Wharves

These are the crucial connections between river-based and overland transport. Sites for the loading and unloading of goods - of sweating and swearing and haggling. Sites of expertise and ambition.



The wharves and piers in these 15 towns witnessed the shipment of enormous quantities of timber and iron, butter and hemp, grain and tea. Think of them as a rough index to Russia's economic geography. Because while rare and visually unremarkable (in the context of the plans), without them the empire might have ground to a halt.

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Click the link to the town plan that serves as the "canvas" for the annotation.
*Note: Opening the "canvas" - in other words, the town plan's main page - is the only way to see all of the annotated sites. 

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"wharf" (St. Petersburg)

There were, of course, many other wharves in the imperial capital, but at this scale, the plan does not show them.

"2. For stone shops near piers" (Rybnoe)

The piers or wharves are not depicted on the plan. They would be located, in theory, on the Volga.

"Wharf" (Novgorod Seversk)

Located on the right bank of the Desna River

"wharves" (Feodosiia)

Rare representations of Black Sea - i.e., maritime - wharves.

"unlabeled wharf" (Kerch)

"Wharf" (Syzran)

The location of the wharf suggests that it is only in use when the Syzran River floods its banks in spring.

"wharf" (Sengilei)

The wharf is on the right bank of the Volga. But open the full canvas and you will see right away that its location has more to do with the fact that it sits near the mouth of the Sengileika River. While the Sengileika is little more than a stream…

"Wharf" (Alatyr)

On the left bank of the Sura River

"1. For the construction of wharves" (Ladeynoe Pole)

On the left bank of the Svir River, where original wharves were protected by the earthern fortification.

"D. Particular (dedicated) wharves" (Petrozavodsk, 1st ed)

Located on the shores of Lake Onega

"C. Treasury (government) wharf" (Petrozavodsk, 1st ed)

Located on the shores of Lake Onega

"11. For piers" (Gorbatov)

A trio of piers on the right bank of the Oka River, each in close proximity to a warehouse for the storage of trade goods (8).

"C. Wharves for seagoing ships" (Arkhangelsk, 1st ed)

"A. Wharves for large ships" (Onega)

The body of water on the southern edge of town is Lake Onega.

"K. Particular wharves" (Arkhangelsk, 2nd ed)

The wharves on the north end of town near the Admiralty complex must, then, be for "imparticular" purposes.

"Wharves for seagoing ships" (Kem)

Wondering why there are wharves for seagoing ships with no sea in sight? It is a fair question. Kem sits at the mouth of the Kem River, where it flows into the White Sea.

Wharves and piers of various kinds along the Volga River (Astrakhan)

Collection Tree

IIIF Manifest

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