A black and white postal card captures a general view of the brick building of Ruzayevka railway station. The photo was allegedly taken at the end of the 19th century.
In 1856, with the support of Alexander II, the Moscow – Saratov Railway society was formed. Thanks to contacts in the highest circles the organization managed to obtain a concession for construction of railways in Russia for the next 80 years. The projects were funded by private capital of the country’s largest industrialists.
By 1891, the organization was renamed more than once and was called the Moscow – Kazan Railway Society. It was headed by Karl von Meck, a Russian businessman of German origin. By 1893, a railway line in the Ryazan – Sasovo direction was laid, and traffic was open, while around twenty stations were built in the Mordovian district.
The small owner village of Ruzayevka was on the path of a new road connecting Moscow and Kazan. According to the “List of Inhabited Localities of the Penza Province” of 1869, there were 85 peasant households in the settlement, in which 652 people lived. Initially, Karl von Meck planned to build a junction in Ruzayevka, and to make Saransk a center. However, due to disagreements with the city authorities, von Meck transferred the depot and other services to Ruzayevka.
The station was built near the village in the empty territories and received the same name as the settlement. In 1893 the construction of the railway was completed, and on 1 September the first train passed through the village, following from the city of Sasovo in Tambov province. In December of the same year regular traffic from Sasov to Sviyazhsk through Ruzayevka and Saransk began.
As the village became the centre of railway communication, in 1895 a railway station was built in Ruzayevka. The “brick style” that was widespread in the second half of the 19th century was chosen for the façade of the building. The industrial constructions of this architectural style were durable and inexpensive. The stucco molding was replaced with decorative elements from unplastered bricks.
The station in Ruzayevka included a whole complex of buildings necessary for railway operations: locomotive buildings and depots, large and small workshops, pond buildings and signal booths. The building itself was constructed according to a symmetrical plan: in the centre there was a lobby and the main entrance, with the waiting rooms adjoining from the sides. The railway station is one of the oldest architectural attractions and a peculiar visiting card of the city.
Open letters or postcards appeared in Russia on 1 January 1872. The exclusive right to issue letterheads belonged to the post institution. In October 1894, the Ministry of the Interior permitted to issue “letterheads of privately manufactured open letters”. The requirements for printed products were strictly regulated. The resolution stated: “Letterheads of privately manufactured open letters having the appropriate format and paper density, should correspond to letterheads made by the postal and telegraph department, and should not exceed 14 centimeters (3 1/8 vershoks) in length and 9 centimeters (2 vershoks) in width”.
The first illustrated postcards with views of Moscow were issued by the Moscow publishing house “Scherer, Nabgolts and Co.” (A.I. Maya) in 1896. Then series of printed materials with the sights of other cities of the country, including Saransk, were published. In 1914, already by the phototype “Scherer, Nabgolts and Co.”, A.S. Suvorin publishing house issued postcards with views of Ruzayevka railway station. This postcard was given to the museum of local history by former employee Fedor Pavlovich Pakshin in 1969.
In 1856, with the support of Alexander II, the Moscow – Saratov Railway society was formed. Thanks to contacts in the highest circles the organization managed to obtain a concession for construction of railways in Russia for the next 80 years. The projects were funded by private capital of the country’s largest industrialists.
By 1891, the organization was renamed more than once and was called the Moscow – Kazan Railway Society. It was headed by Karl von Meck, a Russian businessman of German origin. By 1893, a railway line in the Ryazan – Sasovo direction was laid, and traffic was open, while around twenty stations were built in the Mordovian district.
The small owner village of Ruzayevka was on the path of a new road connecting Moscow and Kazan. According to the “List of Inhabited Localities of the Penza Province” of 1869, there were 85 peasant households in the settlement, in which 652 people lived. Initially, Karl von Meck planned to build a junction in Ruzayevka, and to make Saransk a center. However, due to disagreements with the city authorities, von Meck transferred the depot and other services to Ruzayevka.
The station was built near the village in the empty territories and received the same name as the settlement. In 1893 the construction of the railway was completed, and on 1 September the first train passed through the village, following from the city of Sasovo in Tambov province. In December of the same year regular traffic from Sasov to Sviyazhsk through Ruzayevka and Saransk began.
As the village became the centre of railway communication, in 1895 a railway station was built in Ruzayevka. The “brick style” that was widespread in the second half of the 19th century was chosen for the façade of the building. The industrial constructions of this architectural style were durable and inexpensive. The stucco molding was replaced with decorative elements from unplastered bricks.
The station in Ruzayevka included a whole complex of buildings necessary for railway operations: locomotive buildings and depots, large and small workshops, pond buildings and signal booths. The building itself was constructed according to a symmetrical plan: in the centre there was a lobby and the main entrance, with the waiting rooms adjoining from the sides. The railway station is one of the oldest architectural attractions and a peculiar visiting card of the city.
Open letters or postcards appeared in Russia on 1 January 1872. The exclusive right to issue letterheads belonged to the post institution. In October 1894, the Ministry of the Interior permitted to issue “letterheads of privately manufactured open letters”. The requirements for printed products were strictly regulated. The resolution stated: “Letterheads of privately manufactured open letters having the appropriate format and paper density, should correspond to letterheads made by the postal and telegraph department, and should not exceed 14 centimeters (3 1/8 vershoks) in length and 9 centimeters (2 vershoks) in width”.
The first illustrated postcards with views of Moscow were issued by the Moscow publishing house “Scherer, Nabgolts and Co.” (A.I. Maya) in 1896. Then series of printed materials with the sights of other cities of the country, including Saransk, were published. In 1914, already by the phototype “Scherer, Nabgolts and Co.”, A.S. Suvorin publishing house issued postcards with views of Ruzayevka railway station. This postcard was given to the museum of local history by former employee Fedor Pavlovich Pakshin in 1969.
