The First Museum of Kunstkamera. The first museum opened by Peter the Great

The Kunstkamera was created on the basis of the personal collections of Peter himself. The inquisitive king was always attracted by amazing, mysterious phenomena- a calf with two heads, a three-legged baby, the skeleton of an unknown huge bird, unusual shells, strange plants, stone idols. The collection of rarities and exotic items grew rapidly. More and more discoveries were coming from different parts of the country - rare minerals, stuffed exotic animals, ancient coins and manuscripts, strange skulls and ancient utensils. During his travels abroad, the tsar, without stinting, purchased rare books, instruments, weapons, natural rarities, and anatomical preparations. So, in 1717 he bought a collection of “monsters” in Holland - preserved in jars human embryos with various developmental disabilities.

There are also truly unique exhibits in the Kunstkamera, for example a huge (diameter more than 3 m) Gottorp globe of the 17th century, made in the German city of Gottorp and presented to Peter by the Duke of Holstein. It is a kind of planetarium with a map of the starry sky, which can be observed simultaneously by more than a dozen people inside it.

The royal collections were available for public viewing. “I want people to watch and learn!” - said Peter. His decree read: “From now on, anyone who wants to be admitted and taken to this Kunstkamera, showing and explaining things.” No money was taken for entry; moreover, each visitor was offered refreshments.

At first, the collections were housed in a house confiscated after the execution of boyar Kikin, the Kikin Chambers. Then a special building was built for the Kunstkamera on Vasilyevsky Island. Gradually, the collection of interesting rarities began to turn into a real academic museum. A rich ethnographic collection appeared here. Currently, the ethnographic, anthropological and archaeological collections of the museum, numbering more than a million exhibits, represent the culture and life of the peoples of all continents, tell about the origin of man and human races, history of primitive society.

For visitors

• Address: Universitetskaya embankment, 3. Entrance from Tamozhny lane. "Vasile-Ostrovskaya", "Nevsky Prospekt".
• Tel.: 328-08-12.
• Opening hours: Open daily, except Monday and the last Tuesday of the month, from 11.00 to 18.00. Inspection - 2-3 hours.
• Entrance: 300 rubles, discounted rate (schoolchildren, pensioners)- 100 rubles, students and preschoolers - free. Third Thursday of every month (except summer) visiting the museum is free.

Once, according to legend, while walking along Vasilyevsky Island, Peter I came across two unusual pine trees. The branch of one of them had grown into the trunk of the other so that it was completely impossible to determine which of the two pines it belonged to. This rarity allegedly suggested to Peter I the place for the construction of the first museum in Russia - the Kunstkamera. On Vasilyevsky Island there is a strict building topped with a tower, which is called the Kunstkamera. Marble on the building memorial plaques, from the inscriptions on which you will learn that this is one of oldest buildings St. Petersburg. It was built already in 1728, and the city began only in 17O3. The great Russian worked in this building scientist Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov, titan of Russian and world science.
Peter 1, building new capital on the banks of the Neva, he planned to make Vasilyevsky Island the center of the capital city. That is why the following were erected here: Twelve Collegiums - government institutions, a building with a tower - the Kunstkamera - the first Russian Museum for “teaching and knowledge about living and dead nature, about the art of human hands", institution, with
which began the museum business in Russia. And not only museum ones. The Kunstkamera laid the foundation for some research institutes in Russia.
The Spit of Vasilievsky Island did not become the center of the capital, but it became the center of Russian science for many years... And to this day, science reigns here, in academic institutes and museums, at the university.


