Bulat Gabdrashitov

We are just taking care of our city. We are to live here



Graduated from Perm Institute of Agricultural Sciences named after D. N. Pryanishnikov, conservation architect in Autonomous organization «Complex for preservation of historic and cultural heritage and monument protection» of Cherdyn District.

Quotes

  • My dream is to restore bell towers of Preobrazhenskaya (it used to be the highest in Cherdyn) and Uspenskaya churches, as well as cupola of the Preobrazhenskaya church.
  • We have plenty of ideas, what we need is financial and moral support. EUsing photographs, we can restore everything, we just need enough specialists.
  • First of all, we are inspired by beauty. Then everything we do we do even better. Perm the Great Cherdyn changes.
  • I would love our citizens to cherish the beauty and enlarge it; it is not for some «strangers» to do. It's us who are to live here.

My story

I was born in village Novy Ashap in Bardymskiy District in the south of Perm region. In 1991, after graduating building faculty of the Perm Institute of Agricultural Sciences, I came to live in the most beautiful city in the north of the region. In Cherdyn and Nyrob I was involved in works connected with building and renovations. Since June 2014, I work in AO «Complex for preservation of historic and cultural heritage and monument protection» of Cherdyn District.

My first job as conservation architect was porch of the Nikolsky Cathedral in Nyrob. I consider architect Genrikh Lukyanovich Katsko my tutor, he taught me how to make domes and arches from brick. Nyrob church is very beautiful, decorated with carved brick, so restoration of the porch was difficult but interesting job.

In 14 years, a lot has been done in Cherdyn. City is transformed; it gets back its unique look. Not everyone understands it: half the citizens are happy, they say it is beautiful, the others complain: «we don't have places to live while you are busy with restoring churches.»

When we only started with the «Complex...», many objects of cultural heritage asked for renovation and conservation. We work on them all, though not as fast as we would have liked to. Nikolskaya Church in Nyrob and Jubilee Park in Cherdyn were the first ones, then after the fire, using old photographs, we restored rooftop of the Church of Transfiguration. Generally, we restore the original looks of the architectural landmarks. We then started working in Cherdyn on Komsomolsky public garden, belfry on Church of Dormition (where we also have the Museum of History of Faith), fountain on the square in front of the House of Culture, fronts and rooftops of the merchants' mansions — took care of the centre of the city.

Guests of the city usually say, «How gorgeous it is here!»

Working for budget organizations and with the budget, you won't get much. Comparing with big cities, our wages are relatively small. I am satisfied with results of my work, it is great to look back and enjoy the beauty, which I also helped to create. My colleagues are my associates and fellow-thinkers. «Complex...» doesn't have an opportunity to take contracts with big amounts of work, but we slowly and carefully take care of the city. We do our job properly, once and for all, since it is us to live here.