Sovietskaya
The Opera and Ballet Theatre
Strictly speaking, Sovietskaya isn’t Sovietskaya anymore.
- Until 1919, it was called Market Street, (The reason it was called Market Street was because there was a large market just to the East of the junction of what is now Frunze and Sovietskaya. It was called the “Flour Market” – but it sold virtually everything.)
- In 1919 it was renamed Sovietskaya
- The part south (up) from the railway line was developed in the postwar period and for some time was known as New Sovietskaya, (Novisovietskaya). In 1956, the underpass below the railway was dug out connecting the two parts.
- In 1990 the upper part of the street, from the railway line South (up) to Orto Sai village was renamed Baitik Baatyr after the pro Russian leader of the Solto tribe who played a decisive role in the liberation of Pishpek from the Kokand Khanate in opposed the Kokand Khanat in 1862
- In 2001 the lower part of Sovietskaya, from the railway line North (down) to the Large Chui Canal (Bolshoi Chuiskiy Canal – known to locals as the Be-Che-Ka) was renamed Abdrakhmanova after the stateman Djusup Addrachmanov.
The Circus
Today it could be considered the “Main Street” or “Oxford Street” – the main commercial thoroughfare - in Bishkek. The area around the intersection with Moskovskaya is known locally as MosSoviet and there are many shops, exchange offices, cafes, (and, for a time, Bishkek’s only sexshop). There are a number of “trade centers” or department stores … but rather than being owned and run by one company, space on the sales floor is often let to tenants and the upper floors of the building are residential accommodation.
The road stretches the full extent of the city from North to South – but, as noted above, now it is technically two different streets and the description that follows is of part of the lower one Abdrachmanova.
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South |
West |
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| To the south, (up), the road leads to the microdistricts, and the “South Gate” – the southern end of town. The street is lined with residential accommodation, shops cafes, the occasional park and even a miniature copy of the Eiffel Tower (outside a perfumery). | |||
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Under the Railway Bridge |
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| A bank, shops and residential accommodation … and the offices of Bishkek’s main newspaper “Vecherniye Bishkek” – Evening Bishkek. | Offices of Turkish and KazCommerce Bank, residential accommodation and a gymnasium | ||
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Bokonbaeva Street |
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| A bank, shops and residential accommodation … | Amongst the exchange offices, many shops selling gold and silver jewellery, (and, at one time, Bishkek’s only sex shop). | ||
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Moskovskaya |
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| Shops, supermarkets, exchange offices … | A Children’s Park was constructed on the corner of Moskovskaya and Sovietskaya . Behind it are Shops, supermarkets, exchange offices … | ||
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Toktogula Street |
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| Shops, supermarkets, exchange offices … The fountains in front of the shop, decorated with mosaic tiles used to be favourite place for children to “swim” and paddle during hot summer months. | Shops, supermarkets, exchange offices … | ||
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Kievskaya |
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| The Central Post Office - with Bishkek’s “Big Ben” clock tower -occpies the entire block. | Shops, supermarkets, exchange offices … | ||
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In the distance, after some open space, and some street traders, there is TsUM or ZUM Aichurek - one of the main department stores in Bishkek, established in 1956, but moved into the present building in 1974. There are about 700 tenants, offering a wide range of consumer foods and souvenirs on four trading floors, an outdoor market, a business center renting office space, and there plans to develop even more retail space, 4000 square meters of car park space, an entertainment space. The store receives on average 20000 visitors per day.The KABAR(State news agency) building
Statue of Toktogul Satylganov. The poet, singer, instrumentalist lived from 1864 until 1933. Toktogul not only has a street in Bishkek, a power station and Water Reservoir named after him, but there is a museum dedicated to him and he appears on the 100 som note. This bronze statue was cast in 1974 and the Komuz featured can be seen in the Historical Museum. The Opera and Ballet Theater. Built in 1955, the facade has a relief and some statues. Inside there are several fine examples of Soviet style painting depicting many nationalities gathering for a wedding and scenery from the republic. The Hyatt Regency Hotel – currently Bishkek’s first, and for a long time only, 5 star hotel. In the grounds of the hotel is a statue of Bubusara, a famous ballerina who in her later years trained several generations of dancers and was one of the founders of the Kyrgyz ballet school. She appears on the 5 som note. Where there is now a fountain used to stand a wooden mosque – established by the Tatar philanthropist Daulbaev - it was said to be one of the most beautiful sights in Frunze, combining Central Asian traditional architecture with European monumentalism with carved columns, and high vaulted ceilings. In the Soviet period it was converted into a puppet theater, but burnt down in 1965. The building on the corner is the Central Apteka (Chemist/drugstore.) <<< to the East was the Flour Market – which sold virtually everything. There was a stall which sold grain, livestock such as cows and horses, watermelons – and in the words of one report “everything, everything.” |
Monument to the Matyrs of the Revolution– ereceted in 1978. The main figure is Urkuya Salieva (1910-1934), and early socialist organizer in Southern Kyrgyzstan – apparently murdered by “rich peasants”. Around her are the “awakening” proletariat. The monument was erected in 1978 by Sadykov … and was awarded the All Union Lenin Prize.The two storey hotel used to house the offices of the Delo No. Newspaper.
