Panorama of Topeka (Kansas). Virtual tour of Topeka (Kansas)
Useful information for tourists about Topeka in the USA - geographical position, tourist infrastructure, map, architectural features and attractions.
Topeka is a small American city, which is the administrative center of the state of Kansas, as well as Shawnee County. The city is located in the central part of the United States of America at the intersection of US 75 and Interstate I-70. In the city with a total area of 148 sq. km, more than 122 thousand people live, and together with the suburbs - about 227 thousand people.
In the 1840s the settlers moved west from the city of Independence, starting their long journey (3 thousand km) along a rather difficult and dangerous road, which later became known as the Oregon Way. Somewhere in Kansas City, 100 km west of the Missouri River crossing, three French-Canadian brothers with the surname Papan married three sisters from the Kansa Indian tribe. As a result, the brothers, by the will of their wives, decided to stop the journey and remained in the tribe. Subsequently, despite the fact that numerous settlers crossed the Kansas River with difficulty, the Papan family decided to build a paid ferry crossing here. In the middle of the XIX century. the crossing was the only sign of civilization in the region. The brothers named the crossing Topeka, which is translated from Native American as "the place where they grow good potatoes."
In the first half of the 1850s. traffic along the Oregon Way was supplemented by trade along the military road, which passed through Topeka from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Riley. In 1854, the heads of nine families living at that time near the crossing announced the founding of the city of Topeka. By the end of the 1860s. Topeka became the main economic center of all the surrounding territories, and soon the capital of Kansas.
In June 1966, a strong tornado swept over the city. The whirlwind, which began in the southwestern part of the city, moved to the northeast, passing over the main attraction of the city - the Burnet mound. According to an ancient Indian legend, this mound is able to protect Topeka from a tornado strike if left undisturbed. Earlier, a water tower was built on top of the mound, which, according to the local residents, was the cause of such a misfortune. But, despite the severe destruction, the city recovered very quickly.
To date, Topeka's important industries are: real estate, finance, insurance, administration, healthcare, education, as well as social services and entertainment.
Topeka is beautiful and interesting city. Despite the fact that Topeka is not very rich in attractions, tourists here are never bored. The main pearl of the city is the majestic building of the Capitol.
A wonderful city zoo and a fascinating children's zoo are especially popular with children. Entertainment Center. In addition, the city has many cafes and restaurants for every taste, where you can relax.
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| City | |||
| English Topeka | |||
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| 39°02′ s. sh. 95°41′ W d. | |||
| Country | |||
| Status | state capital | ||
| State | |||
| county | Shawnee | ||
| Mayor | William Banten (eng. William W. Bunten) |
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| History and geography | |||
| Founded | 1854 | ||
| City with | 1857 | ||
| Square | 147 km² | ||
| Center height | 288 m | ||
| Timezone | UTC−6 | ||
| Population | |||
| Population | 128,188 people (2011) | ||
| Agglomeration | 233 870 | ||
| Digital IDs | |||
| Telephone code | +1 785 | ||
| Postal codes | 66601-66612, 66614-66622, 66624-66626, 66628-66629, 66636-66637, 66642, 66647, 66652-66653, 66667, 66675, 66683, 66692, 66699 | ||
| topeka.org (English) | |||
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Topeka(eng. Topeka) - a city in the central part, the administrative center of the state and Shawnee County.
Story
19th century
In the 1840s, wagons of settlers set off west from Independence, Missouri, beginning their 3,000-kilometer journey along the difficult and dangerous road that later became known as the Oregon Way. About 100 kilometers west of the Missouri crossing near Kansas City, three French Canadian brothers named Papan married three sisters from the local Kansa Indian tribe. The wives persuaded the brothers not to move further west, but to stay here. Seeing numerous settlers crossing the Kansas River with great difficulty, the brothers decided to organize a ferry crossing and earn a living from this. In the 1840s and 1850s, the crossing was the only sign of civilization in the area. The Papan brothers named her Topeka, which is mother tongue their wives meant " a place where good potatoes are dug up”(The Indians called this area so even before the arrival of the whites).
In the early 1850s, traffic along the Oregon Way was supplemented by commerce along the new military road from Fort Leavenworth through Topeka to Fort Riley. In 1854, the heads of nine families who by that time lived near the crossing announced the formation of the city of Topeka at the first city meeting. Soon steamboats began mooring at the new city's wharf, delivering meat, lumber, flour, and manufactured goods, and exporting potatoes, corn, and wheat east. By the end of the 1860s, Topeka had become the economic center of the surrounding area, providing the townspeople with almost all the amenities available in those years.
