Published on: 2026-04-20
Source: Saint Petersburg State Architectural and Construction University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Georgy Maksimovich Shubnikov(1903–1965), a graduate of the Leningrad Institute of Municipal Engineers (now SPbGASU), during the Great Patriotic War fought in the engineering troops. He led the organization of forcing major rivers as part of key offensive operations. And after the war, he contributed to space exploration.
Georgiy Maksimovich was born on May 1, 1903, in Essentuki. His first construction experience he gained in childhood: together with his father he built a house for the family, which he was very proud of. After finishing secondary school in 1920, he began working as a laborer, simultaneously studying at the evening architectural and construction technical school, which he graduated from in 1925. From 1925 to 1929, he served his compulsory service in the ranks of the Red Army. After demobilization, he worked in construction organizations in Essentuki and Pyatigorsk.
In 1930, Georgiy Shubnikov enrolled in the Leningrad Institute of Municipal Construction (from 1931 – the Leningrad Institute of Engineers of Municipal Construction, now SPbGASU), which he graduated from in 1932. In February 1932, due to special mobilization, he was drafted again into the ranks of the Red Army and sent to the Transbaikal Military District. Here he served until 1937, becoming one of the leaders of the construction of the Transbaikal fortified area, which was built in case of Japanese invasion.
In 1937, Georgy Maksimovich was demobilized again and until June 1941 worked as the chief engineer of the Essentuki Vodokanal administration. From the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he returned to the army and was appointed deputy commander of the 1682nd separate sapper battalion of the 30th sapper brigade on the Southern Front, and in February 1942 – battalion commander. Since the autumn of 1941, the battalion was engaged in constructing defensive lines on the Stalingrad front.
In 1942, Georgy Shubnikov was the head of the 12th Directorate of Military Field Construction in the 8th sapper army, participating in the defense of the Caucasus. From 1943 until Victory, Engineer-Major Shubnikov headed the 12th Directorate of Military Field Construction as part of the 23rd Directorate of Defensive Works of the Reserve of the Supreme Command.
The management successfully accomplished tasks related to the engineering support of offensive operations, including the construction of crossings over the Dnieper. During the summer offensive of 1944, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front, which included the construction management of Major Shubnikov, reached the Vistula line, holding three bridgeheads on its western bank, and Shubnikov’s management, under enemy fire and bombardments, built several bridges and a floating crossing on these bridgeheads. In 1945, Georgy Shubnikov built bridges over the Oder, was responsible for road construction and mine clearance of the territory in the front’s offensive zone.I met the victory in the rank of engineer lieutenant colonel.
From 1946 to 1949, Georgiy Shubnikov was the head of the 23rd Directorate of military field construction and managed the restoration of bridges, as well as industrial enterprises in Germany and Poland. Under his leadership, a number of significant public buildings were also constructed in Berlin, monuments to Soviet soldiers, including the famous monument to the Warrior-Liberator in Treptower Park.
At the very end of the 1940s, the administration under the leadership of Georgy Maksimovich was working on the restoration of coal mining in the Donbass. And then they were entrusted with a completely new task: the unit was urgently redeployed to the area of the village of Kapustin Yar in the Astrakhan region to take part in the construction of the first Soviet test site for ballistic missile testing. Subsequently, space launches were also carried out from there.
From there, Georgy Shubnikov briefly went to Azerbaijan for the construction of a defensive complex. But soon the Soviet authorities set an ambitious task – the conquest of space. Thus began the last and largest undertaking of Georgy Maksimovich – the construction of the Baikonur cosmodrome.
In March 1955, Georgy Shubnikov arrived at the Tyura-Tam station in the Kazakh SSR. This is where the construction of the future Baikonur cosmodrome began. The successful leadership of Georgy Maksimovich in this huge construction project played a crucial role in the fact that already on October 4, 1957, the first artificial Earth satellite in human history was launched from here.
This work by Georgy Maksimovich was not finished. He continued to oversee the further stages of construction, the erection of auxiliary buildings, communications, and roads. In 1961, Georgy Maksimovich Shubnikov was among those who saw Yuri Gagarin off into space.
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