Irbitsky
Passage
The heart and soul of Irbit’s trade
Trade
Center
The heart of local trade
The passage – an indoor shopping gallery – is the heart of Irbit’s trade.Located in the city center on a merchant square, it could just as well be on St. Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospekt or on Moscow’s Arbat Street.
Passage in summer, photo of the beginning of the XX century
Lar'kov's shop and Torgovo-Ploshadnaya Street
View of Passage from Irbitka river, early 20th century photo
The history
of the
Irbit Fair
A fair opened in Irbit back in 1643. Two centuries later, it was Russia’s second largest trade fair.
It is here that civilized Europe met mystic Asia with its jewels, treasures and clothing exchanged for animal furs, silk and precious stones, as well as the riches of the Extreme North.
A fair opened in Irbit back in 1643. Two centuries later, it was Russia’s second largest trade fair
It is here that civilized Europe met mystic Asia with its jewels, treasures and clothing exchanged for animal furs, silk and precious stones, as well as the riches of the Extreme North.
Irbit
Fair trade
1864: 39.52 million rubles
1875: 48.15 million rubles
1880: 69.49 million rubles
1875: 48.15 million rubles
1880: 69.49 million rubles
The fair’s sales kept growing until 1885, when a railway opened linking Yekaterinburg to Tyumen.
As the Irbit Fair expanded, it drew the neighboring regions into its orbit. At a certain point, it started setting benchmark prices, regulating supply and demand, and setting the tone and fashion trends for other fairs. Among the fairs in the Russian Empire, the Irbit fair was second only to the biggest of them all – the fair in Nizhny Novgorod.
Irbit played a major role in Russia’s trade with Europe, Siberian colonies and far-away Asian countries. If St. Petersburg was the window to Europe, Irbit served as the window to Asia.
The main
trading building
As the fair became increasingly popular, the city started to attract a growing number of merchants, buyers, manual workers and all kinds of onlookers.
It offered a great venue for making business connections, negotiating deals and even entertainment, scarce as it was at the time.
Irbit needed new buildings to accommodate its guests from around the world
As the fair became increasingly popular, the city started to attract a growing number of merchants, buyers, manual workers and all kinds of onlookers. It offered a great venue for making business connections, negotiating deals and even entertainment, scarce as it was at the time. Irbit needed new buildings to accommodate its guests from around the world
Until then, the city mostly consisted of wooden huts: flimsy, small and prone to fire risks. (There were at least two major fires in Irbit.) This was not what Russia’s trade capital needed. It took local merchants and residents quite some time before they realized that they needed to impress their guests by erecting beautiful, solid and stylish buildings. This is how the city got its first brick-style buildings, with various patterns set in stone, carved facades and other interesting architectural elements. That effort shaped the historical part of what is now the city center.
Mariinsk Female Gymnasium
Male gymnasium
Фото В. К. Аникина
Photo by V.K. Anikin
Photo by V.K. Anikin
Photo by V.K. Anikin
Photo by V.K. Anikin
Until then, the city mostly consisted of wooden huts: flimsy, small and prone to fire risks. (There were at least two major fires in Irbit.) This was not what Russia’s trade capital needed. It took local merchants and residents quite some time before they realized that they needed to impress their guests by erecting beautiful, solid and stylish buildings. This is how the city got its first brick-style buildings, with various patterns set in stone, carved facades and other interesting architectural elements. That effort shaped the historical part of what is now the city center.
Johann Georg Gmelin
about the 1734 Irbit Fair:
“…So many people, horses, sledges and goods of all sorts out there on the streets that it is almost impossible to get through… There were Greeks, Jews and merchants from Bukhara… They all brought goods from their lands by transiting through Arkhangelsk: wine, French vodka, etc., from Bukhara there was gold and silver, while the Russians brought silver from ancient tombs… There was also a state-owned store with copper cookware from Yekaterinburg…”
The passage was initially meant to serve as a theater
Located in a mansion owned by Fedulov, a wealthy city dweller, the existing stage was too small for Golovin, a famous Urals stage director. He dreamt of a theater built on a grander scale. He asked the city council to build a big stone theater building.
The city authorities spent seven years, from 1856 to 1863, building the new structure, but in the last minute, Golovin refused to accept the terms offered by the city officials, considering that paying 600 rubles per season for leasing the place was too expensive.
But the local merchants saw this as an opportunity, offering ten times more to set up their shops in the building.
This is how the Irbitsky Passage settled in this new stone building
January 30, 1864: the grand opening
On the days of the fair, the façade of the three-story building, with its small offsets in the middle and a rectangular fronton, was covered with banners listing the goods, merchants, firms and companies at the fair. This gave Irbit’s trade a new heart and soul.
The passage was initially meant to serve as a theater
Located in a mansion owned by Fedulov, a wealthy city dweller, the existing stage was too small for Golovin, a famous Urals stage director. He dreamt of a theater built on a grander scale. He asked the city council to build a big stone theater building.
