The contribution of the Berdyansk zemstvo in the last third of the 19th century to the development of the district and the tasks of the modern development of the city and the municipal district as part of Russia.

Musenko Pavel Aleksandrovich Director; MGI 'Berdiansk Museum Complex' 22 Druzhby str., Berdyansk, Zaporozhye region, 271111, Russia mysenkopavel@yandex.ru

A historical analysis of the activities of public self-government bodies in post-reform Russia provides grounds for using their valuable experience by modern municipalities in solving a number of administrative, economic, and socio-cultural issues.

Those political methods, techniques and algorithms of managerial decision-making at the municipal level that were involved in the historical past need to be studied in depth and comprehensively, require a balanced assessment of their effectiveness and the possibility of their use as traditional resources of power in modern conditions.

President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stressed the need to study the experience of zemstvo self-government. Back in 2013 This year, he pointed out: "... it was the development of zemstvos and local self-government that allowed Russia to make a breakthrough and find competent personnel to carry out major progressive transformations, including Stolypin's agrarian reform and industrial restructuring during the First World War. I am sure that even now a strong local government can become a powerful resource for replenishing and updating the country's human resources potential" ^[1].

Speaking at a meeting of the Council of Legislators of the Russian Federation on December 20, 2023, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the President again pointed out the importance of studying the historical experience of zemstvo self-government: "All this is our legacy. This connection of times and the principle of continuity of state development certainly enrich us, emphasize and strengthen our sovereign worldview, political and parliamentary culture, and help us make informed and responsible decisions."^[2]

In addition, on March 20, 2024, at a meeting with his confidants as a candidate for president of the Russian Federation in In the St. Andrew's Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace, Vladimir Putin pointed out the need to support zemstvo specialists and zemstvo cultural programs ^[3].

In this regard, historians, lawyers, and political scientists are very interested in the implementation of the Zemstvo Reform of 1864, the second most important after the reform of the liberation of the peasantry in 1861, which provided a qualitative, rapid, but balanced step-by-step evolutionary transformation. The Zemstvo reform opened up the political creativity of the people, especially the peasantry.

The history of the development of municipalities of local self-government demonstrates the usefulness of zemstvo institutions for society in general and for improving life in counties, in particular. Their activities contributed to the establishment of democracy and the formation of the future civil society in Russia. Zemstvos were formed on the principles of all-sufficiency and self-financing, the scope of their activities covered the construction and maintenance of local roads, almshouses, orphanages, pharmacies, medical and obstetric centers, hospitals, post offices, schools.

A special interest in the history of zemstvos today is caused by the fact that this history shows us an example of viable social activity, as well as examples of selfless and creative activity in the development of the Russian "hinterland". "The Zemstvo reform freed the creative potential of the people from shackles and prohibitions. It concerned the interests of the entire peasant population of the country, i.e. more than 90%. The solution of a huge number of accumulated issues of local self-government in the countryside was entrusted to the Zemstvo reform" ^{[4, p.179]}.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, serious attention has been paid to the history of zemstvo self-government in the works of a number of Russian researchers. Thus, Gerasimenko G. A. ^{[5; 6]} points out that the main result achieved by zemstvos over half a century of their existence was the creation of a "bourgeois administrative apparatus" and an army of "zemstvo employees capable of putting it into action" ^{[6, p.51]}. D. E. Letnyakov examines the political aspect of the phenomenon of zemstvo in his dissertation ^[7], R. K. Gozhev's dissertation is devoted to the legal foundations of the activities of zemstvo bodies ^[8], and the unique experience of transferring a number of state powers to the local level and, in general, the analysis of the dialogue between public administration and local self-government is highlighted in the works of M. N. Kiryukhina ^[9].

The process of implementing the Zemstvo reform in the Berdyansk district of the Taurida province of the Russian Empire vividly reflects both the general features and problems of the zemstvos, as well as regional peculiarities at the county level, therefore it is also actively considered in the historical literature.

Thus, K. G. Morgunov devotes a number of his works to the history of the zemstvo authorities of the Taurida province. The scientist examines their formation, the first elections to county zemstvo assemblies; shows the regional specifics of the counties of the Taurida province and its importance in the social representation of zemstvo vowels; provides information on the ratio of social classes in zemstvo bodies; evaluates the role of nobles in the assemblies of the first three years ^{[10, 11, 12]}.

