Tuvolkov, Vasily Grigoryevich

Vasily Grigorievich Tuvolkov ( 1697 - 1727 ) - Russian hydraulic engineer.

In 1714, the seventeen-year-old Tuvolkov, among other young gifted students, was sent at the expense of the state to study in the Netherlands and France . There he spent five years practicing on the construction of hydraulic structures: canals, locks, dams and water machines.

Returning to Russia in 1719, Tuvolkov was enrolled in the staff of the Admiralty College , received the title of a machinist, as engineers at that time were called in the field of hydraulic engineering. Soon, by decree of Peter I, Tuvolkov was sent to the Chancellery of Urban Affairs , which was responsible for the construction of palaces and parks in St. Petersburg . In July 1719 he built a dam in Strelna .

In 1720, Tuvolkov began the construction of a fountain in Peterhof . By the fall of that year, he laid the Ropshinsky Canal route. The channel was laid in the marshy area by the soldiers of the nearest garrisons; in all, more than two thousand people sometimes worked on the construction site daily. Tuvolkov managed to choose the most advantageous direction of the artificial channel of the canal, due to which he reduced the amount of excavation to a minimum. The construction of the canal with a length of 24 kilometers was completed in 1721, in the summer a test run of water for the Grand Cascade took place. The launch of the canal ensured the uninterrupted operation of the ensemble of fountains of the imperial residence.

Peter I, praising Tuvolkov’s talent, instructed him to develop a project for a large canal from Peterhof to St. Petersburg along the coast of the Gulf of Finland .