A. A. Efimov. The Initial Stage of Public Transport Development in Palace Cities: Stagecoaches
and Omnibuses in the 1830s — Early 1850s // Petersburg Historical Journal, no. 1, 2026, pp. 33–44.

DOI: 10.51255/2311–603X_2026_1_33

Abstract:

The article addresses one of the important issues of the existence of palace towns in the 19th century, highlighting the initial stage of public transport development in these settlements. In relation to the period under consideration, the author recognizes stagecoaches and omnibuses owned by companies or private entrepreneurs as such. The article notes that until the 1830s, multi-seat carriages operated only for trips between the capital, St. Petersburg and the nearest residences, Tsarskoye Selo and Peterhof. The main player in this field was the Society of the Initial Establishment of Stagecoaches, founded in 1820, which worked in both directions. At the same time, it also had local competitors. The opening of the Tsarskoye Selo Railway in the autumn of 1837 created serious competition for the Company, but entrepreneurs responded promptly, opening in 1838 a service between Gatchina and Tsarskoye Selo to replace the route from the capital, which had become unprofitable. In the following decade and a half, several new entrepreneurs appeared in the sphere of stagecoach service, organizing trips along the already mentioned routes St. Petersburg — Tsarskoye Selo, St. Petersburg — Peterhof and Tsarskoye Selo — Gatchina, and opening a service between Tsarskoye Selo and Pavlovsk, as well as intracity transportation, in Tsarskoye Selo to the railway station, and in Peterhof — to the steamship pier. The progressive development of railway service by the 1850s increasingly complicated the existence of stagecoach service. At the same time, officials, on the one hand, tightened the conditions for entrepreneurs, ordering the Gatchina — Tsarskoye Selo line to synchronize the frequency of arrival and departure of crews with the train schedule, and on the other hand, they tried to prevent the complete ruin of already operating entrepreneurs, limiting competition in the conditions of unstable passenger flow, which did not guarantee significant income even for the only transporter.

Key words: palace cities, Tsarskoye Selo, Peterhof, Gatchina, Initial establishment of stagecoaches, Baron O. F. Rosen, A. I. Chernov.

Author:

Yefimov, Andrey Aleksandrovich — PhD in History, senior research fellow, Saint Petersburg Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg, Russia).
E-mail: aaefimov5@gmail.com
ORCID: 0000-0001-9016-1091

References:
Bekasova, A. V. Dilizhansy na dorogakh Rossii XIX v.: ot zamysla — k praktike voploshcheniya
[Stagecoaches on Russian Roads in the 19th Century: From Design to Production. In Russ.]. In Quaestio Rossica. 2017. Vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 32–55. DOI 10.15826/qr.2017.1.209

Biryukova, A. B. Blagoustroystvo povolzhskikh gorodov kak raznovidnost’ gradostroitel’noi praktiki(konets XVIII — pervaya polovina XIX vv.) [Improvement of the Volga Cities as a Type of Urban Planning Practice (Late 18th — First Half of the 19th Centuries). In Russ.] In Solov’eva S. V. (ed.) Modernizatsiya kul’tury: ot kul’turnoi politiki k vlasti kul’tury. Materialy IV Mezhdunarodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii. Samara, SGIK press, 2016, pp. 321–327.

Il’in, A. Yu. Razvitiye gorodskogo khozyaistva regional’nykh tsentrov Rossii v usloviyakh urbanizatsii XVIII–XX vv. [Development of Urban Economy of Regional Centers of Russia in the Context of Urbanization of the 18th–20th Centuries. In Russ.]. Tambov, Michurinsk publ., 2018. 467 p.

Istomina, E. G. Puti soobshcheniya i transport v Rossii v XVI — nachale XX v. [Communication Routes and Transport in Russia in the 16th — Early 20th Centuries. In Russ.]. In Aver’yanov, K. A. (ed.) Istoricheskaya geografiya Rossii, IX — nachalo XX veka: Territoriya. Naseleniye. Ekonomika: ocherki. Moscow, Institut rossiiskoi istorii RAN publ., 2013, pp. 166–229.

