Among the huge number of educational institutions in St. Petersburg there is a university in which they teach mining. It is called - the mining institute. And with him, for many years now, a mining museum has been working, willingly opening its doors not only to students of the institute, but also to everyone who wants to see its exhibits. What kind of collection is collected in the museum, what is its history and how to get into it, we learn further.
History of the Mining Institute
Before talking about the mountain museum of St. Petersburg, briefly, very quickly go through the milestones of the history of the institute of the same name, because both are interconnected.
On its official website it is indicated that this is the first technical educational institution in Russia (of course, higher), which was founded thanks to the decree of Empress Catherine the Great in 1773. It was supposed to be the embodiment of the ideas of Peter the Great and Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov, as well as to train engineering personnel in order to develop the mining business. Thus, the history of the Mining University for more than two centuries.
Of course, at first this institution was not a university, but a school. The first graduation of it consisted of only 19 people, but by the end of the eighteenth century, more than a hundred students were gnawing granite of science in the mining school. In 1804, the mining school became the Mining Cadet Corps, and since 1834 the Institute of the Mining Engineers Corps. Then it was a closed higher educational institution, partly similar to military cadet schools. This continued until the mid-sixties of the nineteenth century. In 1866, the aforementioned educational institution became known as the Mining Institute.
After the Revolution of 1917, the Petrogradsky prefix was added to the institute, and in 1924 it was replaced by Leningradsky. The Leningrad Mining Institute trained personnel for the geology of mining and metallurgy, being a polytechnic institute. In the postwar years, the workload at the Mining Institute increased, as did the number of students. There are more scientific papers, more research. By the beginning of this century, the graduation of engineers from the Mining University exceeded 40 thousand people. It was at the Mining Institute that many scientists, now known around the world, studied, academician Karpinsky - an encyclopedic geologist, Obruchev - a geologist and writer, Efremov - a paleontologist, science fiction writer and so on.
History of the St. Petersburg Mountain Museum
The museum at the aforementioned institute began its work as soon as the institute, or rather the school, opened its doors for the first time. The museum’s collection - then still small - became the very base on which the school was given the opportunity to function, and for more than two centuries it continues to be. Nevertheless, let us recall how it all began ...
The origins
It all started with a tiny teaching room in which a collection of minerals was organized so that students could study rocks from them. For several years, the teaching room remained such, however, by 1791, through the efforts of many who were not indifferent, including the imperial family, it had received the status of a museum. Since then, the number of exhibits in the museum has steadily increased. Since 1996, it has been included in the list of especially valuable cultural heritage sites of our country.
Decor
The appearance of the Museum of the Mining University in St. Petersburg to this day is largely the same as it was almost two centuries ago. This is a merit, including restorers, who were able to recreate practically unchanged interior details without any changes. And it was created in the time of Alexander the First!
Restoration work in the mining museum was carried out several times, the last time - most recently, in 2016, thanks to the initiative of the current head of the university. Renovations were made in the halls, and the “worn out” exhibits and old furniture were “revived”. Nowadays, everything is once again like a needle, moreover, visitors have the opportunity to enjoy the exposition in the formerly closed Cadet Hall.
More information about the halls and expositions of the museum will be described below, for now let’s say just a few words about how he survived the Great Patriotic War.
1941-1945
In the difficult years of the war and the long Leningrad blockade, the valuable exhibits of the museum could not remain in the besieged city. Although with great difficulty, it was possible to bring to the then Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) items from the collection, which are of the greatest rarity and uniqueness. Especially expensive exhibits left Leningrad: diamonds, gold nuggets, platinum and so on. Everything else was carefully tidied up and hidden in the cellars of the Mining Institute. Managed. When the blockade was lifted, all the exhibits returned home to the Mining Museum of the Mining Institute of St. Petersburg.
Museum Halls
In the unique museum of St. Petersburg no more no less - twenty one hall. How must be surprised those who believed that this museum is quite small! Let's go over all the halls and see what is exposed in them.
Hall 1 - Exhibition
This hall of the mining museum presents visitors with exhibits donated to the institution by prominent people: various figures, famous collectors and even representatives of the imperial family. Truly unique exhibits are collected here, for example, products by the famous Faberge company or gold and platinum nuggets, rare agates and amethysts from Brazil or Ural stones, as well as a transparent crystal of the Ural beryl presented to the museum by Nikolai the First. There is something to see here, however, as in other halls of the mining museum.
Hall 2 "General Mineralogy"
Minerals are located here, an unsurpassed collection in which more than 50 thousand samples are presented. These are exhibits collected from around the world in order to demonstrate to students and not only what the science of mineralogy represents. A collection of natural crystals, a quartz crystal weighing 500 kilograms from the Urals, is far from all the amazing samples that can be seen in this museum hall.
Hall 3 - malachite
I immediately recall the "Malachite Box" by Pavel Bazhov. In the middle of the hall, visitors are greeted by a huge malachite block, which Catherine the Great herself granted to the mountain museum. This is one of the most beautiful rooms in the entire museum, and it introduces a systematic collection of minerals.
