P.K. Frolov and the Formation of Barnaul’s Image as a “Corner of St. Petersburg”

In the history of the city of Barnaul and in the memory of its inhabitants, Pyotr Kozmich Frolov remains, above all, a distinguished and innovative engineer, alongside such renowned figures as Ivan Ivanovich Polzunov and Kozma Dmitrievich Frolov. Researchers have most often focused on his primary field of service — the mining and metallurgical industry and the cast-iron railway. However, Frolov also secured his place in history through his significant contribution to shaping the city’s attractive appearance, as a result of which Barnaul came to resemble St. Petersburg in its outlines. The main objective of the authors is to determine the role that Pyotr Frolov played in forming Barnaul’s appealing image as a “Corner of St. Petersburg” — a center of culture, science, and enlightenment. In many respects, this study is linked to his efforts in the planning and beautification of the city, as well as to the powerful influence of the cultural landscape of Saint Petersburg — the capital of the Russian Empire, where Frolov had studied mining engineering and served, thus becoming well acquainted with the city. Through his decisions and actions in designing Demidov Square, Pyotr Kozmich Frolov enhanced the symbolic status of Barnaul as the center of the region’s mining and metallurgical activities, while simultaneously shaping its cultural and educational image in contrast to the prevailing perceptions of Siberia at that time.