The Architectural Heritage of Solikamsk and the Northern Districts of Perm Province

Abstract

The Province of Perm, located at the center of the European side of the Ural Mountains, is one of the most important economic, industrial, and cultural centers in contemporary Russia. Yet the city of Perm itself is a recent foundation, officially incorporated only in 1781. For the deeper historical legacy of this region one must explore the older settlements of Solikamsk and Cherdyn', which played a pivotal role in the Russian settlement of the Ural Mountains and Siberia. References to a territory known as "Perm" (apparently deriving from the Finno-Ugric words pera ma, meaning "distant land") appear as early as the twelfth-century chronicle Tale of Bygone Years. 1 At that * Dans cet article, la translittération des noms propres et mots russes est conforme à l'usage anglo-saxon. 1 The words pera ma have been derived from the language of the Veps, a Finno-Ugric people living between lakes Ladoga and Onega. The explanation has it that they would have used these words in response to questions by Novgorodian explorers about lands to the east.

Digital Strategies to Enhance Cultural Heritage Routes: From Integrated Survey to Digital Twins of Different European Architectural Scenarios

“…The Upper Kama region is located north of Perm Krai, limited to the west by the chain of Ural Mountains, and to the north by the Komi region. Since the 15 century, the salt trade, from Europe beyond the Urals to China [10], has increased trade flows and intermediate settlements along this route, centered around the main districts of Solikamsk (1430), Cherdyn (1535), and Usolye (1606) [11,12]. The Upper Kama region is still composed of more than 50 monumental Orthodox complexes, spread over the territory but interconnected by a single cultural language, but where management planning aimed at protecting these assets is absent.…”

Documenting the Cultural Heritage Routes. The Creation of Informative Models of Historical Russian Churches on Upper Kama Region

“…The territorial richness is defined by the presence of mineral resources that have given the region the role of commercial crossroad throughout the Imperial period, realizing during the 15 th century a cultural and architectural development promoted by merchant families, such as Stroganov or Golitsyns. The initiatives of the merchant class have contributed to the development of complex urban settlements, including in addition to the industrial center also residential buildings and Orthodox complexes, churches, bell towers and family chapels (Brumfield, 2008 (Parrinello, Cioli, 2018). The 19 th century, after the revolution of 1917, was marked by a strong political split, and the new industrial configuration has influenced the territory and the Russian society and it has also profoundly modified the distinction between rural and urban environment, marking a change in the approach to the building and its image in the landscape.…”

Experience of Documentation for the Accessibility of Widespread Cultural Heritage

“…These complexes are the evidence of a cultural tradition between Europe and Asia, now threatened by the disappearance of such monumental systems, decorative languages and constructive traditions. These architectural complexes are located in areas difficult to access and are therefore destined, due to negligence and degradation, to the consequent loss of historical memory [7].…”