Hall 4 "Orthosilicates"
The unusual name of this hall only means that it contains the most common minerals that make up more than 75 percent of the earth's crust. Here you can see samples of zircons and garnets, pyropes and many other representatives of the famous Ural mines.
Hall 5 - columned
The hall is named as you might guess, due to the large number of columns in it. Its appearance has remained the same as it was two hundred years ago.
The hall contains systematic minerals - a continuation of the collection of carbonates, phosphates, Russian topazes and so on.
Hall 6 "Mineralogy of deposits"
In this hall of the St. Petersburg Mining Museum you can find exhibits from various deposits that have already become classic. There are collections from Slyudyanka, Murzinka, the Subpolar Urals and the like places important for mining.
Hall 7 "Artistic stone products"
A rich collection of products awaits visitors in hall number seven. Samples of lapis lazuli, rock crystal, agate, marble, amethyst, gypsum and many other stones will delight the eye of everyone who comes there on an excursion. Also in the hall is a permanent exhibition of landscape stones, that is, stones whose appearance resembles landscapes.
Hall 7a - Cadet
In this brand new room there are armchairs and there is all the necessary equipment for holding various lectures and conferences. Scientific films are shown here, thematic exhibitions on the evolution of the Earth, the structure of its bowels and so on are shown. Also in this room is a collection of oil and petroleum products originally from Baku, previously it belonged to Alexander the Third.
Hall 8 "Mining equipment"
Here you can get acquainted with the models of mining, mining and metallurgical equipment that was used in mining during different periods throughout these two centuries.
This collection began to be assembled so that students could better master the new technique. Samples were performed both at Russian factories and came from abroad.
Hall 9 "Art casting"
In the hall you can see exhibits made of metal: iron castings, bronze sculptures, Zlatoust steel and other excellent examples are shown to everyone. The collection began in the eighteenth century, but the nineteenth century brought her the most extensive replenishment.
Room number ten is a conference room. We will not dwell on it and proceed immediately to the next.
Hall 11 "Quaternary Geology"
The exposition of this hall tells the story of the shortest period in geology - the Quaternary. This is the time when a man appeared.
Hall 12 "Historical Geology"
The history of geology - this is what the exhibits of the twelfth hall tell. Minerals, stones, fauna and flora, as well as stands and paintings give an idea of the periods of geology.
Other halls
We will talk more about the next rooms. In the thirteenth, you can see collections of vertebrates of all classes, including skeletons of ancient representatives of the fauna. The fourteenth hall is a room for the youngest visitors, in which there is multimedia equipment that allows for various special programs for children. The fifteenth hall of the mining museum shows meteorites - iron, stone and iron-stone. And in the sixteenth, you can see exhibits telling about the structure of the Earth and its study (glaciers, karsts, tectonic plates, rivers and lakes - all this is here). Minerals of various kinds are located in the seventeenth hall, hall number eighteen contains expositions that tell about the geology of St. Petersburg and the region. In particular, it is interesting in that it presents stones from which the most famous sculptures of the city on the Neva were made, as well as subway stations. Hall nineteen is a hall, but there are exhibits in it: large ore samples. As for the twentieth, last, hall, it is called "Petralogy" and contains samples of sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks from various regions of our country and abroad.
Some inattentive readers could reproach us: it was said about twenty-one rooms, and only twenty of them were named! However, the twenty-first was also named - this is Hall 7a, opened three years ago.
Next, we’ll tell you in what mode the St. Petersburg Mining Museum receives its visitors, as well as what address it is located and how to get there.
Mode of operation
The working hours of the mining museum are as follows: from Monday to Thursday - from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Friday the museum closes an hour earlier. On these days, that is, on weekdays, group tours are held in the museum (that is, organizational groups of students, schoolchildren, and so on). It is necessary to pre-register, it is advisable to submit the application at least one month before the expected date.
On Saturdays there are guided tours for individual visitors. Their start is at eleven in the morning and at one in the afternoon. However, you can’t just come in - you need to call the mountain museum in advance and sign up (you can call all week before your desired Saturday). Groups of 25 people are recruited - both times. Sunday is a day off.
All necessary information can be clarified by the phone numbers of the museum. They are listed on the official website of the Mining Institute in the section dedicated to the Mining Museum.
How to find
Surprisingly, the address of the mining museum coincides with the address of the university itself - Vasilievsky Island, twenty-first line, house number two.
Getting to the institute with the museum is not difficult: you need to go to the Vasileostrovskaya metro station and take either buses No. 1, 128 and 152 or minibuses No. 309 and 359. The entrance to the museum is located on the side of the Lieutenant Schmidt embankment.
Reviews
Visitors to the Mining Museum at the Mining Institute of St. Petersburg note both the advantages and disadvantages of this museum. Among the pluses are the most interesting collections, amazingly beautiful halls, amazing interiors, a large number of exhibits. They also respond positively to the work of guides, noting an interesting, lively, colorful story. But among the minuses - an entry to the museum and the inability to get into it just like that. People also complain about the ban on photographing collections.
This is information about the mountain museum of St. Petersburg. And this is one of those places that you definitely need to see in this glorious city!