Chemistry and Love: KSTU veteran Evgeny Grigoryev conducted a tour for union members.

      On the initiative of the trade union committee of KNITU, the famous Kazan local historian, candidate of chemical sciences Evgeny Grigoryev conducted a walking thematic tour "Chemical Kazan" as part of the events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the trade union organization of the Kazan National Research Technological University, devoted to the unexpected connections between chemistry, the history of Kazan, and romantic plots in the fates of the residents of our city. The walking tour was scheduled for one of the Fridays of the first summer month. Friday is a working day, so it was decided to schedule the outing to the city during lunchtime. This determined the chronotope of the excursion: a group of twenty-five lovers of Kazan stories did not stray far from the starting point – the Kirov monument at the entrance to building B of KNITU, nevertheless, even this relatively small space that was visited turned out to be quite rich in both chemical and romantic themes. Evgeny Ivanovich reminded those gathered about the establishment of the historical building of the Kazan Industrial School, about the role of Professor Alexander Zaitsev of the Imperial Kazan University – a student of the great Butlerov, in the history of our university. The complex of buildings of the school gave rise to the second student campus in Kazan: later, such institutions as a commercial school and an art school (now in these buildings – KazGAU and the N. I. Feshin Art School), higher women's courses (the Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology of KFU) were located on the adjacent territory. The commercial school was closely adjacent to the territory of the Rodionov Institute for Noble Maidens (Suvorov Military School), which immediately electrified the situation: the young men studying at the commercial school were very interested in establishing acquaintances with the students of the institute, who were also inclined to contact, but the management of the institute was quite worried about this exchange of fluids. The guard of the institute was ordered to patrol and chase away the impudent students, but they, of course, found ways to settle the matter. By the way, the theme of love is also connected with another neighboring object – the Varvarinskaya Church, where the poet Nikolai Zabolotsky, the author of wonderful poems about love, was baptized. In the history of this temple, there was a long period when its premises housed the cathedral and laboratory rooms of the KHTI named after S. M. Kirov, and the return of the church to the believers was greatly aided by its legendary rector, academician Pyotr Kirpichnikov. The building of the art school is the brainchild of architect Karl Myufke. His bonds of love and marriage connected him with Nadezhda Arbuzova, the sister of the great Kazan chemist, later one of the founders of KHTI named after S. M. Kirov, academician Alexander Arbuzov. Nikolai Feshin himself, whose name the school now bears, is known among other things as the author of illustrations (under the pseudonym "Fu-chi-fu") for a well-known Russian poem dedicated to unbridled romantic passion. Another love story – not quite chemical, but one that cannot be overlooked while standing at the intersection of Karl Marx and Leo Tolstoy streets: this is the love of the main character for the daughter of the garrison colonel, described by the Russian classic in the story "After the Ball," which flared up after meeting at a ball hosted by the provincial leader of the nobility and extinguished after a scene of punishment of a runaway soldier that shocked the young man. It is well known that this story is connected with real events and real places: when Leo Tolstoy wrote the story, he had in mind the topography of the western edge of the Arsk field in Kazan in the 1840s. These are precisely the places where the buildings A and B of the Technological University are now located. "How many interesting events and remarkable names we recall, even before we have had a chance to really set off from the starting point of the excursion!" noted Evgeny Grigoryev. During the journey from building B to Fuksov Garden and back, he, as always, captivatingly told the history of the houses, their owners, and residents. For some, these stories were even personal: passing by the historical building of the "Red Cross" community hospital, which later housed the maternity hospital, the guide casually mentioned that he had once taken his wife and older son from this house. "And I was born in this house!" one of the participants in the cultural outing immediately responded. By the way, Karl Fuks, whose statue ultimately became the backdrop for the group photo of the excursion participants, was not quite a chemist, but a botanist and physician; he was certainly oriented in chemistry at the then level of scientific development, and most importantly – there was also a remarkable love story in his life: the peculiarity of it is that it was not so much love that led to marriage, as is usually the case, but rather the opposite. Fuks's acquaintance with his future wife occurred at the initiative of her aunt (the young Alexandra Apёkhtina was an orphan), who forced the young couple into marriage with the help of a clever trick. On this and many other plots, Evgeny Grigoryev acquainted his colleagues on a sunny June Friday. Of course, they deviated a bit from the strict schedule of the lunch break, but all this was due to the love for chemistry and our city, so closely connected with the fates of many people who made the glory of Russian science and culture. "We are very grateful to the esteemed Evgeny Ivanovich, who responded to the trade union committee's proposal and organized a magnificent, as always, excursion!" commented the event the head of the primary trade union organization of KNITU, Albina Zagrutdinova. "The trade union committee received feedback from almost all the excursion participants: the meeting was rich, inspiring, and everyone would like to continue the historical walks." It should be added that specifically for conducting the excursion "Chemical Kazan," the trade union organization of KNITU purchased a portable sound amplifier with a microphone for the convenience of all participants in the outing. Denis Sakharov, a member of the information commission of the trade union committee of KNITU, photo by the author.

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