Vladimir Yakovlevich Galitsky

Galitsky Vladimir Yakovlevich – a remarkable local historian, scholar, and specialist in the history of pre-revolutionary Kyrgyzstan.

Compared to the works of well-known scholars, the role of such Masters of Culture as V.Ya. Galitsky in the overall process of the spiritual life of society may seem ordinary and almost nameless. However, it is precisely thanks to their constant, painstaking work that society is ensured the stability of traditions and the continuity of immortal cultural monuments.

Vladimir Yakovlevich was an unwavering participant in many republican, inter-republican, and international scientific sessions and conferences in cities such as Tashkent, Frunze, Chernivtsi, Moscow, Leningrad, and others, where he presented reports on the history of Kyrgyzstan's cities, the historical roots of the connections between the peoples of Kyrgyzstan, and the study of their culture in the pre-revolutionary period.

Creative teams, radio and television editors, journalists, and researchers from many scientific institutions constantly sought consultations from Vladimir Yakovlevich on issues related to the historical past of the country.

The creative life of V.Ya. Galitsky was dedicated not only to scientific historical research but also to the preservation of historical and cultural monuments. At one time, he was an active member of the Scientific Council of the Historical Museum in the capital of Kyrgyzstan. For his patronage of the museums in Frunze, he was awarded a certificate of appreciation from the Ministry of Culture of the Kyrgyz SSR, received the badge "Shock Worker of Communist Labor" (1967), and medals from the USSR VDNH (Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy).

The main scientific problems that V.Ya. Galitsky dealt with can be classified into the following areas:
- the contribution of local historians and travelers to the study of the historical and cultural past of the Chui Valley, Pre-Issyk-Kul, and Southern Kyrgyzstan up to 1917; in 1973, he co-authored the book "On the Path of Pioneers" with V. Ploskih;
- the development of handicraft and industrial production among the peoples of Central Asia and Russia;
- the history of the cities of pre-revolutionary Kyrgyzstan;
- in 1970, he published the monograph "The History of the City of Pishpek 1878–1917" (over 10 printed sheets);
- in 1987, he co-authored with V.M. Ploskih the monograph "Ancient Osh" (over 10.5 printed sheets);
- he was one of the authors of the academic publication "History of the Kyrgyz SSR" in 1963, 1968, and 1986 editions, BSE (2nd edition), KSE, and city and regional encyclopedias (Frunze, Chui, Osh regions, Issyk-Kul, Naryn).

He participated in writing and scientific editing of the anniversary edition "Osh – the City of Three Millennia," which was published in the year of the celebration of the 3000th anniversary of Osh.

V.Ya. Galitsky is the author of the guidebook: "Historical Museum: Kyrgyzstan in the Soviet Period" (1960); numerous articles published in the "Proceedings of the Institute of History" and "Proceedings of the Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz SSR." Among them: "Exhibition 'Friendship of the Peoples of Soviet Kyrgyzstan and the Czechoslovak Republic'," "Drawings and Essays by Artist B.V. Smirnov as a Historical-Ethnographic Source of Information about Kyrgyzstan in the Early 20th Century," "Y.I. Korolkov and His Activities in Kyrgyzstan," and many others.

In collective monographs "Russian Travelers and Researchers on the Kyrgyz," "Interconnections of the Kyrgyz People with the Peoples of Russia, Central Asia, and Kazakhstan (Late 18th–19th Centuries)," particularly interesting sections were written by Vladimir Yakovlevich.

After retirement, Vladimir Yakovlevich continued his very important work on compiling bibliographic and documentary sections, correcting works being prepared for publication, both small and large, collective and individual.

In 2001 and 2003, at the initiative and under the editorship of Academician V.M. Ploskih, previously unpublished studies on the history of the Kyrgyz and Kyrgyzstan by one of the prominent representatives of Russian science of the late 19th century – a full member of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society N.A. Aristov – were published. For over a century, the works of N.A. Aristov lay in archives, but even today they retain their scientific significance as a valuable source on the history, ethnology, and culture of the Kyrgyz, related to the Turkic peoples of Central Asia. The books were published based on photocopies of the typed author's copy of N.A. Aristov, provided by Academician V.M. Ploskih of the National Academy of Sciences. He also prepared prefaces for both books. The first book is "Usuni and Kyrgyz or Kara-Kyrgyz," and the second book is "Works on the History and Ethnic Composition of Turkic Tribes."

V.Ya. Galitsky, along with V.A. Voropaev, took an active part in preparing these remarkable works for publication. Moreover, in the "Preface" to the second book of N.A. Aristov's works, V.M. Ploskih "refers" to the study by V.Ya. Galitsky "The Contribution of Domestic Researchers and Travelers to the Study of the Historical Past of the Kyrgyz People" (Frunze, 1973). From this work, one can also glean some information about N.A. Aristov's "extensive knowledge in the field of historical geography of the Central Asian-Kazakhstan region and Western Siberia, the history of ethnography and culture of their population, including the Kyrgyz and their ancestors, from ancient times to the end of the 19th century" (1).

The contribution of V.Ya. Galitsky to "Source Studies of Kyrgyzstan (from ancient times to the end of the 19th century)" is invaluable, which is an absolutely remarkable work in terms of volume, content, and significance, carried out by leading medievalists, orientalists, historians, and philologists from scientific centers in Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Central Asian states. This collective work analyzes practically all known narrative, epigraphic, numismatic, and other written sources concerning the vast region of the Tian Shan, Pre-Tian Shan, and the eastern part of Central Asia, in ancient Greek and Byzantine Greek, Latin, Chinese, Sogdian, Arabic, Persian, Turkic, and other languages.

Among the authors of "Source Studies of Kyrgyzstan" are well-known scholars S.G. Agadjanov, V.V. Vasilyev, Ch.J. Jumagulov, T.D. Jumanaliev, V.N. Nastich, S.G. Klyashtorny, V.A. Livshits, K.I. Petrov, V.M. Ploskih, and many others. In section IV. "Late Middle Ages and Modern Times," V.M. Ploskih and V.Ya. Galitsky wrote several articles: "Reports of Russian Scholars and Travelers of the 18th – 70s of the 19th Century"; "Acts and Other Documents and Sources of the 18th – 70s of the 19th Century"; "The Contribution of N.A. Aristov to Kyrgyz Source Studies."

In addition to the aforementioned authors' studies, V.Ya. Galitsky, as part of the publishing group, did a tremendous amount of work preparing this work for publication.

Even this incomplete overview of Vladimir Yakovlevich's scientific works is a testament to his tireless activity and vast erudition. And earlier, when our families, including children, were very close friends and we worked together in the "historical field," and now especially, when not only we, his close friends, but also Kyrgyz science has suffered a heavy loss in his person (which happened shortly after his daughter Alena took him to Ukraine), I increasingly compare him to the remarkably modest first Kyrgyz historian of the 18th century – Pyotr Ivanovich Ryichkov, of whom A.S. Pushkin noted in his "History of Pugachev": "... about the curious chronicle of our glorious academician Ryichkov, whose works are marked by true scholarship and conscientiousness – virtues so rare in our time...".

It was not immediately that P.I. Ryichkov became an academician. This happened almost in his later years and not without the help of the great Russian scholar M.V. Lomonosov. And V.Ya. Galitsky left Kyrgyzstan at the age of 79, without even becoming a candidate of sciences. Colleagues, especially young ones, whom Vladimir Yakovlevich helped in writing dissertations, knew that it would take him almost nothing to "bring" his discoveries to "dissertation" level – they were amazed.

Many, who knew the erudition and diligence of Vladimir Yakovlevich, were puzzled: "Why doesn't V.Ya. Galitsky defend a dissertation?"

For example, "Production characteristics for the junior research associate of the history sector of modern Kyrgyzstan at the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz SSR comrade V.Ya. Galitsky" ends with the following words:

"Although in terms of his preparation and scientific-theoretical level comrade Galitsky deserves high praise, he has not yet submitted the candidate minimum in a foreign language and has not defended his candidate dissertation. He should take this recommendation into account and strive to become a candidate of historical sciences in 1986, strictly considering his labor capabilities. Nevertheless, comrade Galitsky V.Ya. is a leading researcher in the sector, possessing high scientific qualifications and great work capacity.

27.XI.85. Head of the history sector of modern Kyrgyzstan, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor K.U. Usenbaev."

The characteristic was signed just one month before V.Ya. Galitsky's sixtieth anniversary.

Of course, the leadership of the sector of such a scientific institution as the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences had the right and even the obligation to point out the lack of desire to "formalize" his knowledge in a dissertation and bring them in line with titles. But... it was known not only to the leadership but to the entire environment that Vladimir Yakovlevich never set such a goal for himself, although specialists with academic degrees receive the appropriate allowances and have opportunities for career advancement.

Today, recalling Vladimir Yakovlevich, knowing his character well, his unwavering passion for search, his way of life, I come to an interesting conclusion for all who knew him: despite all his outward softness and modesty, he possessed remarkable courage, as he was above the widespread desire at that time to become a candidate or doctor of sciences at all costs for the sake of relative material well-being. Unlike many, Vladimir Yakovlevich simply could not, by the nature of his character, allow himself to waste precious time preparing a manuscript and "promoting" it for defense. The main meaning of his creativity was to discover, to find something interesting in the past and immediately "gift" it to people. Perhaps that is why he tirelessly wrote articles for newspapers, magazines and was a mandatory participant in all conferences. From his small salary, he managed to carve out funds to buy expensive books and often gave them away. Many of them he distributed before leaving for Ukraine. And only now, having studied Vladimir Yakovlevich's personal file, it became clear: the roots of his selfless courage stem from the environment of that very cultural and educational milieu, whose representatives were obsessed with the search for the new, to make it the property of the broad public. He was the son of keepers of historical values. And this explains a lot. In the "biographical note," he wrote: "Galitsky Vladimir Yakovlevich. Born 27.XII.1925 in a family of Ukrainian civil servants.

Father Yakov Antonovich – a Soviet and cultural-educational worker, died 18.III.1941 in the village of Sosnovka, Cherkasy region of Ukraine. Mother Kovalenko Olga Panteleimonovna – historian-archivist. Stepfather Skivrovskiy Mikhail Fedorovich – candidate of historical sciences. Initially an associate professor and dean of the history faculty of Odessa State University. In 1940–1941 – the first dean of the history faculty of Chernivtsi State University. During the war, an officer of the Soviet Army, he died during the liberation of Transcarpathia."

The future master of local history was born in the village of Olshanka, Olshanka district, Kirovograd region, previously called Odessa, where he spent his early childhood. In school, Volodya Galitsky studied first in the village of Sosnovka in Chernivtsi region, and then in the cities of Pervomaisk, Odessa, and Chernivtsi. The boy had to study in several schools until the end of the seventh grade. This was likely related to the service and lifestyle of his parents, and possibly with the need to find a more convenient place to live... In the 1930s, many lived like this throughout the Soviet Union.

In the spring, just before the start of the Great Patriotic War, he graduated from the 7th grade... Volodya Galitsky was only 15 years old, and the first blows of the fascists "fell" on Ukraine. Many residents left their native places and evacuated to the East. Together with his mother Olga Panteleimonovna, he moved to the Orenburg region, which at that time was called Chkalov. At first, they worked together on a collective farm in the village of Mertvye Sagi, Sol'-Shchitsky district.

A little later, they moved to the district center – the village of Totskoye. Here, his mother began working as a hired laborer in an aviation unit, and Volodya went to study in the 8th grade.

In April 1943, when he was already 17 years and 4 months old, he was drafted into the army and sent to a division fighting on the Volkhov front. But... in December of the same year, rifleman V. Galitsky ended up in the hospital with severe pneumonia. The illness turned out to be protracted and, as doctors say, with consequences, which is why, according to the conclusion of a special commission, he was discharged from the army in May 1944. After the liberation of Kyiv, his mother – Olga Panteleimonovna – returned to the city, and then moved to Kamianets-Podilskyi, where she resumed her previous work. Vladimir, a discharged soldier, returned to school, specifically to a railway school, in the 8th grade.

Naturally, railways – the lifeblood of the country – had to operate flawlessly... And all "services" as well. Perhaps the building of this school was the only one that survived. Even more amazing and worthy of admiration and reverence were the actions of people during that most difficult time, who, having survived the horrors of war, devastation, and hunger, considered the restoration of schools their top priority.

But... the war was still ongoing. After a repeated medical examination by the State Military Commission of Kamianets-Podilskyi in February 1945, Vladimir Galitsky left school and went back to the front. Now to the First Ukrainian front, with which his last days of the Great Patriotic War were associated.

He met Victory in Germany, where until November 1945 he continued to serve as part of the occupation group of Soviet troops in the cities of Wolau, Luben, and Buntzlau.

For his combat merits during the war, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 9, 1945, V.Ya. Galitsky was awarded the medal "For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of the USSR 1941–1945" – certificate I No. 0250013. And then in the anniversary years of Victory, Vladimir Yakovlevich was repeatedly awarded with another medal.

After the war, but not in the spring, but at the end of 1945, he returned to his homeland, Ukraine. In 1946, the former soldier graduated from the 9th grade of the railway school in Kamianets-Podilskyi, and in 1947 – passed the exams for the certificate of maturity as an external student. His mother, Olga Panteleimonovna, at that time returned to her beloved work. As a senior researcher, she led the work to restore the activities of the Kamianets-Podilskyi archive of the Khmelnytskyi region of Ukraine. And here her son Vladimir was an indispensable assistant on a voluntary basis, which perhaps determined his further choice.

In the same 1947, he successfully passed the exams for the history faculty of Kyiv State University named after T.G. Shevchenko. In the post-war years, all the youth of the victorious country were fascinated by the history of their homeland, especially military history. And Vladimir Galitsky immersed himself in the study of the history of the Patriotic War of 1812.

Much time as a history student was spent by Vladimir Galitsky in archives and museums. He sought new and interesting documents about the historical past of the country.

At the IX scientific student conference of Kyiv University, which lasted for eight days (April 1–8, 1952), student Vladimir Galitsky presented a report "M.I. Kutuzov and the Partisan Movement in the Patriotic War of 1812." Soon he defended his diploma thesis on the same topic and graduated from the university with honors in history, and was recommended for graduate studies.

At that time, Vladimir Galitsky was nearing his 27th year. Even in our 21st century, this age is that of a fully mature and independent person. And at that time, people who had experienced the horrors of a destructive war were considered mature even in their teenage years. In 1958, I, a student at Kyrgyz State University, had the opportunity to meet guys – graduates of a vocational school from Ukraine, who had just turned 16, in the virgin lands of Karaganda.

Perhaps out of a sense of dignity, he could not remain dependent on his mother and continue his further studies. In any case, in conversations about the past, Vladimir Yakovlevich never spoke of this, but he found another way, a very correct one, not to part with research work. After graduating from university, on October 2, 1952, he began working as a research associate at the Kyiv State Historical Museum. But in January 1953, he was already performing the duties of the scientific secretary of that same museum, where he worked until the spring of 1956.

Probably, Vladimir Yakovlevich never dreamed of coming to Kyrgyzstan. Although, who knows, he had been in the Orenburg steppe for some time during the war. Perhaps the mountain peaks called to him when he met in his Kyiv museum a young geologist Anya Gladchenko from Kyrgyzstan. Of course, she told him many amazing things about her hometown of Przhevalsk, Lake Issyk-Kul, and the peaceful mountainous region that the terrible war bypassed.

I learned about this meeting of two namesakes from conversations with Anna Yakovlevna Galitskaya – the wife of Vladimir Yakovlevich. She was in love with the mountains and minerals and probably became a geologist-paleontologist for that reason, earning a candidate of geological-mineralogical sciences. She worked all her life as a senior researcher at the Institute of Geology of the Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyzstan. Anna Yakovlevna did not live to see the "golden wedding" with Vladimir Yakovlevich – she passed away on August 29, 2003. A serious illness, exacerbated by the tragic death of their eldest son Dima, broke her and prematurely ended her life.

They also have a daughter, Elena, who turned 44 this year. A graduate of the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Chernivtsi State University, she remained living in her father's homeland and took Vladimir Yakovlevich to Ukraine after her mother Anna Yakovlevna passed away... But soon after the departure, Vladimir Yakovlevich's life was cut short.

Information gleaned from the "Autobiographical Note," written on March 29, 1956, indicates that it was from the spring of 1956 that the great creative journey of Vladimir Yakovlevich in Kyrgyzstan began.

