«Bishkek History Tour: Whispers of the Oldest Parks»

«Bishkek History Tour: Whispers of the Oldest Parks»

From memories of a found note in a death row cell: 

"Well, this is the end. Tomorrow, it will all be over.

There is no reason to worry about what may happen—only one outcome has ever been possible. Someone must be sacrificed upon this altar, and it seems that my turn has come.

Everything turned out exactly as it was described in those history textbooks. Astonishing as it is, we cave dwellers have remained one great tribe, forever appeasing our gods with human sacrifices. Nothing has changed. It matters little what names they now give those gods—Revolution, the Party, or even a parody of either. In the end, it is always the priests who survive: those liars who have buried countless lives for the sake of their silent Pyramids.

What they fail to understand is that the Pyramids are built by capable executors like me. Why did we carry out the priests' wishes? Not because we craved power for its own sake—that has always seemed unbearably dull to us. Rather, our abilities granted us access to resources, and once we had them, we set the process of creation in motion—a process they could no longer control.

I do not regret what has happened. In history, I remain a Prometheus who kindled the flame of popular defiance, and I could not care less that, in the eyes of the priests, I am nothing more than a rabid dog to be put down without delay.

Yet they failed to save themselves from the danger they feared. My work is done, and it has already begun to bear fruit. Seeing the threat to their own power, the priests unleashed a storm upon us. There is little doubt that we shall perish in it without a trace. But our cause will endure. We set creation in motion, and they can no longer stop it. The people have felt the difference in the way they are governed; they have tasted a single drop of freedom.

The storm may scatter thousands of leaves, but the tree will grow new ones.

With that knowledge, I am ready to depart. 
November 5, 1938". 

During this short walking tour through Oak Park and the Central Public Garden, we’ll explore the early history of modern Kyrgyzstan and meet the people who shaped Bishkek into what it is today. 

You’ll learn about a Ukrainian visionary who turned the city into a green oasis, the artist who won a prize at the 1916 World Expo in San Francisco and designed the garden’s layout, and discover who is buried beneath the trees of Oak Park. 

We'll also talk about how locals used to quench their thirst in the old days, admire numerous sculptures and monuments, and get a glimpse of modern Kyrgyz art displayed in the open-air gallery. And finally we'll learn who could be the author of the found note in a death row cell.

This is not just a walk — it’s a peaceful dive into the living memory of Bishkek.