In modern Russian, words and terms taken from other languages are very often used. This is especially true of business speech and the specifics associated with a narrow focus in professional activities. But recently, this process has acquired a slightly different trend - terms from the long-forgotten pre-revolutionary past are returning to us. Such "new old" words include the term "public office", which has existed for many years in dictionaries marked "obsolete". So what does it mean? And why did he return to modern Russian?
Present place: definition and characteristics
In the Russian Empire, public institutions were called public institutions, in which officials received the population on various issues. This term meant not only the institution itself, but also the building occupied by it. Often in the peopleconfused various departments, such as offices and receptions, calling them all the same concept - "presence".
These institutions had their own work schedule and a certain hierarchical structure, which, however, did not prevent the development of corruption and bureaucratic lawlessness, which was often mentioned in historical sources. There were very common cases when the necessary paper could not reach the addressee from the applicant, as it traveled a long way from one office to another. Often, officials asked for a cash reward for the prompt delivery of the petition to the right office.
These institutions existed until the revolution. Later they were abolished as unnecessary and reorganized into other state organizations.
History of presences
Many believe that such a thing as "public office" arose only in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. But in fact, these institutions existed in a slightly different form already in the fourteenth century. Usually they were located in the Kremlin - the most protected place in the city. It was built on a hill and was surrounded by a wall, it was here that the premises for the reception of the inhabitants of the city were located.
By the sixteenth century, government offices finally took shape in a separate state body and began to be located in buildings specially built for this purpose. In some cases, several different institutions were located in the same building. It could be a legal office, judicial bodies and offices of officialslocal government. Almost all issues with the population until the beginning of the twentieth century were resolved through government offices.
Public places: importance in the life of the Russian Empire
Do not underestimate the importance of state institutions in the history of Russia, because in many remote provinces they were the only means of communication between the population and the authorities. Therefore, their form and content was clearly regulated at the legislative level. Recommendations stated:
- number of officials in offices;
- interior decoration;
- availability and categories of information leaflets;
- description of special items to protect documents and money.
Such scrupulousness proves the special importance of offices in the system of state institutions. They were presented in three types:
- urban government offices;
- county;
- Provincial.
Each given institution performed its functions and was subordinate to higher authorities.
Did every city have offices?
The number of government offices on the territory of the Russian Empire is impossible to know, but it is believed that they existed in all cities. Even a small county settlement had several such institutions. The great Gogol even wrote about this in the comedy The Inspector General. The presence of the city in this work appears before us in the form of a set of bureaucratic vices andmoney-grubbing. It is known that the author sought to show all the realities of life in an ordinary town. This is now the most striking evidence of the large number of offices in pre-revolutionary Russia.
Construction of government offices: a new milestone in the architecture of the Russian Empire
Since the sixteenth century, the construction of special buildings for state institutions has become massive. By the nineteenth century, this construction had unfolded in remote Siberian cities, where they were an example of a style that set the tone for all other buildings. Most of the efforts went to the provincial offices. In many former Siberian provinces, they have survived to this day and have the status of architectural monuments.
To create their creations, the architects of that time used classical Russian traditions, sometimes combining the style of different Russian regions. Almost every building of government offices was made in the style of Russian classicism. In the future, it was reconstructed and received additional elements related to later currents. The resulting symbiosis and mixture of styles is a unique example of architectural thought in the Russian Empire.
Use of the term in the modern world
The term "public office" began to return to colloquial speech at the beginning of this century. Initially, it appeared in regulatory papers in connection with massive repairs of buildings belonging toauthorities in cities and district centers. But now the phrase is not used in such a broad sense as before. In official papers, it denotes waiting areas located in public institutions. They are subject to special requirements for comfort and material and technical base. According to the rules and regulations, public places should include rooms for waiting, informing and receiving the population. In addition, they should be comfortable and have separate sanitary rooms for visitors.
It is worth noting that this term has not yet returned to use, but the process of its implementation is slowly moving forward. After all, it is usually from official documents that concepts smoothly move into the status of commonly used words among the people.