Not only did V.Ya. Galitsky experience enormous changes in his fate in the spring of 1956, but the entire country did as well. The 20th Congress of the Communist Party had taken place, at which, as they said then, "the cult of personality of I.V. Stalin was denounced."

The entire vast country began to live differently – more freely, more openly, and more liberated. Anyone reading these lines might ask: "What does Stalin, the cult of personality, and V.Ya. Galitsky have to do with each other?"

The matter is that upon arriving in Kyrgyzstan, V.Ya. Galitsky immediately "immersed himself headfirst" into research work aimed at restoring the historical past of the Kyrgyz people. Just two years prior, the Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz SSR had been established, and its Institute of History – the ideological scientific center – became the main organizer of various discussions, conferences, and seminars. Prominent scholars from Moscow and Leningrad arrived in the republic. V.Ya. Galitsky actively engaged in this process...

In June 1956, he temporarily worked as a tour guide at the Historical Museum of the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences. But literally a few months later, in November of that same year, he was already a senior laboratory assistant in the archaeology and ethnography sector of the institute. And in December, V.Ya. Galitsky was appointed as a junior research associate in the history sector of the pre-Soviet period at the same institute. Such a rapid career rise for V.Ya. Galitsky occurred within six months in 1956. Subsequently, for over thirty years, he remained a junior research associate at the institute. And all because he did not bring his "knowledge and titles" into alignment. The personnel officers of the academy strictly adhered to the policy that only a candidate of sciences has the right to "hold" the position of a senior research associate. And what about "performing an immense volume of scientific work?"...

Only in December 1987 was V.Ya. Galitsky appointed as a senior research associate at the Institute of History. Vladimir Yakovlevich was 62 years old, and behind him lay a vast baggage of scientific research, reviews, editing, presentations, and consultations. He was a well-known and respected, perhaps even the only local historian in the republic, an excellent connoisseur of the history of Kyrgyzstan.

He worked in the position of senior research associate in the department of the history of Kyrgyzstan from ancient times to the end of the 19th century until February 2004...

But let us return to those unforgettable years at the beginning of the second half of the 20th century, when Vladimir Yakovlevich personally met the leading researchers of the history of Kyrgyzstan, whose names have now become legendary: A.N. Bernshteyn, S.M. Abramzon, Z.L. Amitin-Shapiro. He was known and highly respected for his special commitment to the historical science of Kyrgyzstan, which had now become his second homeland, by such prominent historians as B.M. Zima, B.D. Jamgerchinov, S.I. Ilyasov, K.K. Orozaliev, who were at the forefront of the historical events accompanying the actual establishment of academic historical science in the republic.

In those same years, a creative meeting took place between two Vladimirs: Vladimir Yakovlevich Galitsky and a student of the history faculty of Kyrgyz State University, also passionately interested in history – Vladimir Mikhailovich Ploskih. The age difference of 12 years seemed enormous to them and those around them at that time, but it did not surprise anyone. Both were captivated by "His Majesty the Search for the new and unexplored." Their meeting grew into a creative partnership and co-authorship that lasted for 48 years. Moreover, with undeniable admiration and respect from Vladimir Yakovlevich for his younger, now well-known historian, academician, and doctor of historical sciences Vladimir Mikhailovich. Vladimir Yakovlevich, in turn, until the end of his days referred to his 67-year-old, gray-haired younger friend as Volodya.

The 1970s were particularly fruitful in terms of the output of research materials accumulated in the 1960s. It is impossible to write about all of them – they can only be listed: there were so many published then. However, the joint work of the two Vladimirs on the small, pocket-sized book "On the Path of Pioneers" was memorable for a lifetime. At that time, it seemed to me that they themselves were two "pioneers," who told about the activities of some true activists engaged in researching the history of our remarkable land – Kyrgyzstan.

In the "Preface" to the book, the authors V.M. Ploskih and V.Ya. Galitsky write: "Since ancient times, from deep antiquity, the Tian Shan and its inhabitants have irresistibly attracted the most curious tribe on Earth – travelers from the West and East. But even in the mid-19th century, scientifically reliable information about them was extremely scarce, often distorted and semi-fantastic." They further "offered," as they modestly stated, documentary sketches-novellas about the little-known pages of the life and activities of remarkable domestic travelers from the glorious cohort of Russian scholars: Ch.Ch. Valikhanov, I.V. Mushketov, V.V. Vereshchagin, A.P. Fedchenko, A.F. Middendorff, F.V. Poyarkov, V.I. Loytser, and Y.I. Korolkov.

