370 km from Moscow and 80 km from Yaroslavl is the city of Rybinsk, which is the administrative center of the Rybinsk district. It is located in a picturesque place, at the confluence of the Volga, Cheryomukha and Sheksna rivers. In addition to them, the city crosses several more small rivers and streams.
A wonderful Russian city is located at the northern point of the Volga, to Rybinsk the great river carries its waters to the northeast, and from Rybinsk turns to the southeast. The city is located on its two banks, but its main part is located on the right bank.
Sights of Rybinsk
The city has preserved quite a lot of architectural monuments (XVIII - XX centuries), which arouse the interest of historians and researchers, and they are always examined by guests. The entire historical center was built up in the 19th century, although many buildings were rebuilt several times. The main decoration of the city are the building of the bread exchange. They are built on the banks of the Volga.
The old exchange is made in the classical style, the new one was erected in 1912. The building is designed in a pseudo-Russian style. The author of the project was A.V. Ivanov. Outside, a magnificent building is covered with tiled tiles. It stands on a massive stone basement, which stretches on the Volga coast. Currently, there is the main attraction of the city - the Rybinsk Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve.
The exchange building, the cathedral, the bridge across the Volga are included in a single ensemble, which has become the hallmark of this city. The Rybinsk Museum Reserve is the largest and most visited in the region. It has a rich collection of cultural and historical exhibits.
Rybinsk Museum-Reserve: History
In October 1910, the first science museum was opened in Rybinsk, which was created in the building of the Commercial School. The idea of creating a museum was made by the local intelligentsia, which united in the department of the Yaroslavl Historical Society. It included A.A. Mikhailov, N.N. Rozov, B.G. Verdi, L.A. Albitsky and other prominent figures of the city.
By 1913, the museum had five departments:
- geological;
- mineralogical;
- botanical;
- zoological;
- anthropological.
His collection by this time totaled several thousand interesting exhibits. At the initiative of D.A. Ushakov, which was supported by A.A. Zolotarev, A.V. Burov, L.A. Albitsky and others, with the assistance of the city leadership, in December 1919, an art-historical museum was founded in Rybinsk. The center of his collection was the exhibits provided by the surrounding noble estates. After some time, the exposition was supplemented by arrivals of artworks from museums and art galleries in Moscow and Petrograd.
The first real professional in museum business at the Rybinsk Museum was E.V.Sosnina, who came to the museum after the collection of applied art, which was confiscated from her relatives by the Rybinsk Cheka.
Museum in the 30s
The thirties of the last century began with the mass arrests of museum employees who were accused of reactionary ideology. Since 1935, the development of the Department of Nature, led by the writer, artist G. Lesovik, became its head. Around the same time, the museum received hundreds of exhibits from the disbanded small museums (Poshekhonsky, Mologsky, etc.).
At the beginning of World War II, the museum was suspended, and all exhibits were packed and prepared for evacuation. However, already in May 1942, the museum again met visitors in some departments.
Museum after WWII
Since the mid-fifties, the museum began to replenish its collection with the works of modern Soviet and foreign artists. During this period, the heyday of the complex. In February 1959, he received the status of a historical and art museum. In addition to creating an exposition telling about the life of the region, museum specialists began to restore exhibits already in existence. So the Rybinsk Museum-Reserve was created. Exhibitions of folk art, glass and porcelain, icon painting began to work on an ongoing basis.
From 1970 to 1980, when the museum was headed by I.B. Rabinovich (captain of the 1st rank), much attention was paid to military-patriotic work. During this period of time, exhibition activity intensified . The tradition includes collective and personal exhibitions of Rybinsk artists, young local painters. In turn, exhibits from this Volga city began to appear frequently at exhibitions in metropolitan museums.
In January 1989, the museum received its current status. In 1992, the city administration made a very important decision. The Rybinsk Museum Reserve received the building of the New Bread Exchange.
Building description
This is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. It is located on the banks of the Volga. Bread exchange is a historical and architectural monument of the city. The building was built in 1912 by the Moscow architect A. Ivanov. Curly roofs with openwork crests, facades lined with tiles and irrigation tiles - all this splendor resembles the chambers of fairy-tale heroes, though built using modern technology at that time.