The complex of buildings housing the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography. Peter the Great (Kunstkamera) RAS - MAE RAS, this Historical building Kunstkamera and attached to it in the 19th century. the so-called “Museum Wing”. The main building of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography is an outstanding example of Baroque from the Peter the Great era. This is the oldest museum building in the world.
The choice of location for the new building, according to legend, was made directly by Peter I. His attention was attracted by two pine trees growing on the wild bank of the Neva. Peter ordered these trees, with branches intricately intertwined and grown into the trunk, to be carefully cut down, and the most curious parts of them to be transferred to the Kunstkamera. This is one of the earliest exhibits of the Kunstkamera and today can be seen in the museum’s exhibition. At the site where the trees grew, it was decided to lay the foundation for the permanent building of the Museum. The dimensions of the planned building at that time were unusually large: its length reached almost 100 m (97.2 m), and its width was 15 m. Peter I was interested in the condition of the building and repeatedly rushed its completion. However, during his lifetime the building was not completed. By the beginning of 1725, only the walls had been erected. The masonry of the tower that crowned the building, and interior decoration were carried out by the Academy after the death of the Tsar-Reformer.
The original design of the building was drawn up by the architect Georg Johann Mattarnovi, who began construction but did not complete it (1718–1719). After Mattarnovi’s death, the work was led by Nikolai Fedorovich Gerbel (1719–1724), who slightly modified the project. Thus, the window openings were decorated with brickwork, which looked richer, but did not correspond to what was in the original drawing. The lower frame of the tower changed from two-story to three-story. Under Gerbel, the building was built roughly, with an unfinished tower, in the masonry of which threatening cracks appeared.
The Italian architect Gaetano Chiaveri (1724–1727), who replaced Gerbel, having discovered defects in the tower, insisted on the creation of a commission in which famous architects that time Domenico Trezzini, Mikhail Zemtsov and a number of other architects. At the request of the commission, the tower was dismantled. G. Chiaveri compiled new project building design. The appearance of the entire tower changes dramatically. The lower volumetric part becomes higher. Instead of four pavilions, a light colonnade appears around the cylinder of the tower. The height of the cylindrical part of the tower increases. Finally, the tower is crowned with a tower with an astronomical (armillary) sphere installed on it.
This design option for the tower is the last of several made by G. Chiaveri at the request of the famous astronomer Delisle, invited by Peter to work at the observatory. According to the design of G. Chiaveri, over the side risalits along the facade from the embankment, instead of a modest balustrade, elaborate baroque pediments with rich sculpture based on academic motifs appeared. G. Chiaveri did not complete the tower tower, which, according to his design, was completed in 1734 by the architect Mikhail Zemtsov.
At the same time, M. Zemtsov was finishing top part tower topped with a sphere. In addition, in 1735, master Koch (probably based on the drawings of M. Zemtsov) made sculptures from linden wood that were installed in the niches of the northern and southern facades. The twelve statues represented different sciences.


The round hall on the first floor was intended for the Anatomical Theater, while in the hall on the third floor the “glorious Gottorp Globe” was installed, transferred to the Academy of Sciences by Senate decree of September 30, 1725.
The building was significantly damaged during the fire of 1747. In subsequent years, it was restored by S.I. Chevakinsky without the upper tier of the tower. At the same time, work was carried out to strengthen the bank, the proximity of which to the Kunstkamera building had long caused concern among architects. In stormy weather, the waves of the Neva reached its foundation and washed it away. As a result of the strengthening work, the bank of the Neva was moved away from the building of the Kunstkamera by 5 m. From the spit of Vasilyevsky Island to the 7th line, a wooden embankment, made of half logs, appeared, and in front of the academic houses 2 new elegant piers rose on high piles
The original appearance was returned to the building only in 1948, when the tower was crowned with the famous armillary sphere (design by R.I. Kaplan-Ingel). No major renovation of the building has been carried out since mid-18th century c., phased repairs and reconstruction of the building began only in 1998 and due to insufficient funding they are far from completed.
In 1887, the Museum was provided with a relatively spacious exhibition space, consisting of two halls (architect R.R. Marfeld) in a building built perpendicular to the Kunstkamera building. In this room, on September 23, 1889, the first exhibition of the united Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography opened. In 1912, a third floor was built over the Museum wing.