A special place in this series of sketches occupies the theme of the "forgotten soldier" in the picturesque and poetic work of V.V. Vereshchagin. Vladimir Yakovlevich, a veteran of World War II, was very moved by the poems of V.V. Vereshchagin, whose autograph was discovered by V.M. Ploskih in the library named after M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin in Leningrad. The poem is quite long; we will quote only its first and last stanzas:

Over the plain of Turkestan
In the dark blue of the sky,
Peacefully moving its wings,
The hawk circles in silence...
All is calm in that plain,
All lives, blooms, and shines,
And with the passing of days and years
The fallen warrior is forgotten!

As for the first Kyrgyz-Russian contacts, on this topic, back in 1970, a book was published by V.Ya. Galitsky's younger colleague – V.M. Ploskih, "The First Kyrgyz-Russian Diplomatic Relations," and in 1972 – his "At the Roots of Friendship."

In 1973, a collective monograph edited by Doctor of Historical Sciences B.V. Lunina, "Russian Travelers and Researchers on the Kyrgyz," was published. The preface and the first chapter "The Contribution of Domestic Researchers and Travelers to the Study of the Historical Past of the Kyrgyz People" were written by V.Ya. Galitsky, the third chapter "Russian Researchers on the Economy of the Kyrgyz" – by V.M. Ploskih. The other two chapters – "Materials on the Socio-Political Situation of the Kyrgyz in the 19th Century" and "Reflection of the Culture, Life, and National Traditions of the Kyrgyz in the Works of Scholars and Travelers from Russia" – were prepared by researchers from the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyzstan D.O. Aitmambetov and A.Sh. Abyshkaev.

Here, the titles of all sections of the book and their authors are consciously indicated to emphasize the significance of the problems and themes of research conducted during this period in the historical science of the republic. The two Vladimirs were at the very center of these studies. In the republican newspaper "Mughalim gazetasы" on November 24, 1973, a brief announcement appeared: "New Books of the Institute of History." Teachers of the republic received information about a new book published by the Institute of History, which they could use as material when preparing for history lessons on the relationships between Kyrgyzstan and Russia.

The theme of the interaction of the Kyrgyz people with Russia, the republics of Central Asia, and Kazakhstan has always been and remains today not only extremely interesting but also relevant. Among these studies, a significant contribution is made by the monograph published in 1985 "Interconnections of the Kyrgyz People with the Peoples of Russia, Central Asia, and Kazakhstan (Late 18th–19th Centuries)." The second chapter of this monograph "Economic, Political, and Cultural Connections and Relationships of the Kyrgyz with Russia and Neighboring Peoples during the Kokand Khanate" was written by V.Ya. Galitsky and V.M. Ploskih.

This book was published by the authorial collective of the Institute of History based on new documentary and other sources, literary aids found in archives and libraries (including in the departments of rare books and manuscripts) in Moscow, Leningrad, Tashkent, Almaty, Frunze, Omsk, and Orenburg. The circle of researchers on the topic "Kyrgyzstan – Russia" is expanding, creating a kind of school, of which V.M. Ploskih remains a permanent participant, and V.Ya. Galitsky actively participated until the end of his days. The editor of this book was again B.V. Lunina.

A completely special place in the creative collaboration of V.Ya. Galitsky and V.M. Ploskih is occupied by their work on the remarkable scientific work "Ancient Osh." This book was published in 1987. And despite a fairly large circulation of 5000 copies, it immediately became a bibliographic rarity. And this is not accidental.

Interest in the book was driven by the fascination with this ancient city located in the territory of Kyrgyzstan.

"Indeed, the ancient layers of the city date back to the distant past. In the first millennium, one of the branches of the famous Silk Road passed through Osh, connecting the East with the West; in the early Middle Ages, it was considered the third largest city in Fergana. Osh was at the center of the southern Kyrgyz nomadic territories and served as a trading and transit point on the way from Central Asia to China and India."

In one of the interviews, the well-known Leningrad archaeologist, Doctor of Historical Sciences Yu.A. Zadneprovsky, who had spent about forty years excavating the ancient city, called it a contemporary of Troy.

