Vershina Street

In a color photograph of Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky in 1912, this suburb is called "Vershina" (the top). The explanation is very simple — the streets run in a gorge between the mountains.

The Kurdyumka River flows through the Vershinsky suburb, there were baths on its banks. It is noteworthy that one of the logs leading to the river is called a Bathhouse.
At the beginning of the XIX century, an orphanage for illegitimate children and an insane asylum were built on the Vershinsky Cape itself. These establishments existed here until 1825.

In the second half of the XIX century in the Vershinsky suburb there were two streets (Upper and Lower) and the Brysiy Log, consisting of 20 houses. In 1897, 960 people lived in the Peak, in 1907 — 740 people.

The suburb of Vershina was a kind of "red light" street in Tobolsk. There were Tobolsk "mess houses" (brothels).

In the second half of the XIX century, the Nikolaevsky distillery of merchant Nikolai Vasilyevich Nevolin operated in the village. At the end of the XIX — beginning of the XX century in the Vershinsky suburb there were trade baths of Leonty Davydovich Konyukhovich, distillery and brewery of merchant Alexander Adrianovich Syromyatnikov.

A lot of accidents and accidents happened at Vershina. The most famous incident is the collapse of the mountain, which occurred in the Vershinsky suburb, in April 1903.

In the second half of the XIX century, the Nikolaevsky distillery of merchant Nikolai Vasilyevich Nevolin operated in the village. In 1865, it produced more than 84 thousand buckets of 40-degree alcohol. After Nevolin’s death, his daughter inherited the plant. The manager of the plant was her guardian, merchant of the 2nd guild Adrian Andreevich Syromyatnikov. Then his son Alexander, the Tobolsk "wine king", became the owner of the plant. The Syromyatnikov plant annually produced 100 thousand buckets of alcohol in the amount of 115 thousand rubles. 45 workers worked at the plant. Vodka and liqueurs were produced at the distillery (vodka) factory of Syromyatnikov. The brewery produced beer "Bavarian", "Viennese", simple beer and honey.

A large number of incidents in old Tobolsk were connected with the distillery and the Syromyatnikov bathhouse in the village: fires, theft, accidents.

The newspaper "Siberian Leaf" mentions two particularly high-profile accidents that occurred at the Syromyatnikov plant. In December 1897, a worker Permyakov fell into a vat of bard and burned himself. After lying in the hospital for 15 days, Permyakov died from his burns. The second case occurred in January 1898. Worker Antonov went down into an empty vat of alcohol to clean it, took a simple candle with him instead of a lantern. The fumes that erupted burned him. Antonov was taken to the hospital, where he died on the fifth day (Siberian Leaflet. 1898. No. 8. p. 2).

In the second half of the XIX — early XX century all institutions in Russia, where paid love services were provided, were divided into secret dens, dating houses, brothels or brothels ("mess houses") and "apartments". In addition, there was secret prostitution in pubs, baths, hotels, etc.

The brothels were opened only with the permission of the police department, provided that the requirements regarding the location of the house were met (more than 150 fathoms from churches and schools), there is the consent of the homeowners to open a brothel and the apartment itself has a common room, a dining room, a room for the hostess or housekeeper and a room for each prostitute of at least 2 cubic fathoms. In 1889 there were 8 brothels in Tobolsk.
The most expensive messes were in the Vershinsky suburb, on the Upper Street, on the Lower Street there were the cheapest "ruble" establishments.

The girls in the institutions of the Vershinsky suburb were constantly changing. The result of the activity was known in advance — syphilis or pregnancy. Abortions were banned.

Clients came to brothels in different ways, and many girls were not distinguished by crystal honesty — thefts of money and expensive things were frequent.

The total number of prostitutes in Tobolsk was constantly changing. In 1878, 57 women worked in the city, in 1879 — 66, in 1880 — 88, in 1881 — 73, in 1882 — 79.

Public figures, primarily the clergy, fought against the spread of prostitution. They read sermons, held talks, distributed books and pamphlets, however, without much success.