During the “great embassy” in 1697-1698, Peter I inspected the large prosperous cities of Holland and England. I also saw overseas cabinets of “kunshtov”, that is, rarities and miracles. On the pages of the diary that Peter ordered to be kept, the exclamation “very wonderful!” often flashes. There is also a record about the newest science of anatomy: “I saw the doctor’s anatomy: the whole inside is different - the human heart, lungs, kidneys... The veins that live in the brain are like threads...”. Peter was very interested in such innovations and the tsar, without stinting, purchased entire collections and individual things: books, instruments, tools, weapons, natural rarities. These objects formed the basis of the “sovereign Cabinet”, and then the Peter’s Kunstkamera.
Returning to Russia, Peter began arranging the Russian “cabinet of curiosities.” Having ordered the transfer of the capital of Russia from Moscow to St. Petersburg, Peter also ordered the transfer of the “sovereign’s Cabinet.” The entire collection was housed in the Summer Palace. The room was called in the German manner the Kunstkamera, that is, the “cabinet of curiosities.” This event occurred in 1714 and began to be considered the founding date of the museum.
The storage of these exhibits was entrusted to the President of the Pharmaceutical Chancellery, Robert Areskin. Johann Schumacher was appointed to a special position - “overseer of rarities and naturals.” This museum was called the Kunstkamera, but at that time it was not available for public viewing.
Only in 1719, some collections of the Kunstkamera were shown to the public. The main source of replenishment of collections were the “Academic Expeditions” of the first half of the XVIII century. Also, by order of Peter I, rarities were bought in different countries Europe. The collection that was shown to the public included many different animals, as well as live exhibits. These were people - freaks, dwarfs, giants and monsters.
In 1727, the Kunstkamera moved to a new location. The building was built by order of Peter I, and visiting this museum at that time was free. Peter believed that visitors should be treated to “coffee and Zuckerbrods”; for this purpose, he allocated a certain amount from the treasury for these treats. Also, visitors were treated to snacks and Hungarian wine. In the Kunstkamera there were employees who showed exhibits to visitors and told about their origin. Visitors have always been very eager to visit this museum, and there is evidence that suggests that there have always been many different people in the Kunstkamera. In 1741, a two-volume catalog was published, where all the exhibits of the Kunstkamera were published with their full description.


Most of the anatomical collection belonged to Frederik Ruysch, professor of botany and anatomy. He produced a unique collection on anatomy and embryology. In 1717, Peter the Great, who was partial to curiosities, bought 937 of the drugs included in it. Ruysch, who had been collecting his collection for half a century, agreed to sell it only to the Russian Tsar. Ruysch believed that this man knew how to appreciate rarities and would be able to preserve this extraordinary collection for posterity.

In an effort to ensure that there were more and more rarities in the museum, Peter issued a special decree, which said: “If anyone finds any old things in the ground or on the water, namely: unusual stones, human or animal bones, fish or birds, not such as we have now... yes, they are very large or small compared to ordinary ones, also old inscriptions on stones, iron or copper...". New exhibits began to arrive at the museum from all over Russia, and those who had been abroad had to bring strange objects from there.



In 1747, the building of the Kunstkamera was engulfed in fire, and most of collections burned down. Workers of the Kunstkamera sent lists of burnt exhibitions to provincial offices, with the intention of reassembling them. The Kunstkamera was restored only in 1766.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the museum began to be replenished with exhibits. Basically, these were things that Captain Cook brought from Polynesia. Also, ethnographic exhibits appeared here different nations peace.

The popularity of the Kunskamera among St. Petersburg residents was extremely high. Over time, many of the exhibits acquired their own legends. One of them talks about the head preserved in alcohol, executed under Peter I for infanticide, Maria Hamilton. The head was kept preserved in alcohol in a glass flask. One day, a certain visitor used alcohol for its intended purpose, and the head disappeared. Concerned museum curators turned to the sailors of the ship standing opposite the Kunstkamera with a request to find the exhibit. The sailors promised, but the ship left and the sailors disappeared for a long time. And almost a year later they appeared at the museum and offered, in exchange for one head of the English lady, three heads of shot Basmachi.
Another legend tells about Nicholas Bourgeois. In 1717, in France, Peter saw this man, almost 2 meters 30 centimeters tall. Peter brought him to Russia and made him his personal lackey. In 1724, Nikolai Bourgeois died, his skeleton was transferred to the Kunzkamera. During a fire in 1747, the skeleton's skull disappeared; another suitable skull, of which there were a great many in the collection, was fixed in its place. Since then, as the legend says, at night the skeleton walks through the halls and looks for its head.

