[Тютчев]

Viktor Baldin. Biography

Born March 1, 1920 in the village Mitinskaya Moscow region in a family of rural teachers. Graduated from Moscow Architectural Institute (1941). Candidate architecture (1972). Distinguished architect of Russia (1976). Winner of the European Prize for the preservation of ancient monuments (1992). Honorary Citizen of Sergiev Posad (1992). Honorary member of the Russia Academy of Architecture and Building Science (1994). Member of the Great Patriotic War.

Another student at the Institute of Architecture in 1938, V. Baldin involved in the restoration of monuments of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and it became his subsequent life.

In 1941, the outbreak of war after taking part in emergency disguise golden domes of churches Laura and evacuation artistic treasures of the museum was called the Military Engineering Academy Kyibyshev, graduated from an accelerated rate, and as an officer of the engineering troops participated in the battles of Kursk Bulge to the storming of Berlin and meeting with the Allied troops on the river Elbe.

In December 1945, discharged from the army to continue work on the restoration of the Trinity-St.

From 1946 to 1950 worked as artistic director Zagorskogo vocational school of restorers-builders. School has prepared over two hundred graduates for restoration workshops, created at the time of the ancient Russian cities, many stayed to work in Sergiev Posad.

Since 1950, V. Baldin continued to work on the restoration of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra has as a principal architect of the project of the Central scientific restoration workshops of the Academy of Architecture of the USSR. Based on a comprehensive survey of ancient buildings and study archival material he performed an analysis of historical and architectural ensemble of the formation of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, has developed a comprehensive restoration project. When the monuments of later accretions to a large extent restored the original beauty of the ensemble of the monastery. Materials research and the results of the restoration work included in a number of fundamental publications and textbooks on the history of architecture.

In 1963 V. Baldin was appointed director of the Research Museum of Architecture im.Schuseva in Moscow and was in that position for 25 years until his retirement in 1987. Simultaneously, he continued to conduct supervision and scientific guidance on the implementation of their projects restoration of the ancient buildings of the monastery. Many years of research and creative activity of V. Baldin contributed significantly to reveal the true beauty of this outstanding ensemble of ancient architecture, which incorporated in 1993 in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

B. Baldin author of many books and publications on the history of the Trinity-Sergius monastery, methods of restoration and protection of monuments of architecture.

Distinguished architect of Russia V. Baldin died Jan. 4, 1997 after a long illness of the heart.

  Yu Sivakova - Widow B. Baldin
September 1999