STREET WITH A GREAT FUTURE
Maxim Gorky Street, named after the great proletarian writer, begins in the west at Mira Avenue and runs in a straight line to the Alamidin River. Here, beyond the river, it curves along the eastern branch of the Big Chui Canal to the edge of the city limits. It appeared in the post-war years and is mostly built up with one-story houses with private plots up to the Alamidin River. Beyond that is an industrial zone.
At its "baptism," it was named Gvardeyskaya. In 1961, the City Council Executive Committee renamed it after Patrice Lumumba, a figure in the African national liberation movement, who was killed by imperialist mercenaries. In 1974, during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Kyrgyz SSR and the Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan, it was renamed Gorky Street.
In recent years, significant work has been done to improve the street. The roadway has been widened and repaved.
Its main attraction is the Botanical Garden of the Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz SSR. The oldest part of the garden is located on both sides of Gorky Street and occupies a plot of land between Minin Street and the 10th Line.
More than 40 years ago, enthusiasts E. V. Nikitin - the first director of the garden, agronomists G. P. Svishchev, A. V. Gubanov, and other staff cleared the stony wasteland of stones and debris and planted the first poplar alleys. A lot of effort, care, and love were invested to turn this corner into a wonderful green oasis.
The garden was established on a plot of 20 hectares. On the southern side is an experimental demonstration area with a rich collection of various flowering and decorative plants; the northern area is a dendrological reserve.
The garden features a rich collection of trees - green inhabitants from all countries and continents. Here you can find Schrenk's spruce, blue, white, Canadian spruces, junipers; deciduous trees from American flora - ash, poplar, honey locust, black walnut; Far Eastern velvet tree, Manchurian walnut... In the greenhouses among 700 species of plants are palms, bananas, cacti, feijoas, lemons, eucalyptus...
The garden is divided into sectors, each of which features plants selected according to botanical-geographical zones: Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, the Caucasus and Crimea, America, Overseas Asia, Siberia, the Far East, etc. Currently, the botanical collections of the garden include 5,499 species, forms, and varieties, including 2,258 woody and shrubby species and 2,820 herbaceous species.
The botanical garden has connections with 162 gardens in 41 countries. The seeds of its plants are in high demand by many other gardens. Its staff conducts extensive scientific research. By a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Kyrgyz SSR dated August 14, 1964, the Botanical Garden was granted the rights of a research institute.
For the hybrid fruit forms developed, the garden has repeatedly been awarded gold and silver medals at international exhibitions and at the VDNH of the USSR.
Summer reigns here all year round. At any time of the year, whether it is summer or winter, spring or autumn, visitors can see roses, dahlias, and chrysanthemums.
From here, many plants are relocated to parks, squares, and city streets, bringing joy to people.
...On the street is Construction Combine No. 1, stretching several hundred meters to the east from Zhukeev-Pudovkin Street, the first phase of which was commissioned in 1961. In recent years, several multi-story buildings have appeared here, including a five-story workshop for sewing and repairing clothes, among others.
Beyond the Alamidin River is an industrial zone.
Losev D. S., Kochkunov A. S. What the Streets Tell
Streets of Bishkek
