Smolensk State Museum-Reserve

The museum association was formed on the basis of three museums: historical-archaeological, historical-ethnographic and natural-historical. These museums were created at different times and represented different forms of organization of museum activities: in the City Duma , on the basis of a private collection and in public organization .

• The oldest of the museums is the historical and archaeological museum, opened in June 1888 in the basement of the city council building by Smolensk local historian S.P. Pisarev , who became its first head. The opening of the museum was timed to coincide with the stay in Smolensk of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna . The collection of the first museum was based on the ancient building materials of S.P. Pisarev and the collection of antiques of the historian V.I. Grachev - the first curator of the museum. By decision of the City Council in 1912, the museum was transferred to a branch of the Moscow Archaeological Institute . Museum activities were interrupted during World War I and events related to the 1917 revolution . Collection items were stored in boxes for their subsequent evacuation, which did not take place ^[1] .
• In June 1898, Princess Maria Klavdievna Tenisheva , a well-known social activist, artist, publisher, philanthropist and collector, the Skrynya Museum was opened in her estate Talashkino with a collection of Russian antiquities, which became the basis for the future Russian Antiquities museum. At the beginning of the 20th century, when the museum's exposition required the expansion of space and the Smolensk governor refused to request that the fortress wall be transferred to the Nikolskaya Museum, the princess erected a two-story building on the land donated to her according to the project of S. V. Malyutin , where at the end of 1904 and moved collection. Due to concerns over the safety of museum exhibits during the first Russian revolution , the collections were taken to Paris , and M.K. Tenisheva, after organizing successful exhibitions there in 1907, was recognized abroad. In 1908, the museum collection returned to Russia, and in October 1909, the Russian Antiquity Museum reopened to visitors. Understanding the importance of the collected collections for science, Tenisheva decides to transfer them to the Russian Museum subject to their permanent presence in Smolensk and, having been refused, and also not accepting offers from Taganrog , Yekaterinburg , New York , Paris , in May 1911 signs the act on the transfer of the museum "Russian Antiquity" to the Moscow Archaeological Institute , which had a branch in Smolensk. On August 31, 1912, during the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812 , the museum was visited by Nicholas II with his family, after which the museum became known as the “Historical and Ethnographic Museum of the Imperial Moscow Archaeological Institute named after Emperor Nicholas II, assembled by Princess M. K Tenisheva in the city of Smolensk. " In 1915, with the approach of hostilities of the First World War , the museum was closed, and its collection was prepared for the evacuation, which never took place ^[2] .
• The Natural History Museum was founded in 1908 by the natural scientists G. L. Grave , who became its keeper, Ya. Ya. Alekseev and other members of the Society for the Study of the Smolensk Province, due to the gifts of which, mainly, the museum was completed. The museum, without its permanent premises, often changed its location using the premises of private institutions and houses. At the same time, the museum remained the only one that did not cease operations during the First World War and the October Revolution ^[1] .

In April-July 1920, all museums were merged into a single provincial museum under the leadership of the provincial museum administration. In subsequent years, changes have repeatedly occurred in the name of the association and its structure. Since 1999 - State Cultural Institution - Smolensk State Museum-Reserve; since 2011 - the Regional State Budgetary Institution of Culture "Smolensk State Museum-Reserve" ^[3] .

In 2013, the museum-reserve joined the international project “ Russian Museum : a virtual branch”, opening in its branches - the Art Gallery and the Historical Museum - an information and educational class and a multimedia cinema, as a kind of electronic analogue of the collection of the Russian Museum ^[4] .

The collection is composed of items received at the end of the 19th century from the historical and ethnographic museum of Princess M.K. Tenisheva and the city historical and archaeological museum (collections of S.P. Pisarev, V.I. Grachev, I.F. Barschevsky, G. L. Grave, J. Y. Alekseev). The collection was replenished with items at the beginning of the 20th century.

The museum has over 600 thousand items. The museum's storage facilities are located in 4 buildings. The museum has 14 collections: archeology; painting; graphics; sculpture; arts and crafts and ethnography; tissue; natural science collection; weapons and military equipment; numismatics; furniture; photos, documents, rare book; items containing precious metals.

Smolensk

• Smolensk Art Gallery
• Museum "Smolensk Flax"
• Museum of Sculpture S. T. Konyonkova
• Historical Museum
• Museum " Smolensk during the Great Patriotic War "
• Museum "In the world of fairy tales"
• Museum " Smolensk - the shield of Russia (Thundering Tower) "
• Museum " 17th Century City Forge "
• Museum of Nature and Ecology
• Museum-apartment "A. T. Twardowski in Smolensk »
• Historical and architectural complex "Teremok"

Scope

• Museum-Estate of M.I. Glinka
• House-Museum of N. M. Przhevalsky
• Museum of Partisan Glory
• House-estate of A.T. Twardovsky
• House-Museum of M. A. Egorov

• Museum site
• Smolensk State Museum-Reserve. Museums of Russia