Stakheevs dynast in the Elabuga
Stakheevs are an ancient dynasty. According to legend, they escaped to Kama after capture of Novgorod by Ivan III, who brutally crushed the northern Russian freebooters and executed Novgorod governor's wife Martha Boretskaya with her sons. Stakheevs founded on Elabuga land a powerful merchant dynasty. They carried grain and goods on ships along Volga River, built railways, owned gold mines, oil fields, factories and plants, mills and hundreds of stores across the country, traded with Britain, France, Germany and other countries.
The base of material well-being of the dynasty was founded by Ivan Kirillovich Stakheev at the turn of XVIII-XIX centuries. His son, Ivan Ivanovich (1802-1835), raised the prestige of the company at the highest level, he was an outstanding person in the commercial world, due to him the turnover reached several tens of millions rubles a year. His brother Dmitri Ivanovich (1818-1888) participated in all affairs of the company, he was a merchant not less talented and well-informed in commercial matters. Both brothers are widely famous for amazing scope of charity and sponsorship.
In the early 70-ies of XIX century they formed a ”Charitable Committee of brothers D. and I. Stakheevs”, its accounts had hundreds of thousands rubles that were spent on construction of monasteries and churches, buildings, schools and shelters for the needy, on education of company employees’ children in any educational institution of the country, for beautification of their native city Elabuga, etc.
For the gift of Glafira Feodorovna Stakheeva (400,000 rubles) the building of Elabuga Diocesan Women's College was constructed (now Elabuga State Pedagogical University). Now this building is a unique example of Russian classical architecture of the XIX century. It was built on the draft of Vyatka province engineer, class artist, architect of 1st degree, I.A. Charushin at continuous supervision of builder, architect - artist A.P. Gorokhov
One of Stakheevs - Dmitri Ivanovich - became an outstanding Russian writer, in whose works both panorama of Russian life and of county town with its mores and customs are well represented. His books were published in St. Petersburg and in Moscow, and were highly appreciated by reading public. Today his name is undeservedly forgotten.
Due to work of another Stakheev, Elabuga among the first ten cities of Russia was electrified at the beginning of XX century.