Baggovutovskaya Street is typical for the central part of Kyiv - narrow and tortuous, with lots of ups and downs and sharp turns. One day I was walking along it on my way to work, when the thought suddenly occurred to me: Who was that mysterious Baggovut? The surname is neither of Ukrainian nor Russian origin. The Kyiv Telephone Directory was of little assistance, so I bought a copy of The Streets of Kyiv Handbook (1995), which confirmed that the street had been called as such before the Russian revolution, renamed during the Soviet period and then given back its original appellation following independence.
The street emerged in the 1840s and was named after its first resident, Leonty Baggovut, whose mansion once stood there, according to the handbook. The Baggovuts were of Norwegian descent and served in the czarist army during the Napoleonic and Crimean wars. Later, the street was renamed in honor of Soviet Marshal Budyony, whose urban fame lasted only 14 years. Both men were talented cavalry generals who lived through hard times and helped shape history. They never met each other.
It was the wave of "renewal" that rolled over the capital in the early 1990s which brought the Baggovuts back to life. Public organizations supported by the city administration conducted the rehabilitation campaign. Social and historical values were in flux. The change of power in 1917, long considered to be a great step forward for all Mankind, turned out to be a large-scale crime against humanity. Not all the Soviet period was doom and gloom, but Ukrainians at the time felt that they had been left behind by the rest of the world.
More recently, about four years ago, an impressive if somewhat mysterious object appeared on Baggovutovskaya Street: a hand hewn wooden cross, four meters high and 12cm in diameter, in classical Eastern Orthodox style. It stands at the intersection with another street, called Ovrutzkaya. On the cross hangs an embroidered Ukrainian cloth or Rushnichok, with a short inscription - Save and Preserve - fixed to the crossbeam. Other than this, there is no explanatory plaque at the memorial.
"Look at that cross," exclaimed the man sitting next to me in the route taxi I was riding home from work in one evening. We had just stopped at the above-mentioned intersection. "People say that at this very place, a while back, some workers were digging a deep trench to lay a cable, and they hit upon some semi-decayed planks, under which lay a coffin," he said with excited eyes.
Inside, along with the corpse, were buried military articles and medals from Czarist times, including the prestigious St. George's Cross. Rumors soon spread that one of the Baggovut's remains had been discovered. These rumors were enough to prompt me to do some digging of my own.
Marshal Budyony (1883-1973) had his name put to the street just three years after his death. Serving in the czarist army as a sergeant, he had earned four medals for bravery. But he also boasted solid proletarian credentials. One time, the story goes, he witnessed a higher-ranking NCO mistreating some conscripts. When Budyony reported the incident to an officer, the officer began to shout at him and attempted to hit him. Budyony knocked him out.
During the Russian civil war, Budyony commanded cavalry units, having been trained at the St. Petersburg Riding School. He was proclaimed a hero for his successful raids deep into "enemy" territory. He even took part in the "liberation" of Kyiv against Polish and Ukrainian Nationalist forces.
During WWII, his horseman skills were less effective against the German Wehrmacht. In the summer of 1941, he was tasked with defending the Ukrainian capital, but the Soviet troops under his command were taken prisoner or pushed back to the Volga. After the war, though maintaining his hero status, Budyony came to be known as a museum general.
General Karl F. Baggovut (1761-1812) also served in the Czarist army, as an officer during the Napoleonic invasion. He earned distinction during the famous battle of Borodino, which was immortalized by Leo Tolstoy in his novel War and Peace.
His nephew, Alexander (1806-1883), continued the family's military traditions. Like many young officers of his time, Alexander supported the liberal Decembrist insurrection in 1825, for which he was exiled to the Caucasus. He later fought in several campaigns, taking part in a charge against Turkish artillery during the Crimean War, for which he was promoted to general at the age of 38. He was also awarded the Cross of St. George - three times.
Makarovsky Church is located not far from Baggovutovskaya Street. Father Anatoly, the priest, told me that the mysterious cross mentioned above marks the place where another church, St. Fedirovsky, used to stand. Fedirovsky was built on funds donated by the Baggovutov family, who buried their relatives nearby. The Soviets demolished the church and the graveyard. Father Anatoly has been collecting funds to rebuild the church.
The Baggovutovs aren't the only souls that have resided on the street that now bears their family name. Over the years, various Ukrainian celebrities like artist O. Murashko, composer M. Leontovich and writer K. Poustovsky have called Baggovutovskaya their home. In the last couple of years, the street has been the site of two new supermarkets. What else will be built there remains to be seen. Father Anatoly now has enough money, but he still hasn't gotten permission from the Kyiv authorities.
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