Russian Tsar Peter I was a famous collector. Many interesting and unusual things were inherited from his father, but he accumulated the main wealth, which has survived to this day, on his own. Today, not everyone will immediately say what the first museum was called, opened by Peter the Great, but almost everyone knows what the Kunstkamera is. It is in this unusual place that exhibits are stored, the search of which the great sovereign began to engage in.
How it all began
In 1704, Peter I signed a decree obliging all people, especially merchants traveling in Russia and abroad, to bring all unusual things to the palace. For all the wonders, he promised a good reward. Initially, all the collected exhibits were stored in Moscow, but after St. Petersburg became the capital of the state, the collections were moved there.
The name of the first museum, opened by Peter the Great from the very beginning, is unknown. The tsar thought for a long time about the name, wanted it to be sonorous, unusual, memorable. In the end, they settled on the Kunstkamera, which in translation meant "cabinet of rarities."
Museum exhibits
The first museum, opened by Peter the Great, was arranged very carefully, life-doctor Areskin looked after all the collections. Every now and then issued decrees on the collection of various wonders. People were supposed to bring antiquities to the king, for example, dishes, clothes, weapons, bones, stones. A separate place was given to rare animals, birds, and also animals with anomalies. It is known that the Kunstkamera at one time acquired lambs with three and eight eyes, a sheep with two languages and four eyes.
The name of the first museum, opened by Peter the Great, was known not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders. Merchants regularly brought the king overseas wonders, replenishing his vast collection. Over the years, the number of items has grown inexorably. Valuable archaeological finds were brought to the Kunstkamera: old manuscripts, household items, gold and silver items, and coins. There was also a herbarium, a collection of shells of unusual shapes, a huge number of animals, butterflies, birds. There were parts of the human body. Everything that caused surprise or admiration was brought to the first museum opened by Peter the Great.
Kunstkamera Collections
Peter the Great did a great job of collecting unusual things from all over the country and from abroad. The memory of this is preserved not only by the walls of the museum, but also by exhibits, because in the Kunstkamera there are many things of the king himself. Initially, only the Natur cabinet was created, in which collections of fauna and flora were stored. Then came the Physical, Münz, Kunst-cabinets, they housed a collection of medals, coins, and other antiquities. After the sovereign’s death, they created the Imperial cabinet dedicated to Peter 1.
Of course, during the life of the tsar the museum looked completely different, but nevertheless, the restorers and museum staff did their best, bringing the new design as close as possible to the original version. Today, adults and children know the name of the first museum, opened by Peter the Great. The Kunstkamera has a huge number of collections, and all of them are very interesting for acquaintance and study.