In 1777–1779, in connection with the 50th anniversary of the Academy of Sciences, allegorical groups, busts and medallions with portraits of scientists were installed in the Kunstkamera. Of these, the bas-relief “Celebrating Europe”, the bust of Catherine II, the bas-relief “Russia”, and the medallion with the image of L. Euler have been preserved in the eastern hall.
Based on the collections of the Kunstkamera, several more academic museums were created in 1836 (zoological, botanical, ethnographic, etc.). At the same time, after the observatory was transferred to Pulkovo, the library of the Academy of Sciences occupied all the premises of the building. In 1878, the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography opened here. In 1884–1886, according to the project of R.R. Marfeld, a new two-story building was built in Tamozhny Lane. In 1909, according to the project of A.V. Drucker's building was built with a third floor.
In 1947–1949, the upper tier of the tower was restored, and the Gottorp Globe was installed in it. In 1949, the M.V. Museum opened in the building of the Kunstkamera. Lomonosov.


MAE RAS - the only museum Russia, uniting and showing visitors collections of materials on the culture and history of the peoples of the world, archeology and anthropology. The collections, which are among the largest in the world and number more than 1.8 million items, were collected by many generations of domestic and foreign scientists, including such researchers as James Cook, Yu. M. Lisyansky, I. G. Voznesensky, O. E. Kotzebue, I. F. Kruzenshtern, F. P. Litke, N. N. Miklouho-Maclay, V. V. Junker, L. I. Shrenk, M. A. Kastren and others.
The collections of ethnographic (more than 250 thousand), archaeological (about 460 thousand), anthropological (about 380 thousand) objects and illustrative materials (more than 800 thousand) are of exceptional value.
In three halls of the M.V. Lomonosov Museum, located in the tower of the building, documents and objects (scientific instruments and instruments, books, portraits, engravings) characterizing science and culture are displayed Russia XVIII c., personal belongings of M. V. Lomonosov; the history of Russian astronomy of the 18th-19th centuries is presented, including the Great Gottorp Globe Planetarium (created in Germany in 1664, restored in Russia in 1750 after a fire in 1747). The interiors of the meeting room of the Academic Assembly and the office of a natural scientist have been recreated.
Since 1992, the Museum again became an independent Museum and research institute as part of the Department of History Russian Academy Sciences, retaining its old name “KUNSTKAMERA” and bears
the name of Peter I was assigned to it in 1903. The full and official name today is the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) named after. Peter the Great RAS.
All exhibitions of the Petrovskaya Kunstkamera have survived to this day despite natural disasters: fires, floods, wars, revolutions. During the siege, only 15 people remained in the museum; they rescued and saved collections of world significance.

The Kunstkamera is the first museum opened by Peter the Great and is named after Anthropology and Ethnography. Peter the Great, collections of rare works are presented here human activity and natural exhibits. The museum's collection includes over a million exhibits that reveal ethnographic and historical features peoples of the world.

Thematic exhibits are dedicated to the countries of Africa and Asia and North America, Middle and Near East. The bulk of the objects collected in the Kunstkamera reveal the main features of the life of the peoples of the above-mentioned corners of the world. The greatest interest among tourists is the collection of rarities and anatomical anomalies, therefore Many people associate the Kunstkamera with a museum of “freaks”.

The Kunstkamera is located in the center of St. Petersburg, on Universitetskaya embankment, next to the spit of Vasilyevsky Island, the museum is a 15-minute walk from the Admiralteyskaya metro station, 30 minutes from the Vasileostrovskaya station.

The cost of a ticket to the museum is:

• 200 rub. for adults,
• 50 rub. for children,

Opening hours are from 11.00 to 18.00 every day except Monday.

History of the museum

The museum was founded by Peter the Great; it all started with the overseas offices of the “kunshtov”, which the tsar visited during his trips to Europe. He bought and brought to Russia entire collections and individual rare items. The founding date of the museum is considered to be 1714.., when the first exhibits of the collection were placed in the Summer Palace in the not yet rebuilt St. Petersburg.

In 1718, a decree was issued, according to which people had to hand over all animals, plants, skeletal fragments, stones, trees, weapons, as well as items with ancient inscriptions that differed from the norm, to the museum. Soon the area of ​​the premises became insufficient to accommodate all the objects, after which the museum was moved to the former residence of the disgraced nobleman - Kikin’s Chamber, and exhibits of the royal collection became available for public viewing.

It is worth noting that visiting museums in Europe was already paid, but Peter believed that money should not be taken from those who thirst for knowledge; on the contrary, 400 rubles were allocated annually from the treasury. to treat visitors to tea and vodka.

In the first chambers of the museum one could see skillfully dissected heads of children, individual parts human body having any deviations from the norm. All exhibits were placed in glass jars from the collections of the Dutch anatomist Ruysch.

Two cabinets contained herbariums and boxes with butterflies, shells and animals. The next room contained anatomical specimens in various stages of development, as well as lizards, stuffed elephants and monsters. The other three rooms contained collections of animals and birds, amber and many other amazing exhibits. Medals and coins were displayed in the “münz cabinet”. The exhibition also included dwarfs and monsters.

In 1718, under the leadership of the architect Mattarnovi, construction of a new building “Chambers” began by 1725, which was completed only after the death of Peter.

Museum collection

The modern Kunstkamera is very different from the first museum; over 300 years something has been lost, many objects burned in the fire of 1747, and many new exhibits have also appeared, collected from all over the world. The very first exhibits of Kunkstakmera, brought by Peter, have also been preserved.

The museum presents the richest collections reflecting the life and traditional culture indigenous people different parts Sveta. The entire museum is divided into several halls, each of which is dedicated to a continent or part of the world:

• North America,
• Oceania,
• China
• Mongolia,
• India
• Indonesia,
• Australia.

The hall dedicated to India and Indonesia presents greatest number exhibits, here you can look at carved wood, various masks, puppet theater dolls, antique theatrical costumes. In the Indonesian section, kris daggers made in the shape of fire may be of interest.

The hall of the North American continent is dedicated to the life and culture of its indigenous peoples - Indians, Aleuts and Eskimos. Big interest for visitors they present compositions of ritual dance to call rain, treatment of the sick by a shaman, etc.

Anatomical section

This room contains natural rarities and exhibits with anatomical deviations. Here you can see:

• to Siamese twins,
• two-headed calf,
• sirenomelia,
• baby with cyclopia, etc.

The basis of the exhibition is the collection of the Dutch anatomist Frederik Ruysch, which numbered over 2,000 exhibits and was sold to Peter in 1717 for 30,000 guilders. With this money at that time it was possible to build and equip 2 frigates.

The Kunstkamera was very popular among city residents; many of the exhibits became legendary. One of them talks about the head of Mary Hamilton, preserved in alcohol, executed under Peter. One day, the flask with the exhibit was opened, the head disappeared, and the alcohol was used for its intended purpose. The museum staff turned to the sailors standing opposite the ship for help; a year later, upon returning from the sea voyage, the sailors brought three Basmachi heads to replace the missing head of the English lady.

Another legend tells about Nicholas Bourgeois, who was brought from France by Peter in 1717. The giant's height reached 2 meters 30 cm. After death, the skeleton became an exhibit of the Kunstkamera; during a fire in 1747, the skull disappeared, which was replaced by another of a suitable size. According to legend, since then the skeleton has been walking around the museum in search of its head.

It cannot be mentioned that in the period 1741-1765, Mikhail Lomonosov worked in the tower of the building, founder of the Academy of Sciences and the first Russian university. The first planetarium appeared in the tower, it worked astronomical observatory. It was during these years that the most destructive fire occurred, as a result of which the entire building was destroyed by fire and part of the exhibits burned down. Over time, the building was completely restored, and the curiosities were replaced by others.

