A cemetery in Kostroma

Cemetery, it seems, has always been here, but the brick church was built only immediately before the first world war on the expenses of the local peasant-mason Polyashov, who for many years worked in St. Petersburg, and as a result of his first-class repair work on the Winter Palace he was given the title of honorary citizen in the capital. He can be seen here, in the dedication ceremony, in front of the window of the church built by him, to the right of the woman with the white shawl, an elegant white-bearded gentleman.


It was he who set up one of the few carved stones in the cemetery on his father’s grave. “Крестьянин деревни Погорелово Иван Дмитриевич Поляшов” – “Ivan Dmitrievich Polyashov, peasant of Pogorelovo” – he had only this much written on it, this was the origin the citizen of Petersburg, the mason of the Winter Palace was proud of.



Nearby stands the grave of the daughter of the local landowner: Anna Vasilyevna, died at the age of 22 on 14 August 1889. The two cherub’s head have fallen, but they are still next to the tomb. The cross, however, was sawn off back at the beginning of the Soviet era.



There used to be an icon in the niche.







A teacher’s grave.






A pine on the grave, and at the grave’s wooden fence an iron plate attached to two iron bars: “Hier Ruht ihn [sic] Gott GEORG HAUK, 1908-1947”. What has brought you here, Georg, to the northern borderlands of Russia? Have you ever thought that you would once lay here? Who could write your plate in your own language?

Здравствуйте, Леонид Аркадьевич. У меня к вам большая прозьба живём мы в деревне унас нет ни дороги ни телефна живём 8 пенсионеров за хлебом ходим за два километра по грязи. Леонид Аркадьевич у нас с бабушкой развалилась русская печка а сложить иё очень дорого надо две тысячи, а мы получаем 500 рублей на двоих пенсию получаем бабушка уменя инвалид мне 63 года а ей 66 лет печника нам нанять неначто вот я и прошу вас помогите пожалуйста вышлите нам денег печку нам топить нельзя вся развалилась очень прошу помогите пожалуйста мы вам будем очень благодарны в прзьбе прошу не отказать С уважением Подпись, обратный адрес 3 апреля 1999г

Dear Leonid Arkadevich, I have a big request to you, we live here in the village, there is no road neither tellephone eight pensionners live here for the bread we wallk two kilometers in the dirt. Leonid Arkadevich, to us here with the granny the stove has collasped it is very expennsive to repair it would be two thousand and we together get 500 rubbels [ca. 20 USD] pension with the granny she is an invalid to me I am 63 and shes 66 theres no way to pay for the stove thatswhy I ask you please help us send us money we cannot reppair the stove it has all fallen I ask you very much to help we wil be very gratefull please donot refuse With respect Signature, sender’s addres 3 April 1999

The bricks of the stove are still there in a heap. The village was depopulated before Rostelekom introduced phone into every village. In the next village, where they used to go for bread, there is already a phone station. But in the meantime it was depopulated as well.