The authors conducted an exciting "excursion" through Osh – the ancient, medieval city, which in the 19th century was part of the Kokand Khanate, and Osh – at the beginning of the turbulent 20th century. Here one can meet both the author of "Babur-name" and the queen Alai Kurmandzhan, as well as again – with Russian activists – researchers of Kyrgyzstan.

Vladimir Yakovlevich was not only a witness but also an active researcher and one of the authors of scientific works published by the Institute of History on the problems of archaeology and ethnography of Kyrgyzstan. In 1975, in a collective monograph dedicated to issues of archaeology and the history of the Issyk-Kul basin – "Archaeological Monuments of Pre-Issyk-Kul" – V.Ya. Galitsky and V.M. Ploskih wrote the most extensive first chapter "The Discovery of Antiquities of Issyk-Kul." It discusses the history of scientific research on the monuments of ancient and medieval history of the Issyk-Kul region: rock carvings, monuments of ancient nomads, stone sculptures, early medieval settlements and fortifications, Nestorian and Muslim cemeteries and epigraphy, underwater ruins, numismatic finds, anthropological materials, ancient irrigation canals, old Kyrgyz tombs, and their first discoverers: L.S. Berge, P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, Y.I. Korolkov, M.V. Pevtsov, V.V. Bartold, Ch.Ch. Valikhanov, A.M. Fetisov, F.V. Poyarkov, N.N. Karazin, N.N. Pantusov, I.V. Mushketov, and many others. Credit is given to the scholars who made the "secondary" discovery of these monuments: P.P. Ivanov, M.V. Voievodsky, M.P. Gryaznov, A.N. Bernshteyn, B.M. Zima, A. Kibir, L.P. Zyablina, L.R. Kyzlasova, D.F. Vinnik, Yu.A. Zadneprovsky, and others.

Almost twenty years have passed since "Archaeological Monuments of Pre-Issyk-Kul" was published, and the names of the authors – creators of this unique research: V.A. Ranov, V.P. Mokrynin, M.B. Yunusaliev, P.P. Gavryushenko, D.F. Vinnik, G.A. Pomaskina, M.N. Fedorov, T.K. Khojayo, along with V.M. Ploskih and V.Ya. Galitsky have also entered the history of academic historical science in Kyrgyzstan. The discoveries described in this collective work have a continuation. In the history of Issyk-Kul, it is enough to mention only the books by V.M. Ploskih and V.P. Mokrynin "Issyk-Kul: Sunken Cities" (1988) and "On the Shores of Issyk-Kul" (1992) or the latest discoveries by V.M. Ploskih "Atlantis of Central Asia – the Mystery of the Great Silk Road."

V.Ya. Galitsky also participated in the publication of a collection of materials gathered as a result of many years of research in the flooding zone of the Toktogul Hydropower Station by the Kyrgyz Comprehensive Archaeological Expedition of the Institute of History, "Ketmen-Tube. Archaeology and History" (1977). Among the articles by well-known scholars – I. Kozhomberdiev, N.G. Galochkina, G.A. Pomaskina, D.F. Vinnik, Ya.A. Sher – we find the publication "Historical Outline of Ketmen-Tube from the 19th to the Early 20th Century," written by V.Ya. Galitsky, V.M. Ploskih, and K.I. Antipina.

In 1979, the "Ilim" publishing house released the book "Culture and Life of the Ketmen-Tube Kyrgyz" (based on materials from the ethnographic expedition of 1973). In preparing the first section, titled "Brief Historical and Economic Overview of the Toktogul District (1917–1975)," V.Ya. Galitsky participated along with T.D. Bayalieva and V.M. Ploskih. The second section of the book "Toktogul New Buildings and Demographic Processes in Their Area (60s – Early 70s)" was also completed by V.Ya. Galitsky. He, in co-authorship with T.D. Bayalieva, wrote the third section of the publication "Materials on the History of Cultural Construction in the Toktogul District (from the late 20s to the early 70s)." Other sections of the book were written by specialists-archaeologists and ethnographers A.F. Burkovsky, B. Alymbaeva, L.T. Shinlo, A.B. Isabekova.

