DISTRICT / AIMAG
Troitsky District
REGION
Altai Krai
Petrovka
The village of Petrovka, founded in 1803, is the administrative centre of the Petrovsky rural council (selsoviet) in Troitsky District, Altai Krai. The tract from Barnaul to Biysk passed through the settlement, which contributed to its development.
A historical photograph, village view, landscape, or related heritage object will be displayed here at a later date.
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EN Historical background
According to one version, the village was founded in 1803 by a runaway serf from the Oryol region named Petrov, who established a small settlement between the river and the ribbon pine forest; the tract from Barnaul to Biysk passed through the settlement, and in documents of that period Petrovka was sometimes listed as Petrovsky Stan. In 1857, Petrovka had 119 residents and 253 households. In 1892, a church operated in the village with a church-parish school, which allowed the settlement to be called a selo. By 1910, Petrovka had become one of the large settlements; before the revolution, all lands were cabinet lands, belonging to the tsar's family. In 1926, the village of Petrovskoye had 861 households and a population of 4,371 (2,078 men and 2,293 women); a first-stage school, library, reading house, credit cooperative, and consumer shop operated. On 15 October 1950, four farms were merged into the kolkhoz named after Thälmann; from 1954, large-scale construction began: residential houses, pigsties, a calf house, a cowshed, an electric milking facility, a stable, poultry houses, an office building, and a school appeared. In March 1968, a sovkhoz was created; the period from the early 1970s to the late 1980s can be called a stage of success in the village's socio-economic development. During the Great Patriotic War, more than four hundred residents of Petrovka went to the front; in 1943, children from besieged Leningrad and pupils of the Khayryuzovsky children's home were brought to the Petrovka baby home. As of 1 April 2026, the population is 148. A notable figure is Vera Sergeyevna Kashcheeva, a native of Petrovka, medical instructor of the 120th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 39th Guards Rifle Division, Hero of the Soviet Union (1944); she is the only woman of the 39th Guards Rifle Division to receive this title; for courage during the crossing of the Dnieper she was nominated for the Hero title; in 1973 she was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal — an award of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Also mentioned is Semyon Andreyevich Baburkin — the first head of militia of the Barnaul Okrug, awarded the Order of the Red Banner; he spent his last years in Petrovka, heading the local kolkhoz until retirement; streets in Petrovka and Barnaul bear his name.
Place, memory, heritage
Historical and cultural legacy
The village has the Petrovskaya Secondary General Education School — a branch of Troitskaya Secondary School No. 2 (Baburkin Street, 26A), the Petrovskaya Rural Library — a branch of the Troitsky District MKC (50 Let Altaya Street, 30A), and the Petrovsky Rural Cultural and Leisure Centre — a branch of the Troitsky Multifunctional Cultural Centre (50 Let Altaya Street, 30A). The monument to fellow villagers who fell in the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945) was installed in 1965 (Baburkin Street, 52B) and is a monument of history of regional significance. The bust of Hero of the Soviet Union V. S. Kashcheeva was installed in 1985 (Shkolny Lane / Baburkin Street, 266; sculptor: Yu. S. Akimov); it is a monument of history of regional significance. A memorial plaque to V. S. Kashcheeva is located on the school building. The monument to Semyon Baburkin was opened in 2016. A stele dedicated to the memory of V. S. Kashcheeva was opened in 2022 near the house where the Hero's childhood and youth were spent; the stele was made and installed with funds from the Presidential Grants Fund under the project "Memory Forever." The Church of the Holy Trinity (Vesenny Lane, 1a) operates in the village.
Natural surroundings
The village of Petrovka is situated on the banks of the Petrovka River.
Historical and cultural legacy
The village has the Petrovskaya Secondary General Education School — a branch of Troitskaya Secondary School No. 2 (Baburkin Street, 26A), the Petrovskaya Rural Library — a branch of the Troitsky District MKC (50 Let Altaya Street, 30A), and the Petrovsky Rural Cultural and Leisure Centre — a branch of the Troitsky Multifunctional Cultural Centre (50 Let Altaya Street, 30A). The monument to fellow villagers who fell in the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945) was installed in 1965 (Baburkin Street, 52B) and is a monument of history of regional significance. The bust of Hero of the Soviet Union V. S. Kashcheeva was installed in 1985 (Shkolny Lane / Baburkin Street, 266; sculptor: Yu. S. Akimov); it is a monument of history of regional significance. A memorial plaque to V. S. Kashcheeva is located on the school building. The monument to Semyon Baburkin was opened in 2016. A stele dedicated to the memory of V. S. Kashcheeva was opened in 2022 near the house where the Hero's childhood and youth were spent; the stele was made and installed with funds from the Presidential Grants Fund under the project "Memory Forever." The Church of the Holy Trinity (Vesenny Lane, 1a) operates in the village.
Living culture and memory
Residents observe national holidays of the Russian Federation, district celebrations, and village holidays; among traditional events are the Day of Knowledge, the Day of the Elderly, Mother's Day, 8 March, 23 February, 9 May, the Last Bell, and Reunion Evenings. Every year on Victory Day, a torchlight procession takes place from the school to the monument, a bonfire is lit in memory of fallen fellow villagers, and a salute is fired; newlyweds lay flowers at the "Defenders of the Fatherland" monument on their wedding day. The patronal feast of the village is considered to be Trinity: according to the old Slavic tradition, Semik (Green Svyatki) was celebrated on this day; girls decorated houses with birch branches, led round dances around a decorated birch tree, and wove wreaths; at the "Trinity Round Dance" celebration, fried eggs, sweet buns, and kvass were served. On 12 July, Petrovka was celebrated — a holiday dedicated to the Apostles Peter and Paul; on this day, a karavai (ceremonial bread) decorated with images of wheat ears and birds was baked. In the vicinity of Petrovka, local toponyms have been preserved — Tatary, Gamayunovy Vorota, Sysoeva Strelka, Krestik; according to tradition, Ashcheulov Sysoy (Ded Sysoy) lived at Sysoeva Strelka, breeding horses, participating in races in Biysk, keeping an apiary, and, according to villagers, knowing spells. Local creative groups and clubs operate at the House of Culture. The prevalent religious tradition is Orthodoxy; the gastronomic culture is represented by Russian cuisine.