Topeka, 1869
After a decade of violent conflict between supporters and opponents of slavery, Kansas was admitted to the United States in 1861 as the 34th state. Topeka was chosen as the capital by Dr. Charles Robinson, the state's first governor. In 1862, Cyrus K. Holiday donated a piece of land within the city for the construction of the Capitol. Construction of the Kansas State Capitol began in 1866 and took 37 years to complete. The east wing was built first, then the west, and finally the central building. In the fall of 1864, a wooden fort, later named Fort Simple, was built at 6th Street and Kansas Avenue to protect Topeka from Confederate forces from Missouri. The offensive never took place, the fort was abandoned in April 1865 and demolished in April 1867.
Despite the fact that the drought of 1860 and the period civil war slowed down the growth of the city and the state as a whole, Topeka quickly restored the pre-war growth rate, which slowed down again only in 1870. In the 1870s, many former slaves settled on the east side of Lincoln Street between Munson Avenue and Twelfth Street. The area became known as "Tennessee" because many of them were from that state. The first African American kindergarten west of the Mississippi was established there in 1893.
Lincoln College, now Washburn University, was established in Topeka in 1865 by a joint act of the government of Kansas and the General Association of Kansas Rectors and Churches. In 1869 Railway began to move west from Topeka, and in 1878 the headquarters of the railway company moved to the city ATSF.
In the late 1880s, Topeka went through a boom period that ended in economic collapse. In 1889 the bubble of speculative prices for land and real estate burst, and many investors were completely ruined. Topeka, however, doubled its population during this period and weathered the American-wide depression of the 1890s with relative ease.
20th century
Location of the first kindergarten for black children west of the Mississippi River, Topeka is also the home of Linda Brown, who became the plaintiff in the famous Brown v. Board of Education lawsuit, which led to the elimination of the principle of "separate but equal" (education of black and white children) and racial mixing in American public schools. It is curious that although in 1960 Topeka was 91.8% white and only 7.7% African American, the city became one of the main arenas in the United States for the struggle of the black population to eliminate segregation. The arrival of black children in formerly "white" public schools led to a significant exodus of white students to private schools.
Brown v. Board of Education was the most famous event in Topeka's history, establishing its reputation as a liberal, anti-racist city. However, new, more radical black "anti-racist" groups gradually emerged in the city, such as the Topeka Anti-Racism Task Force. Task Force to Overcome Racism in Topeka), whose activities receive quite conflicting reviews.
1966 tornado
On June 8, 1966, Topeka was hit by an F5 tornado on the Fujita scale. Starting in the southwestern outskirts of the city and moving to the northeast, the whirlwind passed over the local landmark, Burnet Mound. According to an old Indian legend, this mound is able to protect the city from tornadoes if left undisturbed. A few years before the tornado hit, a water tower was built on the mound. According to local natives, this was the cause of the misfortune. The total cost of damage from the impact exceeded $100 million in 1966 dollars, making it one of the costliest tornadoes in US history. However, the city quickly recovered from what had happened.
In 1974, Forbes Air Force Base was closed and more than 10,000 people who worked at it left Topeka, which affected the city's economy for many years after the base was closed. In the 1980s, citizens voted to build a new airport, a convention center, and change the structure of city government. In the early 1990s, Topeka began a period of sustained economic growth. New buildings are being built, roads are being expanded, and a large-scale program is underway to improve the city. Since such significant construction required substantial financial resources, city referendums decided several times to raise taxes, including the sales tax.
XXI Century
state capitol
In 2000, the townspeople again voted to extend the sales tax to improve the infrastructure of Topeka and Shawnee County. In August 2004, after another vote, the tax amounted to 12.5%. Each year, sales tax funds provide $5 million for local business development and job creation, and $9 million for roads and bridges. It is planned to continue the redevelopment of areas located along the Kansas River, which runs through Topeka from west to east. New residential complexes are being built along the banks of the river in the city center, the facades of old buildings are being repaired, and places for public recreation are being arranged. The city's railroad station, considered one of the finest facilities of its kind in the Midwest, has been refurbished. The Capitol is undergoing an 8-year, $283 million renovation. At the same time, the city's tax policy is criticized by a significant part of the business community, who argue that the high level of taxation deters economic development Topics. Topeka is also the home town of Westboro Baptist Church, a prominent Protestant congregation that is known for its protests throughout
USA and the fight against the GLBT society.
Geography and climate
Topeka is located in northeastern Kansas, at the intersection of Interstate I-70 and US 75. The total area is 148 km², of which 2.6 km² (or 1.70%) is water.
