Who is Przhevalsky, and why is he famous? Russian traveler and naturalist Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky. Report: Przhevalsky Nikolay Mikhailovich
Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky(March 31, 1839, village of Kimborovo, Smolensk province - October 20, 1888, Karakol) - Russian traveler and naturalist. Undertook several expeditions to Central Asia. In 1878 he was elected an honorary member of the Academy of Sciences. Major General (since 1886).
Born on April 12, 1839 in the village of Kimborovo in the family of retired lieutenant Mikhail Kuzmich Przhevalsky. The place where the village of Kimborovo was located is located four kilometers from the village of Murygino, Pochinkovsky district, Smolensk region. A memorial sign has been installed here.
Przhevalsky belonged to a noble family that had the coat of arms “Silver Bow and Arrow, turned upward on the Red Field,” granted for military exploits in the battle with Russian troops during the capture of Polotsk by the army of Stefan Batory.
A distant ancestor of Nikolai Mikhailovich was a warrior of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Karnil Perevalsky, a Cossack who distinguished himself in the Livonian War.
After completing a course at the Smolensk gymnasium in 1855, Przhevalsky became a non-commissioned officer in the Ryazan infantry regiment in Moscow; Having received an officer rank, he transferred to the 28th Polotsk Infantry Regiment. Then he entered the General Staff School. At this time, his first works appeared: “Memoirs of a Hunter” and “Military Statistical Review of the Amur Region,” for which in 1864 he was elected a full member of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society. After graduating from the Academy, he volunteered for Poland to participate in the suppression of the Polish uprising. Subsequently occupying the position of teacher of history and geography at the Warsaw Junker School, Przhevalsky studied the epic of African travels and discoveries, became acquainted with zoology and botany, and compiled a geography textbook published in Beijing.
Since 1867, he made expeditions around the Ussuri region and Central Asia. Having completed the processing of the fourth trip, Przhevalsky was preparing for the fifth. In 1888, he moved through Samarkand to the Russian-Chinese border, where, while hunting in the valley of the Kara-Balta River, after drinking river water, he became infected with typhoid fever. On the way to Karakol, Przhevalsky felt ill, and upon arrival in Karakol he fell completely ill. A few days later he died. He was buried on the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul. Fulfilling the last will of the deceased, they chose a flat place for his ashes, on the eastern steep shore of the lake, between the mouths of the Karakol and Karasuu rivers, 12 km from the city of Karakol. Due to the hardness of the soil, soldiers and Cossacks dug the grave for two days; two coffins: one wooden and the other iron - for the outside.
Travel and research activities
In 1867, Przhevalsky received a business trip to the Ussuri region. Along the Ussuri River he reached the village of Busse, then to Lake Khanka, which served as a station during bird migration and provided him with material for ornithological observations. In winter, he explored the South Ussuri region, covering 1,060 versts (about 1,100 km) in three months. In the spring of 1868, he again went to Lake Khanka, then pacified Chinese robbers in Manchuria, for which he was appointed senior adjutant of the headquarters of the troops of the Amur region. The results of his first trip were the essays “On the Foreign Population in the Southern Part of the Amur Region” and “Travel to the Ussuri Region.”
In 1872, Przhevalsky made his first trip to Central Asia. From Beijing he moved to the northern shore of Lake Dalai Nor, then, after resting in Kalgan, he explored the Suma-Khodi and Yin-Shan ridges, as well as the course of the Yellow River (Huang He), showing that it does not have a branch, as previously thought on the basis Chinese sources; Having passed through the Ala Shan desert and the Alashan Mountains, he returned to Kalgan, having traveled 3,500 versts (about 3,700 kilometers) in 10 months. In 1872, he moved to Lake Kuku-Nor, intending to penetrate the Tibetan Plateau, then through the Tsaidam Desert he reached the upper reaches of the Blue River (Mur-Usu). After an unsuccessful attempt to cross Tibet, in 1873, through central part Gobi Przhevalsky returns to Kyakhta through Urga. The result of the trip was the essay “Mongolia and the Country of the Tanguts.” During three years Przhevalsky walked 11,000 versts (about 11,700 km).
In 1876, Przhevalsky undertook a second journey from Kulja to the Ili River, through the Tien Shan and the Tarim River to Lake Lob-Nor, to the south of which he discovered the Altyn-Tag ridge; he spent the spring of 1877 on Lob-Nor, watching the migration of birds and doing ornithological research, and then returned to Gulja through Kurla and Yuldus. The illness forced him to stay in Russia longer than planned, during which time he wrote and published the work “From Kulja to the Tien Shan and to Lob-Nor.”
In 1879, he set out from the city of Zaisan on his third journey at the head of a detachment of 13 people. Along the Urungu River through the Hami oasis and through the desert to the Sa-Zheu oasis, through the Nan Shan ridges into Tibet, and reached the valley of the Blue River (Mur-Usu). The Tibetan government did not want to let Przhevalsky into Lhasa, and the local population was so excited that Przhevalsky, having crossed the Tang-La pass and being only 250 miles from Lhasa, was forced to return to Urga. Returning to Russia in 1881, Przhevalsky gave a description of his third trip. He described a new species of horse, previously unknown to science, later named in his honor (Equus przewalskii).
In 1883, he undertook a fourth voyage, leading a detachment of 21 people. From Kyakhta he moved through Urga along the old route to the Tibetan Plateau, explored the sources of the Yellow River and the watershed between the Yellow and Blue Rivers, and from there he went through Tsaidam to Lob-Nor and to the city of Karakol (Przhevalsk). The journey ended only in 1886.
In any conditions, every day N. M. Przhevalsky led Personal diary, which formed the basis of his books. N. M. Przhevalsky had a brilliant writing gift, which he developed through persistent and systematic work.
Scientific merits
Przhevalsky's greatest achievements are the geographical and natural-historical study of the Kun-Lun mountain system, the ridges of Northern Tibet, the Lob-Nor and Kuku-Nor basins and the sources of the Yellow River. In addition, he discovered a number of new forms of animals: the wild camel, Przewalski's horse, the Himalayan bear, a number of new species of other mammals, and also collected huge zoological and botanical collections, containing many new forms, which were later described by specialists. The Academy of Sciences and scientific societies around the world welcomed Przhevalsky's discoveries. The British Royal Geographical Society named Nikolai Przhevalsky “the most outstanding traveler” in the world. The St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences awarded Przhevalsky a medal with the inscription: “To the first explorer of the nature of Central Asia.”
According to A.I. Voeikov, Przhevalsky was one of the largest climatologists of the 19th century.
Personality
In adulthood, N. M. Przhevalsky was absolutely indifferent to ranks, titles and awards and was equally partial to living research work. The traveler's passion was hunting, and he himself was a brilliant shooter.
Being a well-educated naturalist, Przhevalsky was at the same time a born traveler-wanderer, who preferred the lonely steppe life to all the benefits of civilization. Thanks to his persistent, decisive character, he overcame the opposition of Chinese officials and resistance local residents, sometimes leading to open attacks and skirmishes.
Family
Brother Vladimir is a famous Moscow lawyer. Brother Evgeniy is a famous mathematician.
Addresses in St. Petersburg
- 1881-2014 - furnished rooms I. Ts. Loshevich - Stolyarny Lane, 6
Addresses in the Moscow region
- 1882-2014 - Estate in the village. Konstantinovo, Domodedovo urban district, Moscow region
The first mention of the village of Konstantinovo dates back to the 16th century; until the mid-17th century it belonged to the famous boyar family of the Golovins. The estate has changed a large number of owners, among them Prince Romodanovsky, Count Mikhail Gavrilovich Golovkin, Colonel Lopukhin, Tatishchev, and finally, under Ivan Fedorovich Pokhvisnev, the estate ensemble that has survived to this day was created.
In 1882, the estate came into the possession of the brother of the famous Russian traveler and geographer Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky. The family owned the estate until 1917.
In 1905, Przhevalsky’s widow, Sofia Alexandrovna, drew up an insurance policy for an estate in Podolsk district, 4 miles from Domodedovo station near the village of Konstantinovo. In addition to a detailed inventory of buildings and their assessment, the insurance file had a plan of the estate, which showed all the estate's residential, non-residential, and outbuildings, as well as a pond with a dam, a landscape park and a formal garden. The main house was described in sufficient detail: “... stone, one-story with a mezzanine, mezzanines and a basement under vaults, covered with iron, with a stone terrace on columns...”, “... the house was heated by 10 Dutch tiled stoves...”. During the restoration of the manor complex in 1990, data from this particular document were used.
Now the estate is in a deplorable state - in many places the plaster has fallen off, exposing the wooden frame. Some of the windows were broken and filled with pieces of plywood. On weekends, the gate is locked, but on the left side of the estate there are a couple of passages in a dilapidated wire fence.
Addresses in Karakol
- Karizhensky House - Dzerzhinsky (Dzhamansariev) Street, 156.
Awards
- Order of St. Stanislaus, 3rd class. (1866);
- Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class. (1881);
- Austrian Order of Leopold, Knight's Cross (1874).
- Large gold Constantine medal - the highest award of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society (1868)
- Small silver medal of the Russian Geographical Society for an article on the population of Primorye
- Certificate of Honor from the International Geographical Congress in Paris
- Gold Medal of the Paris Geographical Society
- Order of the Academic Palms (France)
- Great Alexander Humboldt Gold Medal of the Berlin Geographical Society
- Royal Medal of the London Geographical Society (1879)
- Vega Medal of the Stockholm Geographical Society
- Grand Gold Medal of the Italian Geographical Society
- Gold personalized medal with the inscription: “To the first explorer of the nature of Central Asia” of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Honorary titles
- Honorary citizen of Smolensk (1881)
- Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg
- Corresponding Member of the Berlin Geographical Society
- honorary member of the Imperial St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1878) and the Botanical Garden
- honorary member of St. Petersburg University
- honorary member of the St. Petersburg Society of Naturalists
- honorary member of the Ural Society of Natural History Lovers
- honorary member of the Russian Geographical Society
- Honorary Doctor of Zoology, Moscow University
- honorary member of the Vienna Geographical Society
- honorary member of the Italian Geographical Society
- honorary member of the Dresden Geographical Society
- honorary member of the Moscow Society of Lovers of Natural History, Anthropology and Ethnography
Memory
- Named in memory of the researcher:
- geographical objects: Przhevalsky Ridge, discovered by him; glacier in Altai, etc.;
- a number of species of animals and plants, including Przewalski's horse, Przewalski's pied, Przewalski's buzulnik;
- the city of Karakol, in Kyrgyzstan, from 1889 to 1922 and from 1939 to 1992 bore the name Przhevalsk;
- the village of Przhevalskoye in the Smolensk region, in which the traveler’s estate was located;
- Przhevalsky streets in Moscow, Minsk, Irkutsk, Smolensk and other cities;
- gymnasium named after N. M. Przhevalsky, Smolensk;
- in the Primorsky Territory, a mountain system was named in honor of N. M. Przhevalsky - the Przhevalsky Mountains, a cave near the city of Nakhodka and a rock massif in the Partizanskaya River basin.
- passenger motor ship of project 860 of the Amur River Shipping Company.
Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky - quotes
“Basically, you have to be born a traveler.” 
“The traveler has no memory” (about the need to keep a diary).
“Travel would lose half its charm if it were impossible to talk about it.”
“And the world is beautiful because you can travel.”
In Central Asia, I left a lot of offspring - not in the literal sense, of course, but figuratively: Lop Nor, Kukunar, Tibet and so on - these are my brainchildren.
Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky is one of the most famous and famous.
Date of Birth. Childhood
Nikolai was born in March 1839, in the village of Kimbolovo, which was located in the Smolensk province.
His parents belonged to the class of small landowners. Kolya studied at the local Smolensk gymnasium, after which he became a non-commissioned officer in the Ryazan infantry regiment.
Youth. Education
After serving a little and gaining experience, he entered the General Staff Academy. During his studies, Nikolai Mikhailovich wrote several geographical works, for which he was enrolled in the Russian Geographical Society.
The time of graduation from the Academy coincided with the Polish Uprising. Without having time to celebrate the end of his studies, he went to suppress the Polish rebellion in Poland, where he stayed for some time.
Przhevalsky taught at the local Junker School of History and Geography. IN free time loved to hunt and play cards. They say that he had a phenomenal memory, and therefore victory often smiled at him in cards.
First expedition
Nikolai Mikhailovich participated in many research expeditions. The first occurred in 1867-1869, he traveled around the Ussuri region. He compiled an ornithological collection, and also discovered a number of new geographical objects.
Second expedition
In 1876 he went on a Central Asian expedition, during which he visited the Altyntag Mountains. On the same trip, Przhevalsky compiled a description of Lake Lop Nor (proved that it was fresh).
Third expedition
In 1879, he again went to the same geographical area, where during this expedition (consisting of 13 people), he discovered several mountain ranges and gave descriptions of local rivers and lakes. We went down the Urungu River
Fourth Expedition (Tibetan)
Nikolai Przhevalsky was tormented by illness, but, despite the illness, he went on another expedition in 1883 (consisting of 21 people). This was the Tibet expedition, which lasted until 1885. Through the Ugra River we reached the Tibetan Plateau. He explored the Kunlun region and found many ridges and lakes in it. He talked about the Yellow River and its sources.
Fifth expedition
Took place in 1888. In the village of Karakol he continued his research and observations. Unfortunately, Nikolai Mikhailovich fell ill. Przhevalsky died in October 1888 from illness. He was buried two years before his death, he received the rank of major general in the Russian army.
The significance of Przhevalsky's works
Nikolai Mikhailovich is an amazing traveler, the author of many geographical works. Over the years of his activity, he managed to develop unique technique research activities, and safety precautions.
It is worth noting one feature in the travels that Przhevalsky led - not a single person from his team died. It is amazing! Perhaps this was due to the fact that only soldiers and officers of the Russian army participated in his expeditions. This ensured iron discipline and order.
In addition to many discovered geographical objects, this man discovered a number of new species of horses and camels. Who hasn't heard about the famous Przewalski's horse? The Tibetan bear, by the way, is also a discovery of the Russian traveler.
The British Royal Geographical Society named the Russian traveler Przhevalsky the greatest traveler in the world. Why? Over 11 years of travel, he traveled enormous distances, about 31,500 kilometers.
In addition, huge zoological collections were collected, and many plant herbariums were compiled. Nikolai Przhevalsky is recognized throughout the world. Several world institutions awarded him the title of Doctor. Nikolai Mikhailovich is an honorary citizen of St. Petersburg and Smolensk. In 1891, the Russian Geographical Society established a medal and award named after the traveler.
Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky (March 31, 1839, village of Kimborovo, Smolensk province - October 20, 1888, Karakol) - Russian traveler and naturalist. Undertook several expeditions to Central Asia. In 1878 he was elected an honorary member of the Academy of Sciences. Major General (since 1886).
The making of a future researcher
Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky was born on April 12, 1839 in the village of Kimborovo, Smolensk province, into a poor family. When he was six years old, he lost his father. He was raised by his mother, an intelligent and strict woman. She gave her son wide freedom, allowing him to leave the house in any weather and wander through the forest and swamps. Her influence on her son was very great. Nikolai Mikhailovich forever retained a tender affection for her, as well as for his nanny Olga Makarevna.
Since childhood, N. M. Przhevalsky became addicted to hunting. He retained this passion throughout his life. Hunting hardened him already healthy body, developed in him a love of nature, observation, patience and endurance. His favorite books were descriptions of travel, stories about the habits of animals and birds, and various geographical books. He read a lot and remembered what he read down to the smallest detail. Often, comrades, testing his memory, took a book familiar to him, read one or two lines on any page, and then Przhevalsky spoke entire pages by heart.
After graduating from the Smolensk gymnasium, the sixteen-year-old young man entered the army as a private during the Crimean War. In 1861, he began studying at the Military Academy, after which he was sent back to the Polotsk Regiment, where he had served before. At the Academy, N. M. Przhevalsky compiled the “Military Statistical Review of the Amur Region,” which was highly appreciated by the Russian Geographical Society and served as the basis for his election as a member of the Society in 1864. His entire life and activities were subsequently connected with this Society.
From an early age, N. M. Przhevalsky dreamed of traveling. When he managed to escape from the regiment in Big city– Warsaw and becoming a teacher at a military school, he used all his strength and resources to prepare for travel. For himself, he established the strictest regime: he worked a lot in the university zoological museum, botanical garden and in the library. His reference books at that time were: works by K. Ritter on Asia, “Pictures of Nature” by A. Humboldt, different descriptions Russian travelers to Asia, publications of the Russian Geographical Society, books on zoology, especially ornithology (about birds).
N. M. Przhevalsky took his teaching responsibilities very seriously, prepared thoroughly for his classes, and presented the subject in an interesting and exciting way. He wrote a textbook on general geography. His book, scientifically and vividly written, at one time enjoyed great success in military and civilian circles. educational institutions and was published in several editions.
Ussuri expedition
At the beginning of 1867, N. M. Przhevalsky moved from Warsaw to St. Petersburg and presented his plan for traveling to Central Asia to the Russian Geographical Society. The plan did not receive support. He was given only letters of recommendation to the authorities of Eastern Siberia. Here he managed to get a business trip to the Ussuri region, which had recently been annexed to Russia. In the instructions, N. M. Przhevalsky was instructed to inspect the location of the troops, collect information about the number and condition of Russian, Manchu and Korean settlements, explore the routes leading to the borders, correct and supplement the route map. In addition, it was allowed to “carry out any kind of scientific research.” Setting off on this expedition in the spring of 1867, he wrote to his friend: “... I’m going to the Amur, from there to the river. Ussuri, Lake Khanka and to the shores of the Great Ocean, to the borders of Korea. Yes! I had the enviable lot and difficult responsibility of exploring areas, most of which had not yet been trodden by an educated European. Moreover, this will be my first statement about myself to the scientific world, therefore, I need to work hard.”
As a result of his Ussuri expedition, N. M. Przhevalsky gave good geographical description the edges. In the economy of Primorye, he emphasized the discrepancy between the richest natural resources and their insignificant use. He was especially attracted by the Khanka steppes with their fertile soils, extensive pastures and a huge wealth of fish and poultry.
