Nikolay Petrovich Krasnov (Russian: Николай Петрович Краснов; 23 November 1864 – 8 December 1939) was a Russian Serbian architect and painter, who served as Chief Architect of
Yalta
Yalta (: Я́лта) is a resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crimea ...
,
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
, between 1887 and 1899.
From 1922 he lived and worked in the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...
, and was a key figure in the architectural development of
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
.
Life and career
Early life and education
Krasnov started attending the
in 1876, aged 12.
As a young artist he received patronage from Sergey Tretyakov, brother of the founder of
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
's
Tretyakov Gallery
The State Tretyakov Gallery (russian: Государственная Третьяковская Галерея, ''Gosudarstvennaya Tretyâkovskaya Galereya''; abbreviated ГТГ, ''GTG'') is an art gallery in Moscow, Russia, which is considered th ...
, and entrepreneur Petar Gubonyin.
1887–1899: Chief Architect of Yalta
In 1887 Krasnov took up the post of Chief Architect in
Yalta
Yalta (: Я́лта) is a resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crimea ...
,
for which he was paid 900 roubles per year.
He had a contract for 24 years, of which he served 12.
Taking up the post at the age of 23, Krasnov had large responsibility for the rapid growth of the city at the time.
He started by expanding the promenade, which by 1913 would become the main street of the city, before developing and adopting a new city plan in 1889.
This included a new sewer system, new planning regulations including limits to the width of streets and height of buildings, the building of new streets, and prevention of unregulated construction in the city.
The plan also included a school and children's hospital, and the construction of the Pushkin Boulevard. Two concrete bridges were built over the river, and the embankment strengthened.
Many streets were also renamed as part of this plan.
1899–1917: Private practice in Yalta
Krasnov also ran a private practice in Yalta until 1911.
Among his most famous work is the
Livadia Palace
Livadia Palace (russian: Ливадийский дворец, uk, Лівадійський палац) is a former summer retreat of the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II, and his family in Livadiya, Crimea. The Yalta Conference was held there i ...
, later the location of the 1945
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference (codenamed Argonaut), also known as the Crimea Conference, held 4–11 February 1945, was the World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union to discuss the post ...
. This was built on the Yalta estate of
Tsar Nicholas II
Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Polan ...
, on the site of a previous palace demolished in 1904.
Krasnov worked on the designs through 1909 and they were commissioned in 23 April 1910, and built over the subsequent 17 months.
Krasnov designed over 60 buildings in Crimea in total, blending a modernist style with the traditions of the local architecture.
Other notable examples include the
Dulber
The Dulber Palace (russian: Дворец Дюльбер) is a Moorish Revival palace designed by Nikolay Krasnov in Koreiz, near Yalta in Crimea. Also known as the Palace of Grand Duke Peter Nicolaievich of Russia, Dulber Palace (''dülber'' i ...
Palace in
Koreiz
Koreiz (, , ) is an urban-type settlement lying south-west of Yalta in the Yalta Municipality of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, a territory recognized by a majority of countries as part of Ukraine and incorporated by Russia as the Republic of ...
(built 1895-97),
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral Alexander Nevsky Cathedral may refer to the following (alphabetically by country, then by town):
* Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Baku in Azerbaijan
* Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia in Bulgaria
* Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn, Estonia
* Al ...
in Yalta (1902),
Yusupov Palace in Koreiz (1909), and
Kokkoz Jami Mosque
The Kokkoz Jami Mosque, also known as Yusupov's Mosque, is located in the village of Sokolyne (Kökköz), Crimea. In Crimean Tatar, ''kökköz'' translates to “falcon”, just like the Ukrainian and Russian names. The mosque was built under ...
in
Sokolyne
Sokolyne (russian: Соколиное; uk, Соколине; crh, Kökköz) is a village in Bakhchysarai Raion (district) of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, a territory recognized by a majority of countries as part of Ukraine and incorporat ...
(1910). In 1913, he presented a collection of illustrations he had produced of his works to the
Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts,
where he held the title of
academician
An academician is a full member of an artistic, literary, engineering, or scientific academy. In many countries, it is an honorific title used to denote a full member of an academy that has a strong influence on national scientific life. In syst ...
.
1919–1922: Exile in Malta
An opponent of the
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
, Krasnov left Yalta with his family in 1919 for
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, alongside the Dowager Empress
Marie Feodorovna, sister of
Queen Alexandra
Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of King ...
, and over 600 members of the Russian aristocracy. Nikolay was in a group housed in the empty
Villa St Ignatius
Villa St Ignatius ( mt, Villa Sant'Injazju) is a historic villa located in the Balluta Bay, Balluta area of St Julian's, Malta, St Julian's, Malta. It was built in the early 19th century for the English merchant John Watson, and it might be the ea ...
