Description of the attraction
Kirov Avenue, and formerly Nemetskaya Street, is rightfully considered the Saratov Arbat, which keeps history in every house. One of these houses is rich in personalities known all over the world.
The first significant tenant on the street formed by the German colonists and, later, became the main avenue of the city, was the Catholic suffragan (vicar) of the diocese Vikenty Lipsky, who headed the consistory. Due to the coincidence of circumstances, in the mid-1850s Saratov was chosen as the residence of the Kherson Roman Catholic diocese and became practically the center of the Catholic faith with the first bishop Ferdinand Kahn, who moved to the city on the Volga in a two-story mansion. Near the house where the heads of the Roman Catholic diocese lived, there was a cathedral, the wealth and luxury of which was described in the capital's newspapers. In 1918, the episcopal residence was requisitioned for an orphanage, and the former owners left for Odessa.
In 1935, this house and the neighboring one (of the owner Onezorge) were merged and built on with a third floor with a common facade designed by architects Zhukovsky and Kuryaniy.
The second world-famous personality of the house on Kirov Avenue is the creator of the song "Kalinka", which has become the hallmark of Russia in our time, - composer and folklorist Ivan Petrovich Larionov, who worked in the editorial office of the newspaper "Saratovskiy Listok". The song, famous all over the world, was performed for the first time in 1960 on the amateur stage, among the inserted numbers, performed by the author himself. The dynamic “Kalinka” was greeted by the audience with a storm of applause and was subsequently performed practically by the chorus, by all those present. I. P. Larionov, who remained an unknown author for many (a popular song is considered a folk song), a memorial plaque was installed on the house in which he lived most of his life.
Nowadays, the house of the Catholic bishop and the author of the song "Kalinka" is traditionally used for the placement of trade establishments, including now the famous "Tea" store is located here.
