuk-Bere” villa in the same city. But as early as 1922, he left Turkey and moved to Czechoslovakia, where he was accepted into the clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church. His son had arrived there a year earlier. And in 1925, Vadim Vladykov graduated from Charles University in Prague.
Later, in Uzhhorod, the paths of the father and son crossed once again. From 1926 to 1928, Dmitry Vladykov served as rector of an Orthodox church, while his son worked as a fisheries inspector and headed the aquarium enthusiasts’ society. Vadim published many articles in local newspapers and magazines devoted to the conservation and study of fish, and he introduced children to this work by organizing various field trips for them. It was during this period that Vladimir Vladykov wrote his most seminal and well-known book, *The Fish of Subcarpathian Rus and Methods of Catching Them*. Incidentally, the author dedicated this study to the youth of the Carpathians—in addition to descriptions of fishing methods and gear, it also lists the folk names for each species of fish. Thus, the book is of interest to both ethnographers and philologists. In the preface, Vadim Vladykov addresses the reader:
In Subcarpathian Rus, there has not yet been a single book describing local fish, their lives, and their significance to humans. Meanwhile, there is a great need for such a book. Not only because the nature of this region has not yet been studied—which means that exploring it could yield a wealth of interesting and new scientific data—but also because research on local fish can have great practical significance… “But raising the cultural and material well-being of the region is possible only when we study its natural conditions. By coming to know the nature of one’s region and its beauty, a person begins to deeply love their homeland, takes pride in it, and strives to improve its material well-being as well…
In 1928, the young scientist left Uzhhorod and moved to France, where he eventually found work at the Pasteur Institute and the National Museum of Natural History (Paris). Vadim was awarded a medal by the Central Society of Agronomy and Fisheries.
That same year, Dmitry Vladykov may have left Uzhhorod, possibly with his son. After moving to Belgium, the former priest of the Kharkiv Diocese settled in Charleroi, where until 1938 he served as rector of the small Holy Trinity Church, whose congregation consisted of White émigrés. In 1942, despite his advanced age, Father Dmitry Vladykov once again became the rector of the church. It was not until 1949 that the 90-year-old priest finally retired. Dmitry Vladykov passed away on July 17, 1955, in Charleroi and is buried there.
His talented son, Vadim, settled in Canada in 1930, where he eventually became a professor at the University of Ottawa. A former student of the Okhtyrka Men’s Gymnasium and Kharkiv Imperial University, he became a world-renowned scientist and authored approximately 290 scientific papers in English, German, French, Russian, and Czech. Today, Vadim Vladykov is also recognized as the founder of scientific ichthyology (the branch of vertebrate zoology that studies fish, their anatomy, the functions of their organs, and their way of life) in Transcarpathia and as the founder of modern ichthyology in the former Czechoslovakia and Canada. Our great fellow countryman passed away at the age of 87 on January 14, 1986, and was mourned by, among others, his two daughters and four grandchildren.
In 1988, a group of authors published a memorial anthology in English in memory of Vadim Vladykov, titled “On Lampreys and Fishes: A Memorial Anthology in Honor of Vadim D. Vladykov.” In his native Sloboda Ukraine region, the world-renowned scientist is still far less well-known than he is in Uzhhorod, for example.
In 2012, a research vessel for the Canadian Department of Marine Resources was named in Vladykov’s honor.
