Trains as Nation Builders

I have always loved trains. Sometimes they say that the genes have memory.  Maybe it is true as one of my ancestors was involved in engineering of railways in 1870s when he moved to live to Yekaterinoslav (now Dnipro city in the Eastern Ukraine, founded in 1776). He was a German, Baron Von Beck if my spelling is correct.

The peculiarity of the industrial development of Yekaterinoslav province was its internationalism.  All this led to a boom in the region in the 1880s.  This region turned into the most important industrial centre in the south of the country. The Germans, the French, the Belgians, the English and other Europeans cooperated with local authorities of Yekaterinoslav Governorate, by organizing various societies and enterprises, investing and sharing knowledge.

Exactly how my ancestor arrived with the family to the Empire, I do not know. Perhaps he was invited by Catherine the Great, like other professionals she brought to the country.

The Becks had a little mansion where the Baron enjoyed spending time with his huntsman. A century later, after Revolution and Second War World, now his house became a music school.

It is interesting to imagine the life of the international society of Yekaterinoslav during its heyday in the 1880s. Now they would be called by modern word — “expats"— with their balls in the English Club in the centre of the city, ladies' promenades with obligatory umbrellas along the avenue, or trips on trams, where each passenger was greeted by a conductor.  Certainly, on Sundays, as respectable Christians, Becks would go to service in the Lutheran Church of St. Catherine. This Gothic building was built in the middle of the 19th century.

After all, not much time passed, all these historical buildings remained our heritage, and therefore it is quite possible to imagine the life of that period.  And apparently my ancestors were quite happy to live in that city if they decided to stay.

*You can read the extended version (in Russian) here:

Немцы в Екатеринославе. Семейные истории http://steemit.com/ru/@dovetail/nemcy-v-ekaterinoslave-semeinye-istorii