2016 marked the 360th anniversary of the birth of the most famous Russian gunsmith and entrepreneur Nikita Demidov. The founder of a dynasty of metallurgists and blacksmiths, became famous not only as a famous industrialist, but also as a philanthropist and benefactor. Nikita Demidov founded the mining business in Altai, which led to an unprecedented development of everything remote from the center of Russia, the region.
The Altai and Ural metallurgical complexes, as well as the Tula arms factories, became integral parts of the Demidov empire. The power of the empire was provided by Altai mines, supplying Demidov's factories with gold, silver and other rare ores. From the chronicles it is known that for several years, Demidov managed to get a pood of gold and several hundred poods of silver from the mines.
The reigning house of Russia strongly supported the development of the mining and metallurgical business in the Siberian territories. Any order regarding the new eastern territories of the state included instructions to search for new ores. To intensify the search, the so-called "mountain freedom" was officially declared, the essence of which was that any citizen of the state could carry out prospecting for minerals throughout Russia. They did not forget to establish benefits in this law for those who decide to build factories. A specially organized Berg Collegium was instructed to provide full documentation support in the design of new deposits and the construction of new mining and metallurgical enterprises.
Historical literature erroneously asserted that only the state had the right to extract and process precious metals in the 18th century. Any resident of Russia had permission to do this, but these types of work had some restrictions established by the state. Despite some conditions, the state guaranteed future entrepreneurs "that their plants will not be taken away from them and their heirs." A few years later, the same preferential conditions were provided to foreigners. The privileges for industrialists were constantly expanded by the decision of state bodies. All these thoughtful and far-sighted steps led to a large-scale, at that time, construction of mining and metallurgical plants owned by private individuals. Their number has increased especially significantly in the Urals. For smelting metals, including precious,there was no need to obtain any special permits.
Correctly taken measures of the government increased the number of mining and metallurgical plants not only in Siberia, but also in Karelia, the Tula-Kashira region.
In the Urals, successful breeders, the Demidovs, became famous. All enterprises, launched by the new dynasty of the Demidov metallurgists, were built on the so-called "Siberian side" of the Urals. Of the nine new private enterprises, seven belonged to the Demidovs. The future "emperors" of the metallurgical industry were not even stopped by the fact that their main mining enterprises were located outside Russian territories - in the Rudny Altai region. It so happened that the most enterprising of the dynasty, Akinfiy Demidov, was engaged in the search for minerals and the development of industry in the Rudny Altai. He made the city of Nevyansk his unofficial mining "capital".
The Berg collegium had complete information about all the ores found in Altai. Government officials attached particular importance to samples from lead mines.
The Demidovs took steps to approach the imperial court. So in 1726 they presented samples of Altai ores to Empress Catherine I. Akinfiy Demidov, presenting such a gift to the Empress, very much counted on her help in solving the many problems that faced him as a new breeder of Siberia. Akinfiy wanted to receive the nobility from the hands of the ruler, as well as to receive help in registering the inheritance left to him by Nikita Demidov.
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In 1726, Demidov received permission from the Berg Collegium to extract copper, gold and silver ores, as well as any ore found in his mines. The only condition for the industrialist was the need to inform the Berg Collegium of all newly found ores. Demidov, immediately after obtaining permission, provided the state supervision with information about the found samples containing silver. But experts gave a conclusion that the silver impurity is too small and the development of the mine is not profitable. This did not stop the new industrialist of Siberia, he enthusiastically began to search purposefully for ore with a large amount of silver, at the same time organizing copper-smelting production.
Officially, it was believed that Demidov in Altai was engaged only in smelting copper and selling it to the state at fixed prices. But the Berg Collegium had a suspicion that the Demidovs were secretly mining silver. Numerous checks did not confirm these assumptions.
Among the Demidov craftsmen there were no specialists capable of working with Altai polymetallic ores, including silver ore. For this reason, Prokofiy Demidov signed a contract with a foreign master Christopher Mollin. One of the history books says that Demidov managed to find specialists in Yekaterinburg who were able to professionally analyze ore samples and find out that the Kolyvan copper ores from the Demidov mines are rich in silver.
