And why “Fools Corner”?

On the map of modern Elabuga you won’t find the place “Fools Corner”, however – all local residents can easily show it to you. This corner is located at the intersection of Neftyanik (Oilmen) Avenue (formerly Communist str.) with Stroiteley (Builders) str. Practically it is the centre of new Elabuga, buses and cars going in the historic (old) part of Elabuga and back in general pass through this crossroads.

Many people who hear such a name for the first time are interested in such a strange name, and although the “fools corner” is not hundreds years old, as the “Devil's ancient settlement”, but only a few dozens, number of legends about it does not decrease.

“Stupid” bus stop.

According to this version, the thing is connected with bus stops. Buses going to the lower (historic) part of the city pass either on the Neftyanik Avenue, or on the adjacent Stroiteley street. Bus stops were on different sides of the street, almost opposite. And people standing on the corner of streets intersection, looked for the bus and ran from side to side. And as people ran from one stop to another like fools, this corner was called the “fools corner”.

“Registered like fools”

Besides the version with the buses, the old-timers offer their version of the origin of “fools corner”. When oilmen began active building of the upper (new) part of Elabuga, there was nothing except homes here. Shops, clubs, cinema, dance floor in the city park – everything was in the lower part of the city. And the inhabitants were forced to go to old Elabuga. But the times were such that native Elabuga people didn’t like very much the inhabitants of new buildings. Conflicts that often appeared between them developed into fights. After such fights, if defeats happened, residents of vostochka (the so-called uptown) gathered a team and went to restore the justice.

And to keep everything under control, to know who and when left, when returned, if anyone was insulted, who needed help, a resident of vostochka Rasputin organized a post at the corner of the intersection of Stroiteley and Communist streets. He took a notebook where all residents of upper part of Elabuga were recorded. And in this notebook all those who went to the lower part of Elabuga, were registered. Departure and arrival were noted. If someone did not come back for a long time, Rasputin gathered a team and went to help. Since everyone in the upper part of Elabuga, either young or old, had to be registered in the notebook, like a fool, the corner were it occurred was called the fools corner..

The rest is also stupid.

In addition, some “experts” argue that twenty years ago there was small market here, where nimble old women traded different small things, like seeds and fruit, vegetables cheating on their customers (i.e., “making fools of them”). There is also a hypothesis that “fools corner” was called in such a way because of the fact that many years ago in one of the houses adjacent to the crossroads there was a mental hospital.

And some people affirm that the crossroads was simply made “foolishly”: Stroiteley street crosses the avenue not in one place, as it should be, but in two.

Anyway, the name became part of everyday life of Elabuga people, but still it is better to know myths and legends about the origin of “fools corner” than “be made a fool”.