Castello Industrial Company in Tifl is (Researching the History of A. S. Griboyedov and P. D. Zaveleysky Project of the Russian Transcaucasian Company)

The article deals with the obscure fact of a French citizen Castello establishing a silk-reeling factory in Tiflis in the mid-1820s; for fifteen years (until 1840) it was the only functioning and developing factory, supported by the government and the local authorities. The all but simultaneous emergence of the projects of two economic companies in Georgia (by A. S. Griboyedov and Castello, with only one of them reaching fruition), numerous thematic concurrences in the texts encouraged us to trace documentarily Castello’s activities in Tiflis, in order to discover the possible touch points with Griboyedov. It seems possible that the success of Castello’s project and his business activities witnessed by Griboyedov (in 1826 and 1827) prompted the latter to consider and put to paper his own economic project.

A. S. Griboyedov, businessman Castello, Project of the Russian Transcaucasian Company, Castello’s silk-reeling factory, Georgian industrial life, competing projects