The city of Penza was founded as a fortress on the outskirts of the Russian Empire in 1663. Over the past 354 years there have been many interesting events, and many natives of these places left a noticeable mark in the history of our country.
Want to know more about what Penza is famous for? The Museum of Local Lore is a place where you will be told a lot of interesting things.
Background
The first museum on the territory of the modern Penza region appeared in the XVIII century. In 1789, one of the province’s first entrepreneurs, the landowner A. I. Bakhmetev, who owned the famous crystal factory, founded a museum under him. This institution had a small exposition, the basis of which was the best works of the masters of the enterprise. It became the first museum of art and industrial profile in the Russian province.
In addition, in 1892, with the money bequeathed to the former governor of Penza and the famous philanthropist N. D. Seliverstov, the third Russian provincial art gallery was founded. In it, numerous valuable works of painting and decorative and applied art were originally exhibited to the city.
By the beginning of the last century, small museums of the provincial scientific archival commission, as well as statistical, church and historical-archaeological committees, also functioned in Penza.
Base
Penza, whose local history museum is today considered one of the main attractions, in the first decade of the last century developed at an accelerated pace. In 1905, a society of science lovers began to operate there. At his meeting, it was decided to organize a natural history museum. For six years, work has been carried out to create a collection. The museum itself began to operate in February 1911. By 1915, in his collection, there were 22,949 storage units, and in his library there were 1,818 books.
After the establishment of Soviet power, the museum was nationalized and received the status of a state. In 1924, he was officially reissued as a local history.
History in the first years after the foundation
As a result of the active work of the collective, the Museum of Local Lore (Penza), the mode of operation of which is presented below, already had departments of ethnography, archeology, and history in the early 1920s.
In 1924, he was given a 2-storey building of the dormitory of the former diocesan school, in which it is located to this day.
In the future, many cultural institutions were officially included in its structure, which even then provincial Penza was proud of.
The Museum of Local Lore has united an art gallery, the observatory named after I.N. Ulyanov (planetarium), the Botanical Garden and the Vivarium into a single whole.
Further story
An invaluable role in the formation of the collections of the Penza Museum of Local Lore, in the organization of its exposition and research work was played by N. Zaikin, N. and I. Sprygin, E. and A. Shtukenberg, B. Gvozdev, D. Protasiev and A. Magnitsky.
During the Great Patriotic War, the institution did not stop its work for a single day. During this period, exhibits from the evacuated Orel KM and the museum of Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev were placed in his building.
After the end of the war, the staff of the Penza Museum of Local Lore was engaged in a fundamental reorganization of the museum exposition based on new ethnographic materials, as well as the introduction of new forms of cultural and educational activities. In 1952, a special department of funds was created. At that time, the museum collection already had nearly 60,000 exhibits.
Over the years of its existence, the Museum of Local Lore (Penza, mode of operation, see below) has achieved significant success in research, exposition, exhibition, gathering, and cultural and educational activities.
It has repeatedly become the venue for all-Russian meetings and seminars, as well as international scientific conferences. In addition, its staff published more than 60 monographs, as well as thousands of collections of scientific papers, articles and several dozen books.
Natural Science Collection
Many tourists, deciding where to spend a vacation, are wondering about what is interesting Penza. The local history museum of the city is a place where you can find answers to this question. For example, in his natural science collection more than 10,000 objects are represented. Acquainted with them, you will find out that fossils of the Mesozoic era were found in the region: ichthyosaurus vertebrae, lower jaw of the Mosasaur, prints on the sandstone of the Pliosaurus, etc. The museum exhibit also shows the bones of animals of the Cenozoic era - mammoth, bison, rhinoceros, giant deer, as well as zoological and ornithological collections.
Ethnographic Exposition
The pride of the museum is one of the most complete collections of Russian and Mordovian folk costumes and jewelry. It includes almost 5,000 items, including overalls for girls (tsuprun), dressing rooms, wedding dresses and hats. In addition, in the museum you can see old utensils and handicrafts.
Other collections and exhibitions
In the Museum of Local Lore Penza , ancient rare coins are also presented. In total, the numismatic collection includes about 10,000 items. Treasures of the times of Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, Alexei Mikhailovich and Dzhuchid coins are also of great interest. In the museum you can see several dozen ancient orders and medals of the Russian Empire and the USSR.
At the end of last year, children and youth had another reason to visit the Museum of Local Lore (Penza). The exhibition of robots, which opened there in December, delighted everyone who is a fan of Optimus Prime and his iron comrades. Everyone who visited this unusual show left with the best impressions of what they saw. After all, a magnificent fantastic performance with modern special effects was organized for them.
Local Lore Museum (Penza): Zoo
In February 2017, a new department was opened at OKM. It became a contact zoo, where more than 50 species of animals and birds are represented, many of which can be picked up. Children and adults enjoy communicating with monkeys, reptiles, chameleons, scorpions, chinchillas, ferrets, a huge rabbit and the largest tortoise living in Russia.
Museum of Local Lore (Penza): address
This cultural institution is easy to find. It is located at: Krasnaya Street, 73. Before the October Revolution, this street was called Noble and was, as they would say today, the most prestigious in Penza. Representatives of the richest and most notable families of the city built their dwellings on it, therefore, in the area, in addition to the Museum of Local Lore, there are other attractions. These include old houses and an art gallery.
How to get there and working hours
In order to get to the Museum of Local Lore, you need to take the bus number 8 and get to the stop "Gymnasium No. 1". Then you should go in the direction of the building, next to which the tank and guns are exhibited, which have been preserved since the times of the First World War.
The museum is open to visitors all days of the week, except Mondays and Tuesdays. Opening hours: from 10:00 to 17:00. On Friday, visitors are expected from 10:00 to 20:00. The cash desk closes half an hour earlier.
Tickets for adults are 100, and for children - 40 rubles. For students, colleges and technical schools, as well as retirees - 50.
Some categories of citizens can visit the museum for free on the first Wednesday of every month. These include WWII veterans, invalids of groups 1 and 2, soldiers, sergeants and foremen of the Republic of Armenia, minors and members of large families.
In the museum you can use the services of a professional guide. The cost for single visitors and groups of no more than 25 people is 300 rubles.
Now you know where the Museum of Local Lore (Penza) is located. An exhibition of robots, a contact zoo, many unique exhibits, as well as interesting events - this is only part of what it can offer guests and residents of the city. Therefore, having arrived in Penza, be sure to visit the OKM, where you can always spend a couple of free hours and learn a lot about the city and its inhabitants.