N. M. Przhevalsky colorfully, in all its charm and originality, showed the geographical features of the Ussuri region. He noted, among other things, characteristic feature nature of the Far East: the “junction” of southern and northern plant and animal forms. N. M. Przhevalsky writes: “It’s somehow strange for an unaccustomed eye to see such a mixture of forms of north and south that collide here in both the plant and animal worlds. Particularly striking is the sight of a spruce entwined with grapes, or a cork tree and Walnut, growing next to cedar and fir. Hunting dog finds you a bear or a sable, but right next to you you can meet a tiger, not inferior in size and strength to the inhabitant of the jungles of Bengal.”
N.M. Przhevalsky considered the Ussuri trip as a preliminary reconnaissance before his complex expeditions to Central Asia. It secured his reputation as an experienced traveler and explorer. Soon after this, he began to seek permission to travel to the northern outskirts of China and the eastern parts of southern Mongolia.
In the spring of 1868, he again went to Lake Khanka, then pacified Chinese robbers in Manchuria, for which he was appointed senior adjutant of the headquarters of the troops of the Amur region. The results of his first trip were the essays “On the foreign population in the southern part of the Amur region” and “Travel in the Ussuri region.” About 300 species of plants were collected, more than 300 stuffed birds were made, and many plants and birds were discovered for the first time in Ussuri.
First trip to Central Asia
In 1870, the Russian Geographical Society organized an expedition to Central Asia. Przhevalsky was appointed its head. Second Lieutenant Mikhail Aleksandrovich Pyltsov took part in the expedition with him. Their path lay through Moscow and Irkutsk to Kyakhta, where they arrived in early November 1870, and further to Beijing, where Przhevalsky received permission to travel from the Chinese government.
On February 25, 1871, Przhevalsky moved from Beijing north to Lake Dalai-Nur, then, after resting in Kalgan, he explored the Suma-Khodi and Yin-Shan ridges, as well as the course of the Yellow River (Huang He), showing that it does not have branches like thought before on the basis of Chinese sources; Having passed through the Alashan desert and the Alashan Mountains, he returned to Kalgan, having covered 3,500 versts in 10 months.
On March 5, 1872, the expedition again set out from Kalgan and moved through the Alashan desert to the Nanshan ridges and further to Lake Kukunar. Then Przhevalsky crossed the Tsaidam Basin, overcame the Kunlun ridges and reached the upper reaches of the Blue River (Yangtze) in Tibet.
In the summer of 1873, Przhevalsky, having replenished his equipment, went to Urga (Ulaanbaatar), through the Middle Gobi, and from Urga in September 1873 he returned to Kyakhta. Przhevalsky walked more than 11,800 kilometers through the deserts and mountains of Mongolia and China and mapped (on a scale of 10 versts to 1 inch) about 5,700 kilometers.
The scientific results of this expedition amazed contemporaries. Przhevalsky was the first European to penetrate into deep area Northern Tibet, to the upper reaches of the Yellow River and Yangtze (Ulan-Muren). And he determined that Bayan-Khara-Ula is the watershed between these river systems. Przhevalsky gave detailed descriptions the Gobi, Ordos and Alashani deserts, the highlands of Northern Tibet and the Tsaidam basin discovered by him, for the first time mapped more than 20 ridges, seven large and a number of small lakes on the map of Central Asia. Przhevalsky's map was not very accurate, since due to very difficult travel conditions he could not make astronomical determinations of longitudes. This significant shortcoming was later corrected by himself and other Russian travelers. He collected collections of plants, insects, reptiles, fish, and mammals. At the same time they were open new species, which received his name: Przewalski's foot-and-mouth disease, Przewalski's split-tail, Przewalski's rhododendron... The two-volume work “Mongolia and the Country of the Tanguts” brought the author world fame and was translated into a number of European languages.
The Russian Geographical Society awarded Przhevalsky a large gold medal and the “highest” awards - the rank of lieutenant colonel, a lifelong pension of 600 rubles annually. He received the Gold Medal of the Paris Geographical Society. His name was placed next to Semenov Tian-Shansky, Krusenstern and Bellingshausen, Livingston and Stanley.
Second expedition
My second Central Asian trip Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky starts in 1876. It was conceived on a very large scale, it was supposed to explore Tibet and Lhassa, but due to the complications of the political situation (conflict with China) and the illness of Przhevalsky himself, the route had to be shortened.
Having started his journey from Gulja, having overcome Tien Shan ranges and the Tarim Basin Przhevalsky reached the huge reed swamp-Lake Lop Nor in February 1877. According to his description, the lake was 100 kilometers long and 20 to 22 kilometers wide. On the shores of the mysterious Lop Nor, in the “land of Lop”, Przhevalsky was second... after Marco Polo!
No obstacles prevented the researchers from making their discoveries: the lower reaches of the Tarim with a group of lakes and the Altyn-Tag ridge were described, and materials on the ethnography of the Lobnors (Karakurchins) were collected. After some time, an entry appears in Nikolai Mikhailovich’s diary: “A year will pass, misunderstandings with China will be settled, my health will improve, and then I will again take the pilgrim’s staff and again head to the Asian deserts” 2
Third expedition
In March 1879, Przhevalsky began his third trip to Central Asia, which he called the “First Tibetan”. He proceeded through the Dzungarian Gobi - “a vast undulating plain” - and quite accurately determined its size. Having passed Lake Barkel, Przhevalsky went to the Hami oasis. Then he crossed the eastern edge of the Gashun Gobi and reached the lower reaches of the Danhe River, and to the south of it he discovered the “huge ever-snowy” Humboldt ridge. Through the pass (3670 m) - at the junction of Altyntag and Humboldt - Przhevalsky went south and, having crossed three short ridges, descended to the village of Dzun. From there, Przhevalsky moved to the southwest and found out that Kunlun here stretches in a latitudinal direction and consists of two, sometimes three parallel chains (64 to 96 km wide), which have different names in their different parts. According to the nomenclature adopted for maps of the late 20th century, Przhevalsky identified the western part of Burkhan-Buddha, somewhat to the south - Bokalyktag, which he called the Marco Polo ridge (with a peak of 5851 m), and to the south of Kukushili - the Bungbura-Ula ridge, which stretches along left bank of Ulan Muren (upper reaches of the Yangtze). Further to the south, Tibet itself stretched out in front of the traveler. Beyond the 33rd parallel, Przhevalsky discovered the watershed between the Yangtze and Salween - the almost latitudinal Tangla ridge (with peaks up to 6621 m). From the flat, barely noticeable pass, Przhevalsky saw the eastern part of the Nyenchentanglikha ridge. He found the way to the forbidden Lhasa and was about 300 km from it, but was forced to turn back: a rumor spread in Lhasa that a Russian detachment was coming to kidnap the Dalai Lama. Przhevalsky followed the same route to the upper reaches of the Yangtze and somewhat west of the previous route to Dzun. An attempt to penetrate to the sources of the Yellow River was unsuccessful due to the impossibility of crossing the river.
