Text 3. My native place: Syktyvkar

My native place is a pretty little town situated in the northern part of Russia. Syktyvkar is the capital of our Komi Republic.

At first a few words about its history. Some centuries ago there was a little settlement situated on the high bank of the Sysola River. It grew very quickly because the place was very convenient and the land was rich in wood, animals, birds and fish. Very soon it became a very important town in the North. The history of this town dates back to me 18th century. It started in 1790. So Syktyvkar is rather old. It is more than 200 years old. That's why nowadays you can see a lot of new, modern and old houses in our town. Before The Great October Socialist Revolution me town was called Ust-Sysolsk. In those days it was a small provincial town of peasants and merchants and the place of exile of progressive people persecuted by the tsarist government. The main occupations of people were hunting, fishing, came breading and trading. There were three schools. The first library was opened in 1837. One doctor and two assistants worked in the hospital. In 1917 the Soviet Power was proclaimed in the town. In 1930 Ust-Sysolsk was renamed into Syktyvkar. It is the Komi name of the town and it means "a town on the Sysola". In 1936 Syktyvkar became the capital of the Komi Republic.

Now Syktyvkar is an administrative, scientific, cultural and industrial centre of our re­public. It is not very large. But it is very cosy and nice. In winter it is white with snow and in summer it is very green. The population of Syktyvkar is over 250.000 people. Many nationali­ties live in our town - Komi, Russians, Germans, Bulgarians, Ukrainians and many others.

Today railways, airlines, roads connect Syktyvkar with the most important parts of our country. Many foreign guests and visitors from our country come to our town every day. Some of them arrive at Syktyvkar on business, some want to get acquainted with the capital of the northern republic, some look forward to meeting their relatives.

Syktyvkar is noted for its industrial enterprises. The Timber Industrial Complex is fa­mous all over me country. It’s the greatest enterprise of this kind in Europe. The TIC produces paper, cardboard and other paper products.

Syktyvkar is also a scientific centre. A lot of talented scientists work at the Komi Branch of the Ural Academy of Sciences. They carry out important scientific experiments in different spheres: geology, biol­ogy, and mineralogy. Many scientific conferences are held in our town. Syktyvkar may be called a town of students. There are a lot of educational institutions in it. The oldest one is the Teachers’ Training Institute (the Pedagogical Institute). It is more man 50 years old. Our univer­sity is the only one in our republic. The Forestry Institute is the youngest in Syktyvkar. A great amount of students get education in these educational establishments.

Syktyvkar is a cultural centre too. There are many museums in our town. The History museum is situated not far from Stephanovskaya Square. People like to go there. Its collections tell visitors about the life of people of our land in the past. The museum of nature attracts those who are interested in the natural resources of our land. Other small museums are also visited by grown-ups and school children. There you can learn a lot of interesting things about famous people of our republic.

Our National Art Gallery is very popular with people too. They like to take their guests there. It is for those who prefer food for the mind. Old and modern works of Komi, Russian and foreign artists are shown in the beautiful halls of the gallery. Besides the gallery organises different exhibitions, lectures and meetings with well-known and talented people of our land.

The National Library is the biggest in our republic. It was built in 1958. The building designed by architect Tentyukova is the major attraction in the historical part of the town. The library contains a rich collection of books, newspapers and magazines.

There are two theatres in our town: the Drama Theatre and the Theatre of Opera and Ballet. The building of the theatre of Opera and Ballet stands in Lomonosov Square. It was erected in 1969 and is considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings in Syktyvkar. Operas, ballets and musical comedies are staged there. The citizens of our town often visit it. Such performance as the ballet «Yag Mort» has become the classics of the national Komi culture. The Drama Theatre is located on the hill in Pervomaiskaya Street. In front of it is a monument to V. Savin who was the heart and soul of the theatre in our town. Different plays of Komi, Russian and foreign writers are performed on the stage of the theatre both in the Russian and in the Komi language.

The capital of our republic is very beautiful. There are two parks, many nice streets and squares in it. The main square is in the central, historical part of the town. Now it is called Stephanovskaya Square. Some years ago it was renamed. The former name was Yubeleinaya. It is the place for all meetings and demonstrations. By all means it is the centre of our political life. The citizens of our town have seen there a lot of strikes, manifestations, listened to different speakers. Some administrative buildings surround the square such as the Council of Ministers, the Central Post Office and some others.

The square is rather big and beautiful, in the centre of the square there is a monument to V.I. Lenin. It was erected by the famous sculptor L. Kerbel. Behind the monument there is a public garden (сквер). In summer it looks very beautiful, as it is full of different flowers. It attracts many people. They like to have a rest there sitting on the benches and admiring the view of me square. This place is also loved by children because of its vast clean territory where you can spend your free time playing with your friends, riding a bicycle, having fun, doing a lot of other pleasant jobs.

The square is also a place where different cultural events take place. Festivals, festivities and carnivals are hold there on holidays. Such festivities as the New Year party, Easter, Pan­cake Day and different concerts of famous singers and bands take place in the square. During those days Stephanovskaya Square looks especially beautiful. It is usually decorated with flags, coloured lights and holiday posters. On the eve of the New Year people come to see a big New Year tree decorated with bright lights and some white sculptures made of snow and ice. At the foot of a tree there are always trig snow sculptures of Father Frost and beautiful Snowmaiden. Children like to sledge, to swing, to play snowballs, to run and to have fun there.

Fine-looking buildings of old and modem architecture make Syktyvkar cosy and attrac­tive. The main street of our town is Kommunisticheskaya. If you arrive at Syktyvkar by train, the way from the railway station to the central part of the capital is along this street. The old name of this street was Trekhosvetitelskaya. It is one of the longest ones and it stretches from the station to the park on the bank of the Sysola River across the whole town. Kommunis­ticheskaya Street is the busiest one in the town. The traffic is very busy. It is always full of cars, buses, vans and lorries. There are fine monuments, buildings, blocks of flats there. The build­ings of the Teachers’ Training Institute, of the Komi Branch of the Ural Academy of Sciences, The Musical Theatre, The Parma Cinema, the building of the Hotel Syktyvkar, the Central Department Store, the Council of Ministers are the pride of the citizensand are located in Kommunisticheskaya Street.

One of the prime things to see and to visit in Syktyvkar is also in this Street. The memo­rial place devoted to the tragic years of the Great Patriotic War attracts both citizens and guests of the capital. It is situated in a cosy public garden and includes the Eternal Flame, the monu­ment which was erected to those who waited for their fathers, brothers and sons and the boards with names of heroes who were killed during that war. People of our republic honour their memory and as a tradition bring flowers to the Eternal Flame to those who gave their lives for our motherland.

Many famous people lived in Syktyvkar and our citizens know and remember them. There are many beautiful monuments in our town. In Kommunisticheskaya Street one can see the monument to Ivan Kuratov, who is well known as the founder of Komi Literature and the Komi alphabet. In Sovetskaya street there is the monument to Domna Kalikova, a Komi heroin of the Civil War. In Pervomaiskaya Street you can see the monument to Victor Savin - the heart and soul of the Drama Theatre. Their names are dear to our people and people bring flowers to the monuments to honour their memory. There are many other monuments in different cosy corners of our town.

Our town is growing, changing and becoming nicer before our eyes. And I think it has a successful future.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-29