Since the 18th century Rybinsk has been an important stop on the route from the Volga region to the Baltic. Over its history it earned the title of “Russia's barge hauler capital,” the country's highest government bodies consulted the brokers of its exchange, and the town is also the birthplace of founders of Hollywood. Take a walk and discover the fascinating stories of this corner of “deep Russia”!
Rybinsk Railway Station
🚂 Railway station
Artists' House
🏟️ Architectural landmark
Polish Catholic Church of the Holy Jesus
🕍 Place of worship
Fire Watchtower
⚙️ Industrial site
Rybinsk Embankment
🚶♂️ Waterfront
Chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
🕍 Place of worship
Old Grain Exchange
🕵️ Urban legend
New Grain Exchange (Museum-Reserve)
🕵️ Urban legend
Red Square
⛲ Square
Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior
🕍 Place of worship
The Nobels and the Nobel Movement
🏛️ Museum · 🌿 Public garden or park
Sigson Family House
🏟️ Architectural landmark
Point 7
🕵️ Urban legend
This area isn't famous for wheat fields, so why a grain exchange here? The answer is simple: Rybinsk was a major transshipment point on the upper Volga, through which grain from the Lower Volga traveled to the new capital, St. Petersburg. In the 18th century Rybinsk was a key link in the waterway system connecting the Volga and the Baltic Sea. In 1870, with the arrival of the railroad, Rybinsk's role as a transshipment point only grew.
The Old Grain Exchange, also called the “Pilot” Exchange, stands modestly next to the new one, which looks more like a palace. It's easy to miss, but don't pass it by: this eight-columned building is the first grain exchange in provincial Russia and the third in the country, after those in Moscow and St. Petersburg!
The exchange was built in 1811 with money from the town treasury and from out-of-town merchants who made deals here. Usually deals were struck in taverns over a cup of tea, which evidently some found inconvenient. But after the opening it turned out that the merchants didn't want to change their old habits, so nobody needed the exchange. For a long time the building was used first by the City Duma and then by the district and Zemstvo courts. Even the initiative of Nicholas I, who ordered the exchange reopened, didn't persuade the merchants to use it.
In 1860 the merchant Mikhail Zhuravlev became chairman of the exchange committee. He convinced the businessmen of the advantages of using the exchange and gradually built up its authority. Thanks to Zhuravlev, the Rybinsk Grain Exchange became the largest in Russia. Even the highest government bodies asked its opinion on various economic matters, and the 1% of profits paid out by the bank amounted to 1 million rubles, a huge sum for the provinces in those days. In time the merchants outgrew its walls, and a new building was needed.
Point on route “Merchant Rybinsk”
Point 7
🕵️ Urban legend
This area isn't famous for wheat fields, so why a grain exchange here? The answer is simple: Rybinsk was a major transshipment point on the upper Volga, through which grain from the Lower Volga traveled to the new capital, St. Petersburg. In the 18th century Rybinsk was a key link in the waterway system connecting the Volga and the Baltic Sea. In 1870, with the arrival of the railroad, Rybinsk's role as a transshipment point only grew.
The Old Grain Exchange, also called the “Pilot” Exchange, stands modestly next to the new one, which looks more like a palace. It's easy to miss, but don't pass it by: this eight-columned building is the first grain exchange in provincial Russia and the third in the country, after those in Moscow and St. Petersburg!
The exchange was built in 1811 with money from the town treasury and from out-of-town merchants who made deals here. Usually deals were struck in taverns over a cup of tea, which evidently some found inconvenient. But after the opening it turned out that the merchants didn't want to change their old habits, so nobody needed the exchange. For a long time the building was used first by the City Duma and then by the district and Zemstvo courts. Even the initiative of Nicholas I, who ordered the exchange reopened, didn't persuade the merchants to use it.
In 1860 the merchant Mikhail Zhuravlev became chairman of the exchange committee. He convinced the businessmen of the advantages of using the exchange and gradually built up its authority. Thanks to Zhuravlev, the Rybinsk Grain Exchange became the largest in Russia. Even the highest government bodies asked its opinion on various economic matters, and the 1% of profits paid out by the bank amounted to 1 million rubles, a huge sum for the provinces in those days. In time the merchants outgrew its walls, and a new building was needed.
12 points
4 km
3 hours