Today, most of the decoration of that time has been preserved inside: stucco molding of ceilings, openwork wrought iron railings of stairs, etc. The building is built of brick and tiled with German tiles. In the decoration of the beautiful building was used over two hundred colored tiles. They depict double-headed eagles, herbs and flowers. The foundation is made of rubble stone and deepened by four meters. This is to ensure that the structure withstands the spring flood of the river.
The building of the bread exchange in the XIX century embodied the strength, power and wealth of the Rybinsk merchants. Traders and industrialists from all over Russia gathered in this building. In the XX century, this building served as a military hospital, as well as a military headquarters, and a city hospital until it was transferred to the museum. After that, it was converted into a museum in the shortest possible time, and in the winter of 1993 it was opened.
Further development
In 1995, the Rybinsk Museum-Reserve (Rybinsk) was replenished with another department - the Museum of the History of the Mologda Territory, which was located in the former chapel of the Afanasyevsky Women's Monastery. Here were collected materials on the history of these lands, in the middle of the twentieth century that were absorbed by the waters of the Rybinsk reservoir.
Part of the museum complex is located in the Muchny Gostiny Dvor, which is now closed for renovation. This building in the shape of a square consists of two-story shops (end of the 18th century). Until the beginning of the last century, open arcades were located on the ground floor. Now they plan to restore them during the restoration of the building.
Museum Reserve today
Today, the Rybinsk State Museum-Reserve has more than one hundred and twenty thousand exhibits. Today ten expositions are constantly working. These include exhibitions on the history of the museum and the city, as well as the picturesque nature of the region, archaeological finds, objects of decorative, applied and fine art.
The Rybinsk Museum-Reserve has an extensive collection of Western European art. Here are the famous canvases of Italian, German, Dutch, English and French painters of the 16th – 19th centuries, as well as sculptures of the 18th – 19th centuries, works of famous architects.
Of great interest to visitors is the collection of applied art in Europe. It presents medieval majolica (Italy), earthenware (Delft and Wedgwood), the products of the most famous Western European porcelain manufactories of the XVIII-XIX centuries, ceramics of the East and decorative glass (Bohemia and Silesia).
Exposition of domestic art
Today, much attention is paid to the collection of Russian art objects Rybinsk Museum-Reserve (Rybinsk). A magnificent collection of exhibits of Orthodox culture will be of interest to many - icons (XVI-XVII centuries), prints, enamels, wood carvings, ancient copper plates (XI century). This section presents the works of F. Rokotov and I. Shishkin, V. Vereshchagin and I. Repin, A. Benois and N. Roerich.
In addition, here you can see an amazing collection of decorative and applied products from porcelain and glass of Russian factories
Ancient history
Visiting historical and archaeological exhibitions, visitors can get acquainted with the pre-Mongolian culture of the peoples who inhabited these places. Here are household items, old documents. The exhibits of the collection are very interesting, which are devoted to flora and fauna - parts of the skeletons of mammoths, prehistoric bison and woolly rhinoceros.
Interesting Facts
In 1967, during the filming of the famous film “War and Peace” by S. Bondarchuk, the Rybinsk Museum Reserve provided furniture and accessories.
In the film “12 Chairs” by L. Gaidai (1971), the auction scene was shot in the building of the Bread Exchange (the main building of the museum-reserve today).
In the film "Boomer" (2006), the scene of the persecution by bandits Dashka was shot in Rybinsk. This happened on the site of the Volga embankment, limited by the buildings of the museum complex.
Rybinsk Museum-Reserve: how to get there?
Rybinsk is not a resort city. Most often people come here on business and personal matters. If you happen to visit these places, be sure to visit the Rybinsk Museum-Reserve. His address is Volzhskaya embankment, 2. On the street. Ukhtomsky, 45 is the Ukhtomsky House-Museum and in Preobrazhensky Lane, 6A is the Museum of the Mologsky Territory.
From the railway station to the museum complex you will be taken by buses No. 5, No. 107, No. 108, No. 109, No. 114. Trolleybuses No. 3 and No. 5, as well as a minibus No. 5T. You need to get off at the Cathedral Square stop.