The names of some Russian museums are known to every resident of our country. This is the Hermitage, the Tretyakov Gallery, as well as the Kunstkamera. The last institution is the first museum in Russia.
The Great Embassy of Peter I
Peter I went down in Russian history as a reformer of everything and everything. It was he who founded the first museum in Russia. In 1698, he was the first of our monarchs to be in Europe. At the same time, he traveled to Western countries within the framework of the Great Embassy anonymously, so as not to draw attention to his person.
It was during his European voyage that Peter I first thought about creating his own museum. At that time, such institutions were created with the support of sovereigns. For example, numerous German princes contained their own “cabinets of rarities,” in which wonders from around the world were kept. In their language, such premises were called the Kunstkamera. Peter often copied European in his own country. Therefore, the first museum in Russia was called in the same way - the Kunstkamera.
Most of the king was struck by Holland and England with their modern production. In these countries, he was not greedy, he bought a variety of objects - books, scientific instruments, minerals, weapons. All this was to form the basis of the exposition, which would be kept by the first museum in Russia.
The base of the Kunstkamera
After returning to his homeland, Peter I did not forget about his idea. A few years later he recaptured the Baltic coast from the Swedes. It was here that St. Petersburg was founded, where the capital was soon moved. The king wanted the Kunstkamera to work on the banks of the Neva. In 1714, his collection of rarities was moved to the Summer Palace. This year is considered the founding date of the Kunstkamera. Prior to this, the exhibits were stored in Moscow, in the premises of the Pharmaceutical Chancellery.
The first museum in the history of Russia was gradually filled with new exhibits. The very next year, Peter Alekseevich went on his second trip to Europe. In Holland, the king visited the famous Albert Ceba Museum. This pharmacist has been collecting various minerals, plants and shells all his life. He sold the famous guest most of his zoological collection, which was soon accepted by the first museum in Russia.
New building for the museum
Due to the fact that the number of exhibits has been steadily growing, it was decided to transfer the Kunstkamera to a new building specially built for her. The construction was laid in 1718. Many architects worked on the project, each of whom became a leader at a certain stage. These were: Georg Johann Mattarnovi, Nikolai Gerbel, and also Mikhail Zemtsov.
Construction went very slowly, and Peter never saw his brainchild. He died in 1725, when the bare walls still stood on the site of the Kunstkamera. The modern building was opened later. It happened in 1734. This building still works today (located on the University Embankment). It is made in the style of Peter's Baroque. In this spirit all the first buildings of the new capital were built when they tried to give it a truly European look.
Prior to this, the very first museum in Russia was housed in temporary Kikin chambers. It was here that he was first opened to the public.
Institutional Budget
It was a large two-story building, which, however, was not enough to accommodate all the exhibits. The new museum did not have a permanent budget, but it received subsidies from the Salt Office, as well as the Medical Office. The latter gave out wages to employees. They monitored the safety of exhibits, as well as the completion of the collection.
It is curious that in 1724 Peter personally ordered 400 rubles to be given out annually for refreshments for visitors. If we compare the Kunstkamera with other museums in Europe at that time, then we will see the opposite picture. For example, in Dresden, such a “cabinet of rarities” existed by charging visitors. Similarly, on the “tip”, the Ashmolean Museum in English Oxford functioned.
Museum Objectives
The first museum in Russia was not opened in order to enrich itself, but in order to enlighten the lazy audience of St. Petersburg. Many nobles did not show interest in science, which Peter did not like very much. He hoped that at least free refreshments for the first time would foster interest in the outlandish phenomenon. Of course, the Kunstkamera was not his only measure to educate others. It’s enough to mention that it was under him that the first regular Russian newspaper appeared in the capital. At the same time, new schools opened in Moscow, where foreign experts were invited. What is the first museum in Russia? Of course, this is the Kunstkamera, which since then has become the scientific center not only of St. Petersburg, but of the whole country.
Search for exhibits in Russian provinces
An important event was the creation of the Academy of Sciences. This happened in 1724. Then the Kunstkamera came under the auspices of the new institution. The modern symbol of the Russian Academy of Sciences is the building of the first Russian museum.
If the first collections of the Kunstkamera were exclusively foreign, then over time they began to be "diluted" with domestic exhibits. Even before moving to Petersburg, Peter issued a decree according to which the Moscow Surgical College compiled an anatomical compilation for him.
Peter also tried to establish a regular collection of wonders in the province. In 1717, he sent an order to Voronezh commandant Stepan Kolychev, in which he ordered to catch “animals from the register” necessary for the museum. In the same way, the Siberian governor Gagarin was supposed to send shells to Petersburg.
Scientific expeditions
In the last years of his life, Peter I was particularly interested in geological, zoological, historical, archaeological and bibliographic materials. The foundation of the first museum in Russia coincided with the organization of many expeditions to the East. Many of them went in search of minerals necessary for the growth of domestic industry. In this sense, the Urals - the "Stone Belt" of the country became especially valuable. Geodetic work was also carried out on the shores of the Baltic, Caspian, Black and Azov Seas.
In the years 1716-1718. Near Astrakhan, many gold and silver antiquities were discovered. Peter I (the one who opened the first museum in Russia) was extremely interested in these findings. They were sent to Petersburg. It was a sacrificial utensil left at the mouth of the Volga from pagan times.
Siberian expedition Messerschmidt
Of great importance to the Kunstkamera in the early years of her work was the expedition of Daniel Messerschmidt. This German botanist and medic was sent by Peter to Siberia in order to first of all collect a lot of unique exhibits for the “tsar’s cabinet”. The emperor (the one who opened the first museum in Russia) was well aware of the importance of Siberian rarities and felt that without them the Kunstkamera would be inferior.
Messerschmidt not only collected rarities, but also described the life and languages ​​of the indigenous peoples of these parts. The German scientist received from local residents a large number of shot birds and animals, which he then brought to St. Petersburg. During the trip, Messerschmidt visited various cities: Tomsk, Tobolsk, Abakan, Kuznetsk, Turukhansk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Tyumen, etc.
Thanks to his efforts, the Kunstkamera turned out to be significant materials on ethnography, writing and the visual arts of the peoples of the East. These were Mongol tribes, Chinese and other Siberian peoples. A special commission was convened to assess the value and importance of the finds. Messerschmidt paid all travel expenses. Also, a non-disclosure of many facts about the exhibits in his homeland was taken from him.
The value of the Kunstkamera
Largely thanks to the Kunstkamera, St. Petersburg has become the country's scientific capital. The first private museum in Russia appeared here. Many wealthy nobles began to collect their own collections, which they showed publicly in special rooms.
The Kunstkamera itself today is an anthropological museum that collects a huge amount of curious public every day. He received the name of Peter I as a sign of his great merits to domestic science.