Historical and legal aspects of the elections of zemstvo self-governments of the Taurida province in the second half. The nineteenth century . V. V. Fedunov analyzes ^[13].

As M. F. Solovyova emphasizes, modern research on the activities of zemstvos has revealed a number of important "phenomena that began to be seen in the works of researchers at the beginning of the 21st century.":

- another appeal to the descriptive nature of research, which means the introduction into circulation of already known facts that have not received a new scientific assessment;

- increase in the volume of work;

- there is a tendency to increase the pessimistic assessment of the role of the Zemstvo;

- there is not enough interdisciplinary research, therefore, the assessment of zemstvo activities and their spheres of influence and achievements is diverse" ^{[14, p.10]}.

In our opinion, when analyzing the role of the Berdyansk Uyezd Zemstvo of the Taurida province in the success of the development and promotion of economic progress of the Russian province, it is impossible to consider the activities of this zemstvo without relying on the works of K. A. Werner, B. B. Veselovsky, L. S. Levin, which, in our opinion, have become classics of source studies and historiography of the late XIX - early XX centuries. Zaka ^{[15, 16, 17]}.

The object of our research was the difficult situation that developed in the Berdyansk district of the Taurida province of Russia in the early 60s of the XIX century. It was important for us to see in the historical chronicles the ways out of this situation with the help of decisions taken by the county zemstvo assembly.

The subject of the study was the analysis of the results of changes in the local government system in terms of taking into account the needs and needs of people living in the territory of the county and the city.

The purpose of the study is to record and evaluate the results of transformations in certain spheres of life in Berdyansk county due to the activity of the county zemstvo. First of all, those that were in a state of neglect or did not exist at all before the reform: healthcare, education, roads, markets, production.

The objectives of the study include the reflection in documents and periodicals of events indicating that after the Zemstvo Reform of 1864, the nobles joined the local government in the regions. At the same time, they exercised their powers mostly honestly and responsibly.

An important thesis of our research was the statement that the government of Emperor Alexander II, having decided to transfer part of the powers to the local authorities in the process of zemstvo reform, took a justified and thoughtful step, which resulted in an improvement in the economic, social and cultural development of the region.

Describing the pre-reform period of local government development, one should agree with V. G. Ignatov's opinion that the formation of public administration and local self-government in modern Russia largely takes into account the historical experience of the Zemstvo reform of 1864, aimed at overcoming "narrow-mindedness, dependence of elected government bodies and, as a result, the remoteness of the entire management system from the population" ^{[18, p. 132]}.

Zemstvos are elected local government bodies charged with the development of public education, maintenance of roads, medical institutions, social assistance and many other duties necessary to improve the quality of life, primarily of the rural population.

The Zemstvo reform of 1864 is rightfully considered one of the main liberal reforms in the Russian Empire. The "Regulations on Provincial and County Zemstvo Institutions" clearly defined a comprehensive system of local self-government.

This "Position" provided local self-government, which involved broad segments of the population, with a certain independence in solving local issues.

The structure of zemstvos as elected authorities, where only men over the age of 21 were given the right to vote, included 3 curia (categories) of voters: agricultural, urban and peasant.

The election of vowels to the county zemstvo assembly was carried out at the county congresses of these three curiae once every 3 years, and the provincial vowels were already elected at the county zemstvo meetings.

N. G. Gorbachev and S. I. Kornienko note: "The preparation of the congresses of voters, at which the elections of the vowels were held, began with the compilation of lists of persons eligible to participate in them in all curia. The Rules assigned the creation of such lists to county commissions consisting of persons of the local administration (the county leader of the nobility, the county police chief, the police chief, the official of the department of state property, etc.)" ^{[19, p. 100]}.

G. A. Gerasimenko emphasizes: "at first, after the abolition of serfdom, the peasants were poorly versed in the intricacies of zemstvo reform, and they were not very interested in it. This was often used by landlords, clergy, and burghers, who often took vowels from the peasants. According to the "Position", peasants were allowed to choose vowels from other estates" ^{[6, p. 17]}.

The territorial structure of the Russian Empire was divided into provinces, counties and volosts. Berdyansk district of the Taurida province was established on January 7, 1842, and Berdyansk received the status of a county town.

The Berdyansk Zemstvo, as an elected body of local self-government, began to successfully engage in the improvement of towns and villages in the greater uyezd, the development of healthcare, education, and communications. Many of the achievements of Berdyansk Uyezd in the field of culture and public education became known throughout the Russian Empire.