The city is located on the northern border of the subtropical oceanic climate zone, far from the moderating influence of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic. As a result, summers in Topeka are hot and moderately rainy, while winters are cool and dry. Winds from the northern part of the Great Prairies can cause very high (summer) or very low (winter) temperatures. The interaction of warm and humid air from the Gulf of Mexico with the dry and cold winds of the Great Prairies often causes thunderstorms and tornadoes.
| Climate Topeka | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Index | Jan. | Feb. | March | Apr. | May | June | July | Aug. | Sen. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | Year |
| Absolute maximum, °C | 25,0 | 28,8 | 33,8 | 36,1 | 39,4 | 42,7 | 45,5 | 45,0 | 43,3 | 36,1 | 29,4 | 25,0 | 45,5 |
| Average maximum, °C | 4,3 | 7,2 | 13,5 | 19,2 | 24,3 | 29,2 | 31,9 | 31,4 | 26,8 | 20,2 | 12,5 | 5,3 | 18,8 |
| Average temperature, °C | −1,2 | 1,3 | 7,1 | 12,8 | 18,3 | 23,4 | 26,1 | 25,2 | 20,1 | 13,6 | 6,5 | 0,0 | 12,7 |
| Average minimum, °C | −6,8 | −4,5 | 0,7 | 6,3 | 12,3 | 17,6 | 20,2 | 19,0 | 13,5 | 7,0 | 0,5 | −5,3 | 6,7 |
| Absolute minimum, °C | −30,5 | −31,6 | −21,6 | −12,2 | −3,3 | 2,2 | 6,1 | 4,4 | −1,6 | −8,8 | −20,5 | −32,2 | −32,2 |
| Precipitation rate, mm | 21 | 33 | 63 | 89 | 124 | 137 | 97 | 107 | 92 | 76 | 46 | 34 | 919 |
Topeka is a city in the central part of the United States, the capital of the state of Kansas and Shawnee County.
In the 1840s, wagons of settlers set off west from Independence, Missouri, beginning their 3,000-kilometer journey along the difficult and dangerous road that later became known as the Oregon Way. About 100 kilometers west of the Missouri crossing near Kansas City, three French Canadian brothers named Papan married three sisters from the local Kansa Indian tribe. The wives persuaded the brothers not to move further west, but to stay here. Seeing numerous settlers crossing the Kansas River with great difficulty, the brothers decided to organize a ferry crossing and earn a living from this. In the 1840s and 1850s, the crossing was the only sign of civilization in the area. The Papan brothers named it Topeka, which in their wives' native language meant "a place where they dig good potatoes" (the Indians called this area even before the arrival of the whites). In the early 1850s, traffic along the Oregon Way was supplemented by commerce along the new military road from Fort Leavenworth through Topeka to Fort Riley. In 1854, the heads of nine families who by that time lived near the crossing announced the formation of the city of Topeka at the first city meeting. Soon steamboats began mooring at the new city's wharf, delivering meat, lumber, flour, and manufactured goods, and exporting potatoes, corn, and wheat east. By the end of the 1860s, Topeka had become the economic center of the surrounding area, providing the townspeople with almost all the amenities available in those years. After a decade of violent conflict between supporters and opponents of slavery, Kansas was admitted to the United States in 1861 as the 34th state. Topeka was chosen as the capital by Dr. Charles Robinson, the state's first governor. In 1862, Cyrus K. Holiday donated a piece of land within the city for the construction of the Capitol. Construction of the Kansas State Capitol began in 1866 and took 37 years to complete. The east wing was built first, then the west, and finally the central building. In the fall of 1864, a wooden fort, later named Fort Simple, was built at 6th Street and Kansas Avenue to protect Topeka from Confederate forces from Missouri. The offensive never took place, the fort was abandoned in April 1865 and demolished in April 1867. Despite the fact that the drought of 1860 and the period of the Civil War slowed the growth of the city and the state as a whole, Topeka quickly restored the pre-war growth rate, which slowed down again only in 1870. In the 1870s, many former slaves settled on the east side of Lincoln Street between Munson Avenue and Twelfth Street. The area became known as "Tennessee" because many of them were from that state. The first African American kindergarten west of the Mississippi was established there in 1893. Lincoln College, now Washburn University, was established in 1865 in Topeka by a joint ordinance…
66601-66612, 66614-66622, 66624-66626, 66628-66629, 66636-66637, 66642, 66647, 66652-66653, 66667, 66675, 66683, 66692, 66699
(English)
Story
19th century
In the 1840s, settler wagons set off west from Independence, Missouri, beginning their 3,000-kilometer journey along the difficult and dangerous road that would later become known as the Oregon Way. About 100 kilometers west of the Missouri crossing near Kansas City, three French Canadian brothers named Papan married three sisters from the local Kansa Indian tribe. The wives persuaded the brothers not to move further west, but to stay here. Seeing numerous settlers crossing the Kansas River with great difficulty, the brothers decided to organize a ferry crossing and earn a living from this. In the 1840s and 1850s, the crossing was the only sign of civilization in the area. The Papan brothers named her Topeka, which in their wives' native language meant " a place where good potatoes are dug up”(The Indians called this area so even before the arrival of the whites).
In the early 1850s, traffic along the Oregon Way was supplemented by commerce along the new military road from Fort Leavenworth through Topeka to Fort Riley. In 1854, the heads of nine families who by that time lived near the crossing announced the formation of the city of Topeka at the first city meeting. Soon steamboats began mooring at the new city's wharf, delivering meat, lumber, flour, and manufactured goods, and exporting potatoes, corn, and wheat east. By the end of the 1860s, Topeka had become the economic center of the surrounding area, providing the townspeople with almost all the amenities available in those years.
In the late 1880s, Topeka went through a boom period that ended in economic collapse. In 1889 the bubble of speculative prices for land and real estate burst, and many investors were completely ruined. Topeka, however, doubled its population during this period and weathered the American-wide depression of the 1890s with relative ease.
20th century
The site of the first preschool for black children west of the Mississippi River, Topeka is also the home of Linda Brown, who became the plaintiff in the famous Brown v. Board of Education lawsuit that led to the elimination of the principle of "separate but equal education" (education of blacks and whites). children) and racial mixing in American public schools. It is curious that although in 1960 Topeka was 91.8% white and only 7.7% African American, the city became one of the main arenas in the United States for the struggle of the black population to eliminate segregation. The arrival of black children in formerly "white" public schools led to a significant exodus of white students to private schools.
| Climate Topeka | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Index | Jan. | Feb. | March | Apr. | May | June | July | Aug. | Sen. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | Year |
| Absolute maximum, °C | 25,0 | 28,8 | 33,8 | 36,1 | 39,4 | 42,7 | 45,5 | 45,0 | 43,3 | 36,1 | 29,4 | 25,0 | 45,5 |
| Average maximum, °C | 4,3 | 7,2 | 13,5 | 19,2 | 24,3 | 29,2 | 31,9 | 31,4 | 26,8 | 20,2 | 12,5 | 5,3 | 18,8 |
| Average temperature, °C | −1,2 | 1,3 | 7,1 | 12,8 | 18,3 | 23,4 | 26,1 | 25,2 | 20,1 | 13,6 | 6,5 | 0,0 | 12,7 |
| Average minimum, °C | −6,8 | −4,5 | 0,7 | 6,3 | 12,3 | 17,6 | 20,2 | 19,0 | 13,5 | 7,0 | 0,5 | −5,3 | 6,7 |
| Absolute minimum, °C | −30,5 | −31,6 | −21,6 | −12,2 | −3,3 | 2,2 | 6,1 | 4,4 | −1,6 | −8,8 | −20,5 | −32,2 | −32,2 |
| Precipitation rate, mm | 21 | 33 | 63 | 89 | 124 | 137 | 97 | 107 | 92 | 76 | 46 | 34 | 919 |
| Source: | |||||||||||||
Population
As of 2011, there were 128,188 people living in Topeka (including suburbs 233,870), there were 53,943 households and 30,707 families.
The racial composition of the population:
Average annual per capita income $19,555 (2000 data). 47.8% of the population are men, 52.2% are women.
The vast majority of believers are Protestants (2/3) and Catholics (1/3). Kansas are known in the US for their religiosity. Also based in Topeka is the so-called controversial Baptist church, the Westboro Baptist Church. Topeka also has the second largest Baha'i community in the Western Hemisphere.
During the 1990s, Topeka suffered from high level crime, but in the last decade the number of crimes has been declining from year to year, and now crime in Topeka is 1.5 times higher than the US average.
Economy
Due to its state capital status, Topeka's largest employer is the state of Kansas, with about 8,400 people, or 69% of all public sector employees (including the federal and municipal levels). In total, civil servants make up 1/5 of the city's economy. 
Education, health and social services provide employment to the largest share of the economically active population (22.4%). Four school districts employ nearly 4,700 people, and Washburn University employs about 1,650. The other three largest employers are Stormot Medical Center (about 3,100 employees), St. Francis Medical Center (1800), and St. Francis Hospital. Colnery O'Neill (900).
Retail employs over one-tenth of the working population (11.5%), with Wal-Mart Stores and Dillons. Almost a tenth is employed in the manufacturing industry (9.0%), mainly in the production of tires, fertilizers, packaging and livestock feed.
Other important industries are finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (7.8%), consulting, administration and legal services (7.6%); entertainment and catering (7.2%), construction (6.0%), transport, logistics and utilities (5.8%); wholesale trade (3.2%). More than a thousand people are employed on the railroad.
Major companies based in Topeka:
- Westar Energy
- Payless ShoeSource
- CoreFirst Bank & Trust
- Capitol Federal Savings Bank
- Hill's Pet Nutrition
- Sports Car Club of America
Transport
Five kilometers northeast of Topeka is a small municipal airport. Philip Billard ( Philip Billard Municipal Airport(IATA: TOP, ICAO : KTOP), currently serving only private jets. The nearest major passenger airport is in Kansas City.
Passenger rail service is provided by Amtrak. The Chicago-Los Angeles train passes through Topeka during the morning hours. The possibility of running a day train to Oklahoma City is being discussed.
Major highways passing through Topeka: I-70, I-470, I-335, US-24, US-40, US-75. Intercity bus service is provided by the company Greyhound.
River transport, which once played key role in the development of the city, lost its former importance at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Urban public transport represented by municipal buses operating from 06:00 to 18:30 on weekdays and from 07:00 to 17:00 on Saturdays.
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Notes
Links
- (Western Topeka)
- (Extreme Eastern and Southern Topeka)
- (North Topeka)
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An excerpt characterizing Topeka (Kansas)
“You live in the countryside and don't find this life terrible,” he said.- I'm different. What to say about me! I don't want another life, and I can't, because I don't know any other life. And you think, Andre, for a young and secular woman to be buried in the best years of her life in the countryside, alone, because papa is always busy, and I ... you know me ... how poor I am en ressources, [interests.] for a woman accustomed to the best society. M lle Bourienne is one…
“I don’t like her very much, your Bourienne,” said Prince Andrei.
- Oh no! She is very sweet and kind, and most importantly, a pathetic girl. She has no one, no one. To tell the truth, I not only do not need it, but it is shy. I, you know, have always been a savage, and now even more so. I love being alone… Mon pere [Father] loves her very much. She and Mikhail Ivanovich are two persons to whom he is always affectionate and kind, because they are both favored by him; as Stern says, "We love people not so much for the good they have done us as for the good we have done them." Mon pere took her as an orphan sur le pave, [on the pavement,] and she is very kind. And mon pere loves her manner of reading. She reads aloud to him in the evenings. She reads great.
“Well, to be honest, Marie, I think it’s hard for you sometimes because of your father’s character?” Prince Andrew suddenly asked.
Princess Marya was at first surprised, then frightened by this question.
- ME?... Me?!... Is it hard for me?! - she said.
- He was always cool; but now it’s getting hard, I think, ”said Prince Andrei, apparently on purpose, in order to puzzle or test his sister, speaking so lightly about his father.
“You are good to everyone, Andre, but you have some kind of pride in thought,” said the princess, following her train of thought more than the course of conversation, “and this is a great sin. Is it possible to judge the father? Yes, if it were possible, what other feeling than veneration, [deep respect,] can arouse such a person as mon pere? And I'm so satisfied and happy with it. I only wish you all were as happy as I am.
The brother shook his head in disbelief.
- One thing that is hard for me - I'll tell you the truth, Andre - is my father's way of thinking in religious terms. I do not understand how a person with such a huge mind cannot see what is clear as day, and can be so deluded? This is one of my misfortunes. But here in recent times I see a shadow of improvement. Lately his taunts are not so caustic, and there is one monk whom he received and spoke to him for a long time.
“Well, my friend, I’m afraid that you and the monk are wasting your gunpowder,” Prince Andrei said mockingly, but affectionately.
- Ah! mon ami. [BUT! My friend.] I just pray to God and hope that He hears me. Andre,” she said timidly after a moment of silence, “I have a big request for you.
- What, my friend?
No, promise me you won't refuse. It will not cost you any work, and there will be nothing unworthy of you in it. Only you can comfort me. Promise, Andryusha, - she said, putting her hand into the purse and holding something in it, but not yet showing, as if what she was holding was the subject of the request and as if before receiving the promise in fulfillment of the request she could not remove it from the purse It is something.
She looked timidly, imploringly at her brother.
“If it would cost me a lot of work ...” Prince Andrei answered, as if guessing what was the matter.
- Whatever you want, think! I know you are the same as mon pere. Think whatever you want, but do it for me. Do it please! My father's father, our grandfather, wore it in all wars ... - She still did not get what she was holding from her purse. "So you promise me?"
"Of course, what's the matter?"
- Andre, I will bless you with the image, and you promise me that you will never take it off. Promise?
“If he doesn’t drag his neck down to two pounds ... To please you ...” said Prince Andrei, but at the same second, noticing the distressed expression that his sister’s face assumed at this joke, he repented. “Very glad, really very glad, my friend,” he added.
“Against your will, He will save and have mercy on you and turn you to Himself, because in Him alone is truth and peace,” she said in a voice trembling with excitement, with a solemn gesture holding in both hands in front of her brother an oval ancient icon of the Savior with a black face in silver chasuble on a silver chain of fine workmanship.
She crossed herself, kissed the icon and handed it to Andrey.
– Please, Andre, for me…
Beams of kind and timid light shone from her large eyes. These eyes illuminated the whole sickly, thin face and made it beautiful. The brother wanted to take the scapular, but she stopped him. Andrei understood, crossed himself and kissed the icon. His face was at the same time gentle (he was touched) and mocking.
- Merci, mon ami. [Thank you my friend.]
She kissed him on the forehead and sat back down on the sofa. They were silent.
- So I told you, Andre, be kind and generous, as you have always been. Don't judge Lise harshly, she began. - She is so sweet, so kind, and her position is very difficult now.
- It seems that I didn’t tell you anything, Masha, so that I reproach my wife for anything or be dissatisfied with her. Why are you telling me all this?
Princess Mary blushed in spots and became silent, as if she felt guilty.
“I didn’t say anything to you, but you were already told. And it makes me sad.
Red spots appeared even more strongly on the forehead, neck and cheeks of Princess Marya. She wanted to say something and could not utter it. The brother guessed right: the little princess cried after dinner, said that she foresaw an unfortunate birth, was afraid of them, and complained about her fate, her father-in-law and her husband. After crying, she fell asleep. Prince Andrei felt sorry for his sister.
- Know one thing, Masha, I cannot reproach, have not reproached and will never reproach my wife, and I myself cannot reproach myself with anything in relation to her; and it will always be so, in whatever circumstances I may be. But if you want to know the truth... you want to know if I'm happy? No. Is she happy? No. Why is this? Don't know…
Saying this, he got up, went over to his sister, and, bending down, kissed her on the forehead. His beautiful eyes shone with an intelligent and kind, unaccustomed brilliance, but he looked not at his sister, but into the darkness of the open door, through her head.
- Let's go to her, we must say goodbye. Or go alone, wake her up, and I'll come right now. Parsley! he shouted to the valet, “come here, clean it up.” It's in the seat, it's on the right side.
Princess Marya got up and went to the door. She stopped.
Andre, si vous avez. la foi, vous vous seriez adresse a Dieu, pour qu "il vous donne l" amour, que vous ne sentez pas et votre priere aurait ete exaucee. [If you had faith, you would turn to God with a prayer, so that He would give you love that you do not feel, and your prayer would be heard.]
- Yes, is it! - said Prince Andrew. - Go, Masha, I'll come right away.
On the way to his sister's room, in the gallery that connected one house with another, Prince Andrei met a sweetly smiling m lle Bourienne, for the third time that day with an enthusiastic and naive smile he came across in secluded passages.
- Ah! je vous croyais chez vous, [Ah, I thought you were in your room,] she said, blushing for some reason and lowering her eyes.
Prince Andrei looked sternly at her. Anger suddenly appeared on the face of Prince Andrei. He said nothing to her, but looked at her forehead and hair, without looking into her eyes, so contemptuously that the Frenchwoman blushed and left without saying anything.
When he approached his sister's room, the princess was already awake, and her cheerful voice, hurrying one word after another, was heard from the open door. She spoke as if, after a long period of abstinence, she wanted to make up for lost time.
- Non, mais figurez vous, la vieille comtesse Zouboff avec de fausses boucles et la bouche pleine de fausses dents, comme si elle voulait defier les annees ... [No, imagine, old Countess Zubova, with fake curls, with fake teeth, like as if mocking the years…] Xa, xa, xa, Marieie!
Exactly the same phrase about Countess Zubova and the same laugh had already been heard five times in front of strangers by Prince Andrei from his wife.
He quietly entered the room. The princess, plump, ruddy, with work in her hands, sat on an armchair and talked incessantly, sorting through Petersburg memories and even phrases. Prince Andrei came up, stroked her head and asked if she had rested from the journey. She answered and continued the same conversation.
The stroller stood in six at the entrance. It was a dark autumn night outside. The coachman did not see the drawbar of the carriage. People with lanterns bustled about on the porch. The huge house burned with lights through its large windows. In the hall crowded the courtyards, who wanted to say goodbye to the young prince; all the household were standing in the hall: Mikhail Ivanovich, m lle Bourienne, Princess Mary and the princess.
Prince Andrei was called to his father's office, who wanted to say goodbye to him face to face. Everyone was waiting for them to come out.
When Prince Andrei entered the office, the old prince, wearing old man's glasses and in his white coat, in which he received no one except his son, was sitting at the table and writing. He looked back.
– Are you going? And he began to write again.
- I came to say goodbye.
- Kiss here, - he showed his cheek, - thank you, thank you!
- What do you thank me for?
- Because you don’t overstay, you don’t hold on to a woman’s skirt. Service first. Thank you, thank you! And he continued to write, so that the spray flew from the crackling pen. - If you need to say something, say it. These two things I can do together,” he added.
“About my wife… I’m so ashamed that I’m leaving her in your arms…”
- What are you lying? Say what you need.
- When your wife has time to give birth, send to Moscow for an obstetrician ... So that he is here.
The old prince stopped and, as if not understanding, stared with stern eyes at his son.
“I know that no one can help if nature does not help,” said Prince Andrei, apparently embarrassed. “I agree that out of a million cases, one is unfortunate, but this is her fantasy and mine. They told her, she saw it in a dream, and she is afraid.
“Hm ... hm ...” the old prince said to himself, continuing to finish writing. - I will.
He crossed out the signature, suddenly turned quickly to his son and laughed.
- It's bad, isn't it?
- What's wrong, father?
- Wife! said the old prince shortly and significantly.
“I don’t understand,” said Prince Andrei.
“Yes, there’s nothing to do, my friend,” the prince said, “they are all like that, you won’t get married.” Do not be afraid; I won't tell anyone; and you yourself know.
He grabbed his hand with his bony little hand, shook it, looked straight into his son's face with his quick eyes, which seemed to see right through the man, and again laughed his cold laugh.
The son sighed, confessing with this sigh that his father understood him. The old man, continuing to fold and print letters, with his usual speed, grabbed and threw sealing wax, seal and paper.
- What to do? Beautiful! I'll do everything. You be calm,” he said curtly while typing.
Andrey was silent: it was both pleasant and unpleasant for him that his father understood him. The old man got up and handed the letter to his son.
“Listen,” he said, “do not worry about your wife: what can be done will be done.” Now listen: give the letter to Mikhail Ilarionovich. I am writing that he will use you in good places and not keep you as an adjutant for a long time: a bad position! Tell him that I remember him and love him. Yes, write how he will accept you. If it's good, serve. Nikolai Andreich Bolkonsky's son, out of mercy, will not serve anyone. Well, now come here.
He spoke in such a rapid way that he did not finish half of the words, but the son was used to understanding him. He led his son to the bureau, threw back the lid, pulled out a drawer, and took out a notebook covered in his large, long, concise handwriting.
“I must die before you.” Know that here are my notes, to transfer them to the sovereign after my death. Now here - here is a pawn ticket and a letter: this is a prize to the one who writes the history of the Suvorov wars. Submit to the academy. Here are my remarks, after me read for yourself, you will find something useful.
Andrei did not tell his father that he would probably live for a long time. He knew he didn't need to say that.
“I will do everything, father,” he said.
- Well, now goodbye! He let his son kiss his hand and hugged him. “Remember one thing, Prince Andrei: if they kill you, the old man will hurt me ...” He suddenly fell silent and suddenly continued in a loud voice: “and if I find out that you did not behave like the son of Nikolai Bolkonsky, I will be ... ashamed! he screeched.
“You could not tell me that, father,” said the son, smiling.
The old man was silent.
“I also wanted to ask you,” continued Prince Andrei, “if they kill me and if I have a son, do not let him go away from you, as I told you yesterday, so that he grows up with you ... please.
- Don't give it to your wife? the old man said and laughed.
They stood silently facing each other. The old man's quick eyes were fixed directly on his son's eyes. Something quivered in the lower part of the old prince's face.
- Goodbye ... go! he suddenly said. - Get up! he shouted in an angry and loud voice, opening the office door.
– What is, what? - asked the princess and princess, seeing Prince Andrei and for a moment the figure of an old man in a white coat, without a wig and in old man's glasses, leaning out screaming in an angry voice.
Prince Andrei sighed and did not answer.
“Well,” he said, turning to his wife.
And this “well” sounded like a cold mockery, as if he was saying: “now you do your tricks.”
Andre, deja! [Andrey, already!] - said the little princess, turning pale and looking at her husband with fear.
He hugged her. She screamed and fell unconscious on his shoulder.
He gently drew back the shoulder on which she was lying, looked into her face, and carefully seated her in a chair.
- Adieu, Marieie, [Farewell, Masha,] - he said quietly to his sister, kissed her hand in hand and quickly left the room.
The princess was lying in an armchair, m lle Bourienne was rubbing her temples. Princess Mary, supporting her daughter-in-law, with tearful beautiful eyes, was still looking at the door through which Prince Andrei went out, and baptized him. From the study were heard, like shots, the often repeated angry sounds of the old man blowing his nose. As soon as Prince Andrei left, the door of the office quickly opened and a stern figure of an old man in a white coat looked out.
- Left? Well, good! he said, looking angrily at the insensible little princess, shook his head reproachfully and slammed the door.
In October 1805, Russian troops occupied the villages and cities of the Archduchy of Austria, and more new regiments came from Russia and, weighing down the residents with billeting, were located near the Braunau fortress. In Braunau was the main apartment of the commander-in-chief Kutuzov.
On October 11, 1805, one of the infantry regiments that had just arrived at Braunau, waiting for the review of the commander-in-chief, stood half a mile from the city. Despite the non-Russian terrain and situation (orchards, stone fences, tiled roofs, mountains visible in the distance), the non-Russian people, who looked at the soldiers with curiosity, the regiment had exactly the same appearance as any Russian regiment preparing for a show somewhere in the middle of Russia.
In the evening, on the last march, an order was received that the commander-in-chief would watch the regiment on the march. Although the words of the order seemed unclear to the regimental commander, and the question arose of how to understand the words of the order: in marching uniform or not? in the council of battalion commanders, it was decided to present the regiment in full dress on the basis that it is always better to exchange bows than not to bow. And the soldiers, after a thirty-verst march, did not close their eyes, they repaired and cleaned themselves all night; adjutants and company officers counted, expelled; and by morning the regiment, instead of the sprawling disorderly crowd that it had been the day before on the last march, represented a slender mass of 2,000 people, each of whom knew his place, his business, and of whom each button and strap was in its place and shone with cleanliness. . Not only the outer was in good order, but if the commander-in-chief had been pleased to look under the uniforms, then on each he would have seen an equally clean shirt and in each knapsack he would have found a legal number of things, “an awl and a soap,” as the soldiers say. There was only one circumstance about which no one could be calm. It was shoes. More than half of the people had their boots broken. But this shortcoming did not come from the fault of the regimental commander, since, despite repeated demands, the goods from the Austrian department were not released to him, and the regiment traveled a thousand miles.
Topeka (photo by Kswx29)
In the 1840s, wagons of settlers set off west from Independence, Missouri, beginning their 3,000-kilometer journey along the difficult and dangerous road that later became known as the Oregon Way. About 100 kilometers west of the Missouri crossing near Kansas City, three French Canadian brothers named Papan married three sisters from the local Kansa Indian tribe. The wives persuaded the brothers not to move further west, but to stay here.
Seeing numerous settlers crossing the Kansas River with great difficulty, the brothers decided to organize a ferry crossing and earn a living from this. In the 1840s and 1850s, the crossing was the only sign of civilization in the area. The Papan brothers named it Topeka, which in their wives' native language meant "a place where they dig up good potatoes" (the Indians called this area even before the arrival of the whites).
Artistic illustration from 1869 (photo by A. Ruger)
In the early 1850s, traffic along the Oregon Way was supplemented by trade along the new military road from Fort Leavenworth through Topeka to Fort Riley. In 1854, the heads of nine families who by that time lived near the crossing announced the formation of the city of Topeka at the first city meeting. Soon steamboats began mooring at the new city's wharf, delivering meat, lumber, flour, and manufactured goods, and exporting potatoes, corn, and wheat east. By the end of the 1860s, Topeka had become the economic center of the surrounding area, providing the townspeople with almost all the amenities available in those years, and the capital of the state of Kansas.
1966 tornado (National Weather Service photo)
On June 8, 1966, Topeka was hit by an F5 tornado on the Fujita scale. Starting in the southwestern outskirts of the city and moving to the northeast, the whirlwind passed over the local landmark, Burnet Mound. According to an old Indian legend, this mound is able to protect the city from tornadoes if left undisturbed. A few years before the tornado hit, a water tower was built on the mound. According to local natives, this was the cause of the misfortune. The total cost of damage from the impact exceeded $100 million in 1966 dollars, making it one of the costliest tornadoes in US history. However, the city quickly recovered from what had happened.
View of modern Topeka from the river (photo by Weatherguy48)
Due to its state capital status, Topeka's largest employer is the state of Kansas, with about 8,400 people, or 69% of all public sector employees (including the federal and municipal levels). In total, civil servants make up 1/5 of the city's economy.
Education, health care and social services provide employment to the largest share of the economically active population. Other important industries are finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing, consulting, administration and legal services, and entertainment and catering.
Interesting Facts:
Three US Navy ships have been named "USS Topeka" after the city.
In 1998, the city was renamed Topikachu for a day in honor of Pikachu, the most famous Pokémon.
On March 1, 2010, the city of Topeka was renamed Google for a period of 1 month. This was done in order to attract attention from the eponymous company.
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