A burlak ( rus, бурла́к, p=bʊrˈlak) was a
towpath
A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mode of transport w ...
puller in
Russian Empire.
Overview
The exact origin of the word is unknown. Different versions include old middle-German ''bûrlach'' (working team with fixed rules,
artel
An artel (russian: арте́ль) was any of several types of cooperative associations and (later) corporate enterprises in the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Soviet Union. They began centuries ago but were especially prevalent ...
), or
Tatar
The Tatars ()[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different ''bujdak'', 'homeless'.
Burlaks appeared in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...
at the end of 16th century and beginning of the 17th century. With the expansion of freight-hauling, the number of burlaks increased.
The chief of a burlak gang was called ''Vodoliv'' (russian: Водолив), the next in line was the ''Dyadya'' (russian: Дядя, captain), followed by the ''Shishka'' (russian: Шишка, first in the line of haulers), while the last in line was called ''Kosny'' (russian: Косный, last in the line of haulers).
There were ''seasonal'' burlaks, who worked from spring to autumn, and ''temporary'' burlaks, who worked occasionally. Burlaks did not work in winter, when most Russian rivers were frozen over.
The main areas of the burlaks' trade in the
Russian Empire were the
Volga river, from
Moscow to
Astrakhan
Astrakhan ( rus, Астрахань, p=ˈastrəxənʲ) is the largest city and administrative centre of Astrakhan Oblast in Southern Russia. The city lies on two banks of the Volga, in the upper part of the Volga Delta, on eleven islands of the C ...
, the
White Sea route (''Belomor'e''), from
Moscow to
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk (, ; rus, Арха́нгельск, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲsk), also known in English as Archangel and Archangelsk, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina near i ...
, and the
Dnieper river, in
Ukraine.
Most burlaks were landless or poor peasants from
Simbirsk
Ulyanovsk, known until 1924 as Simbirsk, is a city and the administrative center of Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Volga River east of Moscow. Population:
The city, founded as Simbirsk (), was the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin ( ...
,
Saratov,
Samara,
Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl ( rus, Ярослáвль, p=jɪrɐˈsɫavlʲ) is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historic part of the city is a World Heritage Site, and is located at the confluenc ...
,
Kostroma,
Vladimir,
Ryazan,
Tambov and
Penza areas.
Burlaks joined up in an ''
artel
An artel (russian: арте́ль) was any of several types of cooperative associations and (later) corporate enterprises in the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Soviet Union. They began centuries ago but were especially prevalent ...
'' (typically from four to six, sometimes ten to forty, and occasionally up 150 people) mainly in winter, despite that at this time clients paid the lowest price, because in winter burlaks were often otherwise unemployed. The final payments were in autumn, after finishing work.
With the coming of the
industrial revolution, the number of burlaks declined: at the beginning of the nineteenth century about 600,000 burlaks worked on the
Volga and
Oka
Oka or OKA may refer to:
Cars
* Oka (automobile), a small car designed by AvtoVAZ and produced by ZMA and SeAZ
* OKA 4wd, a large 4-wheel-drive vehicle made in Western Australia by OKA
Military
* 2B1 Oka, Soviet 420 mm self-propelled mort ...
rivers; in the middle of nineteenth century, 150,000, and by the beginning of the twentieth burlaks had all but disappeared.
The burlak was a subject of Russian songs (russian: italic=yes, Ekh, dubinushka, famously performed by
Feodor Chaliapin, ''
The Volga Boatmen's Song
The "Song of the Volga Boatmen" (known in Russian as Эй, ухнем! y, ukhnem!, "Yo, heave-ho!" after the refrain) is a well-known traditional Russian song collected by Mily Balakirev and published in his book of folk songs in 1866. It was ...
'' etc.), and artwork (''Burlaks on the
Volga'' by
Ilya Yefimovich Repin
Ilya Yefimovich Repin (russian: Илья Ефимович Репин, translit=Il'ya Yefimovich Repin, p=ˈrʲepʲɪn); fi, Ilja Jefimovitš Repin ( – 29 September 1930) was a Russian painter, born in what is now Ukraine. He became one of the ...
).
Image:burlak.jpg, Burlak (1900s)
Image:burlakwomen.jpg, Burlak women on the Volga River
The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchm ...
(1900s)
Image:burlaks_walking.jpg, Burlaks on the Volga River
The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchm ...
(1900s)
See also
*
Towpath
A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mode of transport w ...
External links
*
Vladimir Gilyarovsky
Vladimir Alekseyevich Gilyarovsky (russian: link=no, Влади́мир Алексе́евич Гиляро́вский; 26 November 1853 – 1 October 1935), was a Russian writer and newspaper journalist, best known for his reminiscences of life ...
"My Travels (Мои скитания)"This book contains a chapter on his Volga boat-puller experience in 1871.
The Volga river's boatmen or The enchanted wanderers of river "Ra" a photogallery
{{Authority control
Russian Empire
Obsolete occupations
Maritime history of Russia