All progressive personalities and scientists of those times knew about the Kunstkamera; exhibits for the museum were supplied famous travelers and discoverers F.F. Bellingshausen, D. Cook, N.N. Miklouho-Maclay and many others.

Already in 1800, the Kunstkamera had about 2 million exhibits from all over the world; the collection consisted of 250,000 ethnographic, 380,000 anthropological and 500,000 archaeological objects.

The Kunstkamera is the first museum open to the public. It was created by order of Peter I in St. Petersburg at the beginning of the 18th century with the goal of collecting and exploring rarities born both from nature and human activity.

How did the Kunstkamera appear?

Kunstkameras appeared in European countries back in the 15-16 centuries, during the Renaissance, when people's interest in new scientific knowledge and a unique past. Here they collected collections of rare and extraordinary finds brought by expeditions, as well as interesting ancient instruments, household items, original works decorative arts. All these collections were collected with the goal of surprising and amaze visitors. Most often, such cabinets of curiosities were organized at princely houses to demonstrate to guests the “learning” of the owners.

According to legend, one day, while walking along the banks of the Neva, Peter the Great saw an unusual pine tree, the branch of which had grown into the trunk. This incident prompted the tsar to the idea of ​​​​creating a collection (“a collection of curiosities” - translated from German), and the museum (Kunstkamera) was to be built precisely on the site of this pine tree (which was preserved as an exhibit), on the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island.

Creating the first collection

Peter I ordered to bring any identified evidence of anatomical deformity to Robert Areskin’s pharmacy in Moscow. And so various finds began to be brought from all over the outskirts of Russia, and this was the beginning of the collection. It is noteworthy that they even paid for them from the state treasury, and failure to report the presence of an interesting rarity was punishable by a fine.

The goal of the Russian sovereign differed from the motives of the owners of European collections - he acquired and collected exhibits to educate his fellow citizens. He acquired the first curiosities back in 1697 in Holland: stuffed birds and fish, dried insects and freaks preserved in alcohol. At the same time, Peter I acquired a unique recipe that helps preserve corpses for history using embalming.

Kunstkamera: history of creation

In 1714, the collection of rarities of the sovereign was transported from the capital to Summer Palace in St. Petersburg and received a name based on a German motif - Kunstkamera. This year is considered the official founding date of the museum. The first Kunstkamera was filled with living exhibits - monsters, as well as dwarfs and giants who were forced to live at the museum. The first caretakers of the museum were R. Areskin and I. Schumacher.

After 4 years, the exhibits were transported to the Kikin Chambers, since there was no more space left in the palace. After the museum moved, the collection became open to everyone, and Peter I even sometimes personally conducted excursions in it for foreign ambassadors and Russian nobles.

The museum building was built in 1718 according to the designs of several successive architects, it was completed after the death of Peter I M. Zemtsov, and the decoration of the building was 12 wooden sculptures masters Koch, who personified science.

In 1735, the Kunstkamera Museum was moved to this building along with all its exhibits. Entrance was free, and as a treat it was offered to “tempt coffee and Zuckerbrods.”

The first “offices” of the Kunstkamera, the creation of museums

By the early 40s of the 18th century, the museum (Kunstkamera) consisted of 4 “offices”:

1. “Nature Camera”, where natural history rarities were kept.
2. The Münzkamera contained a collection of ancient coins.
3. The Kunstkamera itself presented rarities of applied art and features of the life of various peoples.
4. “The Study of Peter the Great”, where there were things that belonged personally to the sovereign himself.

In 1747, there was a huge fire in the building, and part of the collection was lost. It was possible to restore the lost exhibits only in 1766. Later, additional additions and improvements to the museum building were carried out repeatedly. 200 years later, an armillary sphere was added to the top, symbolizing the model solar system(architect R. Kaplan-Ingel).

At the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries. The museum's collection has been enriched with finds not only from Russian scientists, but also from foreign ones. These were exhibits brought from scientific expeditions Captain Cook (Polynesia) and Miklouho-Maclay ( New Guinea), materials from expeditions to Siberia and Kamchatka, Antarctic travel and others.

