What was the name of the first museum opened by Peter the Great? Treasures of the Kunstkammer

Russian Tsar Peter I was a famous collector. Many interesting and unusual things to him were inherited from his father, but the main wealth, which has survived to this day, he accumulated independently. Today, not everyone here so straight away will say, as the first museum, opened by Peter the First, was called, but practically everyone knows what the Kunstkammer is. It is in this unusual place that the exhibits are stored, which the great sovereign began to search for.

How it all began

In 1704, Peter I signed a decree committing all people, primarily merchants traveling in Russia and abroad, to bring to the palace all unusual things. For all the gimmicks, he promised a good reward. Initially, all the collected exhibits were stored in Moscow, but after the capital of the state became St. Petersburg, the collections were transported there.

As the first museum named by Peter the First was originally known, it is not known. The tsar considered the name for a long time, he wanted it to be sonorous, unusual, memorable. In the end, they stopped at the Kunstkamera, which in translation meant "cabinet of rarities".

Exhibits of the museum

The first museum, opened by Peter the Great, was arranged very carefully, and all the collections were looked after by the medical officer Areskin. Every now and then, orders were issued to collect various curiosities. People had to bring to the king objects of antiquity, such as dishes, clothes, weapons, bones, stones. A separate place was given to rare animals, birds, as well as animals with anomalies. It is known that the Kunstkamera once acquired lambs with three and eight eyes, a sheep with two tongues and four eyes.

The name of the first museum opened by Peter the Great was known not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders. Traders regularly brought the tsar to the overseas curiosities, replenishing his extensive collection. Over the years, the number of items inexorably increased. The Kunstkamera brought valuable archaeological finds: old manuscripts, household items, gold and silver articles, coins. There was also a herbarium, a collection of shells of unusual shapes, a huge number of animals, butterflies, birds. There were parts of the human body. All that aroused surprise or admiration was taken to the first museum opened by Peter 1.

Collections of the Kunstkammer

Peter the Great did a great job of collecting unusual things from all over the country and from abroad. The memory of this is stored not only the walls of the museum, but also the exhibits, because in the Kunstkammer there are many things of the king himself. Initially, only Natur-cabinet was created, in which collections of fauna and flora were kept. Then there appeared the Physical, Muntz, Kunst-cabinets, in which collections of medals, coins, other antiquities were located. After the death of the Emperor, the Imperial Cabinet was created, dedicated to Peter 1.

Of course, during the Tsar's lifetime the museum looked very different, but still the restorers and museum staff tried to make it as good as possible, bringing the new design closer to the original version. Today, adults and children know the name of the first museum opened by Peter the Great. A large number of collections are kept in the Kunstkamera, and all of them are very interesting for acquaintance and study.