German industrialists’ legacy to be revived in Azeri region
BAKU – The 19th century monuments in western Azerbaijan that are a legacy of two German industrialists will be restored, Tourism Institute official Eldar Aslanov has told AssA-Irada.
The Siemens Brothers company was engaged in producing copper in the Gadabay region in the mid-19th century and built two mines there. The plants were producing one-fourth of the copper processed in Czarist Russia. The two Germans, Wilhelm (Sir William) and his brother Werner, had also constructed 35 bridges in the region to transport the product by special carriages.
According to Aslanov, a project on creating a geo-information system has been developed jointly with a German university to restore the ancient monuments. The main purpose of such a system is to post the collected information about the Siemens brothers on Google Maps, allowing people to experience virtual travel to those unique sites.
"There are currently a lot of historical monuments, items, houses and bridges in Gadabay that bring back memories about the Siemens," Aslanov said. "The project in question envisions restoration of those historic sites while preserving their original appearance."
He also said a museum of the Siemens brothers will be established in Gadabay under the project.
Aslanov noted that German specialists visited the region last October to look at the monuments and the area of their location. On March 6-13, a group of Azerbaijani representatives will visit Germany to hold meetings at the mentioned German university and collect information about the Siemens brothers.
According to Aslanov, Gadabay will become a tourism zone in two to three years.
He added that the project also envisages holding annual jazz festivals in the Azerbaijani region.