The Northern Maritime Museum of Arkhangelsk is located in its historical part. Where the first monastery walls appeared in the 15th century. The museum building is a former maritime station.
The exposition appeared in 1970, thanks to the initiative of sailors of the North Sea Shipping Company. The museum’s collection tells the story of the development of the northern seas since the reign of Peter I. Today the museum has the status of a state.
Materials of the main exposition
The Moscow-based artist E. Bogdanov worked on the design project for the Millennium of Northern Navigation exhibition. He divided all the prepared material into two groups. The first tells about the sailing fleet of the northern seas, in time it is a segment from the XI to the middle of the XIX century. The second part of the exhibition shows the development of shipbuilding, showing vessels with metal hulls. These events take place from the end of the 19th to the 20th centuries.
Of great value are original documents, ancient maps, rare books that are presented in the Northern Maritime Museum. The collection contains numerous models of ships and ships, devices and instruments, all kinds of marine equipment. There are more than 20 thousand units in the storage facility; museum employees can tell a lot of interesting things about each item. All items are involved in the creation of major expositions and temporary thematic exhibitions.
Exhibition space design
Visitors, starting the inspection, as planned by the artist, are on board the sailing ship. The skeleton of his body occupies almost the entire area of the hall. With great accuracy, the details of rigging, the elements of the ship’s device, and sails above the head create the illusion of the ship’s movement in the northern seas. This feeling is reinforced by glass, transparent or frosted shop windows with exhibits resembling snow ice and icebergs.
The guide gives the material for noise design: through the wind you can hear waves beating on the side of the ship and the cries of gulls. In such an environment, interest in the story about the origin of navigation in the northern waters, about unforgettable dates and moments in the history of the conquest of the seas and shipbuilding is greatly increased. The tour will certainly impress! After it, local residents and guests of the city, who visited the Northern Maritime Museum of Arkhangelsk, learned the names of brave people, conquerors of the cold seas.
City of Military Glory
Museum staff, using the main exhibition area, conduct interesting excursions. The theme of the city, the defender of the Motherland, does not leave anyone indifferent:
- The Northern War for the exit of Russian ships into the Baltic Sea.
- World War I with attempts to block Russia.
- Arctic convoys of ships to the Soviet port cities of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk.
All these are important historical events in the life of the state, artifacts of which are carefully stored in the Northern Maritime Museum.
For centuries, during all wars in the city, the construction of warships did not stop. Military equipment from all over the world passed through the port city of Arkhangelsk. The price of victory was high: in the Great Patriotic War, every fourth resident was killed.
Arctic icebreakers
Another tour is conducted on the basis of the main exposition. Museum specialists developed a thematic lesson on the appearance and development of the icebreaker fleet in the country. Today, Russia is the only owner of atomic icebreakers, which ensured the constant presence of Russian specialists in the Arctic. Such ships are used for escorting vessels in northern waters at any time of the year, for conducting scientific research expeditions, for emergency rescue operations in ice.
The exposition of the Northern Maritime Museum of Arkhangelsk will tell about the stages of development of the icebreaking fleet, about the participation of the city's inhabitants in its creation and operation.
Polar convoys
Of great importance for the victory of the USSR were humanitarian aid shipments, as well as the supply of arms and ammunition under the Lend-Lease program from our northern neighbors and the United States. Arctic convoys, escort by warships of caravans of cargo ships were carried out from the UK to Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. From 1941 to 1945, 78 convoys were carried out, 1,400 ships safely arrived at the port of destination.
Each convoy of any state had two identifiers in its name, for the USSR it was PQ (number), the return flight was QP (number). The exploits of the sailors who took part in this work are narrated during this thematic tour.
Museum Exhibition Hall
Modern space allows you to quickly change the collection, but, importantly and interestingly, modify the site itself. Exhibitions change in this hall once a quarter, the subjects of the opened expositions are very different. During the preparation of the material, museum staff use all the opportunities provided to them: from the mobility of space to the careful selection of material and its design.
The necessary video materials can be projected onto the big screen, information blocks focus the attention of visitors on the necessary events and dates. Light and noise design. That is, the scientific staff of the Northern Maritime Museum have the opportunity to show their creative abilities, immerse visitors in the story being told, and demonstrate their point of view on a particular topic.
Master classes and classes with the population
The museum does a great job among the locals. Those wishing to attend an unscheduled excursion or take part in a master class have the opportunity to pre-register.
Interesting for adults of all ages and children may be a lesson offered by the museum on knitting marine knots. During work, a lot of interesting things will be told about this skill of every sailor. Participants in the master class will learn what kind of nodes there are, in what cases they are used, they will try themselves in the role of seasoned sailors.
Recently, the museum hosted the presentation of the project "Pomeranian schooner." It preceded the start of construction of this traditional, northern ship. For those who wish, the museum staff, together with shipbuilders, show the drawings, explain the stages of work. The purpose of such meetings: the revival and development of historical shipbuilding in Arkhangelsk. Schooner - continuation of the project "Pomeranian longboat".
Street exhibits of the Northern Maritime Museum
The area adjacent to the building is also used by employees to demonstrate exhibits. On the way to the museum there is a large ship equipment: chains, anchors, guns. But the most valuable are the busts of the pioneers of the Arctic routes. The author of the works installed on this walk of fame is the sculptor-muralist R. Kh. Muradyan. Here are some names.
A. M. Kurochkin is a Russian shipwright who lived in Arkhangelsk until the middle of the 19th century. Under his leadership, nearly 90 vessels were launched, including the famous battleship Azov, the first to be awarded the highest award — the stern flag of St. George.
O. Yu. Schmidt - Soviet geographer, geophysicist, mathematician, Arctic explorer. In 1932, he headed the expedition on the Sibiryakov icebreaker, for the first time making the passage along the Northern Sea Route in one navigation.
G. Ya. Sedov - Russian hydrograph, Arctic explorer. The expedition he organized to the North Pole in 1912 failed. After two winterings, the sick Sedov with two sailors on dog teams still tried to reach the goal, but this led to his death.
I. D. Papanin - geographer, doctor of sciences, rear admiral, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Since 1932, he headed the polar stations on Franz Josef Land, on Cape Chelyuskin, the North Pole drifting station. During the war he worked as chief of the Glavsevmorput.