Finally got hands to tell about my campaign in Kunstkamera in St. Petersburg. Of course, as many in our country, I heard about this place, but I imagined himself differently. I must say the museum surprised me. By virtue of their prejudices, I highlighted the visit of this museum, just a couple of hours, and it was a mistake.

How to get to the Kunstkamera Museum

I wanted to visit the Kunstkamera Museum in St. Petersburg only with one goal - see the famous collection of freaks that collected great emperor Peter the First. Getting to the museum is very easy, it is in the center. Personally, I drove on trolleybus, because I stopped on Nevsky Prospect. If memory does not change, then the trolleybus was number 10. In order not to miss the stop must be navigate Palace Bridge through the Neva. As soon as we moved across the bridge, then immediately go out. From the stop is very near. The address of the Kunstkamera Museum - University Nab. 3.

To get to the ethnographic museum you need to get to one of the metro stations

• metro Admiralteyskaya, from her buses number 7, 24 and 191 or trolleybuses 1, 7, 10 or 11
• Metro Nevsky Prospekt / Seating courtyard, buses 7, 24, 191 or trolleybuses - 1, 7, 10, 11
• Metro Vasileostrovskaya, Buses 24, 47
• Metro Sports, Buses 191, 10 or Trolleybus 1

The surprise for me was that the museum is actually very large in four floors. And collected in it great amount Ethnographic weather exhibits. Full description Can be found on the official website of the Kunstkamera.ru museum. To begin with, my gaze appeared northern Peoples and the Indians of North America.

A lot of exhibits telling about life asian peoples. Most of the exhibits Peter acquired personally traveling around the world. The collection continued to grow and was complemented even after the death of the emperor.

There were a museum and very busy exhibits, such as this plate, with which you can boil the water, of course, if you live in the desert.

Anthropological collections or room of freaks

Most visitors run the first floors and rooms, and are in a hurry on all pores to the cherished room. The one where the anthropological collections of Kunstkamera are collected. I thought that Peter also collected these collections on the bitches, but in fact he bought ready-made collections from the Dutch anatom of Frederick Ryuysh. And then the collection was replenished with new exhibits by adding Peter. By the way, the full collection of Ryuysh can be viewed on the whole of the same official website. But this piece of iron was formed by the emperor of the Russian Empire himself.

There is there I. death mask Emperor Peter. Just like the imprint of his hands, I must say the hand was rather big.

Several photographs of embryos, impressionable not to watch. I forgot to say that you can take pictures in the museum, but not in the room with ugly, what I was hurried to notice grandmothers old-timers. Mutants of human embryos are known to the whole world, and attract thousands of visitors to the museum.

As I said at the beginning, in two hours I did not look half and half, and I did not read it so and scary how much. But captured interesting exhibits, for example, these carpets.

If this museum is to highlight a good, large room, and reduce the number of glass, which are fenced with all exhibits, the museum would have been more popular. Now, when I can compare with the Museums of Sweden, I declare with all the responsibility, you can see much more in Kunstkamera much more than in many Museums of Stockholm. The reason for the low popularity of Russian museums is simple, we do not know how to file an exhibition, and meanwhile this is a huge amount, but who needs them when you can stupidly swing oil.

In addition, there are many exhibits of various weapons in Kunstkamera, both cold and firearms, see my photos.

And one blade and surprised me at all with his shape of the blade, or rather their number.

All the time, walking in the museum, I did not leave the feeling that someone watches me. And so I caught him.

Connoisseurs of antique furniture will enjoy exhibits from carved wood, covered with ancient varnishes.

Without this subject, it was apparently not to do in those times :). Another example of the exhibits of Kuntscamers, as you can see not alone freak.

24.

Kunstkamera is the first museum, open by Peter first and is called anthropology and ethnography. Peter the Great, here are collections of rare products of human activity and natural exhibits. The collection of the museum has over a million exposures that reveal ethnographic and historical features Peoples of the world.

Thematic exhibits are devoted to countries of Africa and Asia and North America, the Middle and Middle East. The bulk of the subjects collected in Kunstkamer disclose the main features of the peoples of the above-mentioned corners of the world. The biggest interest among tourists causes a collection of rarers and anatomical anomalies, so many Kunstkamers are associated with the Museum "freaks".

