The names of some Russian museums are known to every inhabitant of our country. These are the Hermitage, the Tretyakov Gallery, and also the Kunstkamera. It is the last institution - the first museum in Russia.
The Great Embassy of Peter I
Peter I went down in Russian history as a reformer of everything and everyone. It was he who founded the first museum in Russia. In 1698, he was the first of our monarchs to be in Europe. At the same time, he traveled around Western countries as part of the Grand Embassy anonymously so as not to draw attention to his person.
It was during his European voyage that Peter I first thought about creating his own museum. At that time, such institutions were created with the support of sovereigns. For example, numerous German princes maintained their own "curiosity cabinets" in which curiosities from all over the world were kept. In their language, such premises were called the Kunstkamera. Peter often copied the European in his own country. Therefore, the first museum in Russia was called exactly the same - the Kunstkamera.
Most of all, the king was struck by Holland and England with their modern industries. In these countries, he, without being greedy, bought up a variety of items - books, scientific instruments, minerals, weapons. All this had to lie inthe basis of the exposition, which would be kept by the first museum in Russia.
Foundation of the Kunstkamera
After returning to his homeland, Peter I did not forget about his idea. A few years later, he won the B altic coast from the Swedes. It was here that St. Petersburg was founded, where the capital was soon moved. The tsar wanted the Kunstkamera to work on the banks of the Neva. In 1714, his collection of rarities was transferred to the Summer Palace. This year is considered the date of foundation of the Kunstkamera. Prior to this, the exhibits were stored in Moscow, in the premises of the Apothecary Office.
The first museum in the history of Russia was gradually filled with new exhibits. The very next year, Peter Alekseevich set off on his second trip to Europe. In Holland, the king visited the famous museum of Albert Seba. This apothecary collected various minerals, plants and shells all his life. He sold the famous guest a large part of his zoological collection, which was soon accepted by the first museum in Russia.
New building for the museum
Due to the fact that the number of exhibits has been steadily growing, it was decided to move the Kunstkamera to a new building specially built for it. The building was laid in 1718. Many architects worked on the project, each of which became the leader at a certain stage. They were: Georg Johann Mattarnovi, Nikolai Gerbel, and Mikhail Zemtsov.
Construction went very slowly, and Peter never saw his offspring. He died in 1725 whenbare walls still stood in the place of the Kunstkamera. The modern building was opened later. This happened in 1734. This building is still in operation today (located on Universitetskaya embankment). It is made in the style of Peter the Great Baroque. All the first buildings of the new capital were built in a similar spirit, when they tried to give it a truly European look.
Before that, the very first museum in Russia lodged in temporary Kikin's chambers. It was here that it was first opened to the public.
Institution budget
It was a large two-story building, which, however, was not enough to accommodate all the expositions. The new museum did not have a fixed budget, but received subsidies from the S alt Office, as well as the Medical Office. The latter paid wages to employees. They monitored the safety of the exhibits, as well as the replenishment of the collection.
It is curious that in 1724 Peter personally ordered to issue 400 rubles annually for treats for visitors. If we compare the Kunstkamera with other museums in Europe of that time, then we will see the opposite picture there. For example, in Dresden, such a "cabinet of rarities" existed by charging fees from visitors. In the same way, on a "tip", the Ashmole Museum in English Oxford functioned.
Museum Goals
The first museum in Russia was opened not to get rich, but to educate the lazy public in St. Petersburg. Many nobles showed no interest in science, which Peter did not like very much. He hoped that at leastfree treats for the first time will stir up interest in an outlandish phenomenon. Of course, the Kunstkamera was not his only measure to educate those around him. Suffice it to mention that it was under him that the first regular Russian newspaper appeared in the capital. At the same time, new schools were opened in Moscow, where foreign specialists were invited. What is the first museum in Russia? Of course, this is the Kunstkamera, which since that time has become the scientific center not only of St. Petersburg, but of the whole country.
Search for exhibits in Russian provinces
An important event was the creation of the Academy of Sciences. This happened in 1724. At the same time, the Kunstkamera came under the auspices of the new institution. The modern symbol of the RAS is the building of the first Russian museum.
If the first collections of the Kunstkamera were exclusively foreign, then over time they began to be “diluted” with domestic exhibits. Even before moving to St. Petersburg, Peter issued a decree, according to which the Moscow Surgical School collected an anatomical compilation for him.
Peter also tried to establish a regular collection of curiosities in the province. In 1717, he sent an order to the Voronezh commandant Stepan Kolychev, in which he ordered to catch "animals from the register" necessary for the museum. In the same way, the Siberian governor Gagarin was supposed to send shells to St. Petersburg.
Scientific expeditions
In the last years of his life, Peter I was especially interested in geological, zoological, historical,archaeological and bibliographic materials. The foundation of the first museum in Russia coincided with the organization of many expeditions to the East. Many of them went in search of minerals necessary for the growth of domestic industry. Especially valuable in this sense was the Urals - the "Stone Belt" of the country. Geodetic work was also carried out on the shores of the B altic, Caspian, Black and Azov Seas.
In 1716–1718 not far from Astrakhan, a lot of gold and silver antiquities were discovered. Peter I (the one who opened the first museum in Russia) became extremely interested in these finds. They were sent to Petersburg. It was a sacrificial utensil left at the mouth of the Volga since pagan times.
Messerschmidt's Siberian Expedition
The expedition of Daniel Messerschmidt was of great importance for the Kunstkamera in the first years of its operation. This German botanist and physician was sent by Peter to Siberia in order, first of all, to collect many unique exhibits for the “royal cabinet”. The emperor (the one who opened the first museum in Russia) was well aware of the importance of Siberian rarities and felt that the Kunstkamera would be incomplete without them.
Messerschmidt not only collected rarities, but also described the life and languages of the indigenous peoples of these regions. The German scientist received from local residents a large number of shot birds and animals, which he then brought to St. Petersburg. During the trip, Messerschmidt visited various cities: Tomsk, Tobolsk, Abakan, Kuznetsk, Turukhansk, Krasnoyarsk,Irkutsk, Tyumen, etc.
Thanks to his efforts, significant materials on ethnography, writing and fine arts of the peoples of the East turned out to be in the Kunstkamera. These were Mongolian tribes, Chinese and other Siberian peoples. A special commission was assembled to assess the value and importance of the finds. Messerschmidt was paid all travel expenses. Also, a subscription was taken from him not to disclose many facts about the exhibits in his homeland.
Meaning of the Kunstkamera
Thanks largely to the Kunstkamera, St. Petersburg has become the scientific capital of the country. The first private museum in Russia appeared here. Many we althy nobles began to collect their own collections, which they showed publicly in special rooms.
The Kunstkamera itself today is an anthropological museum that gathers a huge number of curious people every day. He received the name of Peter I as a sign of his great services to domestic science.
