#volga1

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Lifted Buildings

The buildings of Astrakhan and the Volga delta is lifted above the threat of flood. Foundations or footings are prominent elements of this high-water architecture. From deep basements above ground, to feet that hold buildings above the wet, to barges and boat hulls, solutions are visible everywhere. 

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SIMBIRSK (ULYANOVSK)/18century MAP

The city Simbirsk (Ulyanovsk) used to have a well developed shore. In the 17th century like the other cities near to Volga shore, there were several small ports which were used for merchandising and timber transportation. Also there were warehouses and fisher men's huts. Later housing was developed along the bank with a couple of churches at each side of the embankment. 

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KAZAN / BEFORE THE FLOOD

The city of Kazan used to be situated mostly on the Kazanka river and Kaban lake (which used to be a part of Kazanka river that flowed into the Volga)

The settlement was situated 7 km away from the big Volga waters. But was still on the crossroads of many merchant  paths (salt/ fur/silk)

The most well developing cities were always situated there, where there was good money flow, and that would be mostly on the rivers. The rivers used to be the best connections for traveling and merchandizing. 

Although not along the bank of bigger rivers, that would be dangerous because of all the Vikings and Varyags sailing down stream. 

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SARATOV FAVELAS

The first acquaintance with Saratov started from excursion with Igor, he is local informal ethnographer. Starting point was near the museum of local lore, next stop was street with a lot old half ruined wooden houses, we  were still in the city centre.  Passing by the streets picture haven’t changed, all street has only one-story buildings wood, brick, stone houses, all they look abandoned, ruined, you can't imagine that somebody can live here, some streets even hasn’t got a proper road, there is only mud there.

We had made a turn after some garages , it’s looked like empty space on some periphery, were only one thing you can find is  garages and abandoned cars, felt like it's not unsafely to be there, going down without a road, everything was dirty, everywere mud, after all found ourselves in the concrete road surrounding marsh. On the other side you can find houses,  quite populated. Igor told that actually this is a river Taybalik  and it's was putted inside the collector, and we are standing on it, later we found the hole and saw the river inside.

Moved on, its appeared that this concrete collector is a path, kind of road for locals. Its surrounds by the same type of houses that we saw in the central area streets, they all looks the same ruined with some supplemented small architectural forms, but actually  they are not abandoned at all, all this houses are full of life, they all inhabited.

Walking on the streets of Saratov, peek a sneak into alleyways and courtyards, everywhere in the city center you can find this favelas. Many of them have as a background picture of modern just built sixteen-story buildings. So  you can see this incredible contrast of new buildings and one-story pre-revolutionary houses. All these courtyards and houses equipped well, vast majority has some kinds of improvements, patches, add-ons, extensions, some have flowerbeds, some historic houses has increased volume of balcony, others has attached extra rooms, that are just built from all rubbish things that they could find in surrounding area .

Generally we can specify all the main Saratov favelas characteristics:

1_Most of the time all Saratov favelas you can find near newly built modern 15-20 story buildings, apartments.

2_Its always goes with the courtyard, from the main street you have a nice but quite ruined building of the end of 19 or beginning of 20 century, you go inside and see a courtyard. All rest buildings and shelters are faced to this courtyard. In the centre it can be placed a flower bed, or  some small shared public space for children.

3_ All buildings have some adjusted, completed, modified structures, the intervention, expansion of the new territory. It can be a adjusted room, it can be enlarged entrance, porch and attached loggia or a balcony.

4_ From the first view you all these buildings looks abandoned, but in a closer look you will be able to notice the details, signs of life and comfort such as flowers in window, nice curtains, in some courtyards you will find the clothes hanging on the rope outside.

Generally speaking Saratov has these two controversial vectors, in the one hand it’s seems to be perceived as die out, shrinking city, cause still there are a lot abandoned, burned, ruined houses in it, but in other certainly a lot of houses and districts that seems to be at first sight abandoned and inhabitant are full of life and their own aesthetics.

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the biggest cemetery in the city center i've ever seen. similar to roman soldiers camp - rigid and dense structure with two main axis-card and decumanus

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Simbirsk before it has become Ulyanovsk / maps of the city before 1917.

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"The Volga chose us, we never chose the Volga!"

"Kazan hasn't been a city on the Volga originally, only since the last 50 years"  Alina Bibisheva.  

Because of the RESERVOIR KUJBYSHEVSKOE 149 settlements in Tatarstan (the area of the Kazan) were swamped, among them 88 were swamped entirely and 61 - partially.

Anatoly Kaseev from Alexeyevsky district says: "Before swamping there were meadows and forests in these places. Workers from the Lespromkhoz (timber industry enterprise) have sawn down trees for 5 years. We knew that when they finished we would have been removed. People emigrated till 1957 and all the remaining buildings were burnt. The majority of people had light-construction houses of bad quality. Our log cabin inherited from grandfather was transported in piece by piece by horses".

Kazan wasn't a city by the river. The city wasn't developed next to the river but away from it. It looks like the river forced its way towards the city or the river was forced upon the city. Originally the city did not chose the river but what about now? 

http://tatarile.org/congress/en/content/129-settlements-tatarstan-fell-flooding-zone-kuybyshev-reservoir