The Rapid Development of Pishpek in the Late 19th Century
City Development
In 1912, there were 12 educational institutions in Pishpek, including a men's gymnasium, a Russian-native and agricultural school, 3 madrasahs, and 6 primary schools. In the gymnasium in 1915, 122 children of imperial officials, officers, merchants, bais, and manaps studied, and in 1913, there were 3 Orthodox churches and 20 mosques.
The increase in the number of educational institutions was associated with the growth of the city's population. In 1882, the population was 2,135 people, which reached 6,625 according to the 1897 census. On the outskirts of the city, there were more than 100 Kyrgyz yurts.
In 1895, city self-government was introduced in Pishpek under the control of the military-police apparatus.
The "self-government" consisted of representatives of the urban bourgeoisie. The deputies of the "self-government" replaced the functions of the city duma, and their number did not exceed 12-15 people. They dealt with issues of improvement, transportation, street lighting, water supply, school and medical affairs, trade, etc. The city was under a military-administrative system. The city head relied on the military-police regime.
City self-government, under various pretexts, seized fertile lands from local residents. The city head, Ilya Terentyev, owned 7 desyatins of land. He was replaced by timber trader Kalinin, and after him, Vasilyev became the elder of the city. The elected volost managers, elders, and bais were approved by the governor of the region and the district chiefs, who also dismissed them from their positions.
The number of enterprises processing agricultural products gradually increased in the city: livestock and agricultural. Tanning, oil extraction factories, flour mills operated, a brick factory appeared, and enterprises for roofing materials and a brewery were in operation. The total annual output of all enterprises in 1907 amounted to 15,400 rubles, and the value of fixed assets in industrial production was estimated at 6,974 rubles.
Trade developed, and the city's trade turnover in 1897 was estimated at one million rubles. The city became a trading point for the sale and export of grain products. Buyers, as well as resellers, appeared in the Pishpek market.
The Pishpek cattle market was a major trading center in the region. By the end of the 1890s, more than 125,000 heads of livestock were sold here, which were transported by livestock producers to other districts of the Semirechye and Fergana regions, and horses were even driven to Tashkent and Orenburg. Among the major trading firms purchasing goods at the largest Russian fairs were the trading establishments of Ishak Daulbaev, Shyga Mamashov, and Seid Akram Murzybaev. They made wholesale purchases of manufactured, haberdashery, and other industrial goods. With the development of trade, the city budget also increased. In 1881 it was 10,937, in 1891 it was 28,039, in 1902 it reached 56,822, and in 1907 it amounted to 126,12 rubles. The population also continuously increased: in 1905 it was 10,041, in 1911 it was 16,221, in 1913 it was 20,602, and in 1916 it reached over 22,000 people.
With the involvement of the Kyrgyz population in market relations, the bazaar in Pishpek became a trading center for the nearby Kyrgyz ails and kystaks. In 1906, a livestock fair was opened, where livestock, animal husbandry raw materials, wool, and local products of the nomadic population were sold. In 1913, a state warehouse of the Turkestan region for the sale of agricultural machines and tools opened in Pishpek. Bishkek played an important role as a transit point for goods transported from Tashkent to Verny, Dzharkent, as well as Karakol and Naryn, where mainly manufactured goods, iron, and haberdashery were imported.
Wealthy merchants in Pishpek built wooden, frame, stone, and brick houses. However, the majority lived in adobe huts. The city had 40 streets and alleys. None of the streets in Pishpek had a solid surface. In summer, they were submerged in dust, and in rainy weather, especially in autumn, in mud. In the central quarters of the city, primitive sidewalks were laid in some places, and in the evening, a few kerosene-calcium lamps—"Lux"—were lit.
1878: relocation of the district administration from Tokmak to Pishpek (Bishkek)
