Organizer of the transport system of the Russian Empire. Investments for Betancourt Augustin Augustinovich Activities in Nizhny Novgorod

Augustin de Betancourt and Molina, full name Agustín José Pedro del Carmen Domingo de Candelaria de Betancourt y Molina (Spanish: Agustín José Pedro del Carmen Domingo de Candelaria de Betancourt y Molina; February 1, 1758 - July 14 (26), 1824) - Spanish, then Russian statesman, scientist, general -Lieutenant of the Russian service, architect and engineer, organizer of construction and transport in the Russian Empire.

Biography

In Russia, Betancourt was called August Augustovich.

A. Betancourt was born in Spain, on the island of Tenerife. He received his education in Paris. The Spanish government sent Betancourt to France, England, Germany and the Netherlands to become familiar with canal navigation systems and new steam engines and other discoveries in the field of technology. Then in London he studied machines for draining gold and silver mines.

In 1798, Betancourt was entrusted with the organization of the Spanish Corps of Railway Engineers. In Spain, Betancourt was appointed inspector general of the royal cabinet of machinery, quartermaster of the army, and chief director of posts.

In 1801, Betancourt left his fatherland and moved to Paris. In France, he published a number of scientific papers on hydraulics and created a project for a new lock designed for small canals. In the fall of 1807, A. Betancourt came to Russia and was admitted to public service with the rank of major general, but two years later he became a lieutenant general.

Betancourt brilliantly confirms his reputation as a scientist and mechanical engineer: under his leadership, the Tula Arms Plant is being re-equipped and equipped with steam engines; he supervises the construction and equipment of a foundry in Kazan; he came up with a fundamentally new solution for constructing an arched bridge system in Tula, Izhora, Peterhof, and in St. Petersburg on Kamenny Island; he designs and supervises the construction of a number of buildings.

One of Betancourt's significant works is the construction of a huge exertzirhaus in Moscow. He drew up projects and supervised the construction of the famous Nizhny Novgorod fair. Under his leadership, the Taitsky water pipeline was built, supplying Tsarskoe Selo with water.

Betancourt's contribution to the development of engineering education in Russia is especially great. On his initiative and project, the country's first Institute of Railway Engineers was founded in St. Petersburg in 1809. To post this educational institution, which immediately became aristocratic, the state treasury acquired the palace of Prince Yusupov on the Fontanka. At the suggestion of Betancourt, the French officer Sennover was appointed director of the institute; in Russia he was named Stepan Ignatievich. True, over him as trustees were the Prince of Oldenburg and Lieutenant General Betancourt himself, who was appointed head of the institute.

In 1816, Betancourt was appointed chairman of the newly established Committee for Buildings and Hydraulic Works in St. Petersburg, essentially an institution that supervised all construction work in the city.

In 1819 he became director of the Main Directorate of Communications. The talented engineer Betancourt owns a number of inventions. He creates a unique machine for cleaning the water area of ​​the Kronstadt seaport.

A. Betancourt is a member of scientific societies in Russia and Europe; he has written scientific works published in Paris, London, St. Petersburg and other European cities. The devices and mechanisms created by him have found wide application in construction. Thus, a capstan, consisting of two cast iron shafts with screws, three gears and one spindle, mounted on wooden base, intended for moving heavy objects.

In his “Notes,” F.F. Wigel mentions the use of scaffolding and capstans invented by Betancourt when lifting the columns of St. Isaac’s Cathedral: “Betancourt needed a mechanical genius to lift such a weight and stick it in front of the building like a simple stick. The machines he invented served as a great help to Montferrand, and after his (Betancourt’s) death they became his (Montferrand’s) inheritance.”

Like many other architects and engineers of that time, Augustin de Betancourt and Molina came to Russia from abroad. In 1808, at the invitation of the Russian ambassador to Spain, he arrived at a meeting in Erfurt with Emperor Alexander I. Since then, the Spanish engineer has found not only a new place of service, but also a new name - Augustin Augustinovich Betancourt.

French accent

It seemed impossible for Betancourt to remain in his native Spain. Napoleon marched victoriously across Europe and in 1807 overtook Spain, whose royal dynasty was forced to abdicate the throne. However, the Spanish people did not want to surrender to their long-time sworn enemy - France, and waged one of the most brutal guerrilla wars in the entire history of Europe.