Fourth expedition
Despite a painful illness, Przhevalsky set off on the fourth (second Tibetan) expedition of 1883-1885, during which he discovered a number of new lakes and ridges in Kunlun, traveled 1800 km, delineated the Tsaidam Basin, almost 60 years before the discovery of Victory Peak (7439 m ) indicated its existence by describing it for the first time. In 1888, setting off on a new journey, he cried bitterly, as if saying goodbye forever, upon arrival in Karakol he felt ill and died a few days later - according to official version, from typhoid fever. Already today, three medical experts have come to the conclusion that the cause of his death was lymphogranulomatosis.
Personality
The personal qualities of N. M. Przhevalsky ensured the success of his expedition. He selected his employees from simple, unpampered, enterprising people and treated people of the “noble breed” with great distrust. He himself did not disdain any menial work. His discipline during the expedition was strict, without pomp and lordship. His assistants, V.I. Roborovsky and P.K. Kozlov, later became famous independent travelers. Many satellites took part in two or three expeditions, and the Buryats Dondok Irinchinov conducted four expeditions together with N. M. Przhevalsky.
In adulthood, N. M. Przhevalsky was absolutely indifferent to ranks, titles and awards and was equally partial to live research work. The traveler's passion was hunting; he himself was a brilliant shooter.
Being a well-educated naturalist, Przhevalsky was at the same time a born traveler-wanderer, who preferred the lonely steppe life to all the benefits of civilization. Thanks to his persistent, decisive character, he overcame the opposition of Chinese officials and the resistance of local residents, which sometimes reached open attacks and skirmishes.
Scientific significance of the activity
The scientific results of N. M. Przhevalsky’s travels are enormous and multifaceted. With his travels, he covered vast areas, collected rich scientific collections, made extensive research and geographical discoveries, processed the results and summed up the results. He donated the various scientific collections he collected to scientific institutions Russia: ornithological and zoological - Academy of Sciences, botanical - Botanical Garden.
Fascinating descriptions of the travels of N. M. Przhevalsky are at the same time strictly scientific. His books are among the best geographical works. These are brilliant results of the activities of the great traveler. His works contain subtle artistic descriptions of many of the birds and wild animals, plants, landscapes and natural phenomena of Asia. These descriptions became classic and were included in special works on zoology, botany, and geography.
N. M. Przhevalsky considered the preparation of a detailed report on the expedition to be the most important matter. Returning from the expedition, he took advantage of every opportunity to work on the report, even at random stops. N. M. Przhevalsky began a new expedition only after the book about the previous one was published. He wrote over two thousand printed pages about his travels. All his works, upon their publication in Russian, immediately appeared in translations in foreign languages abroad. It happened that editions of N. M. Przhevalsky’s works sold out faster abroad than in Russia.
N. M. Przhevalsky had no rivals in enterprise, energy, determination, and resourcefulness. He literally yearned for unknown countries. Central Asia attracted him with its lack of exploration. No difficulties frightened him. Based on the overall results of his work, N. M. Przhevalsky took one of the most honorable places among the famous travelers of all times and peoples. His work is an exceptional example of a steady pursuit of his goal and a talented execution of his task. Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky’s fearlessness, selfless love of science, perseverance, determination and organization make him similar to the people of our era.
Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky
Russian military leader
Przhevalsky Nikolai Mikhailovich (1839-1888) - Russian military leader, major general (1886), geographer, explorer of Central Asia, honorary member of the St. Petersburg Lyon (1878).
In military service since 1855. In 1864-1867. - teacher of geography and history, librarian at the Warsaw cadet school. In 1866 he was assigned to the General Staff and assigned to the Siberian Military District.
In 1867-1885. made four expeditions, covering more than 30 thousand km: on Far East- to the Ussuri region; to the Center Asia - to Mongolia, China and Tibet. He died at the beginning of his fifth trip near the lake. Issyk-Kul.
The scientific results of the expeditions were summarized in a number of books, giving a vivid picture of nature and characteristics of the relief, climate, rivers, lakes, vegetation and fauna in Asia. Established the direction of the main mountain ranges of the Center. Asia and opened a number of new ones; clarified the boundaries of the Tibetan Plateau; collected extensive mineralogical and zoological collections; discovered and described the wild camel and the wild horse (Przewalski's horse).
Orlov A.S., Georgieva N.G., Georgiev V.A. Historical Dictionary. 2nd ed. M., 2012, p. 408.
Traveler
Przhevalsky Nikolai Mikhailovich (1839, the village of Kimborovo, Smolensk province - 1888, the city of Karakol on Lake Issyk-Kul) - traveler. Genus. in a noble family. Since childhood I dreamed of traveling. In 1855 he graduated from the Smolensk gymnasium. At the height of the Sevastopol defense he entered the army as a volunteer, but he did not have to fight. After 5 years of military service, which Przhevalsky disliked, he was refused a transfer to the Amur for research work. In 1861 he entered the Academy of the General Staff, where he completed his first geographical work, “Military Geographical Survey of the Amur Region,” for which Rus. the geographical society elected him as a member. In 1863 he completed his academic course and volunteered to go to Poland to suppress the uprising. He served in Warsaw as a teacher of history and geography at a cadet school, where he seriously engaged in self-education, preparing to become a professional researcher of little-studied countries. In 1866 he received an appointment to the East. Siberia, which I dreamed of. With the support of Rus. Geographical Society, in 1867 - 1869 made a trip, the result of which was the book. "Travel in the Ussuri region" and rich collections for the geographical society. After this, in 1870 - 1885, Przhevalsky made four trips to little-known areas of Central Asia; He photographed more than 30 thousand km of the path he traveled, discovered unknown mountain ranges and lakes, a wild camel, a Tibetan bear, and a wild horse named after him. He talked about his travels in books, giving a vivid description of Central Asia: its flora, fauna, climate, peoples who lived in it; collected unique collections, becoming a generally recognized classic of geographical science. He died of typhoid fever while preparing to make his fifth expedition to Central Asia.
