A large brethrens’ garden is at the foot of the Prechistenskaya bell tower and the wall of the Astrakhan Kremlin. Both the residents of Astrakhan and tourists like to stroll in the garden. In the east it is overlooked by a building with a classic semicircular facade. In 19 century it was the house of the governor general of Astrakhan province.
For several centuries the main square of the White Town, the Market Square, was on the place of the brethrens’ garden. The White Town is a posad (a trading quarter), which was formed near the Kremlin by the beginning of 17 century. In that time the raids of steppe nomads were still a serious problem for Astrakhan, so in the middle of 16 century it was decided to encircle the White Town by a wall, which was nearly as strong as that of the Kremlin itself.
In the White Town there appeared the missions of merchants from Russia, Persia, Armenia and India, and eventually there were also built other beautiful stone houses in the quarter, while in the rest of Astrakhan houses were still wooden. In 19 century the walls of the White Town were pulled down because of dilapidation, but the layout of this quarter of the city was preserved, particularly around the brethrens’ garden, which is faced by beautiful buildings constructed in the style of strict classicism in 19 century.
In 1884 in the Market Square the monument of Alexander II was installed and the square was named after the emperor. However, already in 1917 the monument was removed and in 1918 on the square there were buried 180 people who perished in the battles for the establishment of the Soviet power in Astrakhan. After that trees were planted on the square and it was turned into a garden, which is now known as the brethrens’ garden.