V.P. Semenov-Tien-Shansky notes the importance of Berdyansk as a large commercial and merchant city. So, the famous Russian traveler and scientist writes: "In addition to extensive export trade, the main subject of which is grain and less flour, Berdyansk conducts a fairly large and domestic trade, while being a significant distribution market for goods received for a very wide area" ^{[20, p.622]}.

There were 28 volosts in the Berdyansk county zemstvo. Many of their settlements were located near the railway. Among the population, besides Russians and Little Russians, there were many Nogais, Greeks, Serbs, Croats, Bulgarians and Germans who were engaged in trade, industry, agriculture and cattle breeding. So, the Greeks, Croats and Serbs were very successful in trade, and in the German colonies there were many steam mills, factories and manufactories.

The fact that Berdyansk county was quite economically developed at the end of the 19th century is evidenced by the encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron (ed. 1892): "the population of the county is 227 thousand 780 people living in 180 villages (without cities), 174 educational institutions" ^{[21, p. 492]}.

Elections to zemstvo institutions were carried out from different estates. The vowels (deputies) of the zemstvo assembly became separately elected from the nobility, rural societies, representatives of cities, and the clergy. The mayor and officials of departments, most often agriculture and land management, were also representatives in the zemstvo assembly.

The right to vote was denied to those who had been tried for criminal offenses, dismissed from office by the court (for only three years), who were under investigation, bankrupt, excluded from the clergy, excluded from estate societies for vices, and under the public supervision of the police.

According to the regulations, Jews were not allowed to participate in the elections to the Zemstvo assembly. However, this requirement began to be implemented in 1890, when Jews were forbidden to be elected, but until that time we see merchants Abram Dunaevsky and Isaac Ostrovsky in the lists of vowels of the Berdyansk zemstvo. The latter was an active zemstvo figure and, being a city dweller, actively defended the interests of rural communities of the county, especially in the field of education.

Zemstvo meetings were held every year, but for a short period of time. The issues of managing the economic affairs of the county were resolved; the county zemstvo council, consisting of a chairman and two members, was elected for a three-year term. The City Council was a permanent institution.

Over the years, the Berdyansk County Zemstvo has successfully solved many local problems.:

1. Funds were allocated for the construction of local roads and a port.

2. They provided for the opening and renovation of schools, hospitals and shelters.

3. They kept detailed records of the county economy, collected statistical data and organized population censuses.

4. They helped peasant and fishing farms, especially during the lean years and after the devastation of the Crimean War.

I. I. Lyman and V.N. Konstantinova, describing the development of Berdyansk and its county in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, conducted a serious content analysis of the publications of the Odessa Bulletin and found out that "in 1876-1893, 232 publications of the Odessa Bulletin were identified concerning both Berdyansk and the county, whose institutions were located in the city" ^{[22, p.111]}.

Trade activities through the Berdyansk port and related issues remained the most popular issue among Berdyansk correspondents. 63 letters were about this very thing. This explains that the main discussions of the zemstvo district assemblies concerned the interests of the merchants supporting the port.

On the other hand, the interests of other classes were not infringed upon. According to the newspaper Odessky Vestnik No. 203 for 1866, "On September 10, 1866, the first meeting of the Berdyansk county Zemsky assembly was opened, which was attended by 13 vowels out of 20 elected" ^{[23, pp. 668-669]}.

The vowels (deputies) from the landowners were Alexander Tovbich, the priest of the village of Eliseevka Fedor Sinitsky, the state peasant of the village of Astrakhan Anton Mamontov, a Mennonite^[1] Peter Schmidt.

The vowels from Berdyansk, Nogaysk, Orekhov were honorary citizen Ivan Lityagin, official Vasily Latyshev, merchant Abram Dunaevsky, merchant Ivan Mathias, hereditary honorary citizen Ivan Gemmerle, titular adviser Vasily Sakhanev, merchant Izebrandt Friesen, captain Alexander Ivanenko, hereditary honorary citizen Mikhail Paikos, staff Captain Yakov Puninsky.

The vowels from rural societies were: Yakov Koval, a state peasant from the village of Berestovoye, Miron Onikienko, a state peasant from the village of Novozelenoye, Maxim Pavlenko, a state peasant from the city of Orekhov, Mikhail Yanzen, a mennonite from the Shenze colony, Nikolai Vlakhov, a Preslav colonist, and Anton Konkovsky, an official from the Chamber of State Property.