Kunstkamera is located in the center of St. Petersburg, on the university embankment, next to the Arrow of the Vasilyevsky Island, the museum is a 15-minute walk from Admiralteyskaya Metro Station, 30 minutes from Vasileostrovskaya Station.

The cost of the ticket to the museum is:

• 200 rubles. for adults
• 50 rubles. for kids,

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

History of the museum

The museum was founded by Peter Great, it all started with the Zuntshtov's overseas cabinets, which visited the king during their trips to Europe. He bought and brought whole collections to Russia and separate rare things. The foundation of the museum is considered to be 1714 g., When the first exhibits of the collection were placed in the summer palace, not yet renounced St. Petersburg.

In 1718, a decree was issued, according to which all animals different from the norm, plants, fragments of the skeleton, stones, trees, weapons, as well as products with ancient inscriptions, people had to pass in the museum. Soon the area of \u200b\u200bthe room was missing to accommodate all items, after which the museum was postponed to the former residence of the Opt Welmborn - Kickina Chambers, and the exhibits of the royal collection became accessible to universal review.

It is worth noting that the visit of museums in Europe was already paid, but Peter believed that one should not take money from those who crave knowledge, on the contrary, 400 rubles were allocated annually from the treasury. For treating visitors to tea and vodka.

In the first chambers of the museum it was possible to see the skillful sides of children, individual parts human bodyhaving any deviations from the norm. All exhibits were placed in glass jars From the collections of the Dutch Anatoma Ryuysh.

The two cabinets stored herbaria and drawers with butterflies, sinks and animals. In the next room, anatomical samples were placed at various stages of development, as well as lizards, stuffed elephants and monsters. In three other rooms, animal and bird collections, amber and many other amazing exhibits were kept. Medals and coins were exhibited in the Müntz Cabinet. As part of the exhibition, dwarfs and freak people were also shown.

In 1718, under the leadership of the architect Mattarnov, the construction of a new building "Chambers" by 1725, which is completed only after Peter's death.

Museum collection

Modern Kunstkamera is very different from the first museum, for 300 years something was lost, many items burned in a fire of 1747, there were also many new exhibits collected from all over the world. The very first exhibits of the cankstakmers brought by Peter are preserved.

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

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

In the Hall dedicated to India and Indonesia, presented the greatest number Exhibits, here you can look at a carved tree, various masks, puppets theater dolls, vintage theater costumes. In the Indonesian section can cause interest made in the form of fire Dagger-crisis.

The North American continent's hall is devoted to the life and culture of its indigenous peoples - Indians, Aleutams and Eskimos. Great interest to visitors represent the composition of ritual dance to call rain, treatment of a patient with Shaman, etc.

Anatomical section

This hall contains natural rarity and exhibits with anatomical disabilities, here you can see:

• on Siamese twins
• two-headed calf,
• sireselia,
• baby with cyclope and so on.

The basis of the exposition is the collection of the Dutch anatom of Frederick Ryuysh, which has numbered over 2000 exhibits and was sold to Peter in 1717 for 30,000 guildren. On this money at that time it was possible to build 2 frigates.

Kunstkamera enjoyed high popularity among residents, many exhibits covered legends. One of them reads about the wicking head of Mary Hamilton, executed in 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 assistance to sailors standing opposite the ship, a year later, the sailors brought the sailors from the maritime campaign to the missing head of the English lady three heads of Basmachi.

Another legend reads about Nicolae Bourgeois, which in 1717 brought Peter from France. The growth of the Giant reached 2 meters 30 cm. After death, the skeleton became the exhibit of Kunstkamera, during the fire of 1747 gave a skull, which was replaced by a suitable one. In accordance with the legend, since then the skeleton walks on the museum in search of his head.

It is impossible to mention that in the period 1741-1765, Mikhail Lomonosov worked in the building tower, founder of the Academy of Sciences and the first russian University. The Tower appeared the first planetarium, the astronomical observatory worked. It was for these years that the most destructive fire came, as a result of which the whole building was destroyed by fire, part of the exhibits burned down. Over time, the building was fully restored, and the dicks are replaced by others.

