This book is about the stories of people whose character and work inspire even today. Having different educations and origins, many of them went against their destiny. They came from different parts of Ukraine: Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Odessa, Katerynoslav, Yelisavetgrad - you could earn everywhere, and the stories of building business empires can still be learned from such entrepreneurs of the XIX century as Israel Brodsky, brothers Robert and Thomas Elworthy, Stefan Kulzhenko, Alexei Alchevsky. Entrepreneurs of the new generation, who made themselves by changing the world around them, created not only industrial enterprises or powerful financial empires, but also traditions of patronage and charity, albeit politically motivated. Personal stories will show these large-scale processes from within, help to understand real people who made mistakes, were weak, chose unworthy partners, misjudged their own capabilities and prospects. Yes, some of them saw the collapse of their offspring. Not all stories have a happy ending, but they are all about faith, success, inspiration and heritage. The legacy of businessmen of the XIX century. we see today: the old buildings of factories and plants in Kharkov, Kiev, Dnieper. These are their museum collections and public buildings, which they financed. In the end, the success of these entrepreneurs became the success and heritage of Ukraine in historical retrospect. That is why streets in different parts of our country are named after them - a return after undeserved oblivion to the Soviet era.
