Monument to A.N. Kostyakov
1887-1957
Aleksey Nikolaevich Kostyakov was an outstanding scientist and the founder of domestic hydromelioration science, whose works laid the foundation for the development of agriculture in the country. His scientific and organizational activities left a deep mark on the history of agrarian science. Aleksey Nikolaevich Kostyakov was born on 16 (28) March 1887 in the town of Serpukhov. After graduating from the Moscow Agricultural Institute in 1912, the young specialist immediately devoted himself to scientific work in the field of land reclamation. Already between 1912 and 1919, under his leadership, large‑scale hydromodular (experimental‑reclamation) studies of peat‑bog soils were organized in the European part of Russia. These studies were of great practical importance for Soviet agriculture, where the area of bog‑affected lands had historically been extremely large. A.N. Kostyakov’s scientific and pedagogical activity was closely linked to the Petrovskaya Agricultural Academy and the Moscow Institute of Water Management, where, at his initiative and with his direct participation, reclamation departments were established. In 1923, relying on the data collected, the scientist convincingly substantiated the need to create a specialized scientific center in the country. This initiative led to the foundation of the State Research Institute of Agricultural Reclamation, which A.N. Kostyakov later headed. As the institute’s director, he and his team formulated principles for the effective planning, design, and construction of reclamation systems in the conditions of socialist agriculture. He developed the theoretical foundations and practical recommendations for irrigation regimes of agricultural crops. A particularly important contribution by A.N. Kostyakov was his elaboration of the scientific‑theoretical foundations of agricultural land reclamation as a comprehensive system of measures aimed at radically improving unfavorable natural conditions. The scientist not only proposed but also actively promoted the introduction of modern irrigation methods of that time into agricultural production. Recognition of A.N. Kostyakov’s scientific merits came during his lifetime. In 1933, he was elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, and in 1935 became a full member of the All‑Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences named after Lenin (VASKhNIL). The highest form of state recognition were two Stalin Prizes. In 1951 he received the first prize for introducing modern irrigation methods into agriculture, and in 1952 the first‑degree Stalin Prize was awarded to him for his fundamental scientific work “Fundamentals of Land Reclamation.” The main scientific legacy of Aleksey Nikolaevich is his monumental work “Fundamentals of Land Reclamation,” which, during the author’s lifetime, went through six editions and was translated into many foreign languages. This work has not lost its scientific and methodological value to this day. Aleksey Nikolaevich Kostyakov died on 30 August 1957. The memory of the great scientist was immortalized in 1975, when a monument to him was erected in front of the building of the Moscow Hydromelioration Institute (now the university). The monument was created by sculptor N.B. Nikosyan and architect N.P. Sukoyan. A.N. Kostyakov’s work continues to live on in the scientific schools he founded and in operating reclamation systems that contribute to the development of Russian agriculture.
Address: Moscow, Pryanishnikova St., 19.