Priest V.F. Sinitsky was unanimously elected Secretary of the assembly. The total number of representatives of the county in the zemstvo assembly consisted of 21 people, people of different classes, property status, nationalities and religions. It was up to them to decide the fate of further transformations in the development of almost all areas of activity to improve the quality of life of the population of Berdyansk county.

The chairman of the zemstvo assembly was supposed to be a representative of the nobility, but there were practically no nobles in Berdyansk county, so the meeting was subsequently headed by the county leader of the nobility, Spyridon Lamsi, who owns an estate in the Crimea. For that time, he had a very flattering description from the Berdyansk chronicler Vasily Kryzhanovsky, who stated in his diaries on March 29, 1870, that he was: "The leader of the Nobility does not charge anyone" ^{[24, p. 144]}.

The Odessa Bulletin for 1867 describes the election of the chairman as follows: "The county zemstvo council was headed by the nobleman Konkovsky, who was subsequently not confirmed in office by the governor of the Taurida province" ^{[25, p. 206]}, and S. H. Lamsi, the county leader of the nobility, who was the landowner of the Feodosiysky district and permanently resided in Feodosia, became the chairman of the zemsky district assembly. He also appeared in Berdyansk no more than twice a year for the zemstvo assembly and the reception of recruits ^[25].

The burden of implementing the plans of the county zemstvo assembly fell on the Zemstvo council, whose building was opened and consecrated in Berdyansk on October 1, 1871 on Zelenaya Street (modern Zemskaya street, 18). It was built on the initiative of the chairman of the zemstvo council, I. Friesen, and cost him 22 thousand rubles, and it was a profitable option, since renting premises in Berdyansk at that time was a very expensive event.

The field office of the Taganrog District Criminal Court also sat in this building. The zemstvo assembly sat on the ground floor in the evenings, and the district court sat on the second floor during the day.

Once a year, in the provincial city, and for the Berdyansk district of the Taurida province it was Simferopol, the provincial zemstvo assembly met, which represented the provincial congress of deputies from the district zemstvo assemblies. The provincial leader of the nobility presided over this congress.

A curious analysis of the process of formation of zemstvo self-government in the Taurida province, the legal mechanism of management of zemstvos is given by V. V. Fedunov, who directly points out that: "the majority in the county and provincial zemstvos were representatives of the nobility. In the northern counties of the province (including Berdyansk – P. M.), a large percentage received vowels from peasants" ^{[13, p. 73]}.

Among the important conclusions of V. V. Fedunov, it should be noted that "the state controlled the zemstvo governments, but did not interfere in their work. The absence of abuses in the expenditure of zemstvo funds is confirmed by the reports of the zemstvo administrations for 1866-1870 and the absence of complaints from government officials about the decisions of the zemstvo assemblies" ^{[13, p. 73]}.

An important place among the issues raised at the provincial zemstvo meeting was given to solving the economic problems of the province, for which the provincial zemstvo council was elected, which also had its own chairman and several members. In addition to the vowels, the provincial zemstvo assembly included local representatives of departments that were entrusted with important powers.

It cannot be said that the Zemstvos did not care about their salaries, but at the same time their requests were very moderate. So, during the first meeting of the Zemstvo assembly in 1866, the question of the number of council members and their salaries was raised. It was decided that the number of members should be the chairman of the board and four of its members, with a salary of 1,200 rubles per year for the chairman and 1,000 rubles per year for the members of the board.

Although officials were represented in small numbers in the zemstvo assemblies, they usually did not occupy leading positions in them. Thus, by a closed vote, the first chairman of the zemstvo council was elected an official overseeing the volosts, court counselor A. Konkovsky, members of the council Puninsky, Onikienko, Friesen, Sakhanev. However, Konkovsky was not confirmed by the governor as chairman of the council, since he was a government official and the assembly elected the aforementioned leader of the nobility, S. H. Lamsi, by one vote.

The assembly also decided to elect Alexander Tovbich and Gemmerle as members of the council without salary, and Sakhanev, being the mayor of Berdyansk, recused himself. For the above reasons, the activities of the chairman of the Lamsi board were ineffective, therefore, in the next cadence in 1869, I. was elected chairman of the board. Friesen, the members of the World – mediator Malishevsky, vowel Voloshinov, and honorary members of the council A. Tovbich. honorary hereditary citizen Konstantinov and Mennonite Vita.

