At 80, a lifelong builder still shapes his town with brick and vision
Boris Dmitrievich Shipunov: The Man Behind Biysk's Landmarks
For decades, Boris Dmitrievich Shipunov played a key role in constructing many of Biysk's most iconic buildings.
We first met Boris Dmitrievich thanks to the letter "B"—the very one that crowns the city's welcoming stele at the entrance to Biysk. After reading our article about the city's "concrete calling card," he came to the editorial office.
A Mistake—And an Introduction
"I want to correct a historical inaccuracy," he said. "You wrote—and other newspapers have reported—that the letter B weighs 27 tons. But that's not right. I've seen that number in books about Biysk for years, but the truth is, it's the heaviest letter, yes, but it actually weighs 12 tons—15 at most!"
He spoke with absolute certainty: "I know because I led the team that made and installed that stele."
From Herding Cows to Building Cities
Boris Dmitrievich proudly shared that he had been working since the age of five:
"I was born in Gorny Altai. I was just a little boy when I was put in charge of herding cows. In 1949, my family moved to Biysk, and I got a job at a brick factory. At eleven, I was stacking bricks onto carts. Later, I worked as a winch operator—still a teenager. But my real passion for construction came during my army years. After that, I enrolled in a vocational school and trained as a mason and stove fitter. I've been laying stoves for seventy years now. I had the best teachers."
From Srostki to Sukhimi
He recalled the projects he worked on, the people he worked with, and where he studied. In 1957, he graduated from a construction school as a reinforced concrete specialist and did his practical training at the Zhelezobetonnik plant. Later, at the Biysk Technical College of Wood Processing, he studied industrial and civil construction, earning his qualification as a construction technician.
"In short, I've mastered every construction trade," Boris Dmitrievich summed up. "I didn't just work in Biysk—I built in Zarinsk, Srostki, Belokurikha, even in Sukhimi. In Zarinsk, we constructed a water intake facility; in Srostki, a school; in Sukhimi, a resort for workers from Sibpribor mash. I worked for Construction Unit 15, then under contract, and later started my own cooperative. I handpicked my team—responsible, skilled workers. In my life, I've never deceived or let anyone down. That's why I live well and in peace now."
Work as Therapy
Not long ago, Boris Shipunov took on another job: landscaping a park in Zarechye. The client provided cement, rebar, and other materials, while Boris Dmitrievich built a fence, a fountain, sculptures, and twenty benches. But the project took its toll—he was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. His heart couldn't handle the strain; after all, he was no longer as young as he once was.
After his hospital stay, Boris Dmitrievich struggled to return to his beloved craft—his hands no longer obeyed the aging master. Shipunov decided to recover gradually, through work. And that was when the book he had brought from Leningrad nearly half a century earlier came in handy: the builder remembered the fireplace—and his long-held dream.
