The role of Europe in the construction of industry in Bishkek

Back in 1924, 14 rail cars arrived in the city of Pishpek with workers and equipment from Czechoslovakia, from the little-known city of Zilina (now in Slovakia). These were workers from the Intergelpo cooperative, a local cooperative founded by workers from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary invited by Vladimir Lenin to Central Asia with the aim of raising industry.

In the period from 1924 to 1930, in just 6 years, the city was built and launched: a furniture workshop, hospitals, extended the railway, carpentry workshops, tannery, built the residence of the government of Kyrgyzstan. Mechanical workshops of Intergelpo later became the Frunze Factory. In 1926, the main echelon arrived with 606 people - it was the echelon of textile workers. In Pishpek, a textile factory was named after Kliment Gottwald. Farmers of Intergelpo for the first time sowed sugar beets, participated in the construction and commissioning of the Kant sugar factory. The Czechs who remained in Kyrgyzstan were the organizers and leaders of the industry of the republic, they laid the foundation for the industry of the republic. In 1930, Intergelpo accounted for up to 45% of the entire industry of the republic.

Thousands of local residents passed through the Czechoslovak Cooperative and received professional training in dozens of areas. Intergelpo was not a closed sect for the prosperity of a narrow circle of people - on the contrary, the cooperative actively involved new members throughout its history. Almost immediately upon arrival in Kyrgyzstan, local people began to work in the cooperative. It is not very clear how they communicated with each other at first, how they were taught to work on the machines - few of the newcomers knew Russian, and the newly admitted members, of course, did not speak either Slovak, or Czech, or Hungarian. However, the task of "creating a working class in Kyrgyzstan" seemed to be solvable. Having got used to it, they began to organize field courses for training new tractor drivers, mechanics, locksmiths

Unfortunately, today most of the workshops and factories founded by European workers are not functioning.

In memory and gratitude of the Kyrgyz people, many streets of the capital were named after the leaders of the cooperative.

In honor of the famous Czech journalist Julius Fuchik, who took part in the coverage of the activities of Intergelpo, one of the central streets of Bishkek, the city clinical hospital named after Fuchik, and the Park named after Fuchik were named.

After 100 years, more than 300 descendants of the pioneers of the industry of Kyrgyzstan still live on the territory of modern Kyrgyzstan.