Volkov Dmitriy Ivanovich

Dmitry Ivanovich Volkov is a merchant of the first guild, an honorary citizen of the city of Taldom. He was a major entrepreneur, philanthropist and public figure who played a significant role in the development of the city.

Biography

He was born in the village of Taldom (Kalyazinsky district, Tver province) in the family of a wealthy peasant shoemaker Ivan Sidorovich Volkov. The family adhered to the Old Believer traditions.

He received his education at home. From the age of five, his father taught him to read and write the Psalter, the Lives of Saints, and the Gospel. At the age of 13, Dmitry ran away from home to enter a monastery, but his father brought him back.

In 1881, he married Maria Ignatievna Shlikhunova. The couple had two daughters, Zinaida and Maria.

In 1887, he began independent commercial activity in his father's trading enterprises in the villages of Taldom and Kimry. In 1893, he officially became their owner. He specialized in leather and shoe trade.

Social activities and charity

Volkov was a member of the Kalyazinsky Zemstvo Assembly and the Taldom presences for commercial and state taxes. In 1917, he was a member of the county zemstvo council, a participant in the extraordinary Tver diocesan congress and a deputation to the Synod. In 1918, he was chairman of the second Congress of Commissioners of the Council of Peasant and Workers' Deputies in Taldom.

Donated large sums to:

Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Taldom;
the church of St. Alexander Nevsky in the village of Veliky Dvor;
construction and maintenance of schools, hospitals, almshouses, shopping malls, fire towers.

In 1914, he gave his second house, which he had originally built for children, to the infirmary.

The mansion in Taldom

In 1907, a stone mansion in the Art Nouveau style (according to some sources, Art Nouveau) was built at Volkov's expense. The house was built by local craftsmen, probably Kashinsky. The building is located at 41 Saltykov-Shchedrin Street.

The mansion has become one of the most beautiful buildings in Taldom. It is lined with glazed tiles, the interior retains an authentic layout, authentic doors, stoves, moldings, chandeliers, huge mirrors and parquet. Since 1920, the Taldom Historical and Literary Museum has been located in the house.

Later years

In the autumn of 1918, Volkov moved to Moscow. In the 1920s, he owned a trading company. In the early 1930s, he was exiled to Kalinin. After returning, he worked in the Moscow artel Krasny Shoemaker.

He was buried in the 4th section of the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.

Additional facts

Volkov was a man of diverse interests: he was fond of astronomy, fiction, the history of religion and the church, and was a fan of opera and dramatic art.
The Volkov house had an extensive library, which included works by Pushkin, Lermontov, Saltykov-Shchedrin, as well as encyclopedic dictionaries and historical works.
There was a telescope on the balcony of the house, where the family watched the stars in the evenings.
Dmitry Ivanovich became the prototype of one of the heroes of the novel-tale by M. M. Prishvin "Osudareva Doroga". Volkov's autobiographical notes fell into the hands of the writer in 1922 and are kept in his archive.
The Taldom Historical and Literary Museum, located in the Volkov mansion, preserves the memory of his personality and contribution to the development of the city.