Vissarion Eristov

Vissarion Sardionovich Eristov ; 6 February 1905 – 11 November 1975) was a Soviet hydraulic engineer, construction manager, and a leading specialist in the field of hydraulic structures, particularly underground facilities. He held the academic title of Doctor of Technical Sciences and was a Professor (1963). Eristov was a recipient of the Stalin Prize (second degree, 1951) and was named an Honored Builder of the RSFSR (1970).

Biography

Early life and career Vissarion Eristov was born on 6 February 1905 in Tbilisi to a family of medical professionals; his father was a pharmacist, and his mother, Aleksandra Grigoryevna Fyodorova, was a paramedic. During his childhood, he moved with his mother to St. Petersburg, where he graduated from the 1st Gymnasium (later renamed the 9th Labor School).

In 1928, he graduated from the Faculty of Waterways at the Leningrad Institute of Railway Engineers. After graduation, he was conscripted into the Red Army, where he trained as an artillery officer and served in an anti-aircraft unit.

His professional career began in 1929 in the design department of the Dneprostroi construction authority. He later participated in the construction of the Rioni Hydroelectric Power Station. From 1934, he worked as the deputy head of the Middle Volga HPPs department at the Lengidroproekt institute, while also teaching at the M. I. Kalinin Leningrad Polytechnic Institute. In 1936, he was appointed head of the Khrami HPPs department at the Tbilgidroenergoproekt institute, and in 1938, he became the deputy chief engineer and head of the technical department for the construction of the Khrami HPP-1.

In 1955, Eristov was recalled to Moscow, where he held senior positions in the central apparatus of the ministry until 1963, including head of the technical directorate of the Ministry of Construction of Power Stations and chief engineer of the technical directorate of the State Committee for Energy and Electrification. During this time, he was actively involved in solving technical problems for the design and construction of major hydroelectric stations, including the Volga, Bratsk, Krasnoyarsk, as well as the Aswan High Dam in Egypt and the Naghlu Dam in Afghanistan.

Awards and honors Stalin Prize, second degree (1951) – for creative efforts in the design and construction of the Khrami HPP-1. Honored Builder of the RSFSR (1970). Order of Lenin. Order of the Red Banner of Labour. Two Orders of the Badge of Honour. Seven medals, including the Medal "For the Defence of the Caucasus" and the Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945". Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Construction and Architecture (1957).