Life was once in full swing in abandoned settlements, they had their own unique culture and way of life, their color and their fate. With the disappearance of villages for us and future generations, the history of the villages of Tatarstan is forever lost.
The essence of the problem of abandoned villages in the Republic of Tatarstan
In Tatarstan over the past 80 years, more than 1300 villages have become abandoned, approximately 790 thousand people for some reason left their rural homes. Now about 250 villages are on the verge of extinction (their number is no more than 10 people) from 3070 rural settlements. The village in the republic, as in the country as a whole, still remains thanks to enthusiasts or those who have nowhere to go.
There are a huge number of reasons for the disappearance of villages: it was flooded or exposed to another natural disaster, industrial or urban construction on its territory, the village was declared hopeless, educational or medical institutions were closed in it, and many others.
The history of the disappearance of villages and villages in the Republic of Tatarstan
A significant reduction in the number of villages and villages in Tatarstan occurred in the 50s and early 60s of the 20th century. Small and unpromising agricultural collective farm villages began to unite into large farms. As a result of this policy, small villages either united, or were attached to larger ones, or disappeared from the face of the earth.
In the 60-80s, the number of state farms increased, but the process of the disappearance of small villages continued. This is due to the fact that in small rural settlements there was practically no infrastructure, and the consequence was the migration of the population to larger and more developed villages.
From 1980 to 2000, there was a slowdown in the decline in rural settlements. This is due to some improvements in the social and cultural standard of living of the population in rural areas. But the outflow of the population from the village still continues.
Migration of the rural population as a reason for the disappearance of villages
From 1970 to 2013, the number of rural residents decreased by 2 times. This is primarily due to the migration of the population from villages to cities and to more developed socio-cultural settlements. The mass outflow of the population falls on the 50-70s of the 20th century. With a decrease in the number of rural population, a mechanism was launched to reduce the number of small villages in Tatarstan.
The process of their disappearance is happening now, despite government investment in the agricultural industry. Villages from large ones turn into sparsely populated, then into abandoned ones and eventually disappear completely from the face of the earth. So, in 49 settlements in 2010 during the census, not a single person was found. The number of such settlements may increase every year, since there are currently about 250 villages with a population of no more than 10 people, which over time can replenish the lists of abandoned villages in Tatarstan.
Ways to solve the problem
Currently, the Republic of Tatarstan and Russia are characterized by a process of growth of agglomerations (large cities absorb nearby settlements) and the process of urbanization (relocation of population from villages and villages to cities). Villages that are remote from large cities are inferior to such agglomerations in the availability of jobs, in infrastructure, and in the quality of services provided. And the outflow of the population from these territories to the cities is a normal regular process.
In order to preserve the remaining villages, a competent state policy is needed, which should not only consist of financing, subsidies and support programs for agricultural entrepreneurs, but also in an ideological approach: explaining the population the prospects for life in rural areas, cultivating a sense of landlord, developing respect for agricultural work among people and earth.
Enthusiasm or nowhere to go? Small villages of Tatarstan
Local people are doing their best to stop the process of disappearance and devastation of villages. Some of them come to cemeteries, others build mosques, and others improve the springs, trying to preserve the heritage of the times that has come down to us.
Residents of small villages find themselves in a confined space of their problems. When arranging roads, such settlements are not included in the construction subsidy program. It is economically unprofitable to build roads where almost no one lives. Large villages can still raise their own funds and receive additional material assistance from the state, but it is unrealistic for small villages where there are only 5-6 yards.
Even if the problem of roads is solved, the following problem of small villages arises - the lack of regular communication to them. Carriers refuse such routes because they are economically disadvantageous.
The closure of schools and medical facilities is also due to the cost recovery of their maintenance.
With the closure of socio-cultural facilities, in the absence of roads and regular communication, the lack of water supply, gasification, and sometimes electricity, the village gradually begins to die.
The disappeared villages of Agryz district
Let's move on to specific examples. The abandoned villages of Tatarstan in this region include: Egorovo, Sochnevo, Pirogovo, Mikhailovsk, Mushak cordon, Prokoshevo. Only village graveyards live, which are rarely visited by relatives.
Prokoshevo Village, Agryz District
There is currently no settlement. From 1859 to 1873, there were 8 houses in the village, 57 people lived, including 23 men and 34 women. In 1891, 15 families and 105 residents lived. The territory of the village was located between the Sarapul-Elabuzhsky tract and a country road running along the right bank of the Kama River. According to some reports, the kind of activity of the villagers was carriage. Reliable information about the village after 1891 was not preserved. She turned into abandoned status, apparently due to the resettlement of residents in more developed settlements.
Disappearing villages of Almetyevsk district
In the region, the status of abandoned villages includes: Olympiadovka, Kerley, Aleksandrovka, Ostalkino, Gilmanovka, Kublitskaya, Samarkand, Commune, Mochilovka, Sokolka, Yusupkino, Nariman, New Ilten, Tuktar.
Village Olympiadovka Almetyevsk region
It was located in the valley of the Bagryazh river. It was founded around 1830 by Lieutenant Ryumin, he also owned another village - Bagryazh-Nikolsky, the immigrants from whom formed the population of the Olympics. The village is named after the wife of the Olympics Olympiad. Favorable natural conditions, picturesque countryside, good location make the village quite large at the time.
The population of the Olympics in 1858 was 590 people, in 1897 - 705, and in 1912 - 836 people, in 1930 - 818 people.
The village was quite developed, in 1900 a zemstvo school was opened, in which all the children of the village studied.
The village lasted 156 years and broke up in 1986, when residents left their homes, moving to the city or village of Kitelgu.
The disappeared villages of another region
In our Nizhnekamsk region, the villages of Sabolekovo, Ilyinka, Nikoshnovka, and Kuakly disappeared forever for our generations.
The village of Sobolekovo, Nizhnekamsk district
It was founded in the 17th century by peasants from nearby villages. The successful geographical location of the village turns it into a large village with its church, built in 1871 and consecrated in the name of Elijah the Prophet. The village later became part of the village of Nizhnekamsk, which in 1966 received the status of a city. In the 30s the church was closed, a club with a library was created in the building, and then the building was barbarously used as a slaughterhouse. Currently, the village is part of the city of Nizhnekamsk, and the Orthodox church is dilapidated and abandoned.