Book materials used: Shikman A.P. Figures of Russian history. Biographical reference book. Moscow, 1997
Russian geographer
Przhevalsky Nikolai Mikhailovich, Russian geographer, famous researcher Center. Asia, Major General (1888), honorary member. Petersburg AN (1878). Graduated from the General Staff Academy (1863). In the army since 1855; in 1856 he was promoted to officer and served in the Ryazan and Polotsk infantry. shelves. In 1864-67, military teacher. geography and history at the Warsaw Junker School. Then P. was assigned to the General Staff and assigned to the Siberian Military. district This is where his many years of fruitful research work began. expeditions, actively supported by P. P. Semenov (Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky) and other scientists Rus. geographical about-va. Ch. P.'s merit - geography, natural history research Center. Asia, where he established the direction of the main. ridges and opened a number of new ones, clarified the sowing. borders of the Tibetan Plateau. Military A scientist-geographer, P. laid out all his routes on the map, while the topography and surveys were carried out with exceptional accuracy. Along with this, P. conducted meteorology, observations, collected collections on zoology, botany, geology, and information on ethnography. P. successively conducted expeditions: to the Ussuri region (1867-69), to Mongolia, China, Tibet (1870-73), to lake. Lop Nor and to Dzungaria (1876-77), to the Center. Asia - the first Tibetan (1879-80) and the second Tibetan (1883-85). They were unprecedented in spatial scope and routes (during all five of P.’s expeditions, more than 30 thousand km were covered). P.’s scientific works covering the progress and results of these expeditions, in a short time gained worldwide fame and were published in many editions. countries. P.'s research marked the beginning of a systematic study of the Center. Asia. In 1891 in honor of P. Rus. geography, the society established a silver medal and an award named after him. In 1946, a gold medal was established. H. M. Przhevalsky, awarded by Geography, Society of the USSR. Named after P. are: a city, a ridge in the Kunlun system, a glacier in Altai, other geography, objects, as well as a number of species of animals (Przewalski's horse) and plants discovered by him during his travels. P. monuments were erected near Przhevalsk, not far from the lake. Issyk-Kul, where his grave and museum are located, as well as in Leningrad.
Materials from the Soviet Military Encyclopedia in 8 volumes, volume 6 were used.
Was second... after Marco Polo
Przhevalsky Nikolai Mikhailovich - Russian traveler, researcher of Central Asia; honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1878), major general (1886). He led an expedition to the Ussuri region (1867-1869) and four expeditions to Central Asia (1870-1885). For the first time he described the nature of many regions of Central Asia; discovered a number of ridges, basins and lakes in Kunlun, Nanshan and on the Tibetan Plateau. Collected valuable collections of plants and animals; for the first time described a wild camel, a wild horse (Przewalski's horse), a food-eating bear, etc.
Przhevalsky was born in the village of Kimbory, Smolensk province, on April 12, 1839. My father, a retired lieutenant, died early. The boy grew up under the supervision of his mother on the Otradnoe estate. In 1855, Przhevalsky graduated from the Smolensk gymnasium and volunteered for military service. Przhevalsky, avoiding revelry, spent all his time hunting, collecting a herbarium, and took up ornithology. After five years of service, Przhevalsky entered the Academy of the General Staff. In addition to the main subjects, he studies the works of geographers Ritter, Humboldt, Richthofen and, of course, Semyonov. There he prepared coursework"Military Statistical Review of the Amur Region", on the basis of which in 1864 he was elected a full member of the geographical society.
Soon he achieved a transfer to Eastern Siberia. With the help of Semenov, Przhevalsky received a two-year business trip to the Ussuri region, and the Siberian Department of the Geographical Society ordered him to study the flora and fauna of the region.
Przhevalsky spent two and a half years in the Far East. Thousands of kilometers have been covered, 1600 kilometers have been covered with route surveys. The Ussuri basin, Lake Khanka, the coast of the Sea of Japan... A large article “Foreign population of the Ussuri region” has been prepared for publication. About 300 species of plants were collected, more than 300 stuffed birds were made, and many plants and birds were discovered for the first time in Ussuri. He begins to write the book "Travel in the Ussuri region."
In 1870, the Russian Geographical Society organized an expedition to Central Asia. Przhevalsky was appointed its head. Second Lieutenant M.A. rode with him. Pollen Their path lay through Moscow and Irkutsk and further - through Kyakhta to Beijing, where Przhevalsky received permission to travel from the Chinese government. He was heading to Tibet.
Przhevalsky was the first European to penetrate into the deep region of Northern Tibet, to the upper reaches of the Yellow River and Yangtze (Ulan-Muren). And he determined that Bayan-Khara-Ula is the watershed between these river systems. He returned to Kyakhta in September 1873, without ever reaching the capital of Tibet - Lhasa.
Przhevalsky walked more than 11,800 kilometers through the deserts and mountains of Mongolia and China and mapped (on a scale of 10 versts to 1 inch) about 5,700 kilometers. The scientific results of this expedition amazed contemporaries. Przhevalsky gave detailed descriptions of the Gobi, Ordos and Alashani deserts, the high mountainous regions of Northern Tibet and the Tsaidam Basin (discovered by him), and for the first time mapped more than 20 ridges, seven large and a number of small lakes on the map of Central Asia. Przhevalsky's map was not very accurate, since due to very difficult travel conditions he could not make astronomical determinations of longitudes. This significant shortcoming was later corrected by himself and other Russian travelers. He collected collections of plants, insects, reptiles, fish, and mammals. At the same time, new species were discovered that received his name - Przhevalsky's foot-and-mouth disease, Przhevalsky's cleft-tailed plant, Przhevalsky's rhododendron... The two-volume work "Mongolia and the Country of the Tanguts" (1875-1876) brought the author world fame and was translated into a number of European languages.