Konovalova, N. A. Obnovleniye gorodskogo khozyaistva Moskvy pri gorodskom golove N. A. Alekseyeve [Renewal of the Moscow Urban Economy under the Mayor N. A. Alekseev. In Russ.]. In Orlov, S. V. (ed.) Moskovskaya gorodskaya duma. 1862–1917 gg. Materialy nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii. Moscow, Moskovskaya Gorodskaya Duma publ., 2019, pp. 102–112.

Kurmakaeva, D. Yu. Iz istorii stanovleniya obshchestvennogo transporta Saratova [From the History of the Formation of Public Transport in Saratov. In Russ.]. In Izvestiya Saratovskogo universiteta. Novaya ser. Ser. Istoriya. Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya. 2011. Vol. 11, no. 2–2, pp. 101–105.

Lizunov, P. V. Obshchestvo pervonachal’nogo zavedeniya dilizhansov: pervaya aktsionernaya
transportnaya kompaniya v Rossii [Society for the Initial Establishment of Travelling Diligences Connection: the First Transport Company in Russia. In Russ.]. In Vestnik Rossiiskogo universiteta druzhby narodov. Ser. Istoriya Rossii. 2012. No. 4, pp. 80–93.

Makarov, D. V., Zaitseva, I. A., Andreyeva, O. R., Tseloval’nikova, N. V., Ostryakova, Yu. Ye. Istoricheskiye aspekty razvitiya zhilishchno-kommunal’nogo khozyaistva v Rossii (XVII–XXI vv.) [Historical Aspects of the Development of Housing and Communal Services in Russia (17th–21st Centuries). In Russ.]. Ivanovo, LISTOS publ., 2015. 72 p.

Mamayev, A. V. Gorodskoe blagoustroistvo, finansy i vopros o munitsipalizatsii v Rossii nakanune
revolyutsii 1917 goda [Urban Development, Finances and the Issue of Municipalization in Russia on the Eve of the 1917 Revolution. In Russ.]. In Istoriko-ekonomicheskiye issledovaniya. 2016. Vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 321–342.

Nardova, V. A., Sukhorukova, A. S, Chistikov, A. N. Gorodskoe khozyaistvo Peterburga: XIX — nachalo XX veka [Urban Economy of St. Petersburg: 19th — Early 20th Centuries. In Russ.]. St. Petersburg, Kreativ publ., 2014. 399 p.

Nesmeyanova, I. I. Ministerstvo imperatorskogo dvora i udelov v istorii rossiiskoi gosudarstvennosti [The Ministry of the Imperial Court and Appanages in the History of Russian Statehood. In Russ.]. Chelyabinsk, Yuzhno-Ural’skoe knizhnoe izdatel’stvo, 2009. 275 p.

Sergienko, M. A. Transformatsiya povsednevnoi zhizni provintsial’nykh rossiiskikh gorodov pod
vliyaniem tekhnicheskikh innovatsii vo vtoroi polovine XIX — nachale XX vv. (na primere Kurskoi gubernii) [Transformation of Everyday Life in Provincial Russian Cities under the Influence of Technical Innovations in the Second Half of the 19th — Early 20th Centuries (on the Example of Kursk Province). In Russ.]. In Nauchnye vedomosti Belgorodskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Ser. Istoriya. Politologiya. 2015. No. 1 (198), pp. 105–110.

Shapilov, E. D., Velichenko, M. N., Protsai, L. A. Ot konki do tramvaya: iz istorii peterburgskogo transporta [From Horse-Drawn Tram to Tram: from the History of St. Petersburg Transport. In Russ.]. St. Petersburg, Liki Rossii publ.; Moscow, Dzhuliya publ., 1993. 239 p.

Skubnevskii, V.A., Goncharov, Yu. M. Goroda Zapadnoi Sibiri vo vtoroi polovine XIX — nachale XX v. Naselenie. Ekonomika. Zastroika i blagoustroistvo [Cities of Western Siberia in the Second Half of the 19th — Early 20th Centuries. Population. Economy. Development and Improvement. In Russ.]. Barnaul, 2007. 292 p.

Tarkhov, S. A. Gorodskoi passazhirskii transport Moskvy: Kratkii istoricheskii ocherk k 125-letiu
vozniknoveniya [Urban Passenger Transport of Moscow: Brief Historical Essay for the 125th Anniversary of its Emergence. In Russ.]. Moscow, Mosgortrans publ., 1997. 96 p.