With the election of Friesen as chairman, the council's activities have become more effective. But initially, officials of volost and rural administrations, who were not directly dependent on rural administrations, did not follow her orders. Therefore, Friesen sent a request to the governor "to compel the volost boards to immediately comply with all legal requirements of the board."

The vowels also provided assistance to the board. Thus, Preslavsky volost foreman Karastoanov, being vocal, asked for a copy of the failure to comply with the orders of the Preslavsky volost council in order to "bring them to their senses."

So gradually, with the help of representatives of the territories and the governor, communication with local communities was established. At each meeting, the council's report on the work done, budget execution, etc. was held. So in 1872, the city council made reports on the food supply, public education, military service and zemstvo postal stations.

A significant event for Berdyansk district was the election in 1872 of Alexander Pavlovich Tovbich (1830-1893), chairman of the board, the main driving force in building public education in Berdyansk and its district. A. P. Tovbich was continuously elected to this position until 1891.

The correspondent of the newspaper Odessky Vestnik noted in his note: "The subject of discussions at the meeting was a multitude of the most diverse and interesting issues arising from the practical actions of our zemstvo council, headed by the most worthy figure, Mr. Tovbich, who fully understands the zemstvo interests. Anyone who has attended the meetings and listened to the reports of the council can safely say that its motto is business. And not just the word" ^{[26, p.2]}.

The reports of the zemstvo council before the vowels were not formal, active vowels entered into debates and pointed out to the members of the council about the insufficiency of the allocated amounts for the construction and repair of schools, bridges and other facilities.

In 1891, an equally active zemstvo figure, Ya. T. Kharchenko, who came from the peasants of the village of Berestovo, was elected chairman of the city council. Yakov Tarasovich Kharchenko (1853-1937) was a pupil of the Zemstvo from among those 60 boys whom the zemstvo trained at its own expense to take up teaching positions in zemstvo schools. After working as a national teacher for 10 years, he was elected to the vowels from rural communities.

Alexander Tovbich was re-elected due to a serious illness, and Yakov Kharchenko continued his active work in the field of public education. In subsequent years, he became chairman of the Taurida Provincial Zemstvo council.

From 1901 to 1909, Yakov Bogdanovich Schwartz was elected chairman of the board. After his death, scholarships were established in 1909 for the Berdyansk Men's Gymnasium and the Berdyansk Real School, bearing his name, since he also did a lot for the development of education and was a Trustee of the gymnasium ^[27].

Vladislav Erasmovich Gayevsky can be called the patriarch of Berdyansk local government. It is known from the directory "All Berdyansk and its county" published in 1911 that Gayevsky was born in 1848, and since 1909 he has been elected chairman of the county zemstvo council. Honorary citizen of Berdyansk, hereditary nobleman, State councilor. He studied at the Nemirovka Gymnasium and the Odessa Commercial College. In 1786-1906 he continuously served as a deputy of the Berdyansk City Duma. From July 3, 1886 to March 22, 1906, he was the mayor of Berdyansk ^[28].

It should be noted that each member of the council oversaw certain areas of activity of the zemstvo.

For example, the chairman of the board, J.B. Schwartz, was in charge of the office management and bookkeeping of the board, general supervision of the zemstvo economy, and compliance with official duties in the zemstvo service. He employs and dismisses employees of the board (office, accounting, etc.). It's also all about public education in the county. Departments of libraries and textbooks, participated in meetings of the City Duma, the prison committee. Taran, a member of the board, was in charge of the board's cash desk, supervised the medical and veterinary part, the warehouse of agricultural equipment, and the buildings of the zemstvo board.

To control the effective use of the funds of the Zemstvo council, the Zemstvo assembly elected the members of the audit commission by secret ballot. The commission was obliged to conduct an audit at least one week before the opening of the zemstvo assembly and provide its conclusion to the assembly, and its members could do this throughout the year.

The term of office of the members of the commission lasted at different times from one to three years. For the work done, the members of the commission received 150 rubles each from the zemstvo assembly. So in 1867, the first revision commission was elected, it included priest Volkov, vowels Paikos, Dunaevsky, Vlakhov. The following year, the new commission consisted of A. Tovbich, Priest Strizhevsky, Gan and Fast. An analysis of the documents suggests that the same vowels were rarely included in the commission. For example, on September 16, 1891, the meeting heard the report of the commission on checking the cash register and various valuables, auditing the money books and accounts of the board, and so on.

