Academician E. Laksman – researcher of Peter the Great's legacy in Karelia. Second half of the 18th century

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doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2025-4-1098-1117

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Pashkov, Alexander M. (2025). Academician E. Laksman – researcher of Peter the Great's legacy in Karelia. Second half of the 18th century, Herald of an Archivist, no. 4, pp. 1098-1117, doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2025-4-1098-1117

Pashkov, Alexander M., Petrozavodsk State University, Petrozavodsk, Russia

Academician E. Laksman – researcher of Peter the Great's legacy in Karelia. Second half of the 18th century

Abstract

This article examines the contribution of Academician Erik Laksman to the study of Peter the Great's legacy during his expedition through Karelia in 1778 and 1779. This expedition was one of a number of academic expeditions in the second half of the 18th century, sent by the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences to comprehensively study Russia's outlying regions. Laksman's expedition was also comprehensive in nature. Its goal was to study the geography, economics, flora and fauna, and geology of the territory of modern-day Karelia, but the scholar also devoted considerable attention to the historical aspect of his research. In particular, at his request, local mining officials collected extensive material on the history of mines and factories. Laksman did not produce a comprehensive monograph based on his travels, but the National Archives of the Republic of Karelia contains a file containing materials collected at his request in late 1778. Laksman was provided with information on the history of the mining factories of the Olonets region, beginning with the time of Peter the Great. These data allow us to establish that all state-owned factories founded from the time of Peter the Great until the mid-18th century, with the exception of the Konchezersky and Petrovsky copper smelters, were closed. However, by 1778, nine new private factories had been established and were operating. It is significant that already in his first "question point," E. Laksman emphasized Peter the Great's role in establishing mining production in Karelia: "The most memorable facts about the local mountains, consistent with the history of Tsar Peter the Great, namely, the oldest mines and factories located here, along with their most important landmarks." Of particular interest are E. Laksman's research into the history of the first Russian spa, Marcial Waters, founded by Peter the Great in 1719. The source of the healing water was discovered by a local peasant, Ivan Reboev. When Peter the Great learned of this discovery, he ordered his physicians to test the water's therapeutic properties. Upon receiving a positive conclusion, he ordered the establishment of Russia's first resort there. The spring was named Marcial Waters. Peter the Great himself received treatment there four times between 1719 and 1724. During one of his visits, I. Reboev submitted a petition to the Tsar, and Peter ordered him and all his descendants exempt from taxes. At the request of E. Laksman, the Factory Chancellery located the original petition with Peter the Great's resolution and made copies, one of which is also kept in the Chancellery's archives. The text of this petition is cited in the article. E. Laksman's interest in Peter the Great's legacy in Karelia reflects a general trend in the study of this legacy during the Catherine the Great era. On the one hand, Peter the Great's time was considered relatively recent. The last contemporaries of Peter the Great's reign were still alive. On the other hand, for new generations of Russians, this was already a bygone era, the memories and artifacts of which needed to be identified and recorded. This was reflected in the interest demonstrated by E. Laksman during his expedition to Karelia in 1778 and 1779.

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Keywords

E. G. Laksman, academic expeditions of 1778 and 1779, Karelia, historical memory, Peter the Great era, Olonetsky factories, Marcial Waters.

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About authors

Pashkov Alexander M., Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Petrozavodsk State University, Institute of History, Political and Social Sciences, Department of Russian History, Professor, Petrozavodsk, Russia, +7-814-271-10-74, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ORCID 0000-0003-1408-3137

The article was received in the editorial office on 6.02.2025, recommended for publication on 20.09.2024.