The city authorities spent seven years, from 1856 to 1863, building the new structure, but in the last minute, Golovin refused to accept the terms offered by the city officials, considering that paying 600 rubles per season for leasing the place was too expensive.
But the local merchants saw this as an opportunity, offering ten times more to set up their shops in the building. This is how the Irbitsky Passage settled in this new stone building
January 30, 1864: the grand opening
On the days of the fair, the façade of the three-story building, with its small offsets in the middle and a rectangular fronton, was covered with banners listing the goods, merchants, firms and companies at the fair. This gave Irbit’s trade a new heart and soul.
What makes
the building special
Built on Svobody Street (now Lenina Street), the Irbitsky Passage’s southeastern façade opens to Torgovaya, the city’s main square.
Construction lasted for seven years, from 1856 through 1863
Built on Svobody Street (now Lenina Street), the Irbitsky Passage’s southeastern façade opens to Torgovaya, the city’s main square. Construction lasted for seven years, from 1856 through 1863
The passage’s northwestern section connects to a hotel for merchants, which was built later.
The building has a symmetrical structure with enormous windows piercing the façade on the second and third floors to let enough light into the passage’s galleries. The arcs and reliefs make the façade even more flamboyant – they were designed to give the building a modern look, echoing the leading architectural designs in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Europe.
Inside, the passage is much like Moscow’s Main Department Store, also known as GUM, on Red Square, albeit on a smaller scale: a vast hall and three stories of galleries with shops
The central aisle includes staircases leading to upper levels, as well as to the promenade and the basement, used to store goods. This enabled people to move around the building easily without getting lost or wandering around its corridors.
Inside State Department Store, second line, the XXI century. Source
%201.jpg)
Inside the Passage, the XXI century
The upper floor in the Passage during the fair
The passage’s northwestern section connects to a hotel for merchants, which was built later.
The building has a symmetrical structure with enormous windows piercing the façade on the second and third floors to let enough light into the passage’s galleries. The arcs and reliefs make the façade even more flamboyant – they were designed to give the building a modern look, echoing the leading architectural designs in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Europe.
Inside, the passage is much like Moscow’s Main Department Store, also known as GUM, on Red Square, albeit on a smaller scale:
a vast hall and three stories of galleries with shops
The central aisle includes staircases leading to upper levels, as well as to the promenade and the basement, used to store goods. This enabled people to move around the building easily without getting lost or wandering around its corridors.
View on map
Market days
in the Irbitsky Passage
The passage generated hefty profits for its owners right from the start
It had 46 shops with leases ranging from 55 all the way up to 300 rubles, which was the price of a good horse at the time
It attracted affluent foreigners and merchants from other cities. Local traders already had their stalls and stores in the city, while outsiders needed nice storefronts to attract buyers.
The 46 shops in the arcade offered a wide variety of goods: Orenburg downy shawls, hand-made textiles, gold, silver, diamonds and other gemstones, tableware and jewelry. There was a musical instruments store selling parlor organs, grand pianos, flutes and other instruments from the United States, Germany and France. People could also buy optics, sewing machines, binoculars and Edison’s phonographs. Even provincial capitals could not match this diverse selection.
The passage generated hefty profits for its owners right from the start. It had 46 shops with leases ranging from 55 all the way up to 300 rubles, which was the price of a good horse at the time
It attracted affluent foreigners and merchants from other cities. Local traders already had their stalls and stores in the city, while outsiders needed nice storefronts to attract buyers.
The 46 shops in the arcade offered a wide variety of goods: Orenburg downy shawls, hand-made textiles, gold, silver, diamonds and other gemstones, tableware and jewelry. There was a musical instruments store selling parlor organs, grand pianos, flutes and other instruments from the United States, Germany and France. People could also buy optics, sewing machines, binoculars and Edison’s phonographs. Even provincial capitals could not match this diverse selection.
Passage store advertisements during the fair
Passage store advertisements during the fair
Famous for its shops, the passage also served as a venue for performances, concerts and charity events.
Здесь регулярно устраивали представления и музыкальные концерты, а так же благотворительные вечера.
Так об этом говорила местная газета «Ирбитский ярмарочный листок» в 1893 году:
Here is an excerpt from an 1893 edition of the Irbit Fair Bulletin:
“Our passage dressed up for the February 13 charity market, with its entrance and interiors decorated with flowers and flags. A big table stood in the hall along with stalls where community activists sold tea, fruit, sweets and wine to the people, who came in numbers. The magnificent Goiyer orchestra sat on the upper level and played music, with the top singers performing their best songs.
People started to arrive around 6 pm, and by 9 pm there were no entrance or lottery tickets left… The evening was full of joy and entertainment.”
Famous for its shops, the passage also served as a venue for performances, concerts and charity events. Here is an excerpt from an 1893 edition of the Irbit Fair Bulletin:
“Our passage dressed up for the February 13 charity market, with its entrance and interiors decorated with flowers and flags. A big table stood in the hall along with stalls where community activists sold tea, fruit, sweets and wine to the people, who came in numbers. The magnificent Goiyer orchestra sat on the upper level and played music, with the top singers performing their best songs.