The Russian Geographical Society awarded him the Great Gold Medal and the “highest” awards - the rank of lieutenant colonel, a lifelong pension of 600 rubles annually. He receives the Gold Medal of the Paris Geographical Society. His name is now placed next to Semenov-Tian-Shansky, Kruzenshtern and Bellingshausen, Livingston and Stanley...
In January 1876, Przhevalsky submitted a plan for a new expedition to the Russian Geographical Society. He intended to explore the Eastern Tien Shan, reach Lhasa, and explore the mysterious Lake Lop Nor. In addition, Przhevalsky hoped to find and describe the wild camel that lived there, according to Marco Polo.
In February 1877, Przhevalsky reached the huge reed swamp-Lake Lop Nor. According to his description, the lake was 100 kilometers long and 20 to 22 kilometers wide.
On the shores of the mysterious Lop Nor, in the “land of Lop”, Przhevalsky was second... after Marco Polo! The lake, however, became the subject of a dispute between Przhevalsky and Richthofen. Judging by Chinese maps of the early 18th century, Lop Nor was not located at all where Przhevalsky discovered it. In addition, contrary to popular belief, the lake turned out to be fresh and not salty. Richthofen believed that the Russian expedition discovered some other lake, and the true Lop Nor lay to the north. Only half a century later the mystery of Lop Nor was finally solved. Lob in Tibetan means “muddy”, nor means “lake” in Mongolian. It turned out that this swamp-lake changes its location from time to time. On Chinese maps it was depicted in the northern part of the desert, drainless Lob depression. But then the Tarim and Konchedarya rivers rushed south. Ancient Lop Nor gradually disappeared, and in its place only salt marshes and saucers of small lakes remained. And in the south of the depression a new lake was formed, which was discovered and described by Przhevalsky.
At the beginning of July, the expedition returned to Gulja. Przhevalsky was pleased: he studied Lop Nor, discovered Altyntag, described a wild camel, even obtained its skins, collected collections of flora and fauna.
Here, in Gulja, letters and a telegram were waiting for him, in which he was ordered to continue the expedition without fail.
During his trip in 1876-1877, Przhevalsky walked through Central Asia a little more than four thousand kilometers - he was prevented by the war in Western China, the worsening of relations between China and Russia, and his illness: unbearable itching throughout the body. And yet this journey was marked by two major geographical discoveries- the lower reaches of the Tarim with a group of lakes and the Altyntag ridge.
Having rested, Przhevalsky began a journey in March 1879, which he called the “First Tibetan”. From Zaisan he headed southeast, past Lake Ulyungur and along the Urungu River to its headwaters, crossed the Dzungarian Gobi - “a vast undulating plain” - and determined its dimensions.
During this journey, he traveled about eight thousand kilometers and filmed more than four thousand kilometers of the route through the regions of Central Asia. For the first time, he explored the upper reaches of the Yellow River (Huang He) for more than 250 kilometers; discovered the Semenov and Ugutu-Ula ridges. He described two new species of animals - the Przewalski's horse and the pika-eater bear. His assistant, Roborovsky, collected a huge botanical collection: about 12 thousand plant specimens - 1500 species. Przhevalsky outlined his observations and research results in the book “From Zaisan through Hami to Tibet and the upper reaches of the Yellow River” (1883). The result of his three expeditions were fundamentally new maps of Central Asia.
Soon he submits a project to the Russian Geographical Society to study the origins of the Yellow River.
In November 1883, Przhevalsky’s next, already fourth, journey began.
In two years, a huge distance was covered - 7815 kilometers, almost completely without roads. On the northern border of Tibet, an entire mountainous country with majestic ridges was discovered - nothing was known about them in Europe. The sources of the Yellow River have been explored, large lakes - Russian and Expedition - have been discovered and described. New species of birds, mammals and reptiles, as well as fish appeared in the collection, and new plant species appeared in the herbarium.
In 1888, Przhevalsky’s last work, “From Kyakhta to the Sources of the Yellow River,” was published. In the same year, Przhevalsky organized a new expedition to Central Asia. They reached the village of Karakol, near the eastern shore of Issyk-Kul. Here Przhevalsky fell ill with typhoid fever. He died on November 1, 1888.
On the gravestone there is a modest inscription: “Traveller N. M. Przhevalsky.” So he bequeathed. In 1889, Karakol was renamed Przhevalsk.
Przhevalsky used his right of discoverer only in very rare cases, preserving local names almost everywhere. As an exception, “Lake Russkoe”, “Lake Expedition”, “Mount Monomakh Hat” appeared on the map.
Materials used from the site http://100top.ru/encyclopedia/
Illegitimate father of Stalin?..
PRZHEVALSKY Nikolai Mikhailovich (1839-1888). Russian traveler, honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1878). Major General. In 1870-1885 - participant of four expeditions to Central Asia. They claim that Stalin looks like Przhevalsky, that Przhevalsky spent two years before Stalin’s birth in Gori, that Przhevalsky had an illegitimate son whom he helped financially... Probably, numerous rumors are connected with this that N.M. Przhevalsky is the father of I. Dzhugashvili (Stalin). Commenting on these rumors, G.A. Egnatashvili, who knew Stalin’s family well, says: “Incredible stupidity. I recently read about this somewhere too. They say that Ekaterina Georgievna worked in the hotel where Przhevalsky lived, then for money he married her to Vissarin Dzhugashvili in order to save her from shame... But she did not work in any hotel! She washed, served and helped my grandfather with housework. For as long as I can remember, legends have been going around Stalin one after another - whose son is he? So what, two, one and a half years before Stalin’s birth, Przhevalsky lived in Gori?... So, he is his father?! Utter nonsense. You know that in Georgia everything is very serious and strict in this regard. And you can’t hide sin among the people, they are full of long-livers, and then we had so many Mensheviks and even these fragments of nobles, and they would not have missed the opportunity to gloat!.. After all, these are all enemies of Stalin, and they would have inflated such an ideology around this fact that oh-oh-oh!..” (Loginov V. My Stalin // Spy. 1993. No. 2. P. 39-40).
According to I. Nodiy, even during Stalin’s life, “when people disappeared for any word said about him, they freely said that he was the illegitimate son of the great Przhevalsky. These unprovable stories could only appear with the highest approval... This was not only Stalin’s hatred of his drunkard father, but also state interest. He had already become the Tsar of All Rus' and instead of an illiterate Georgian drunkard he wanted to have a noble Russian father.”
