Preserving the memory of V. K. Shtil'ke in Barnaul: the living grounds, forms, and limits of memorialization in the pre-revolutionary period of domestic history

The subject of the study is the lifetime foundations and posthumous practices of preserving the memory of the Barnaul educator Vasily Konstantinovich Shtilke from the 1880s to 1917. The aim of the study is to determine which features of his lifetime reputation shaped attitudes toward him after his death, who participated in commemorating his name, and why the initiatives that were proposed met with different outcomes. The article examines the organization of his funeral, commemorations on the anniversaries of his death, the activities of the V. K. Shtilke Library at the Zaichanskaya School, plans to open a school and erect a monument in his name, as well as care for his burial site and the preservation of funeral wreaths. The participation of Shtilke’s relatives, teachers, members of the school society, journalists, and municipal authorities is analyzed. The source base includes publications from Sibirskaya Zhizn, Zhizn Altaya, and Sibirskiye Voprosy, diocesan reports, official surveys, and published documentary collections. The study is based on sociocultural, historical-anthropological, and microhistorical approaches. Historical-genetic, problem-chronological, and comparative methods are used to identify the stages in the development of commemorative practices and to assess their sustainability. The scholarly novelty of the study lies in identifying the range of participants involved in the memorialization of V. K. Shtilke and the conditions that determined the implementation and sustainability of individual commemorative initiatives. It is shown that Shtilke’s lifetime public image was associated with public education, civic activity, and ideas of civic duty. After his death, these features were reflected in the large public farewell, obituaries, and inscriptions on funeral wreaths. Subsequently, his memory was maintained by teachers, the school society, relatives, and the periodical press. The municipal authorities limited their involvement to isolated actions. The most sustainable form of commemoration proved to be the library named after V. K. Shtilke at the Zaichanskaya School. Other initiatives that lacked sufficient funding and clearly responsible organizers were either not implemented or did not receive further development. The study concludes that the pre-revolutionary commemoration of the educator was predominantly public in character and that the sustainability of commemorative initiatives depended on the resources and capabilities of a relatively small group of participants. The results may be used in studies of the history of Barnaul, public education, and the civic life of Siberian cities.