The factory-museum of the history of mining technology is a unique complex where the history of the development of the metallurgical industry from the time of the famous Demidov family has been preserved. At one site, you can see how the factories looked at the dawn of their appearance, how they extracted energy for the operation of machines using water and what changes occurred with the advent of electricity.
Demidov Metallurgy
The factory-museum of the history of mining technology in Nizhny Tagil is considered the hallmark of the city and one of the most unusual sights. There is no such industrial complex anywhere else in the world. Today the museum is part of the unique Gornozavodskaya Ural reserve.
Having moved to the Urals, the Demidovs actively took up the development of metallurgy, supplying the army with the necessary weapons. In 1715, the guns and cores of the Demidov production began to be supplied to the Admiralty, and next year there were buyers abroad. The first Tagil plant was built by Akinfiy Demidov in 1722, and in 1725 the enterprise was launched in Nizhny Tagil, it became the largest metallurgical plant in Russia.
Metal from the Demidov enterprises was valued as highly as Russian sable fur. Wanting to emphasize the quality of the products, the owners put the stamp “Old Sable” on the products of their factories. Throughout the XVIII century, the plant in Nizhny Tagil was on the list of the largest enterprises in Europe. The industrial revolution forced owners to twice modernize technological processes, the latter was carried out at the beginning of the XX century.
In 20th century
After nationalization, the plant received the name of Kuybyshev. During the Great Patriotic War, the plant produced products for the needs of the front. Since the mid-20th century, the enterprise has practically lost its industrial significance, and the plant stopped completely in 1987. By this time, the territory of the enterprise was in the very center of the city, it was impossible to expand the territory, and industrial emissions violated all possible environmental standards.
The Demidov plant in Nizhny Tagil has been working properly for 262 years, which is a kind of record. All other enterprises, founded around the same time, ceased their activity after two to three decades. After the closure of the plant, it was planned to completely clean up the territory, demolishing the buildings, and give the equipment for disposal. Fortunately, the city authorities decided to transfer it to the Gornozavodskaya Ural reserve.
Description
The Museum Museum of the History of Mining Techniques of Nizhny Tagil was established in 1989. At the present stage, the industrial space is devoted to the history of the development of metallurgy as an industry. The uniqueness of the meeting lies in the fact that in one territory one can trace the main periods of development of the iron and steel industry, which have gone from the use of falling water energy to work on steam engines and the transition to the use of electricity. In addition, the factory museum is an example of a classic Ural enterprise.
On the territory of the factory-museum of the history of mining technology collected more than 400 exhibits. There are six expositions and three permanent exhibitions. From the point of view of history, the most interesting are the expositions covering the domain and open-hearth production, and the energy economy. An equally important section of the open-air museum is the enterprise’s hydraulic system, which consists of a pond, a dam with a dam, a lock and a gutter - this system still functions today.
The blast-furnace, open-hearth, rolling, and blacksmith shops were preserved in good condition. Many structures on the territory of the factory-museum of the history of mining technology date back more than 150 years from the date of construction and are considered monuments of industrial architecture. Today, equipment from different centuries is presented at the museum site, which gives a complete picture of the stages of modernization in the industry.
Excursions
You can officially go on an excursion to the factory museum of the history of mining technology in the warm season. For the tour to be informative, a preliminary order for visiting the exposition as a part of a group of 10-15 people is required. Children under 14 years old are admitted to the museum, accompanied by adults. During the tour, the specialist tells about the history of the Demidov family, as well as about each object and building of the complex. The cost of the tour is from 250 rubles for students to 600 rubles for adults.
If a tourist is interested in general impressions, then local residents are advised to inspect some objects of the exhibition from the pedestrian bridge, which is called "humpback". It is laid over the territory of the museum complex, with it the tourist has a view of the production facilities and workshops, mechanisms, cars, railway line and much more.
Some objects are accessible for inspection from the side of the dam, rolling and blast-furnace shops are perfectly visible from here, rolling stock is clearly visible, and the Dam Equipment stand can be touched and walked around from all sides. The only and significant drawback of such an inspection will be the complete lack of necessary information. Most of the exhibits are not supplied with information materials, therefore, besides aesthetic pleasure, such an excursion will not be of any use. In addition, many interesting things are hidden behind the walls of rooms and workshops, you can get there only accompanied by a guide.
Helpful information
The former Demidov plant in Nizhny Tagil is located at Lenin Avenue, Building 1.
The working hours of the factory-museum of the history of mining technology depends on the period of the year. Since in winter the temperature here drops to -35 degrees Celsius, it is not possible to spend a lot of time on excursions. The exposition is available for tourists from May 1 to September 30 from 10:00 to 17:00 on all days of the week, except Monday (day off). You can get to the place by tram (No. 1, 12, 15, 3 or 17), a bus (No. 104, 3 or 8), as well as fixed-route taxis (No. 16, 43, 49, 32 or 26).
The Gornozavodsky Ural Reserve, in addition to the factory museum, includes 9 more cultural objects and a storage facility. Museums of Nizhny Tagil are open to all comers, each of them has a rich thematic collection of rarities, informative tours are carried out, educational programs for children and adults are carried out, and research activities are underway.