In the 1830s, the Kunstkamera (St. Petersburg) was divided into several separate museums: Zoological, Ethnographic, Botanical, Mineralogical, Egyptian and Asian, as well as the “Cabinet of Peter the Great”. They were housed in two buildings.

In 1878, the two museums were combined into one, and in 1903 it was named after its founder. That's what it's called now - the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, which contains all the collected scientific exhibits about the origins of man and various types crops

Modern halls of the Kunstkamera

The modern Kunstkamera is a museum whose collection is very different from the first one, created by Peter I himself 300 years ago, although some exhibits have survived to this day. After visiting the museum, the tourist will learn about the origin and development of man, about the origin and diversity of races on Earth. It presents some of the richest collections in the whole world, which reflect the life and traditions of peoples from different parts of the world:

• North America - this section is dedicated to the life of the Aleuts and Eskimos. Presented various compositions their ritual dances: calling rain, sun, harvest, treating the sick by a shaman and many others.
• Oceania, India and Indonesia - exhibits brought from these continents are presented: carved wood, puppet theater, ancient theatrical costumes and a variety of masks; In the Indonesian Hall you can see kris daggers.
• China, Mongolia and Japan - items on display here applied arts these countries (incense burners, figurines, items of clothing and footwear, wind-up toys, ethnographic mannequins, etc.).
• Australia.

Museum of M. V. Lomonosov

Another Kunstkamera museum, located in the tower of the building, is dedicated to the brilliant Russian natural scientist and poet Lomonosov, who worked in this institution in the mid-18th century (from 1741 to 1765). Today here you can find his personal belongings, scientific instruments that he used during his experiments, maps, as well as various literary works and works.

The ancient books collected by the scientist, works of painting and sculpture, pieces of furniture and decorative arts will be of interest.

Gottorp globe

Located at the top of the building. Its history is very remarkable: it was made in the 17th century. mechanics and engravers from the Duchy of Holstein, and then presented to Peter the Great as a diplomatic gift. The Emperor brought it to St. Petersburg, and in 1726 it was installed on the 3rd floor of the Kunstkamera building. It was a huge ball with a diameter of 3.1 m, with a map of the Earth on the outside and the starry sky inside. To get there, you had to go through a special hatch.

After a terrible fire, the globe-planetarium was badly damaged; practically only the frame and metal parts remained. Fortunately, in the 1750s it was possible to make a completely successful copy of it. During the war, the globe, being of great value, was even taken out during the siege of Leningrad to be preserved for the museum. Today this amazing exhibit can be found on the 5th floor of the museum.

The Kunstkamera is amazing place, where many unique exhibits are exhibited. Let's talk about some of the most interesting ones, about which there are legends:

1. Servant skeleton. At the beginning of the 18th century in France, Peter I saw a giant man (2.3 m). His name was Nikolai Bourgeois. The Emperor brought him to Russia and hired him as a personal lackey. When the Frenchman died, his remains were transferred to the Kunstkamera. During the fire, the skull disappeared, and another was fixed in its place. Since then they say that the skeleton of N. Bourgeois walks around the museum at night in search of his head.
2. The missing head of Maria Hamilton. Maria Hamilton - English spy and child killer. Her head was kept in the Kunstkamera, from where it was stolen along with the flask of alcohol in which it was located. English sailors who were just standing in the St. Petersburg port were accused of the kidnapping. They promised to return the remains of the skull, but they never did and sailed away. A year later, the British sent three heads to the museum as a sign of apology.
3. Live exhibits. As mentioned earlier, some exhibits in the Kunstkamera were alive. For example, Fyodor Ignatiev is a very vertically challenged(no more than 130 cm), who also had only two fingers on his hands and feet.
4. Flute. One of the most interesting exhibits in the museum is a flute made from a human femur. This musical instrument made by a Mongolian shaman and used in rituals related to communication with spirits.
5. Anatomical collection of Ruysch — the collection collected by the Dutch professor is considered one of the most famous and valuable for which the Kunstkamera (St. Petersburg) is famous. It consists of babies and their different body parts (937 units). Ruysch collected it for 50 years, and in order to persuade the Dutchman to hand it over, Peter the Great spent almost 20 years and acquired it in 1717, promising Ruysch that he would preserve such an unusual collection for posterity.

