Town and People

The people who lived in Yalutorovsk in various epochs are by right regarded as its major wealth. History and culture of the town have been created by the exiled Decembrists and the Polish rebels, by educated merchants and by many other citizens, whose selfless efforts have left a noticeable trace in history of Yalutorovsk and of the whole Russia.

In 1841 in the family of the merchant Mammontov the son was born, Savva, who later became a famous industrialist and a Meacenas. Though Savva only spent his early years in Yalutorovsk, his name has a special meaning for the citizens of Yalutorovsk. Mammontov festivals are annually held in Yalutorovsk, and a monument to the famous Meacenas has been installed near the music school.

Among outstanding people who left a trace in the Yalutorovsk history the name of the farther Stephan (Stepan Znamenski) should be mentioned. Due to his skills for spiritual preceptorship the farther Stephan would visit various towns and villages to oppose a clerical split. In Yalutorovsk he got in close contact with the Decembrists, especially with I. Yakushkin. He was a confessor to many Decembrists and their families. Despite the prohibitions the farther Stephan would always try to help them.

The son of the father Stephan, Mikhail Znamenski, a future famous artist and researcher, went to school organized by I. Yakushkin, and revealed great talents to painting. Thanks to him, portraits of the Decembrists and sketches of their houses have reached our days.