In fact, there is no reliable evidence that N.M. Przhevalsky was in Georgia or even in the Caucasus at the right time.1 In this sense, another general, A.M., could have been much more suitable for the role of I. Dzhugashvili’s father. Przhevalsky (the scientist’s brother), who actually visited the Caucasus, and in 1917 commanded the Caucasian Front in the First World War.
Notes
1 E. Radzinsky claims that N.M. Przhevalsky came to Gori, however, he does not say when, and does not provide a source of information (Radzinsky E. Stalin. M., 1997. P. 27). However, it is known that in 1876-1878. Przhevalsky participated in the second expedition to Central Asia (Lobnork and Dzungarian travel), and in 1879-1880. - led the first Tibetan expedition.
Book materials used: Torchinov V.A., Leontyuk A.M. Around Stalin. Historical and biographical reference book. St. Petersburg, 2000
Essays:
Mongolia and the country of the Tanguts. Three-year journey to the East. mountainous Asia. M., 1946;
Travel in the Ussuri region 1867-1869. M., 1947;
From Kulja beyond the Tien Shan and to Lop Nor. M., 1947;
From Zaisan through Hami to Tibet and the upper reaches of the Yellow River. M., 1948;
From Kyakhta to the sources of the Yellow River. Northern research the outskirts of Tibet and the path through Lop Nor along the Tarim basin. M., 1948.
Literature:
Gavrilenko V. M. Russian traveler N. M. Przhevalsky. M., 1974;
Myrzaev E. M. N. M. Przhevalsky. Ed. 2nd. M., 1953.
Yusov B.V. N.M. Przhevalsky. M., 1985.
Przhevalsky Nikolai Mikhailovich - (1839 -1888) - Russian geographer, explorer of Central Asia, major general, honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
Born on March 31, 1839, in the village of Kimborovo, Smolensk province. in an impoverished family of a hereditary Belarusian nobleman, he was raised by his uncle, a passionate hunter, who instilled in his nephew an interest in nature and travel.
The dream of my life has come true, what was only dreamed of recently has now turned into a reality. (wrote when the expedition reached Lake Kuku-Nora)
Przhevalsky Nikolai Mikhailovich
In 1855 he became a military man and graduated from the Academy of the General Staff in 1863. At the same time, his first publication, Memoirs of a Hunter, was published. In 1864, having taken the position of history teacher at the Warsaw cadet school, he became interested in descriptions of travels and discoveries, became acquainted with the zoology and botany of exotic countries, and made an attempt to write a new geography textbook. In 1866 he was assigned to the General Staff and assigned to the Siberian Military District.
In 1867 he came to St. Petersburg, where he met with the traveler P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky. From 1867-1869 he was in the Ussuri region, reaching Lake Khanka (which was the wintering ground for many birds, which provided material for ornithological observations). Wrote several works about the Amur region, incl. Travel to the Ussuri region, was appointed in 1869 adjutant of the headquarters of the troops of the Amur region.
From 1870 - already in Mongolia, from where he reached Beijing, Lake Dalai-Nor, explored the Suma-Khodi and Yin-Shan ridges, proved that the Yellow River does not have a branch, as previously thought based on Chinese sources. He passed through the Ala Shan desert and the Alashan Mountains, visited Tibet and the upper reaches of the Blue River (Mur-Usu), in 1873 he explored the Middle Gobi, reached Kyakhta, having covered 11 thousand versts in three years. In the travel report - Mongolia and the country of the Tunguts - he described in detail the Gobi, Ordos and Alashani deserts, the highlands of Northern Tibet and the Tsaidam basin (discovered by him), for the first time he mapped more than 20 ridges, seven large and a number of small lakes on the map of Central Asia. The work brought the author the Gold Medal of the Paris Geographical Society. The Russian Geographical Society awarded him the Great Constantine Medal, awarded him the rank of lieutenant colonel and a lifelong pension of 600 rubles annually.
In 1876-1877, during the Second Central Asian Expedition (Lobnor and Dzhungar), he discovered the Altyn-Tag ridge, proved that Lake Lopnor was fresh and not salty (as previously believed), and made new observations of birds, which he described in the essay From Kulja for Tien Shan and Lob-Nor. In 1879-1880 he was already the leader of the Third Central Asian Expedition. With a detachment of 13 people, he descended the Urungu River, passed through the Hali oasis and (through the desert) to the Sa-Zheu oasis, passed the Nan Shan ridges and entered Tibet and from there to the Mur-Usu valley. The Tibetan government did not allow him into Khlassa (Lhasa), from which he was (after passing the Tan-La pass) 250 versts.
In 1883-1885 the fourth expedition to Central Asia took place. Its 21 participants, including botanist V.I. Roborovsky and geographer P.K. Kozlov, walked and drove a total of more than 30 thousand miles. Moving from Kyakhta along the old route through Urga, we reached the Tibetan Plateau, continuing our exploration of the sources of the Yellow River and the watershed between the Yellow and Blue Rivers. During the expedition, Przhevalsky reached Karakol, having covered 7 thousand miles without roads in two years. On the northern border of Tibet discovered mountainous country, about which they knew nothing in Europe, described the sources of the Yellow River, discovered new lakes, calling them “Russian” and “Expeditions”.
In 1888 his last work, From Kyakhta to the Sources of the Yellow River, was published. In the same year, his fifth expedition reached the village. Karakol, the description of which ended the previous one. Here, near the eastern shore of Issyk-Kul, Przhevalsky fell ill with typhoid fever and died on October 20, 1888, and was buried here. On his grave, as he bequeathed, the modest inscription “Traveller N.M. Przhevalsky” was engraved. Przhevalsky's scientific reports contain vivid descriptions of nature, relief, climate, rivers, lakes, vegetation and wildlife. He established the direction of the main ridges of Central Asia, discovered new ones, and clarified the boundaries of the Tibetan Plateau (where Przhevalsky was the first European to reach these regions). The extensive zoological (7.5 thousand specimens of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish), botanical (herbarium - 15 thousand specimens, including 218 new species and 7 genera) and mineralogical collections he collected are a source of pride. domestic museums.