Chronicle of General Betancourt

Abstract

Kuznetsov, D. I. Betancourt. Moscow, Molodaya gvardia publ., 2018, 472 p. Life of remarkable people: biographic series; issue 1720. - ISBN 978-5-235-04094-6.

The book tells the story of life of a Russian subject from the Canary Islands, a Russian Spaniard Augustine Betancourt - a scientist, an engineer, architect, and chief director of transport of the Russian Empire. Being in the public service at the court of Alexander I for the last sixteen years of his life and being in the rank of general, occupying a ministerial post, he managed to do a lot, carried out many large-scale and extremely important projects for the country. Thanks to him, the Corps of Railway Engineers and the Institute of the Corps of Railway Engineers were created - the first higher education institution in Russia that trained engineering personnel of the European level since 1810 and thus marked the beginning of the domestic system of engineering education and of higher transport education.