Unlike the figures of the Berdyansk city government, who were mired in corruption and "contractual arrangements," the zemstvo leaders were not involved in such scandals. This can be explained by the high civic responsibility among the various estates of the Zemstvo assembly. Here we observe the nobleman Lamsi, who was characterized above, a descendant of the Zaporozhian foreman of a large landowner A. Tovbich with his high civic position, the presence of a large number of Mennonite Germans who were not characterized by such acts, and many other vowels from agricultural communities with high moral principles. Merchants and officials delegated from cities and departments had no opportunity for embezzlement in this environment, given the proper control by the assembly and the council. And they were actively involved in the work of the zemstvo in the appropriate situation.

The Zemstvo needed considerable funds to carry out its activities. Therefore, the government has defined a separate tax base for zemstvos from state taxes, the so-called "zemstvo fees".

This tax base included all the lands of the county with the appropriate valuation rate, houses in cities and towns, factories, mills, trade and commercial certificates, industrial operations without trade certificates (salt-fired, salt fishing and fish factories on the shore of the Sea of Azov), as well as fairs, bazaars, Berdyanskaya pier from their income..

The tradition of charity was widespread among the representatives of the county zemstvo. As a rule, citizens and villagers well-known in this regard were chosen among these representatives.

For example, Nikolai Panteleimonovich Konstantinov, a merchant of the 2nd guild, a hereditary honorary citizen of Berdyansk, was the younger brother of Berdyansk mayor K. P. Konstantinov. But this relationship did not prevent the two brothers from becoming famous in the field of charity and guardianship. Instead of, as they would say now, a "conflict of interests," the opposite effect was observed: "not from the treasury into your pocket," but on the contrary, the city and county supported you at their own expense.

In this regard, the career growth of N. P. Konstantinov is significant: in 1865 he was elected headman of the Berdyansk Cathedral Church; on November 23, 1872, he was elected by the Berdyansk City Duma, and on September 23, 1873, by the county zemstvo assembly to the position of honorary trustee of the men's gymnasium; he was confirmed in this position on February 2, 1874 and held it until 1877; he chaired the commission on the construction of the men's gymnasium; was director the Russian club in Berdyansk. From October 1, 1900 He served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Berdyansk Girls' Gymnasium, and on February 12, 1901, he was confirmed in this position. During this time, he was able to raise funds for the maintenance of the cathedral Church, the Alexander Nevsky Gymnasium Church, and students of the Berdyansk male and female gymnasiums.

How the zemstvos of Berdyansk Uyezd supported education is eloquently evidenced by the "Memorial Book of the Tauride Province" prepared by the Statistical bureau of the Tauride Zemstvo under the editorship of K.A. Werner, published in Simferopol in 1889.:

"The average salary of teachers in schools of foreign settlers in the counties is as follows:

Counties. The average salary is in rubles.

Berdyansky.............................. 447,2

Melitopolsky..................... 416,1

Dneprovsky............................ 358,3

Perekopsky............................ 239

Yevpatoriyskiy........................ 300

Simferopol.................. 253,3

Feodosiysky......................... 286,3

In addition to the salary, the teacher receives an apartment, heating, from 1 to 4 acres of arable and haymaking land and the right to graze several cattle free of charge on public land. In some colonies, instead of a certain number of tithes of land, the teacher receives grain bread" ^{[15, vol.IX, p.6]}.

And further, the statistical collection provides illustrative data: "The content of teachers ranges from 800 rubles, up to 1,250 rubles, with a ready-made apartment. 800 rubles, only one teacher receives, 7 teachers receive 1,000 rubles each, while the rest have salaries of over a thousand rubles. There are 5 central schools in the province, three of them are located in Berdyansk district in the colonies of Orlov and Neigalbstadt (Galbst. volosts) and Gnadenfeld (Gnadenf. volosts), one in Melitopolsky in the colony of Prishib and one in Simferopol in the colony of Neysats. There were 230 students in five schools. There are 19 teachers, including pastors. The cost of maintaining all schools was 21,930 rubles, of which 6,320 rubles, or 28.8% of the total amount was allocated by the zemstvos, and the remaining amount consisted of: % of the school's capital, accounting fees and public fees. According to the counties, the amount spent on the maintenance of the central schools was distributed as follows: for three Berdyansk schools. the county spent 14603 rubles, one Melitope. county — 5132 rubles, and one Taxi. county — 2,195 rubles"^[28].