, which had been a Jesuit college and then a hospital during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. To earn money, Nikolay painted many scenes of Malta, signing his paintings as N Krasnoff. He is known as Nicholas Krasnoff in Malta. In May 2016
MaltaPost
MaltaPost p.l.c. is the postal service company in Malta. The public limited company took over the postal services previously carried out by Posta Limited, and started operating on 1 May 1998.
History
MaltaPost p.l.c. was registered with the Malt ...
issued a commemorative set of stamps in his honour.
File:Nikolay Krasnov, San Anton Palace.jpg, San Anton Palace
San Anton Palace ( mt, Il-Palazz Sant'Anton) is a palace in Attard, Malta that currently serves as the official residence of the President of Malta. It was originally built in the early 17th century as a country villa for Antoine de Paule, a knig ...
File:Nikolay Krasnov, View of Valletta from Grand Harbour.jpg, View of Valletta from Grand Harbour
File:Nikolay Krasnov, Vittoriosa (Birgu) and the Grand Harbour from Valletta.jpg, Fort St. Angelo
Fort St. Angelo ( mt, Forti Sant'Anġlu or ''Fortizza Sant'Anġlu'') is a bastioned fort in Birgu, Malta, located at the centre of the Grand Harbour. It was originally built in the medieval period as a castle called the ''Castrum Maris'' ( en, C ...
File:Nikolay Krasnov, Church of St Anthony the Abbot, Verdala Palace, Malta.jpg, Verdala Palace
Verdala Palace is a palace in the Buskett Gardens, limits of Siġġiewi, Malta. It was built in 1586 during the reign of Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle, and it now serves as the official summer residence of the President of Malta.
History
The site ...
Chapel
File:Nikolay Krasnov, The Maltese coast at dusk.jpg, Maltese coast at dusk
File:Nikolay Krasnov, Russia-Malta (Russian stamps).jpg, Russian stamps
1922–1939: Work in Belgrade
In 1922 Krasnov and his wife moved to
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
,
then part of the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...
.
He was one of around 90,000 Russian emigrés in Yugoslavia at the time,
and one of many Russian architects and civil engineers that would have a large impact on the country over the next two decades.
In Belgrade he became head of the Department of Monumental Architectural Developments and Monuments, part of the Serbian Ministry of Housing and Building.
His building designs in Serbia number around 60, and were created under the name Nikola Krasnov,
as a mark of respect to his adopted homeland.
His key works in Belgrade include: the
Ministry of Forestry building (now Ministry of Foreign Affairs) (1923) which bears a memorial plaque to Krasnov; the
Serbian National Archive Building (1928); and the
Yugoslavian Ministry of Finance Building (built 1926–29).
[Đ. Sikimić: The Facade sculpture in Belgrade, Belgrade 1965] These
academicist buildings were large and imposing, and designed to represent the strength of Yugoslavian statehood.
However, Krasnov also created buildings of various other styles, including the renovation of the medieval
Ružica Church
Ružica Church ( sr-Cyr, Црква Ружица, Crkva Ružica, 'Little Rose Church') is a Serbian Orthodox church located in the Belgrade Fortress, in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Original church was built in the early 15th century, whil ...
in 1925.
He also created the artistic interiors for
St. George's Church royal mausoleum in
Topola
Topola ( sr-cyrl, Топола, ) is a town and municipality located in the Šumadija District of central Serbia. It was the place where Karađorđe, a Serbian revolutionary, was chosen as the leader of the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottom ...
, the
villa of the Old Palace in Belgrade, and the
House of the National Assembly (completed in 1936).
He died in
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
on 8 December 1939, and is buried in the Russian section of the
New Cemetery in Belgrade.
In 2016 a street in Belgrade was renamed in his honour.
File:Bâtiment officiel.jpg, Ministries of Forestry and Agriculture, Belgrade 1923
File:Serbian Government building.jpg, Ministry of Finance of Serbia Building, Belgrade 1926–28
File:King Aleksandar bridge in Belgrade.jpg, King Alexander Bridge
King Alexander Bridge ( sr, Мост краља Александра, ), in full The Bridge of King Alexander Karađorđević or The Bridge of the Knightly King Alexander, was a road and tram bridge over the Sava river, in Belgrade, capital of Yu ...
, Belgrade 1934
File:Народна скупштина хол.jpg, , Belgrade 1934
File:Church of St. George in Topola (by Pudelek) 1.JPG, St. George's Church, Topola
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krasnov, Nikolay Petrovich
1864 births
1939 deaths
People from Stupinsky District
Russian architects
White Russian emigrants to Yugoslavia
Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture alumni