5. Кунсткамера как первый общественный музей в России/The Kunstkammer – the first Russian public museum, (1718-1734)

Authors: architects – G.Matarnovi, N.Gerbel, G.Chiaveri, M.Zemtsov (1718-1734), S.Chevakinskiy (1754-1758) Address: Universitetskaya naberezhnaya, During the Great Embassy of 1697 - 1698 Peter I was greatly amazed by the studies of curiosities and rarities numerous in Europe - so called kunst kammeras. The Tsar was overwhelmed with the idea to make a similar collection in a new capital - so he started buying rare books, objects of art and medical instruments. By the Emperor's order those people who brought rare items to the Court for a future museum were to be rewardered with money. At first (1714) the collection called Kunstkammera {the chamber of curiosities) was located in the Summer Palace of Peter I and the Kikin Chambers, but soon there was no vacant place for all the objects (only Peter's personal collection of book consisted of 15 000 items!) and the erection of a special premise for housing the collection of rarities was started on the Vasilyevskiy Island.Peter I commissioned G. Mattarnovi with the construction of the building for the exhibits in 1718. After the architect's death N. Herbel continued the work. He somehow changed the design and finished the edifice by 1724. G. Chiaveri continued the work after N. Herbel in 1725, having changed the design, but didn't manage to finish his work. The ceremonial opening took place in 1728 but the construction and the interior decoration continued up to 1734 when the building of a lower crowned with the sphere was fulfilled by M. Zemtsov.The edifice consists of two similar in form 3-storey parts connected by the tower. The eastern wing was intended for the library, while the western one for the collection. The tower was to become the premise for the anatomic theatre and the first in Russia observatory. The present of the Duke of Holstein. a future husband of Peter's daughter Anna, the Hottorp Globe was put in the round hall on the third floor of the tower. Nowadays the Museum of Lomonosov is located there. In 1735 the statues symbolizing different sciences appeared in the niches of the southern and northern facades designed by M. Zemtsov and made by craftsman Koch.In 1727 the collection of curiosities was finally moved from the Summer Palace to the Kunstkammer and was shown to me public for the first time. To attract people Peter ordered to spend a certain sum of money from the Treasury on coffee and zuckerbrodes (sandwiches) to treat the visitors. In 1741 a two-volume catalogue of the Kunstkammer's collection with a detailed description was printed. The collection was growing due to the objects brought from numerous academic voyages and the rarities bought all over the world.The majority of the anatomic collection belonged to Professor Frederick Ryush. The collection including 937 objects was sold to Peter I in 1717 by the Professor himself who told the Tsar that he could sell it only to such a passionate and intelligent personality as Peter the Great who appreciated the rarities, knew how to take care of them and could preserve them for new generations. In 1747 the fire broke out in the Kunstkammer - a lot of exhibits were damaged. The collection was restored only by 1766. In early 19^th cent, the collection was enlarged with the objects brought by James Cook from Polynesia. In late 19^th cent, the Kunstkammer's collection was divided into four museums: the Zoological, the Mineralogical, the Botanical and the Ethnographical ones.In 1948 the Kunstkammer gained its original look. In spite of numerous disasters the Kunstkammer's collection was kept up to our days. At the time of siege 15 people stayed in the Kunstkammer to preserve the exhibits. Nowadays there are 1.8 mln objects - the collection is regarded to be one of the largest of its kind in the world. The official name is the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkammer).