Lecture on Betancourt's Plan and the "Committee of Beauty"

A free lecture dedicated to engineer Augustin Betancourt and the «Committee of Beauty» he headed will be held on January 28 at the Planetarium 1 Library. The event starts at 7:00 PM, and admission is free for persons over 16 years old.

The «Committee of Beauty», officially called the «Committee for Buildings and Hydraulic Works», was established by Emperor Alexander I in May 1816. Its creation was part of plans to transform the capital of the Russian Empire after the victory over Napoleon.

Spanish engineer Augustin Betancourt arrived in Russia in 1808 at the invitation of Alexander I. At that time, he was 50 years old. One reason for the move was his reluctance to serve Napoleon, whose troops occupied Spain. In Russia, Betancourt founded the Institute of Railway Transport, whose graduates contributed to military efforts by serving in engineering regiments. After the war with Napoleon ended, it was Betancourt whom the emperor entrusted with leading large-scale works to update the appearance and infrastructure of St. Petersburg.

At the lecture «Betancourt»s Plan and the Secrets of the Committee of Beauty«, Elena Astashova, deputy director for scientific and educational work at the Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation, will speak. She will talk about what specialists Betancourt attracted to the committee, what innovative technical solutions he proposed, and what the features of »Betancourt«s Plan» — the city development project — were.

The lecture will be held at the address: Obvodny Canal Embankment, building 74B, in the Planetarium 1 Library. Registration is required to participate, and details can be found on the library«s page on the social network VKontakte.