Trip on coast of Issyk Kul.

"This alley will be a symbol of new life and a memory of us for new generations. A person should love a tree just like a horse - and then it will be priceless!"

L.L. Rapoport.

Visit of sights of Lake Issyk Kul.

Unique Ala-Too Alley is located at an altitude of 1642 meters above sea level, along Issyk-Kul - Karakol highway from village of Baktuu-Dolonotu to city of Cholpon-Ata in Issyk-Kul district of region of same name. 
Initially, the alley was called Rapoport Alley. Its length exceeded 4.5 kilometers. The main tree species planted along the road were silver poplar and elm. The trees were densely located in two rows on both sides of the road. The alley was laid out in 1934 by workers of stud farm No. 54 on the initiative of its first director, Leonid Lvovich Rapoport (1899 – 1952).
Leonid Lvovich Rapoport was born in 1899 in Kerch to a Jewish family. As a participant in the Civil War, he commanded the 1st Regiment of the Labor Cossacks, which later became the basis for Budyonny's Cavalry Army. In 1920 – 1921, he held the post of commissar of the 2nd Turkestan Cavalry Regiment as part of the 1st Turkestan Cavalry Brigade.
Rapoport took an active part in the fight against the Basmachi movement in Tajikistan. From December 1920 to January 1921, he was one of the leaders of the defense of Baysun (now the territory of the Surkhandarya region of Uzbekistan) from the 15,000-strong detachment of the Baysun bek.
After finishing his military career, he took up economic activity. In 1928, he was appointed manager of stud farm No. 1 of the Kirghiz ASSR, and later, in the 1930s, he headed stud farm No. 54 in the Kirghiz SSR. In 1926, on behalf of the Communist Party of the USSR, he created the first state breeding stud farm No. 54 in Kirghizia, which very soon became a model farm in the republic.
On the basis of this plant, stud farms No. 113, No. 145, No. 44 and the Tamchizh sheep-breeding state farm were established. L.L. Rappoport worked at the state stud farm No. 54 as a director until 1938. During and after the Great Patriotic War, L.L. Rappoport worked in the USSR Ministry of State Farms as the head of the horse breeding department.
He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner twice. On the basis of this plant, stud farms No. 113, No. 145, No. 44 and the Tamchizh sheep farm were established. He died on September 3, 1952 in Riga.
According to the recollections of contemporaries, in the spring of 1928, a man in a military uniform with the posture of a cavalryman arrived in Chon-Uryukty. Despite his youth, his temples were already gray, and two Orders of the Red Banner adorned his tunic.
He gathered the locals and announced that the stud farm had received state number 54, and that he, Leonid Lvovich Rapoport, had been appointed its director. At the age of 20, Rapoport was already a commissar and regiment commander in Budyonny's army.
For his participation in the defeat of Denikin's troops, he was awarded his first order and a personal weapon. Later, for the liquidation of the Basmachi movement in Central Asia, as well as for the victory over Enver Pasha and Ibrahim Bek, he received a second order - the highest award of that time.
Under his leadership, the stud farm developed rapidly. In just five years, the number of horses there exceeded 10,000. The scale of the work amazed even experienced specialists. Stud Farm No. 54 became one of the first successful socialist farms in Kyrgyzstan and quickly gained momentum. Local residents were drawn to it with all their hearts, even those who had not previously shown much interest in horse breeding. Over time, they became deeply imbued with love for their work.
Leonid Lvovich was not only a talented organizer, but also an attentive manager. On the very first day, he gathered the workers and proposed planting an alley of poplars that would stretch from Cholpon-Ata to the first branch of the plant - almost five miles. This decision showed his commissar training.
Planting the alley took several weeks. Whole families worked, planting thin, fragile twigs that bent in the wind. It quickly became known in the area: if someone broke a tree or tied a horse to it, he would have to personally explain himself to Rapoport himself.
Geographical coordinates of Rapport's Alley: N42°39'02 E77°06'48

Authority:
Alexander Petrov.

Photos by:
Alexander Petrov.
Black and white photographs from local history museum of city of Cholpon-Ata.