In the following years, Vladimir Yakovlevich was an active participant in republican conferences on the problems of the historical monuments of the country. In particular, in 1996, when he turned 71 years old, Vladimir Yakovlevich simply could not refrain from speaking at the international conference "San-Tash-140," dedicated to the first recording of the epic "Manas" by Ch. Valikhanov.

In our family library, there is a remarkable book by Vladimir Yakovlevich with a dedicatory inscription: "To dear Vladimir Mikhailovich with sincere gratitude for help and support. Grateful author V. Galitsky. 17.IX.80."

"The History of the City of Pishpek 1878–1917" – a modest yet concise title of this, perhaps, the only study written by Vladimir Yakovlevich without co-authors.

The monograph presents a vast array of materials illuminating the history of the city of Pishpek from ancient times to the first quarter of the 20th century. Using sources gleaned from the works of well-known scholars – travelers and archaeologists, collections of documents and materials published as early as the 19th century, V.Ya. Galitsky detailed the historical past of the urban area and its surroundings, as well as traces of ancient settlements in the vicinity of the city.

In writing the section of the book "The Kokand Fortress of Pishpek (1825–1862) – the Stronghold of Khan-Feudal Power in Northern Kyrgyzstan," Vladimir Yakovlevich utilized materials he discovered in the archives of Omsk, Orenburg, Almaty, Tashkent, Moscow, Leningrad, from the works of scholars N. Severtsov, Ch. Valikhanov, M. Venyukov, V.M. Ploskih, V.D. Goryacheva, and borrowed information extracted from notes and characterizations of contemporaries of the era.

With a strictly critical approach to archival documents, primarily belonging to representatives of the tsarist colonial administration and trade-industrial circles of the region and the empire, their use in illuminating the history of the city allowed Vladimir Yakovlevich to significantly expand the circle of literary data about Pishpek.

Materials discovered in the manuscript funds of the Department of Social Sciences of the Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyzstan, as well as in the funds of rare books and manuscripts of central libraries in Moscow, Leningrad, Tashkent, Almaty, and Frunze were reviewed, although partially used.

From documents in the Central State Archive of Kazakhstan in Almaty, V.Ya. Galitsky himself found fascinating information about the past of the fortress and the city, preserved in the funds of the head of the Alatav district and the Kyrgyz of the Great Horde, the Semirechensk provincial government, and the Office of the Steppe Governor-General.

In the Central State Archive of Uzbekistan in Tashkent, the most valuable materials about Turkestan and the history of Pishpek were found by him in the fund of the Office of the Turkestan Governor-General. In it, Vladimir Yakovlevich also discovered cases regarding the transfer of district-city institutions to Pishpek, the formation of the Pishpek City Economic Committee, Pishpek's participation in various exhibitions, the state of public education and healthcare in the city, etc.

V.Ya. Galitsky collected over 30 memoirs from the oldest residents of the city, recorded personally by M.R. Preobrazhensky, G.S. Grazhdankin, P.G. Sheptukhin, S.N. Lozovykh, and others. He conversed with A.M. Logvinenko, V.I. Lebedeva, M.I. Terentyev, A.A. Ivanova, and many others, and then recorded their recollections. The information obtained was successfully integrated into the text of his book.

In the conclusion of the book "The History of the City of Pishpek. 1878–1917," Vladimir Yakovlevich writes that the city has always played its historically defined role in the fate of the republic: "Here the first modern factory was built, the first tractor and car arrived, the first airplane landed; in this city, the foundation of professional theatrical art, national press and literature, higher education and science was laid; here the first kindergarten, the first modern school, hospital, and library in the republic were built; here the first radio point in Kyrgyzstan spoke...".

At the Department of History and Cultural Studies of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, the richest archive accumulated and systematized by V.Ya. Galitsky is currently being studied. He transferred it to the university so that future generations of historians could continue to study the history of the Motherland...

Vladimir Yakovlevich belonged to the category of those sages, for whom the following synonyms are very appropriate: "bookman," "sage," "teacher," "archivist," "specialist," "keeper," etc. Thanks to them – teachers, library and museum workers, editors, restorers, employees of the education and monument preservation systems – the traditions of history and culture are maintained, the preservation of these values and their transmission, ordering and dissemination, as well as ethical norms are ensured.