The issue of medical development was particularly acute in the Taurida province. This was due to the spread of numerous infectious diseases. The following statistics are indicative: "almost a third of the population of the Tauride province was susceptible to malaria, smallpox and diphtheria, accompanied by a fairly high mortality rate, due to the high degree of infection due to the unsatisfactory sanitary condition of housing conditions" ^{[12, p.20]}.

Therefore, the Berdyansk county zemstvo paid special attention to the development of medicine and the prevention of the spread of infectious diseases. The most difficult period of work in this regard falls on the very beginning of the formation of zemstvo medicine.

It is significant that from the very beginning of its activity, the Berdyansk County Zemstvo Assembly allocated very impressive funds for the development of public health. So, in 1875, it spent 25 thousand rubles on medicine, which is more than the expenses for this area of other county zemstvos of the Taurida province. The zemstvo also attracted additional funds from fees from the public and private donations.

In 1872, the Berdyansk county zemstvo actively participated in the creation of a district medical care system in the county. The structure of this system included medical stations with their own district doctor, as well as paramedics and vaccinators (in some cases, obstetricians) ^[12] who served a territorial area with a radius of 10-40 versts: they treated patients in the hospital and conducted outpatient appointments for incoming patients.

Interesting facts are given by I.I. Lyman and V.N. Konstantinova, who note that in numerous articles of the Odessa Bulletin sent from Berdyansk from the late 60s to the early 90s of the XIX century, issues related to medicine and healthcare are very often highlighted by the zemstvo: "An important place in The publications of the Odessa Bulletin cover the functioning of the county zemstvo institutions located in Berdyansk. Even more attention is paid to the activities of city self-government bodies" ^{[21, p.111]}. It is significant, according to the authors, that of the 20 publications sent from Berdyansk, which cover issues related to medicine and healthcare, most of the "messages concerning zemstvo medicine in the county" ^{[21, p.111]}.

As a result, it is permissible to conclude that the Zemstvos, which existed in Russia for just over 50 years (from 1864 to 1918), left a deep mark on the history of our country. Their management experience in various areas of public life is still in demand today. The contribution of the Berdyansk Zemstvo in the last third of the 19th century to the development of the county is significant and requires detailed study from various perspectives.:

Enriching the practice of local government;

the nomination and implementation of valuable initiatives aimed at the development of the city and county;

a comparative approach to defining and solving the problems of modern development of a city and a municipal district within Russia;

studying many innovations of that time, including new management methods and techniques that can be used in the work of modern institutions of state and municipal administration.

The historical events of the 60s of the XIX century and the beginning of the XX century in the life and development of Berdyansk given in our study give today's managers of state and municipal structures, representatives of local governments and those who prepare them for such important and responsible activities, clear guidelines in solving the problems of modernization of the region and its integration into the all-Russian system of state and municipal government.

The history of the Zemstvo of Berdyansk Uyezd can provide numerous examples of asceticism in the field of organizing local self-government.

Among the tasks of the modern development of the city and municipal district in Russia, many were already solved 160 years ago. Historians, historiographers and source historians analyzing the events related to the implementation of the zemstvo reform have not yet discovered all the interesting data for study, but even those that were noted in our study convince us of the need for their wide coverage.

Thus, in order to create an effective system of local self-government in Russia, it is necessary to study, preserve and popularize the historical and cultural heritage of our people, their experience based on national soil, national traditions, without denying, but critically considering modern achievements and trends in the development of state and municipal administration.

^[1] The Mennonites are an ethnoconfessional group of Anabaptists, mostly Germans. The first Mennonites appeared in Russia in 1789, at the invitation of Empress Catherine II. They settled in the Dnieper region (near the island of Khortytsia, on the Dnieper River, about 3 thousand people), the Black Sea region (in 1803-1835, near the Molochnaya River, near Melitopol, about 6 thousand people) and the Volga region (since the 1850s, about 20 villages in the Samara province, about 2 thousand people). In the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries, subsidiary settlements of Mennonites appeared in the Caucasus and Siberia.

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