About Kunstkamera knew all progressive individuals and scientists of those times, the exhibits for the museum were supplied famous travelers and Openers F. F. Bellinshausen, D. Cook, N. N. Miklukho-Maclay and many others.

Already in 1800, there were about 2 million exhibits in Kunstkamera, the collection consisted of 250,000 ethnographic, 380,000 anthropological and 500,0000 archaeological objects.

Publications of the Museums section

Seven Unusual Exhibits Kunstkamera

P. Etherburg Kunstkamera (today the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography them. Peter the Great RAS) was founded in 1714. Peter the Great created it as a meeting of Dicks and scientific curiosities, and his heirs continued to replenish the collection. "Culture. RF" talks about seven amazing exhibits from the Kunstkamera collection.

Kunstkamera, St. Petersburg. Photo: Lilyana Vinogradova / Photobank "Lori"

One of the very first exhibits of Kunstkamera. The drug with the skeleton of Siamese twins comes from the collection of the famous Dutch anatoma Frederick Ryuysh. His anatomical drugs that he created on its own methods were famous for the whole of Europe. In his youth, Peter Great, having visited Holland with the Great Embassy, \u200b\u200bvisited His "Cabinet" among other attractions of Amsterdam - and delighted.

Almost 20 years later, having learned that Ruisch sells his highly grown collection, Peter acquired several thousand exhibits for 30 thousand gold guilders. These items (and other collections purchased in the same period) became the basis of the Kunstkamera Collection.

This is the world's first "globe-planetarium": you can get into it through a special door and from the inside to look at the star sky map placed on the inner surface. The diameter of the gigantic globe is 3 meters, so it is convenient to sit in it. It was created by order of the Gottorpian Duke Friedrich III (hence the name), and the author of the project was the great cartographer Adam Olairi. In 1713, the next ruler of the Duchy presented this toy weighing 3.5 tons by a well-known fan of rarely - Peter Great, who was delighted with a gift and installed it in the Kunstkamera building.

However B. mid XVIII A century globe burned down - only the mechanical framework has been preserved. However, he was soon restored and called in a new way: "Big Academic Globe". At the beginning of the twentieth century, he was in the royal village, from where the Nazis kidnapped him. In 1948, the Globe managed to return - it was where the founder of Kunstkamera placed him.

This mechanical toy depicts a heavenly boat, on which the deity (from amber), surrounded by dancers and musicians (from ivory) travels around the seas and oceans. The rook mechanism is started using the key - the ship moves, and the servants dance and musitize.

A rare example of symbiosis eastern Art And Western mechanics was created at the beginning of the 18th century at the courtyard of Emperor-Manzhura Kansey, in the Chinese watchmaker who worked under the leadership of Jesuit missionaries. The toy was bought in Beijing in 1719-1720, apparently, Russian envoy L.V. Izmailov. This is one of the exhibits of Kunstkamera, preserved from Petrovsky times.

Scientists called Venus Similar Epoch figures upper Paleolithic (40-12 thousand years ago) partly in a joke: they are not very similar to images of an excellent antique goddess Aphrodite. And partly because they are hypertrophied signs of femininity - breasts and buttocks, important for childbearing. In the cave times, these ladies are valued high.

According to one version, paleolithic Venus - These are the images of the goddess-progenitor, a symbol of fertility; On the other, there are charms or images of real women. This figure, carved from the Mammoth's beavna, is about 21-23 thousand years old. She was excavated in the parking lot of the boners in Central Russia In 1936.

One of the works of the great anthropologist Mikhail Gerasimov, who invented the method of sculptural restoration of the man's appearance on the skull. In Kunstkamera is located big collection His works. Bust of the Vladimir Prince, who died from the hands of killers, Professor created in 1939. During this period, Gerasimov was available to work for the remains of many great rulers of Russia - after all, most of them became saints, their remains were resting in cancer, which the Bolsheviks opened and seized from churches.

