In the very center of the city of Kostroma, a fire tower rises in its majesty over Susaninskaya Square.
Kostroma began to acquire a modern architectural look from the beginning of the second half of the 1780s. The buildings located on the central square of the city complement each other and the architectural styles of their neighbors, but at the same time they are beautiful, unique and separate from each other. These include the wonderful brainchild of P. I. Fursov - a fire tower.
Kostroma. Transition from wooden towers to decent ones
As of 1904, 84% of Kostroma consisted of wooden houses. Therefore, the fire departments never sat idle. The most memorable Kostroma fire is the one that broke out in May 1773. He destroyed almost the entire city. To combat the destructive elements in the city, wooden towers were rebuilt. However, they often burned themselves.
Assessing the current situation, Governor K. I. Baumgarten issued an order:
Bin accordance with the instructions, the provincial architect Pyotr Ivanovich Fursov completed the drawings of the future tower.
Project approved! Kalanche to be
The drawings and estimates drawn up by Peter Ivanovich were approved in April 1824 in St. Petersburg.
The tower was built over two years - from 1824 to 1825. A. Stepanov became the contractor responsible for the future construction of the main attraction of Kostroma.
Finishing work was carried out during 1825-1827 in accordance with the sketches drawn up by P. I. Fursov. This was done by a team of plasterers led by A. P. Temnov, and sculptors from Yaroslavl under the supervision of S. S. Povyrznev and S. F. Babakin.
During the long history of its existence, the fire tower (Kostroma) has undergone a number of changes. Transformations of the original appearance began in the second half of the 19th century. The first thing that has been changed is functionality. In the 1860s, the fire tower became more than just an observation tower - it housed a fire station. Spacious side wings contributed to the effective placement of the fire department. They are located along the front of the square and the streets around the tower.
Simplified in the 1880s, the "lantern" on the guard tower did not take root - in 1956, after another restoration, the upper part of the tower acquired its original appearance. This happened thanks to the architect G. I. Zosimov.
The object of admiration is the fire tower in Kostroma
The story says that in 1834Emperor of All Russia Nicholas I stopped by. He admired the external and internal decoration of the tower.
The fire tower in Kostroma (photo above) bears the proud title given to it by the emperor himself: "The best fire tower in the Russian province." This is the pride of the city.
An unprepared and unknowing tourist will say: “What interesting and beautiful things can be stored in such a banal object as a fire tower?”
Kostroma is one of the few tourist sites where the tower became the property of the city. She is beautiful at any time of the day: day and night.
Outwardly, it looks like a fairytale palace. And if you do not know in advance what this building is, you might think that the watchtower is the belfry of the temple.
Architectural Solutions
The fire tower belongs to the style of late classicism. Its height is 35 meters. The two-story building perfectly accommodated everything that was needed for the excellent functioning of the fire brigade. The building was adjacent to living quarters with stables and sheds for water barrels.
The tower looks like an ancient temple: it has a cubic volume and six-column porticos. Behind the columns is a facade decorated with round windows. Looking up, you can see the beautiful double-headed eagle: it is located in the center of the triangular pediment.
The octagonal sentinel pole smoothly passes to the observation deck (bypass balcony with a lantern). This is facilitated by the presence of an attic floor locatedabove the eaves.
Beautiful architectural style and ideal location in the city center on the main square have made the tower one of the main symbols of Kostroma. Now it is considered the highest point in the city center.
The purpose of the fire tower
The main modern purpose of the building is to decorate the city's Susaninskaya Square. But it was built not only to please people, but mainly to ensure the safety of the population in the event of fires. Safety is the main purpose for which the tower was used.
It is unusually multifunctional: there were stables, storage facilities for water, garages for official vehicles, barns, service and living quarters.
In the early 90s of the 19th century, a departmental exhibition was held here. It was dedicated to the history of Russian fire fighting. Since 2005, the interior of the building has become available for viewing to every resident and guest of the Russian city called Kostroma: the fire tower has been a museum for ten years now. It is in the inventory of the Kostroma Museum-Reserve.
