Steppe Towns: Urban Planning in Eighteenth-Century Imperial Russia

• Applicant: Dr. Ulrich Hofmeister
• Subject Area: Modern and Contemporary History
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 462558555

Based on two town foundations in the Pontic-Caspian steppe, this project examines eighteenth-century urban planning in imperial Russia. At the center of the project are Russia’s most important new towns in the steppe during the first half of the 18th century: Taganrog at the Sea of Azov (founded in 1698, destroyed and returned to the Ottomans in 1711) and Orenburg at the Yaik/Ural River (initially founded in 1734, after two relocations finally built from 1743 on). Starting from the examples of these two towns, my project aims to clarify how towns were planned and built in the steppes in the early 18th century. To examine the significance of these foundations for the further history of urban development in Russia, Taganrog and Orenburg are contrasted with the new capital Saint Petersburg as well as with several urban development projects under Catherine II, among them the sloboda Ostashkov on Lake Seliger (elevated to the status of town in 1772 and subsequently fundamentally rebuilt) and the small town of Sofiia in the vicinity of Saint Petersburg (founded in 1780, dissolved in 1808 and partially demolished). This project argues that in the steppes ideas and practices emerged that decisively shaped the further urban history of the Tsarist Empire. Eighteenth-century Russia has mainly been discussed from the point of view of Europeanization, and Saint Petersburg is generally considered the main gateway for social innovations. This project, however, demonstrates the importance of the steppe as an innovation zone for the Tsarist Empire. European urban planning techniques were applied earlier and more consistently in the steppe than in Saint Petersburg or central Russia, and the specific conditions in the region – such as contact with nomadic peoples – shaped the ideas of planners and administrators not only of the importance of urban planning but also of the identity of a town. Therefore, the study of town foundations in the steppes offers a new, more comprehensive explanation for the urban politics of Catherine II and the further development of urban planning in Russia. This project understands the history of urban planning and urban development as part of a broader social and cultural history. It examines urban planning as an instrument for asserting political, economic, and military interests, and urban development as a product of social negotiation processes. The study primarily relies on correspondence exchanged between local commanders and central government agencies in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. This includes reports, letters, and maps. Additionally, published travel logs and diaries are also used as sources. They come mainly from Russian archives and published collections of sources. Based on these sources, the project documents the innovative power of the southern and south-eastern border areas of the Tsarist Empire and its impact on Russia’s center.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants