Several merchant families lived in Kasimov, and one of the most famous families was the Barkov family. The collection of the historical and cultural museum contains a bust of Dmitry Barkov, the founder of the dynasty.
Dmitry Barkov (1772–1837) was a serf of the industrialists Batashov and served in the office of their factory. He was remembered as a hardworking, diligent, and competent young man. When Barkov was 19 years old, he asked the owner Andrey Batashov to allow him to enter the pharmacy courses. After the serf learned the ‘medical art’, the Batashovs appointed him a family doctor.
Dmitry Barkov had four sons: Vasily, Fyodor, Timofey, and Ivan. From an early age, they helped their father at work. The eldest son Vasily even went to St. Petersburg once to take care of Batashov, who got ill there. Dmitry Barkov was a doctor, a caregiver, and a secretary for his owner. For this help, Batashov gave the Barkov family their freedom, but with one caveat: they were free only after his death.
In 1816, Andrey Batashov died and the Barkovs were granted freedom. A year later, they moved to Kasimov, started their own medical practice there, and began to sell bread in the surrounding villages. Dmitry Barkov was more attentive than the town’s doctor, so the locals quickly found out about him; even people from neighboring governorates came for an appointment with him. The medical practice brought Barkov a high income — up to 5.000 rubles a year.
In 1830, Dmitry Barkov was selected as the head of Kasimov. At the same time, he expanded the family estate: he bought land plots adjacent to the house and created an extensive estate that occupied almost the entire block. In place of a modest house, a beautiful Empire-style mansion appeared, to which a stone shop was adjoined — there, the Barkovs kept a pharmacy and prepared medicines themselves.
The family often had guests in the house and arranged lavish celebrations, which gathered up to 200 people. The estate had a large garden with long alleys, gazebos, a pond, and various sculptures. It was located on the hillside, above the houses, with a view of the river and the town. In 2020, a fire broke out in the old estate of the Barkovs, most of the building did not survive.
Dmitry Barkov (1772–1837) was a serf of the industrialists Batashov and served in the office of their factory. He was remembered as a hardworking, diligent, and competent young man. When Barkov was 19 years old, he asked the owner Andrey Batashov to allow him to enter the pharmacy courses. After the serf learned the ‘medical art’, the Batashovs appointed him a family doctor.
Dmitry Barkov had four sons: Vasily, Fyodor, Timofey, and Ivan. From an early age, they helped their father at work. The eldest son Vasily even went to St. Petersburg once to take care of Batashov, who got ill there. Dmitry Barkov was a doctor, a caregiver, and a secretary for his owner. For this help, Batashov gave the Barkov family their freedom, but with one caveat: they were free only after his death.
In 1816, Andrey Batashov died and the Barkovs were granted freedom. A year later, they moved to Kasimov, started their own medical practice there, and began to sell bread in the surrounding villages. Dmitry Barkov was more attentive than the town’s doctor, so the locals quickly found out about him; even people from neighboring governorates came for an appointment with him. The medical practice brought Barkov a high income — up to 5.000 rubles a year.
In 1830, Dmitry Barkov was selected as the head of Kasimov. At the same time, he expanded the family estate: he bought land plots adjacent to the house and created an extensive estate that occupied almost the entire block. In place of a modest house, a beautiful Empire-style mansion appeared, to which a stone shop was adjoined — there, the Barkovs kept a pharmacy and prepared medicines themselves.
The family often had guests in the house and arranged lavish celebrations, which gathered up to 200 people. The estate had a large garden with long alleys, gazebos, a pond, and various sculptures. It was located on the hillside, above the houses, with a view of the river and the town. In 2020, a fire broke out in the old estate of the Barkovs, most of the building did not survive.