Conclusion

The Kunstkamera is truly amazing museum. Some of its exhibits are amazing, others are frightening with their ugliness. Here you can find babies preserved in alcohol, people with various anomalies and animals (for example, a fox with two heads). There are many legends about the Kunstkamera and its exhibits. This museum is truly a place worth visiting.

Despite the fact that Russia fought a difficult long-term war, created a fleet, and built a new capital, Peter I tried to do everything possible to make education government policy. He understood that without educated people the country will never be able to become truly advanced and powerful.

In 1714, the first museum in Russia appeared in St. Petersburg, which was named in the German manner " Kunstkamera ", that is, a "cabinet of curiosities." The first exhibits of the museum were items from Peter's own personal collection; they were transported to the new capital from Moscow and placed in Summer Palace of the Tsar in the Summer Garden . The basis of this collection of rarities was made up of items that Peter brought from Europe during his trip with the Grand Embassy: these were minerals, items made of stone, ivory, sandalwood from India, etc. Asian countries, the collection also included a collection of anatomical preparations by the Dutch anatomist Ruysch. The unique collection was complemented by a huge Gottorp globe - a kind of small planetarium, inside of which one could observe the movement of the starry sky. This unusual gift Peter received it in Europe from the Duke of Holstein.

The small Summer Palace could not become a real repository for the unique collection: very soon the space allocated for it became cramped. They decided to move the “Cabinet of Curiosities” to a separate building. In 1718, the so-called Kikin Chambers became a new museum premises - a house confiscated from the disgraced nobleman Alexander Vasilyevich Kikin. Now there is an opportunity to freely arrange all the valuable items of the collection so that they can be examined. The first Russian museum became public; the tsar himself knew all the items in the collection well and loved to show them.

The Kikin Chambers housed not only a museum: the royal library was also brought here rare books, both Russian and foreign languages. The first chemical laboratory appeared here.

In an effort to ensure that there were more and more rarities in the museum, Peter issued a special decree, which said: “If anyone finds any old things in the ground or on the water, namely: unusual stones, human or animal bones, fish or birds, not such as we have now...yes, they are very large or small compared to ordinary ones, also old inscriptions on stones, iron or copper...". New exhibits began to arrive at the museum from all over Russia, and those who had been abroad had to bring strange objects from there.

Peter was truly proud of his creation and wanted the first Russian museum to be located in the center of the capital, next to government buildings. Since during Peter’s lifetime it was planned to make Vasilievsky Island the city center, it was here that the construction of a new building of the Kunstkamera began in 1718. There is a legend that Peter, walking along the shore of the island, noticed an unusual pine tree: its trunk was bizarrely curved. Peter called the tree a monster, ordered the pine to be cut down and its unusual part preserved, and a new museum building to be built in the place where it grew.

The author of the project for the Kunstkamera building is considered to be the architect G. Mattarnovi, although many researchers believe that other architects also worked on this project. Unfortunately, Peter himself did not have time to see the Kunstkamera building completed: construction proceeded very slowly. The collections from the Kikin Chambers were transferred to the new Kunstkamera in 1726. A special room on the third floor was reserved for the huge Gottorp Globe.

Founded in 1724 St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences , The Kunstkamera became part of it.

The opening of the Kunstkamera in complex with the library in a new magnificent building became important event for the country. In fact, nowhere else in Europe has there been anything like this. The Kunstkamera became a real decoration of the young capital and a place where they certainly tried to bring all the important guests of St. Petersburg.

Text prepared by Galina Dregulas

For those who want to know more:
1. Mavrodin V.V. Founding of St. Petersburg. L, 1983.
2. Pukinsky B.K. St. Petersburg. 1000 questions and answers. St. Petersburg, 1999