In the guise of Andrei, the Asian eye cut and high cheekbones - Gerasimov were guided by both the genetic markers of the skeleton and the theory, that the Mother Prince, Polovchak, "Atepina Dshcher" (Daughter of Khan Aepa) belonged to mongoloid race. In the 2000s for the blessing of Russian orthodox church A new reconstruction of the appearance of the prince was made - and, in the fresh version, there should be no mongoloid in his face.

Astronoria Arsenius

These tools to determine the position of the stars invented in Ancient Greece. In the Middle Ages, the best astrolabians made Arabs, and Europeans only copied them. In Europe, learned how to create astrolabia own projects Only in the XVI century. One of best masters This period was Flemandes Gualterus Arsenius, who worked on the order of Philip II of Spanish and other monarchs. Only 21 astrolabe of his work remained all over the world, and in Russia - only one.

lead Guardian Anatomical Collections

The first Dicks of the Russian king acquired in 1716 in Amsterdam. A collection of rare animals, shells, fish and insects brought from the distant Netherlands colonies, assembled Aptecaryar Albert Seba. Many species of lizards, snakes, crocodiles, turtles, amphibians, dozens of bird species and mammals who originated from the tropical areas of the old and the new light have become available to residents of St. Petersburg already in 1718. The Cebi collection could be seen in the building of Kicky chambers, where the kunstkamera was placed. Delighted feedback from foreign guests reached the present day. Beast similar to spruce shishk (Pangoline), and toad, which, how then wrote about her, "From their backs puppies give birth", a small animal, covered with armor resembling rod lats, (armadioles), and beautiful birds with yellow, red and blue plumage, which loved Show guests the king himself - all this caused genuine amazement.

Showcase "Collections Albert Cebia and Frederic Ryuysh" exposition "The first natural science kunstkamera collections"

In the thirties of the nineteenth century, Kunstkamera gave birth to a specialized museum, having transferred them part of their collections. So the Albert Cebia collection was inherited by Zoological Museum. She not only attracted visitors to the new Petersburg institution, but also a hundred years later continued to cause great interest to scientists. A richly illustrated four-volume catalog served as a material for the famous Swedish Naturalist Charles Lynnei in the development of the systematics of the animal world using zoologists so far.

How Russia acquired a collection of anatomical Dicks from Holland

In the second half XVII century Dutch Anatas Frederick Ryuishe developed new technique Preservation, which prevented the corpse from decomposition. It was a huge achievement for science of that time. There were no more conservatives such as formalin, and all the anatomas worked in a desperate hurry to have time to draw or describe in detail features inner structure Bodies before it starts to decompose. Sensity often led to errors and distortions in the image of the structure of the organs.

Ruisch, with the help of a syringe, introduced into the blood vessels of the dead body, the minimally viscous heated liquid red mass capable of penetrating the smallest branch of the vessels. When this mass, similar to wax, cooled and became solid, she could no longer flow back and reliably protected the drug from damage.

Rüusch preparations seemed filled with alive blood, and the skin, through which the vessels with a red injection was thrown out, acquired a natural body shade. Thus processed remained suitable for display during for long years, facilitating the teaching anatomy and becoming sometimes an indisputable argument in scientific disputes.

Portrait of Frederick Ryuch. 1702 Y. Pool. Amsterdam. Metal engraving

All your long life Ruyush remained a practitioner doctor. Since 1666, he worked in Amsterdam as a city anatoma, who had to hold public autopsies in an anatomical theater. Soon he was instructed by the training of midwives and the work of the urban judicial physician. These not too pleasant responsibilities allowed him to receive the bodies of the dead for their own research, improvements to the technique and accumulation of drugs that he kept at home. Ruisch was also a professor of anatomy and botany in educational institution, Called by Athenaeum Illustre, - the predecessor of the Amsterdam University.

Ruily collected drugs required for teaching: internal organs Bodies, embryos and fruits of a person from barely distinguished by the eye of the embryo to the newborn, skeletons and skulls of fruits, children and adults. His home Museum Ruisch showed everyone. He was a magnificent popularizer of anatomy and, sparing a sense of visitors, covered the place of cutting slicing of children's heads, handles and legs with lace and napkins. He inserted an artificial eye into the children's heads and supplied his drugs with sayings about the futility and frequency of life - so the Dutchman endowed the death of the grace and turned the dead body into the work of art. His museum made an indelible impression on the visitors of that time. People called him a collection of "eighth miracle of the world."

