Arkhangelsk Oblast

The heart of the history of the Russian North

Arkhangelsk Regional Lore Museum: 185 years it keeps the history for future generations

21.11.2022// Museum of Local Lore, one of the oldest of its kind in Russia, that celebrated its 185th anniversary in 2022. The museum's vaults contain over 300,000 storage units, half of the entire collection across all museums in the Arkhangelsk Region.

Those who are interested in the history of the Russian North can spend many days there, surrounded by artifacts from ancient times.

The history of the museum dates back to 1836, when Emperor Nicholas I ordered permanent 'exhibitions of products and samples of factory, craft, and local industry in the form of display rooms or museums' to be organised in all provincial capitals. In 1837, the Exhibition of Products of the Province was created in Arkhangelsk, initially consisting of 94 items related to natural history and ethnography. Over time, the museum was enriched with new collections, and in 1897, the City Duma gave it a new name and status, allocating permanent premises within its own building. That day is considered the birthday of the modern Archangelsk Museum of Local Lore. In 1981, the Archangelsk Gostiny Dvor complex was transferred to the museum. Today, the main exhibitions are housed in the restored merchant chambers of the 17th-century Russian Gostiny Dvor and the 18th-century gala rooms.

One of the exhibitions, Nature of the Northern Region, is on display in a separate building at 2 Lenin Square. The museum collection contains unique rarities worthy of spawning their own museums and exclusive exhibitions of global importance. These include the Ciapinski Gospel, dating back to 1570, a collection of items from Willem Barents' 1598 overwintering, as well as items once owned by Peter the Great, Tsarevna Sophia, Metropolitan Filaret, Patriarch Nikon, polymath Mikhail Lomonosov, and Archpriest John of Kronstadt.

The museum also keeps a number of urban relics of Arkhangelsk, such as the 18th-century Berlin coach which once carried the Braunschweig family, a 1918 English Mark V Female trophy tank, and a 1957 tram car.

Construction had barely begun when the fortress had to engage in its first defence. In the summer of 1701, Russian coastal batteries deployed near the walls of the citadel under construction vanquished the vanguard of the Swedish squadron that was targeting Arkhangelsk. Construction had barely begun when the fortress had to engage in its first defence. In the summer of 1701, Russian coastal batteries deployed near the walls of the citadel under construction vanquished the vanguard of the Swedish squadron that was targeting Arkhangelsk.

The construction was largely completed by 1705. The fortification complex was finished in 1714, upon completion of the ravelin on its northern side. At that time, Novodvinskaya Fortress was considered one of the best in Russia. The fortress structures included a square citadel with four bastions and a number of external fortifications, including a moat filled with water. Inside, there were brick buildings to house the commandant and senior officers, barracks, powder cellars and equipment warehouses, an arsenal, and a tower with a flagpole. A wooden church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul stood in the middle of the parade ground.

In 1863, the Novodvinskaya Fortress was decommissioned, and in 1864 it was transferred to the Archangelsk diocese. In the Soviet period, the fortress buildings were requisitioned from the Russian Orthodox Church. A commune colony for children was initially set up there, later replaced with a correctional labour camp, which went on to operate until 2006. Only in December 2007 did the Novodvinskaya Fortress receive the status of a federal landmark; it was then handed over to the Archangelsk Museum of Local Lore.

Since 2008, restoration work and archaeological research have been carried out on the fortress grounds. The fortress is open to visitors in the summertime.

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