Any ruler would consider it an honor to have an engineer like Augustin de Betancourt on his scientific staff, and Napoleon could not miss this opportunity. The conqueror offered the Spaniard cooperation, but was refused, despite the generous promises of the emperor and the close ties of Betancourt himself with the French scientific school.

The blood of French ancestors flowed in the veins of the Spanish subject. His distant great-great-grandfather Jean de Bettencourt was a French conqueror who first opened a future stronghold for communication with South America- The Canary Islands, and almost became the king of the archipelago, if not for the unrest of the aborigines. Since then, the Betancourt family lived in the Canary Islands, where the hero of our story was born.

A message from Madrid to Cadiz was transmitted by telegraph in 50 seconds

During his life, the engineer visited his ancestral home, France, several times, where he received an excellent education and competed with his colleague Chappe for the right to be called the creator of the first optical telegraph. This was, in fact, the first “technical weapons” race in the history of Europe, and its result depended on who would be the first to gain an advantage in command of the troops scattered throughout the region.

Optical telegraph station

The French government preferred Chappe's less advanced model. But later, by order of the Spanish king Charles IV, Betancourt designed a telegraph line from Madrid to Cadiz. The encoded message traveled a distance of more than 600 km in 50 seconds, which for a person of that time was similar to “witchcraft” - this is what the Holy Inquisition called this great achievement of the Spanish engineer, who accused Betancourt of serving the devil.

Miraculous transformation

Since 1808, the fate of Betancourt began new era, which lasted until the end of his days. Arriving in Russia, the engineer immediately received not only a salary of 20 thousand rubles a year, but also an order to create the Institute of Railways in St. Petersburg.

The Yusupov Palace on the Fontanka was chosen as the educational building, which they sold for use to the state at a symbolic price. Betancourt adapted the system he himself had been taught in Paris and invited foreign colleagues. The first graduates from their student days immediately found themselves in the engineering regiments of the Russian army: in the War of 1812, newly minted engineers helped with the construction of crossings and bridges, which was noted in a special order by Field Marshal General M.B. Barclay de Tolly. Subsequently, Betancourt considered this his personal contribution to the fight against Napoleon the invader.

Graduates of the Institute of Railways took part in the War of 1812

Before coming to Russia, Betancourt was already a world-famous scientist. In Russia, he also revealed himself as a teacher and a skillful organizer of large-scale projects. It was he who was entrusted with the development of St. Petersburg after the War of 1812. Despite recently turning a century old, the capital of the Russian Empire still did not match the level of other European cities. Under the leadership of Betancourt, Nevsky Prospekt was transformed into the main artery of the city that we now know: sidewalks were built, and oil lanterns were lit in the evenings. Betancourt wanted to install gas stations on smaller streets - Gorokhovaya and Bolshaya Morskaya, but, as always, his idea was ahead of its time and was not brought to life.

Nevsky Prospekt in early XIX century

Augustin Augustinovich Betancourt was appointed head of the Hydraulic Works Committee. Thanks to the Spanish engineer, water supply and sewerage were established in St. Petersburg, the building area and the network of canals were expanded. Instead of dilapidated wooden bridges across the Neva, according to the instructions and design of Betancourt, majestic bridges were built, including Kamennoostrovsky. It was this bridge that survived the terrible flood of 1824, described by Pushkin in the poem “The Bronze Horseman”.

The bridge built by Betancourt survived a terrible flood

Betancourt's name is immortalized in the creation of such wonders of the "museum under open air", like St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Alexandria Column. Firstly, it was he who suggested inviting the young and then little-known Auguste de Montferrand to work on both projects. Secondly, the engineering genius designed a lifting structure that made it possible to install the gigantic elements of St. Isaac's Colonnade and the pearl of Palace Square.

Installation of the Alexandria Column using the Betancourt mechanism

Another grandiose structure to which Betancourt is directly related is, as mentioned earlier, the Moscow Manege. In terms of scale, the Manege is close to St. Mark's Square in Venice, and its creators were faced with the task of covering a space 45 meters wide with a roof without additional piles inside the room. Betancourt designed a unique ceiling of 45 trusses resting exclusively on the walls of the Manege. Fortunately, the master left his descendants detailed guide about its innovative development, thanks to which in 2004 it was possible to restore a collapsed roof.

Spanish-Russian soul

During the first 10 years in Russia, Augustin Augustinovich Betancourt managed to settle well. According to the recollections of his contemporaries, he was thin and short in stature, but he loved to eat delicious food, and Russian dishes quickly became part of his diet. True, he never learned Russian, making do with French, which was common in high society. On Sundays, instead of a Spanish aperitif, he drank two glasses of vodka before dinner and loved to take a steam bath in the Russian bathhouse in the company of another foreigner - Martos, the author of the monument to Minin and Pozharsky.

Yusupov Palace on the Fontanka, where Betancourt lived and worked

Betancourt also had extremely friendly relations with the Russian Emperor. He was one of the few who was allowed into the office of Alexander I without requesting an audience and with whom the rather secretive emperor shared his thoughts on state affairs. Augustin Augustinovich even contributed to foreign policy Russian Empire, advising the sovereign to approve the Cadiz Cortes - the constituent assembly of revolutionary Spain - and the constitution they adopted in 1812. By the way, later the Cortes abolished all religious orders operating in the territory of part of Spain and the activities of the Holy Inquisition, which had once reproached Betancourt for “witchcraft.”

Augustine Betancourt was friendly with Emperor Alexander I

However, over time, Augustin Augustinovich began to gain more and more enemies among influential people and architects who were jealous of the master’s success. He was accused of inappropriately wasting government money on overly large-scale projects. In addition, at the Institute of Railways, the already aged Betancourt had a competitor - the Duke of Württemburg, who was a relative of the emperor. The services of the Spanish engineer to the Russian Empire were soon forgotten. The last straw was the appropriation of all achievements in the development of Betancourt's brainchild - the Institute of Railways - to his rival, the Duke of Württemburg. Augustin Augustinovich Betancourt died suddenly, and his name remained in oblivion for a long time.

Born into a Spanish noble family. In 1417, his ancestor, the French navigator Jean de Bettencourt, conquered the Canary Islands and declared himself king.

Having been educated at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid (1781), B. continued his studies at the Paris School of Bridges and Roads. Then - a trip to England, where he gets acquainted with steam engines.

By the age of 30, B. had turned into a major research engineer. This contributed to his rapid career. In 1788 he became director of the Royal Cabinet of Machines in Madrid. In 1798 he was appointed head of the construction of the first telegraph in Spain (Madrid-Cadiz). He used a binary encoding of information in his telegraph, each letter was assigned an 8-bit code (as in modern computers), thereby being 47 years ahead of Samuel Morse.

From 1800 - Inspector General of the Corps of Communications he created, as well as all roads and bridges in Spain, Quartermaster of the Provinces, member of the Council of Finance, 1803 - Chief Quartermaster of the Army and Director General of the Post Office.

In 1807, due to political changes in the country, he left Spain and moved to France. In 1808, he was invited to serve by the Russian government with the rank of major general and sent to the Department of Railways.

During the 16 years of his service in Russia, B. made a lot of efforts to transform Russia into a technologically advanced country. Under his leadership, the following was carried out: the re-equipment of the Tula Arms Plant with the installation of steam engines made according to his drawings; construction of a new cannon foundry in Kazan; re-equipment of the Aleksandrovskaya cotton manufactory (Pavlovsk); deepening the port in Kronstadt and constructing a canal between the Izhora plant and St. Petersburg using the steam dredging machine he invented in 1810.

On his initiative, in 1810 the Institute of Railways was established in St. Petersburg, which B. led until the end of his life. He developed and proposed a curriculum according to which they trained broad-spectrum engineers capable of conducting any construction works. B. formulated the main goal of the educational institution as follows: “... to supply Russia with engineers who, right after leaving the institution, could be assigned to work in the Empire.” The institute, which he led until the end of his life, laid the foundations for the future domestic engineering school.

The organizational abilities of the talented engineer-inventor were appreciated, as evidenced by his appointment to the post of head of the Committee for Constructions and Hydraulic Works in St. Petersburg (1816), and then as the chief director of Russian railways (1819).

Best of the day

According to the plans and under the direct leadership of B., the construction of the Expedition for the Procurement of State Papers was carried out (1818). The need to improve the production of banknotes was dictated by the huge number of counterfeit banknotes that were in Russian circulation after the war with Napoleon. A whole town was built, which housed the building of the paper-making department, the printing department, mechanical, engraving, numbering and plate workshops, the board, apartments for officials and employees, barracks for workers, and a guard.

At the same time, B. worked on the technology of making paper and banknotes. Shortly after the launch of production, Expedition paper received high quality assessments and began to be supplied abroad. The report on the work done earned the emperor "the highest favor." By decree of Alexander I, B. was awarded the Order of Vladimir, 2nd degree.

He took part in the construction of the Manege in Moscow. When working on the project, B. had to solve the problem of covering a huge area for those times (166 X 45 m), and do this without intermediate supports, so that the internal space would be suitable for shows and parades. The structure turned out to be strong, and soon a whole regiment of soldiers marched freely under its arches. (The original name of the Manege was Exertsirgauz).

At the beginning of the 19th century, Nizhny Novgorod became the center international trade. In 1817, construction of the Nizhny Novgorod Fair began. Determining the location for the construction of a permanent fair was entrusted to B. In 1820, Gostiny Dvor was built on the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod Fair according to B.’s design, and in 1821 the fair was a large shopping complex. The construction was completed by the followers of the great scientist. Currently, the only surviving building of the fair is the Transfiguration Cathedral.

In 1820, on B.'s initiative, the School of Railway Conductors and the Military Construction School for training junior specialists in builders and foremen, craftsmen, and draftsmen for the railway department were opened, which marked the beginning of the state system of special secondary technical education in Russia.

He was a member of the commission for the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral and created the necessary technical means for its construction. Scaffolding and lifting mechanisms built according to his designs allowed Montferrand to lift and install the columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Alexander Column on Palace Square.

B. was also one of the founders of bridge construction in Russia. The Kamenny bridges on the Moskovskoe highway, the Isaakievsky pontoon bridge across the Neva, the arched bridge across the Malaya Nevka between Aptekarsky and Kamenny Islands in St. Petersburg are the fruits of his engineering thought. He participated in the construction of many other structures, including: the first major highway in Russia, St. Petersburg - Novgorod - Moscow (1818-1822); Taitsky water supply; Mint in Warsaw; St. George's Church at the Bolsheokhtinsky cemetery in St. Petersburg.

B. also invented the first machine for working in a mercury mine, a unit for cleaning industrial coal, an optical telegraph, was the first to launch a hot air balloon in Madrid, developed a winding installation for wool production, invented and implemented a unique unit for that time - a water dredge , as well as a machine for underwater cutting of piles. The activities of the “Russian Spaniard” for the benefit of Russia did not go unnoticed, and B. was awarded the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky.

In 1823, B.’s beloved daughter died suddenly, which greatly affected her health. In February 1824 he resigned. According to some reports, Arakcheev was the initiator of the resignation. On July 14 of the same year he dies. The burial took place in St. Petersburg at the Smolensk Lutheran Cemetery. A majestic monument was erected at the grave, made at an iron foundry in Nizhny Novgorod according to a drawing by Montferrand. It was a gift from Nizhny Novgorod merchants as a sign of gratitude to the creator of the fair ensemble. Reburied in 1979 in the Necropolis of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

On July 27, 1995, the Russian Ministry of Railways established a commemorative medal named after Betancourt. Medal number 2 was awarded to the King of Spain, Juan Carlos.

B. lived in St. Petersburg at the following addresses: emb. R. Fontanka, 115; Sadovaya st., 50-a; Moskovsky pr., 9, Bolshaya Morskaya st., 19.

I want to dwell on the personality of the amazing fate of a man, an engineer Augustin Augustinovich de Betancourt and Molina. He was born in the Canary Islands and served in Spain and France, where he became a recognized expert in engineering. Then his fruitful service began in Russia, where he became a lieutenant general, chief manager of communications, a prominent engineer and statesman. He did many useful things for the glory of Russia; he built bridges, roads, factories, hydraulic structures, and created a number of important inventions. His posthumous fate is also interesting: he was buried at the Smolensk Lutheran Cemetery, but in 1979 his ashes and tombstone were transferred to the 18th-century Necropolis (formerly Lazarevskoye Cemetery) in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

The article provides a biography of the engineer and statesman and information about his grave.

Biography:

BETANCUR Augustin Augustinovich (Augustin José Pedro del Carmen Domingo de Candelaria de Betancourt and Molina) ( February 1, 1758 – June 14, 1824) – Lieutenant General (since 1809).
From an old Spanish noble family. Son of Lieutenant Colonel Augustin de Betancourt and Castro from his marriage to Leonora de Molina and Briolis. Born in Puerto de la Cruz, on the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. In July 1777 he entered the Spanish service. In 1780 he graduated from the Royal School of Saint Isidore in Madrid, while studying drawing at the Madrid Academy of Fine Arts; in the 1780s he continued his studies in Paris, and in the 1790s he improved in the field of engineering in England; was Inspector General of the Corps of Road and Bridge Engineers, Provincial Quartermaster, Member of the Council of Finance, Director of the Royal Cabinet of Engines, Quartermaster of the Army and Chief Director of Posts. In 1807-1808 he lived in Paris, where he published French a number of his scientific works (including “Course in the Construction of Machines”, 1808), and from 1809 a corresponding member of the Paris Academy of Sciences. In 1807 he came to Russia.
In September 1808 he was presented to Emperor Alexander I in Erfurt and, as a skilled engineer, was hired in November 1808. Russian service with the rank of Major General with enrollment in the Retinue of E.I.V. and assigned to the Department of Railways. In August 1809 he was promoted to lieutenant general. Since 1809, member of the council of the Corps of Railway Engineers; carried out an inspection and developed a project for the reconstruction of the Vyshnevolotsk, Tikhvin and Mariinsk water systems; in the same year he prepared a project for the reconstruction of the Tula Arms Plant. In 1810-1811, according to Betancourt's design, the first dredge was built at the Izhora plant to clean and deepen the water area of ​​the Kronstadt port; in 1812, according to his design, a foundry and cannon factory was built in Kazan. In 1816-1818, under the leadership of Betancourt and according to his design, the building of the Expedition for the Procurement of State Papers in St. Petersburg was built (the production facility was equipped with machines and mechanisms designed by Betancourt). According to Betancourt's designs, bridges were also built on the Moscow Highway across the Slavyanka and Izhora rivers near St. Petersburg, the Kamennoostrovsky and Bumazhny bridges in St. Petersburg, and Manege in Moscow. He supervised the technical part of the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
Betancourt was one of the organizers of engineering education in Russia: according to his project, the Institute of the Corps of Railway Engineers was opened in St. Petersburg in 1810 (until the end of his life, Betancourt served as its inspector, head of the economic and educational department, and at the same time gave lectures on engineering). In 1816, he organized and headed the Committee for Buildings and Hydraulic Works in St. Petersburg, which was entrusted with “the review of drawings for all public, state-owned and private buildings and other buildings in this capital.” In the fall of 1816 he was appointed chairman of the Committee for the transfer of the Makaryevskaya Fair to Nizhny Novgorod. In 1818-1822 he participated in the design and construction of the first major highway in Russia, St. Petersburg - Novgorod - Moscow.
From April 1819 to August 1822, chief director of the Main Directorate of Railways. On his initiative, in 1819-1820, Military Construction and Conductor schools were created in St. Petersburg, training specialists for the department of railways. Retired since February 1824. He was awarded a number of the highest Russian orders, up to and including the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (1811). Died in St. Petersburg at the age of 66; buried there at the Smolensk Lutheran cemetery.
A prominent engineer who did a lot for Russia, Betancourt, according to contemporaries, was a man of short stature, a large, high forehead and large, intelligent and slightly sad eyes. People who knew him remembered him as kind and good person, very benevolent towards his employees and subordinates, hot-tempered, like all southerners, and overly trusting. According to F.F. Vigel, “he had an abyss of intelligence, and his conversation was entertaining. The aristocratic feeling, however, never left him, even at the machine at which he worked when he had nothing else to do.” Not knowing the Russian language, he even signed in French, and his official papers during his management of communication routes were often also written in French. Despite the fact that he had strong enemies in Russia, he enjoyed the constant support of Emperor Alexander I.
From his marriage (from 1790) with Anna Jourdan (died in 1853) he had three daughters and a son, Alfons Augustinovich (1805-1875), who served as an officer in the guard, and then as a lieutenant general and adjutant general.

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