An interesting postcard shows the town's main street — Moskovskaya (now Lenin Street). From the railway station it ran almost 2 kilometers down to the river. The street was interrupted by two squares: Sennaya, where hay and horses were sold on market days, and the central square — Bazarnaya, also called Torgovaya (now Sovetskaya Square).
It was surrounded by two-story stone houses, which housed, among other things, a gostiny dvor (merchant arcade), the city administration, and the police administration. Trading rows adjoined the square.
The northern edge of the central square was first called Krasnaya Storona (the Red Side), and later Khlebny Ryad (Bread Row) — now Krasnoy Molodezhi Street (Red Youth Street).
We can also see postcards depicting the zemstvo administration building, the girls' gymnasium (now a medical college), and the boys' gymnasium, opened in 1908 on Sennaya Square (the building now houses the Center for Children's Creativity).
Here we also encounter the recognizable railway station — a new brick building replacing the former wooden one was built in 1903. The Alexandrov railway station currently functions as an operational complex with its functions fully preserved and is also an outstanding architectural monument," shares public relations specialist Svetlana Vladimirovna Vershinina.
Of particular interest is the postcard titled "Alexandrov, Vladimir Governorate. Kuznechny Ryad." It depicts a street lined with wooden houses and a wooden church. Unfortunately, none of this has survived, and only the image on the postcard faithfully conveys the appearance of the lost Alexandrov and its inhabitants.
Later, advertising texts, calls for charitable activities, and even works of art began to be placed on the back of postcards. Thus ordinary people who had no opportunity to travel or visit museums and art galleries became acquainted with the creations of great artists. Such postcards became objects of collecting.
Press Service of the Alexandrovskaya Sloboda Museum-Reserve
Особый интерес представляет открытка «г. Александров Владимирской губернии. Кузнечный ряд». На ней изображена улица с рядом деревянных домов и деревянной церковью. К сожалению, ничего из этого не сохранилось, и только изображение на открытке достоверно передает облик ушедшего Александрова и его обитателей.
Позднее на обратной стороне открытки стали размещать рекламные тексты, призывы к благотворительной деятельности и даже произведения художественного искусства. Таким образом, простые люди, не имевшие возможности путешествовать, посещать музеи и картинные галереи, познакомились с творениями великих художников. Подобные открытки становились предметом коллекционирования.
Пресс-служба музея-заповедника
«Александровская слобода»