Statue of Aaly Tokombaev, a famous 20th Century akyn (bard) who was instrumental in developing the modern form of written Kyrgyz using a modified version of the Cyrillic alphabet The Museum of Fine Arts. Dedicated to Kyrgyz folk and applied arts; Russian and Soviet Art – the museum began as the State Picture Gallery and was located in the St Nicholas Church in Oak Park. The church now houses the Gallery of the Artists’ Union. The present building was built in 1974 as one of the projects in the grand scheme for improving the capital and features a yurt and a permanent exhibition of shyrdaks and other traditional crafts. The full collection numbers some 17500 works of art: paintings, drawings, sculptures and examples of traditional decorative and applied art. There are also several galleries of paintings from the soviet period, a room of replicas of Egyptian, Greek and classical Western sculptures, and a collection of linocuts based on the Manas epic by Hertzen. The museum also houses temporary exhibits. |
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Abdumomunova Street |
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| The building on the corner used to house the offices of the Vecherniy Bishkek (Evening Bishkek) newspaper, Slovo Kyrgyzstan and other newspapers. The home of the first newspapers in Bishkek.The Amuzement Arcade on the corner of Sovietskaya and Frunze was one of the few buildings in the capital in which it was possible to see Kyrgyz writing in the original Arabic script. The inscription was over the door on the corner – but is now hidden behind a yellow name sign. The inscription belongs to the time when this was a Savings Bank. For many older people this Bank is associated with bad memories. Apparently, because of rumours that the Nazis had forged lots of banknotes Stalin ordered a currency reform. People brought bags of money to the bank – and lost it all. | |||
| The place where stood the building in which the first meeting of the Supreme Soviet of the Kyrgyz SSR was held.The round building is The Circus built in 1976. Sometimes, local acts perform here – but it also plays host to a number of visiting troupes from China and other CIS countries. | On the corner of Sovietskaya and Frunze is the National Library which has over the years since it was founded in 1934 it has become one of the major repositories of culture in the country. It moved into its present home on Sovietskaya in 1984 – to mark its 50th anniversary. Outside the museum is a statue of Osmonov, a Kyrgyz Poet. He also appears on the 200 som note.On the site of the library there used to be a cafeteria which sold “Cutlets – only to members of a trade union!”, as well as a Haberdashery and bookshop.In the small park area behind the National Library, hidden amongst the trees is the statue of Dzerzhinsky. | ||
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Ivanitsyn Street |
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The Weddings Palace The Palace of Weddings Shops and residential accommodation … |
Shops and residential accommodation … | ||
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Jibek Jolu |
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| Just over a kilometer further down about is Karagachevaya Rosha – a park laid out by Alexei Fetisov in 1881 on swampland. The park is criss-crossed by concrete walkways beneath the trees and is especially attractive in Autumn and Winter – but because it is so far from the city centre attracts fewer visitors than it’s size might merit. There are two small, manmade, lakes – still called Pioneer and Komsomolskoye – where children swim during the summer. The paved road which bisects the grove used to be the main Vernoe (Almaty) post road. It has over 50 species of trees and shrubs and houses dendrarium and a branch of the botanical gardens. | A little further down the street, set back behind some open land is the house of Terentiev, the first mayor of Bishkek and which was once occupied by M. V. Frunze. | ||
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North |
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Bishkek