The local administration and the "highest travels" of the 1830-1850s in Smolensk province

The article is devoted to the trips of the heir and then the Emperor Alexander II to one of the provinces of Central Russia, which are considered in the framework of large travel and in the context of the relationship of Central and local authorities. The main attention is paid to the activities of the provincial administration on the organization of «the highest travel». Their study shows that the actions of local authorities manifested shortcomings inherent in the entire system of government of the mid-XIX century. The article suggests that the trips were a kind of revision and at the same time gave Alexander information about the real situation and the need to reform the local economy. © 2020, Russian Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.