The Demidovs' dream finally came true, they began to smelt Altai silver on an industrial scale. Preserved documents confirming the smelting of silver at the Nevyanovsk plant. Demidov decided to take a very thoughtful step: he presented Empress Elizabeth with a silver ingot, in the manufacture of which Altai ore was used, and made a seemingly unusual request that his factories with all workers should be exclusively run by the Empress. Why did Demidov have to subordinate all his factories to the empress personally? First, it made it possible to ask the ruler for serious privileges. Secondly, it saved the Demidovs from the tutelage of numerous government departments. This allowed the Demidovs to continue smelting silver, gold, copper and lead without supervision and under the auspices of the queen herself. And the empress went to meet the famous Ural industrialist, because she knew that their work was of great importance for the economy of the entire country.
Centuries later, this step of the Russian empress turned into the accusation of Akinfiy Demidov of a crime of illegal and uncontrolled, by the state, smelting of gold and silver from the ores of Altai mines. At present, all publications indicate the smelting of a huge amount of silver by Demidov as an undoubted fact. The smelting allegedly took place in the tower of the Nevyanovsk plant. And since it was impossible for the Demidovs to sell such an amount of silver, coins began to be minted from ingots, which in themselves were, as they would say today, a liquid commodity. Many researchers of the secrets of the Demidov family prove that the minting of coins brought a huge income to the dynasty of the Ural breeders.
But Elizaveta Petrovna did not keep her promises regarding the Demidovs and forcibly bought (read, took) from the heirs of Akinfiy Demidov the Kolyvanovo-Voskresensk plants in 1747. But it was officially, like it was bought, but in fact, Demidov's heirs did not receive any money for the successful Altai enterprises seized in favor of the treasury. The legitimacy of such an exemption was also confirmed by Catherine II, to whom the heirs of the famous dynasty of the Ural industrialists turned. And the reason was the assertion that over the twenty years of operation of the enterprises, Demidov secretly smelted a huge amount of gold and silver, which enriched the dynasty, so they cannot claim any compensation.
When the plant was handed over to the state, more than two poods of unrefined silver were found in its storerooms, about two hundred poods of semi-finished silver-lead.
In less than half a century, the Demidovs built more than 25 iron-smelting and blast-furnace plants on the vast expanses of the Ural land. The enterprises became a catalyst for the development of mining and processing business throughout the Urals and in the European part of Russia.
The most famous person among the Demidovs was Akinfiy. He was distinguished by his business acumen, high level of efficiency, strong will and domineering character. Thanks to all these qualities, Akinfiy managed to become the largest mining owner, landowner and the richest man in the state.
Of course, there were legends about Demidov's fabulous wealth. So in Nevyansk they said that once Demidov lost a lot of money to a capital official in a card game. To quickly pay off the debt, he ran into the basement of the tower and brought completely new, even slightly warm, silver rubles.
Nizhny Tagil residents keep their legend about the wealth of Demidov. They say there was a small island on the Black Lake, there was a stone house on it. Smelting furnaces worked in that house. Eyewitnesses saw that at night a flame burst from the chimney of this mysterious hut. Escaped convicts minted coins in the house. Over time, the island disappeared under the water of the Chernoistochinsky pond.
Another legend about Akinfia Demidov was told by the writer Yevgeny Fyodorov in his work "Stone Belt". Once Akinfiy Demidov was invited by the Empress Anna Ioanovna to the card table to participate in her favorite game. Demidov pretended not to notice how the empress was cheating in the game, putting more and more silver rubles during the bet. The famous Ural breeder has lost a lot. The Empress, rejoicing at the huge gain, slyly asked Demidov what kind of money he was paying: state or her own? To which the resourceful breeder replied that everything that he had belongs to the empress.
Many legends have survived about the famous Demidov dynasty. Basically, there he appears as a counterfeiter. And even then, it is still unknown how in a short time the famous Ural family was able to accumulate a huge fortune, which means that they still secretly minted money. Believe it or not, the mystery of the Demidov Mint has not yet been solved. In addition, if this is really true, then why, for several centuries now, no one can say where these fabulous treasures of the Demidovs disappeared without a trace?