People who visited the station and its builders. Each name comes with a date, a story and a source.
Head of the Soviet government
The city library chronicle describes his tour of the construction site and the ceremony in the machine hall, where he turned the first unit’s regulator. His visit marks a specific event: the start of commercial generation.
Prime minister of Cuba
Castro came to Bratsk during his tour of the USSR. The construction chronicle records the date, and the Museum of Energy History presents archival photographs of his visit to the hydroelectric station. It was already generating power while installation work continued.
Composer and lyricists
Pakhmutova recalled receiving a playful written assignment at the Bratsk construction site: compose a song about the city by the end of 1962. Journeys with Dobronravov and Grebennikov informed the Taiga Stars song cycle and the book To Siberia, in Search of Songs! These were creative journeys and meetings with builders, followed by later visits.
Poet, author of Bratsk Hydroelectric Station
Chief construction dispatcher Fred Yusfin recalled Yevtushenko meeting builders and exploring the hydroelectric construction site in August 1963. He also dates a reading of the poem at the Energetik Palace of Culture to 3 May 1964. The site visit and the later city performance were separate episodes.
Commissioning dates are checked against energy-sector records. Yevtushenko’s story draws on participant Fred Yusfin’s recollection, and the songs on Pakhmutova’s own interview. A recollection preserves its author’s perspective; a concert in the city alone does not establish a station tour.
Explore books and memoirs ↗Information checked on 18 October 2026. Photograph dates appear in captions.