Another part of the Frederick Ryuysh collection was drugs and deformities. He tried not to show them simple visitors, they were intended for specialists. Ruisch was a unique scientist, endowed with excellent vision, phenomenal little professional and skillful hands - contemporaries said that he had the eyes of a lyry and the hands of the fairies.

TO today's day Dutch and Russian researchers have learned the preparations of this particular part of the collection. Studies have shown that the Ruyush collection is not only a monument of the history of the anatomy and the art of Baroque, but still has great scientific potential, causing interest modern geneticists and specialists in science on abnormalities. For the collection of Ryuysh, Petrovskaya Russia paid 30 thousand guilders - with recalculation of modern money, this amount would be more than a million dollars.

How and why kunstkamers collected Russian rarity

The third collection of the anomalies was collected in Russia according to the famous Decree of Peter I. Many visitors to Kunstkamera and today come to the museum with the conviction that it was the fad of the king. Meanwhile, Peter I simply acted in line with European tendencies of studying anatomy.

In the work "New Organon, or true instructions for interpretation of nature" (published in 1620), the English thinker Francis Bacon offered to describe nature in three directions: the region of ordinary phenomena; deviation area; History of mechanics and technical inventions. In the center of studying the second area there were "evasion of nature, deformity and dicks, when nature deviates and removes from its usual stroke." Knowledge of the causes of deviations, according to Bekon, would contribute to a more thorough description of the normal course of nature.

Bacon recommended creating a meeting or "private natural history Dicks and wonderful species of nature - the word of all novelty, rarity and unusualness in nature, "because without a series of examples it is impossible to come to a reliable, verified conclusion. The description of the phenomena of nature proposed by Bacon, from the point of view of the norm and exclusion, as the creation of collections representing the variety of nature, was adopted by European scientific communities. Such an approach was used in the study of the anatomy and the laws of the development of organisms.

Peter I decided to collect "monsters" in Russia, thorough in 1704, the decree so that infants born by freaks did not kill and not Tahili, but reported by the parish priests. The desire to fight superstitions and educate people in 1718 to publish a decree, in which the king explained the causes of deformities and demanded to bring them to the city authorities throughout Russia.

From Petra I, Emperor All-Russian:

"Melting ignorant, tea that such freaks will be related to the action of the devilish through the department and damage, which is impossible. For one is the Creator of the All Creator God, and not the Devil, who does not have any kind of creation of power, but from damage to the inner, also from the fear and the opinions of the Materia in the burden, as there are examples that the mother is scaled, such signs on the cat are coming. Also when it hurts or sick will be other "

After the release of the imperial decree dead babies And the young animals with various anomalies of development quite often came to Kunstkamera, and their who brought them received in accordance with the decree of the remuneration. The first steps in the study of freaks made in Russia German Anata Doublenua, who arrived in St. Petersburg to work in the Academy of Sciences established in 1724.

The teratologic assembly of Kunstkamera continued to grow. By the time of publication of the first catalog of the museum in 1742, it was already listed by 46 "Monsters". This collection, replenished and in the following years, served as the basis for work on teratology - who made the first steps of science on the anomalies. Teratology developed slowly, in disputes and conflicts of adherents different points Vision on the origin of freaks: Some considered them the result of God's fishery, others - an accident. The discussion was so relevant that even gave the name of this period in science: the time "dispute about monsters".

Scarecrow two-headed calf. End of XVIII. – start XIX. explosive St. Petersburg

Now in the teratologic collection, Kunstkamera has about 170 drugs. IN different time Many scientists of the Academy of Sciences worked with her, but according to the importance of discoveries in embryology and teratology, Kaspar Friedrich Wolf should be named, even his work on the theory of deformities. Sudden death interrupted his plans. All keepers of the anatomical collections of Kunstkamera paid the attention of the teratologic collection - for example, her famous embryologist Karl Ber was highly appreciated. Today the Kunstkamera collection has historical meaningAnd the teratology is engaged in specialized medical institutes.

