Vladimir Sergeevich Petrovsky

Background

Petrovsky Vladimir Sergeevich was born on July 14, 1893 in Voronezh in the family of lawyer and public figure, Sergey Antonovich Petrovsky.

Education

He graduated from the 2nd Voronezh gymnasium in 1911. He studied at the shipbuilding department of the Petrograd Polytechnic Institute in 1911-1916, at the Voronezh Practical Institute in 1922-1923, and graduated from the Moscow Institute of Transportation Engineers in 1927.

Career

He served in the Red Army in 1919-1922. He worked at the South-Eastern Railway Administration in 1922-1928, the Central Planning Directorate of the People’s Commissariat of Communications in 1929-1935, Moscow-Donbass Railway Department Administration (called Voronezh one, since 1935). He was chased out of the occupied Voronezh by the Germans in 1942. In 1943 he was unreasonably repressed and sentenced to 10 year penal servitude in forced labor camps. He did time in different camps, including in Voronezh in 1945-1950. He worked at the plant "Intaugol" in 1953-1960. From 1960 he lived in Voronezh.

Achievements

• He collected a variety of antiquities. The collection contained some furniture made by the 17th-century French craftsman A. Buhl, Napoleon’s time Sevres vase, paintings of such artists as V. Krivoruchko, K. Uspenskaya, M. Likhachev, and others. Part of the paintings and furniture was transferred to the Voronezh Regional Museum of Local Lore and Voronezh Regional Art Museum named after I. Kramskoy. Collections collected before 1917 and until 1942 were lost (only their description was preserved). He contributed to the preservation of the house in which I. Bunin was born (Revolution Avenue, 3). He maintained friendly relations with Y. Goncharov, V. Krivoruchko who made a graphic portrait of Petrovsky in 1978. He devised a completely furnished outbuilding of the house number 3 on the Revolution Avenue to the Voronezh Regional Museum of Local Lore with the aim of creating the museum of I.A. Bunin (now the outhouse is occupied by the editors of the magazine “Podyom”). He left memories about his parents which are stored in the Petrovsky’s personal collection in the State Archive of the Voronezh Region (fund R-1487). Petrovsky’s memories about flying on an airplane with I. Zaikin were published by Y. Goncharov. V. Peskov and V. Povolyayev visited Petrovsky’s place. The Povolyayev’s story called “One Saturday in Voronezh” (June 25, 1979), depicts Petrovsky.