The Presidential Library presents a new collection marking the 550th anniversary of Cheboksary

This year the capital of the Chuvash Republic - Cheboksary (Shupashkar) is celebrating its 550th birthday. The week of celebration will be held from August 17 to August 24. Ahead of the anniversary, the Presidential Library is presenting a new electronic collection that includes official and archival documents, studies, statistical, cartographic and visual materials dedicated to the capital of the republic.

Cheboksary was first mentioned in written sources in 1469. The Russian troops stopped here on their way to the Khanate of Kazan. However, Cheboksary was populated considerably earlier. According to archaeological excavations, there was a Bulgarian-Chuvash settlement on this site from the turn of the 13th–14th centuries.

In 1555, after the voluntary accession of Chuvash region into the Moscow state, a fortress was built there to protect the southern borders of the country and Cheboksary district was established. By the end of the 17th century, the town began to develop as one of the trading centers of Volga region. The late 18th century witnessed the flowering of architecture in the town.

Cheboksary became the capital city after the establishment of the Chuvash Autonomous Region in 1920. Today more than 500,000 people live in Cheboksary (the name was given in 1992). It is one of the economic, industrial and cultural centers of the Volga region.

The new electronic collection of the Presidential Library focused on Cheboksary consists of three subsections: Authority, People and Territory. The Order of the President of Russia on Celebrating the 550th Anniversary of the Founding of Cheboksary in 2019 and the 100th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Chuvash Autonomous Region in 2020 is available in the first subsection.

Archival papers feature the document on approval of the new plan of Cheboksary of 1824. Of particular interest is a document from the collection marking the 550th anniversary of Cheboksary, which spotlights the visit of the state authorities to the city. A document On Inspection of a Crypt at St. Nicholas Cathedral’s Church in Cheboksary, Kazan Governorate, Where According to a Legend Maria Shestova, Mother-in-Law of Feodor Romanov, was Buried is available as part of the Presidential Library’s collections. Maria Shestova was a maternal grandmother of Mikhail Romanov (1596-1645), the first tsar of the House of Romanov. According to the document, ahead of the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov (1913) a merchant Fyodor Dryablov from Cheboksary discovered a crypt and reported on it to the committee, which was set up for the arrangement of the upcoming celebrations. A special commission did not find a 100-percent proof that it was Maria Shestova’s grave and concluded that the hypothesis “was primarily based on the legend”. However, the historian N. M. Karamzin makes a mention that in 1601 Boris Godunov sent Feodor Romanov’s mother-in-law to Cheboksary.

The collection People features the book The Town of Cheboksary and the Second Population Census in 1742-1748 by V. K. Magnitsky, which presents state institutions that have passed into oblivion.

The document The Rules of Conduct for the Population of Cheboksary in Case of the Air Defence (1941), which dates back to the mid-20th century, highlights the actions in case of threat.

An individual selection spotlights the volunteer movement in Cheboksary in 1955-1987. Some photographs show residents of Cheboksary, who set off to Kazakhstan to develop virgin land.

The Presidential Library’s collection comprises a lot of maps and plans of the city from different historical periods, as well as Soviet-era postcards, which show the sights of the capital of Chuvashia. Undoubtedly, Cheboksary is one of the most beautiful green cities in Russia. During the voyage along the Volga River, Catherine II was impressed by its views.

What is more, the Presidential Library’s portal provides access to the collection The Chuvash Republic: Pages of History, which is dedicated not only to Cheboksary, but to the region as a whole. The collection includes studies, official and archival documents, visual materials, etc.