How the anatomical collections of Kunstkamera became the first material for research by the Academy of Sciences

In 1718, Peter I began building a new building for Kunstkamera on the banks of the Neva. In addition to the museum, it was planned to create an observatory, a physical office, a library and an anatomical theater in which it would be possible to open dead human bodies in the presence of viewers. Buildings built for such a wide range of tasks, Peter has not yet seen anywhere. He believed that the Academy of Sciences, created by his plan, should be placed in the same structure.

On November 28, 1724, Peter put a signature under the project of the Institution of the Academy of Sciences and Arts. In the same year, all collections collected in Kunstkamera were transferred to the Academy established as a base for scientific research. Foreign scientists were invited to work at the Academy. Philosopher Christian Wolf in a letter to Leonard Euler, invited to work in Russia, wrote: "You are going to paradise for scientists now." In St. Petersburg, it really was all provided for people of science: for example, anatomas could very often explore the body dead people, a little less often - ugly babies and even open such rare animals as lion, walrus, whale and elephant. Almost on a scratch in the new Russian capital, it was possible to create a center for progressive scientific research, which Peter could only dream of a few decades ago.

For 300 years for 300 years unique collections Kunstkameras continue to attract visitors. About interesting facts About no less interesting museum - in our material

Cubets Kunshtov

Traveling in Europe in 1697-1698, Peter I was so interested in Kuntshtov cabinets (that is, miracles) in rich houses, that he decided and to gather a similar collection. For this, the ruler took a separate room and began to actively buy exhibits.

Expansion collection

In 1718, the king signed a decree that ordered to bring everything that "old old and unusual", so the collection began to grow very rapidly, and as a result, it was decided to build a separate building for her.

Fine

Whereas, in exchange for the freaks delivered to Petersburg, Peter I promised a great remuneration, those who hid from the state "Gifts of Nature", waited for a fine, exceeding the size of the award several times.

Choosing a place

Once upon a time walking Vasilyevsky IslandThe emperor saw a strange pine, one of whose branches was thrown into the trunk, forming a semolf. Peter I liked it that he ordered to cut an interesting fragment and build a building for the museum on the place of the tree. Part of this pine is still kept in the museum.

Protective construction

However, the new building of the "Chamber of St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, Libraries and Kunstkamera" was never sued: the construction of the museum continued to sixteen years old, and by the time of the death of the king (1725) only walls were erected. By 1726, another unfinished building built in the style of Petrovsky Baroque transported the collections.

Royal promotion

Kunstkamera opened its doors for visitors in 1719. Peter I decided to view the collection of free and also to give visitors a treat - a cup of coffee or a glass of vodka. Thus, the emperor took care that the viewing of unique exhibits was available absolutely to everyone.

Live exhibits

The "terrible" feature of the museum is the hall of living exhibits. These were people with non-standard appearance and of different types deformities. "Monsters" lived at Kunstkamera. One of the most famous was the Korotka Thoma, who lived in the walls of the museum is 16 years old. Its growth was 126 cm, and on the legs and hands there were only two fingers, so the limbs were reminded to the crab claws.

Ruysha Collection

A collection of Dutch Anatoma Frederick Ryuysh is one of the pearls of the exposure. Suspilted babies and individual parts of the human body a scientist collected for 50 years. Peter I needed 20 years to persuade Ryuysh to part with his collection for a very solid amount. Together with the exhibits, the recipe for the conservation and embalming of corpses was also brought to Russia.

Gottorpian Globe

The museum collection was full of a wide variety of amazing things. Not an exception was the amazing Gottornsk Globe, which was presented to the ruler as a gift. This huge ball with a diameter of about 3 m, on the outer surface of which there was a map of the Earth, and inside - the starry sky, who survived the fire and blockade, is restored and is now on the fourth floor of Kunstkamera.

Sections of the museum

In Kunstkamera, richest collections on the history, culture and life of peoples from different corners World: North America, Japan, Africa, China, Mongolia, India, Indonesia, Australia and Oceania. Separate attention deserves a well-known anatomical section where the exhibits with physical deformities and a variety of natural rarility are collected.