ORIGIN

The history began at the brook Gremuchiy.

Initially railway node and settlement might be established at Kotlas-Uzel site. It was need for large-scale service station because of North-Pechora trunk-railway construction. But the geological investigations revealed that the best soil is situated north-east at the halt Alekseevskiy. That’s why the site of Vychegodskiy construction was changed. The customer was Russian Railways, contractor – Main Department of Army Camps for railway construction.
First the railway station, locomotive depot, car shed and electric power station as well were established. At the same time building of the settlement started. But there were only high-level workers there, i.e. managers. Prisoners called “third column” worked as builders. They lived in barracks in the forest.

Vychegodskiy began with Parkovaya Str. (2- and 4-appartment houses). Besides these there were also fire-department, railway worker’s club, administration building of Solvychegodsk department, public school № 81 and a store. On the other side of the street there were dwelling houses. Building Office leading by Popov I.I. was located in barrack on Engelsa Str. There was recreation center called House of Officers in front of the Building Office.

The most amounts of buildings were situated between Parkovaya Str. and the brook Gremuchiy. By 1949 the population of Vychegodskiy was about 1500.

The settlement was completely financed by Solvychegodsk Railway Department. The settlement’s Council just registered wed locks, births and deaths. The Council had no influence on development and construction of the settlement. Budget amounted ca 200.000 Russian rubles a year. 75 % of it was for Kotlas. The Council was so short of money that it had no to do with it.

From the beginning of 50’s building of brick-composed houses was begun. Among the first ones there were café “Lakomka” and store “Veteran”. Simultaneously public schools №№ 91 and 75 were build.

In 1948 and 1951 two hospitals were built. Building of Recreation Center began in 1954. Initially there was project for rural area, but the telegram from Kaganovich was received. He ordered to permit project for urban area like in Kotlas. Nevertheless the project for rural area was approved.

The most quantity of dwellings was built under Solyakin’s order (one house a year). At the same time the House of Sport emerged. It was planned to build swimming-pool too, but the head of Solvychegodsk Railway Department Solyakin left the settlement.
Soon new forms of industry emerged: battery farm, large-panel construction plant, sovkhoz (“soviet household”) “Kotlasskiy”. Ascendancy of the Council grows as population grows. The budget were growing, streets were getting better.

The place for the construction of the settlement was chosen 9,32 mi (15 km) north-east from railway station Kotlas on summer 1942. The location has considerable advantages of Kotlas-Uzel. It was dry area with sandy soil. A young forest located at the left bank of Vychegda river crease was selected as construction area. The railway station was called Solvychegodsk as regional town on the right bank of Vychegda River. The town is situated 4,97 mi (8 km) from the station.

It remains a few people who developed this part of North-Pechora trunk-railway. No doubt the labor was heroic. The trunk-railway was built by thousands of prisoners. There were 6 army camps near the settlement and almost 10 in the region.
It was important to take aesthetics into account in architecture for engineers of old school.

EDUCATION AND MANAGEMENT

The year 1950 became historic date in settlement’s life. There was election for local government. So the settlement got own elective authority. In the 1949 the built-up area was called urban-type settlement Vychegodskiy. It was under Kotlas-town jurisdiction, and it is now.

In the same year hospital area was finished. Inhabitants got nice patient care institutions provided with sewerage system, water-supply and central heating. A great number of 4-apartment dwellings on Lenina Str. were built and construction of stone-made dormitory (former dormitory for locomotive depot’s workers; after that hostel of school №4 was located there) was initialized at once.

By the period from 1950 to 1954 bridge over brook Berezovyi, bath-house, recreation center for builders, 4 stores, stone-made dwelling houses, 3 nurseries, large-scaled mechanized bakery, vegetable store, car shed, power station, restaurant etc were built.

The first school was opened for workers in 1945. It was an elementary school. It numbered not more than 30 pupils. Two teachers taught, each two classes. This school was located in 2-apartment house on Krupskoy Str. The school was reorganized into 7-grade school in 1946. It numbered 200 pupils that time. In the year 1947 the school was renamed into secondary school. The number of pupils increased. The old building was not enough for education purposes. It was built a new school-building for 280 pupils in spring 1952. The second 7-grade school was opened on November 5, 1952. After that it became 8-grade and at last full secondary school №75.

In the period of 1966-67 there were 2 secondary schools, one 8-grade school and school of working youth. Yet another one, maybe the best, appeared in April 1961. It is called after Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut who on 12 April 1961 became the first person in space and the first person to orbit the Earth. This was certainly school №4. It is located on Ulyanov Str. (Remark: It will be an extra info on school №4 soon)

FURTHER DEVELOPMENT

Building of recreation center was over in 1952. It were erected four 12-apartment stone houses and kindergarten. The reparation of ways, bridges, and common easements was carried out. Pioneer’s garden was laid near school №91, household and furniture shops were opened.

In the next 10 years 14 houses, 2 stores, chemist’s shop, school №4 and 6 parks were built. Two squares of dwelling houses beyond Kotlas, kindergarten “Semetcvetik” (140 available places) and soviet analogue of fast food restaurants in nowadays world were raised. After that kindergarten “Kolokolchik”, battery farm and other dwelling-houses were constructed.

New technologies, best equipment and new innovations were used on very railway enterprises. So it was more and more work for builders. At the beginning the railway station had 11 railways in total. Cross switches were operated manually, lighted by oil lamp. Train formations were audited manually too.

Currently the station is highly developed: 5 railway parks, illumination, radio-network, automatic switches and signals etc. Train formations are no more audited manually: new technologies and innovations were introduced.

Vychegodskiy was growing up and the station was developing. Battery farm (226.000 hens), vocational technical school (720 places), large-panel construction plant, child public library and 3 kindergartens (totally 520 places) were emerged.

The battery farm “Solvychegodskaya” began to work on January, 1975. Planned production capacity of the farm is ca 266.000 hens or 68 billions eggs a year. A gross output was 85 billions eggs a year in 1978. The battery farm was awarded Red Flag of Ministry Soviet USSR.
Medical care takes an important place in settlement’s life. A hospital was built in 1956 including main building, dining-rooms etc. “Milk kitchen” (child institution in USSR aimed to make ready child mixture for babies) was opened in 1967 (with 1000 helpings). Dental hospital appeared in 1973.

Market was developing: at the end of 70th there were 15 stores, one basic canteen and ten its subsidiaries.

On the 14th of February 1979 vocational technical school №4 was opened by the order of Ministry of Defence, USSR. The school prepared workers for basic enterprise of Ministry of transport construction “Sevtransstroy”: bricklayer, rigger, electric welder, joiner, carpenter, crane-operator, internal plumber and plasterer.
In 1983 the school began to prepare workers for Solvychegodsk Railway Department: assistant locomotive driver, conductor, person at the cash register and others. The school is constructed for up to 270 pupils. It includes 4-floor building, 3-floor workshops, 5-floor campus building (360 places) and a garage.

Many workshops appeared in past 15 years such as sewing workshop, shoe-repairing workshop and workshop for TV- and radio-devices reparation.

There were a lot of events in Vychegodskiy in recent years. Both good and bad things happened. Nevertheless pretty good people lived and are living now in such a gorgeous place, Vychegodskiy. The history is continuing…