Tarkhov, S. A. Gorodskoi transport Rossiiskoi Imperii v gody Pervoi mirovoi voiny [Urban Transport of the Russian Empire during the First World War. In Russ.]. In Ekonomicheskii zhurnal. 2014. No. 4 (36), pp. 89–124.

Volkov, M. V., Kolbasnikova, M. A. Istoriya zarozhdeniya i razvitiya passazhirskogo transporta v Rossii [History of the Origin and Development of Passenger Transport in Russia. In Russ.]. In Vestnik transporta. 2012. No. 6, pp. 32–39.

Vyskochkov, L. V. Budni i prazdniki imperatorskogo dvora [Weekdays and Holidays of the Imperial Court. In Russ.]. St. Petersburg, Piter publ., 2012. 496 p.

Zimin, I. V. Povsednevnaya zhizn’ rossiiskogo imperatorskogo dvora, vtoraya chetvert’ XIX — nachalo XX v. Vzroslyi mir imperatorskikh rezidentsii [Everyday Life of the Russian Imperial Court, Second Quarter of the 19th — Early 20th Century. The Adult World of Imperial Residences. In Russ.]. Moscow, Tsentrpoligraf publ., 2012. 556 p.

    Similar Posts

    PHJ № 1 (49) 2026 — E. N. MALM. IN THE MILLSTONES OF TIME. NEW DOCUMENTS

    The article is dedicated to the fate of E. N. Malm. With his inseparable friend M. A. Bogdanov after the split of the Socialist Revolutionary Party they became members of her left wing and employees of the Cheka in 1918 year, sent to Petrograd to infiltrate the German consulate. After the events of July 6–7, 1918 they become resolute opponents of the Bolsheviks. They conducted underground work in the Smolensk, Vitebsk, and Kazan provinces. When they were arrested in Kazan in October 1919 they shot the former Left Socialist Revolutionary, the Cheka agent Zhuravlev (Petrov), and fled. They were detained on April 19, 1920, after a shootout. On September 29, 1920, the Moscow Revolutionary Tribunal issued a decision on their release. But then they were again arrested by the Chekists. In August 1921, made the armed escape from Tagansky prison, passed to illegal status, tried to recreate in 1922 the illegal organization of the left Social Revolutionaries internationalists in Petrograd. Being once again arrested, they were in exile in Siberia. After the death of M. A. Bogdanov in 1924 E. N. Malm continued for some time political activity. At the end of the term of exile in 1926, having moved to the Crimea, he became a specialist in Black Sea dolphins and algae. He was subjected to new arrests, and in 1938 he was invited as a senior researcher to the Neurochirurgical Institute in Leningrad. He was once again arrested in September 1941 and tragically died in October 1941 during a stage in Lake Ladoga.

    |

    PHJ № 1 (49) 2026 — N. A. Khrebtov. “THE ERADICATION OF ENEMIES AND CRIMINALS”: THE PERFORMANCE OF POLICE AND FISCAL TASKS BY MILITARY PERSONNEL OF THE GARRISONS OF THE NORTH OF RUSSIA IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 18TH CENTURY

    Garrison troops, as an integral part of the Russian army, were created under Peter the Great. During the 18th century, they were reformed and underwent structural changes. In addition, the functionality of this type of troops has also changed. Extensive modern historiography devoted to service in the garrisons in the 18th century examines the problems of military service and tasks but does not provide a comprehensive assessment. The funds of the State Archive of the Arkhangelsk Region and the National Archive of the Republic of Karelia store a significant number of reports, lists, orders and other materials covering this topic in detail. Based on the analysis of the Russian North garrisons’ office records and legislative acts, it was possible to conclude that police and fiscal tasks occupied an important place in the official duties of the garrison officer.

    PHJ № 1 (49) 2026 — G. V. Krivchenkov. FORMS OF CHARITY DURING THE RUSSO-TURKISH WAR OF 1877–1878 (BASED ON MATERIALS FROM THE SMOLENSK PROVINCE)

    The article deals with the organization and holding of charitable events during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 in the Smolensk province. The main attention is paid to the joint work of the provincial administration of the Red Cross, city government bodies and the landed gentry in opening hospitals in the province. Ladies of the noble class participated in the organization of charity circles at the provincial administration of the Red Cross. Ladies’ circles provided daily care for the sick sent by the Kyiv evacuation commission to the province for treatment. Material support for ladies’ circles was provided by the landed gentry. The activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in collecting donations for the army and navy, the role of the peasant community in providing material assistance to soldiers and their families are examined. In order to collect funds, the clergy established a collection of donations from parishioners during the liturgy, and the parish clergy accepted humanitarian aid for the army from local residents. Due to poverty, Smolensk peasants often participated in charitable events by collecting food and things that they themselves used in everyday life. Peasants donated warm clothes for the transportation of wounded soldiers from railway stations to medical institutions in the winter. The peasant community made decisions on collecting donations at village meetings. According to reports from Red Cross commissioners and officers, the humanitarian aid from Smolensk was of
    good quality. The author concludes that the mass participation of the population in charitable activities during the war years is associated with the idea of its fair nature.

    PHJ № 1 (49) 2026 — V. I. Goldin. THE RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR IN THE PAGES OF THE NEW MULTI-VOLUME ACADEMIC “HISTORY OF RUSSIA”

    The article reveals the concept and results of the work on the 12th volume “Civil War in Russia. 1917–1922” of the 20-volume academic “History of Russia”. The composition of the author team of this edition is described, as well as its structure, concept, methodology, and key ideas. It is emphasized, that this volume is based on a systematic and interdisciplinary approach to understanding the Civil War era. This allowed examining this war not only as a military, military-political, and socio-political phenomenon, but also through a deep analysis of social and economic processes, national and interethnic relations, demography, culture, and spirituality, in their close and organic relationship, using methods and approaches from various sciences. The article describes the unique phenomenon of the Russian Civil War as a complex, multifaceted, and multilateral event, as a series of wars and various conflicts and confrontations. The Civil War is characterized in an inextricable relationship with the international armed intervention of two military-political coalitions and separate states, as well as other forms and types of foreign interference. This epoch is revealed as the greatest drama and tragedy of Russian statehood, the people, and society. The author analyzes the results and historical lessons of the Russian Civil War, as well as the problems of historical memory about it. The article describes how a new academic edition about the Russian Civil War has been received by experts and the scientific
    community.

    PHJ № 1 (49) 2026 — L. A. Gerd. FRANCO-RUSSIAN RIVALRY IN EASTERN THRACE (1856–1870S)

    The end of the 1850s and the 1860s were a period of the highest tension in the Greek-Bulgarian counter-action in the church-national question. The struggle of the Bulgarians against the Greek high clergy was used by the diplomacy of the powers (Russia, France and Great Britain) for strengthening of their influence in the Balkans. The Russian representatives supported Orthodoxy, while the French diplomats and missionaries tried to convert the Bulgarians into the Union with Rome. The article is focused on the methods of struggle of the Bulgarian population of Adrianople and Eastern Thrace, used by the secular and religious agents of the concurrent powers (Russia and France), and the results of their activities. Basing on the reports of French diplomats conclusions are made concerning the missionary work in the colonial policy of France in the third quarter of the 19th century.

    PHJ № 1 (49) 2026 — A. A. Ivanov. AN ACCIDENTAL DIPLOMAT: ALFRED WILL KLIEFOTH AND THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION OF 1917

    The revolutionary events of 1917 had an impact not only on domestic political, economic, socio-cultural institutions and international processes, but also significantly influenced the worldview of the participants. For some of them, the rise of the Bolsheviks and the subsequent civil war became a traumatic experience that led to a significant shift in their system of values. At the same time, the internationalization of the military-political confrontation in Russia allowed foreign military personnel, intelligence officers, and diplomats to gain practical experience in dealing with socialist parties and develop their skills in countering them, which became a factor in their career advancement. It was the experts who served together in the American Embassy in Russia during the Revolution and in the American Military Mission during the intervention who later formed the core of the divisions responsible for analyzing relations with USSR in the U. S. Department of State. One of these specialists was Alfred Will Kliefoth, whose career allows us to understand many of the implicit aspects of the Soviet-American confrontation in the early years of Soviet rule. This article explores the evolution of the beliefs of A. W. Kliefoth during the early stages of his diplomatic career — from pacifism to anti-Bolshevism. The research is based on the documents of American government agencies, writings and interviews by A. W. Kliefoth, as well as the works of Russian and foreign historians.