Krasilnikova–Postakov House (Astrakhan)

The house of A. A. Krasilnikova, later the house of V. V. Postakov, is a merchant mansion from the first half of the 19th century in central Astrakhan, at 109/13 1 Maya Embankment, on the corner of Darwin Street. It is one of the old merchant houses of Astrakhan that line the former Varvatsiev Canal, and it is protected as a cultural heritage site of regional significance.

History

The building dates from the first half of the 19th century. The heritage register lists it under the name of A. A. Krasilnikova. From 1878 it belonged to V. V. Postakov, so guides and registers list it under both names.

The embankment was once called the Varvatsiev Canal Embankment; it received its present name, 1 Maya Embankment, in Soviet times. In the 19th century wealthy Astrakhan merchants built along the canal, and a good share of the city's merchant architecture survives here.

Merchant houses on 1 Maya Embankment

The house is best seen as part of a whole street of old mansions. Nearby stand the Frangulov House (117 1 Maya Embankment) and the estate of the merchant Agamov (89 1 Maya Embankment). A walk along the canal from one to the next gives a good idea of 19th-century merchant Astrakhan: low stone houses, corner buildings at the crossroads and facades facing the water.

The building is on the register of regional heritage sites (register number 3000261000). According to local media, it was damaged by a fire in early 2021, so check the state of the facade on site.

Legends

Old mansions on the Astrakhan canal embankments have their stories of the "ghosts of merchants' daughters" said to haunt the old houses. It is a city legend rather than history, but it suits the mood of the quarter.

Getting there

The house is in the historic centre of Astrakhan, at the corner of 1 Maya Embankment and Darwin Street, an easy walk along the canal from the central streets. The facade is best seen from the embankment.