People started to arrive around 6 pm, and by 9 pm there were no entrance or lottery tickets left… The evening was full of joy and entertainment.”
Every charity event generated 1,000 rubles in ticket sales and 1,300 rubles from lottery tickets, and all these proceeds accounted for half of the entire budget at the disposal of the local charity society.
First newspaper in the Urals
The Irbit Fair Bulletin published its first edition on February 2, 1863. It came out daily, on the days of the fair, until 1915, with the only exceptions being 1873-1874 and 1876-1877.
The bulletin had to go through three rounds of censorship, with censors in Irbit, at the provincial level and in the capital.
The funds went toward funding shelters and old age homes, as well as paying subsidies to poor families and students
In fact, the Irbitsky Passage provided a lifeline for the entire city.
It is not surprising that the shopping gallery was the first place all famous Irbit guests visited in the city. Opera singer Fyodor Shalyapin, writer Dmitry Mamin-Sibiryak and prominent merchants all mentioned the passage in their memoires.
Every charity event generated 1,000 rubles in ticket sales and 1,300 rubles from lottery tickets, and all these proceeds accounted for half of the entire budget at the disposal of the local charity society.
The funds went toward funding shelters and old age homes, as well as paying subsidies to poor families and students. In fact, the Irbitsky Passage provided a lifeline for the entire city
It is not surprising that the shopping gallery was the first place all famous Irbit guests visited in the city. Opera singer Fyodor Shalyapin, writer Dmitry Mamin-Sibiryak and prominent merchants all mentioned the passage in their memoires.
Traditions
and urban myths
The passage developed its own traditions as the years went by, while stories about the Irbit Fair often became the talk of the town
The legend about the flag on the building is probably the most famous of them all. On the fair’s opening day, there would always be a crowd at the entrance to the building. People went there to get a glimpse of a large-scale cross procession, a church service and a flag-raising ceremony. The ceremony had special importance because people believed that the way the flag was raised determined whether the fair would be successful: if the flag became tangled or otherwise failed to fly freely, this meant that the fair would go on longer than expected, and if it flew properly, people expected the fair to be quick and effective. And if the flag fluttered toward Siberia, it promised good deals for Siberian merchants.
The passage developed its own traditions as the years went by, while stories about the Irbit Fair often became the talk of the town
The legend about the flag on the building is probably the most famous of them all. On the fair’s opening day, there would always be a crowd at the entrance to the building. People went there to get a glimpse of a large-scale cross procession, a church service and a flag-raising ceremony. The ceremony had special importance because people believed that the way the flag was raised determined whether the fair would be successful: if the flag became tangled or otherwise failed to fly freely, this meant that the fair would go on longer than expected, and if it flew properly, people expected the fair to be quick and effective. And if the flag fluttered toward Siberia, it promised good deals for Siberian merchants.
There was also a story about the power supply
In 1894, members of the local government decided to install electrical lighting for the fair.
It was here that the first light bulb in the Urals was turned on, following in the footsteps of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod
All the valuable goods sold at the fair needed reliable people to guard them. Held in the evening, the guard mounting ceremony evolved into a spectacular event demonstrating the firmness and resolve of the security personnel. At 10 p.m., when there were no shoppers in the passage and merchants locked their shops, the guards formed a line at the end of the main hall.
They would wear their parade uniforms, answer the commander’s orders in unison and sing God Save the Tsar with their helmets off. It took a lot of courage for thieves and fraudsters to challenge this mighty guard.
They would wear their parade uniforms, answer the commander’s orders in unison and sing God Save the Tsar with their helmets off. It took a lot of courage for thieves and fraudsters to challenge this mighty guard.
There was also a story about the power supply. In 1894, members of the local government decided to install electrical lighting for the fair.It was here that the first light bulb in the Urals was turned on, following in the footsteps of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod
All the valuable goods sold at the fair needed reliable people to guard them. Held in the evening, the guard mounting ceremony evolved into a spectacular event demonstrating the firmness and resolve of the security personnel. At 10 p.m., when there were no shoppers in the passage and merchants locked their shops, the guards formed a line at the end of the main hall.
They would wear their parade uniforms, answer the commander’s orders in unison and sing God Save the Tsar with their helmets off. It took a lot of courage for thieves and fraudsters to challenge this mighty guard.
Where did
the merchants go?
After the 1917 revolution, the Irbitsky Passage gradually lost its role
In the first years of the Soviet era, it served as the headquarters for a counter-intelligence unit, but in 1922, it recovered its initial function
After the 1917 revolution, the Irbitsky Passage gradually lost its role. In the first years of the Soviet era, it served as the headquarters for a counter-intelligence unit, but in 1922, it recovered its initial function
Passage, 1927
Inside the Passage 1924
Inside the Passage, after 1917
Inside the Passage, after 1917
Takeaway
It may have been the new flag or the absence of foreign merchants, but the building never returned to its former glory. With the fair in decline, merchants failed to fill all the shops in the passage
Merchant Kalmakov’s
House
A Gothic castle
in the Urals
in the Urals
