The Kunstkamera building which is the host for the first official museum of Russia is established by order and direct supervision of Peter the Great, in 1727. Since the emperor was more interested in nature and science, the museum directions were always towards the scientific programs from the beginning.
The building which was an example of Petrine Baroque architecture is located at the bank of Neva River, on Vasilievsky Island, face to face with the Winter Palace. The German architect, Georg Mattarnovy with direct administration of Peter the Great completed the design and construction of the building, in 1727. The name, Kunstkamera which in Germany translates to Chamber of Art was given to the building by Peter the Great after the construction finished.
The museum which built because of the cares Peter the Great had for nature and science, at first only contained numbers of plants and animals fossils. Later, the emperor decided to add human and animal's fetus to the museum collection. He meant to end the superstitions and fears about nature and how it works in common minds. However, the real goal for the emperor and museum's administrators was to gather all the world knowledge. Many items in the museum collection such as fossils, fetuses, science books, and many others were bought from Europe and joined to the museum collection.
Besides the collection and the effort to collect more items for the museum, Peter the Great established the first academy of science in Russia in the Kunstkamera building, so that the students would use the academy's scientific achievement, the items, and its vast library for their research and study. Many Russian scientists were presented to the world by this science academy.
In the 1830s, most of the museum back-then collection transported to the newly established imperial museums around Russia. However, the most important collection of the museum, the famous Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of Peter the Great with more than 2 million items in its collection is at the Kunstkamera museum to display to the public. However, there was an Anthropology and Ethnography museum in Russia, but, the two museums merged to form a single museum inside Kunstkamera, in 1879.
Today, the Kunstkamera museum with more than 2 million items is ready to accept tourists from around the world. One of the permanent exhibitions that run in the museum is the First Astronomical Observatory of the Academy of Sciences. There's also a complete collection of stuffed animals and reptiles in the First Scientific Collections of the Kunstkamera exhibition.
There's a replica of the main Academy of Science hall built in the museum under the exhibition of Mikhail Lomonosov and the 18th-Century Academy of Sciences to display for the public. In this hall, you can witness the very same room with the original items, paintings, crafts, and design of the academy in that time. Since many scientists from all around the world such as Bernoulli(s), Euler, Miller, and many others invited to study in the academy by Peter the Great, the large meeting table which they sat and shared their ideas caught everyone's attention.
Besides the Museum own history, visitors can learn a lot from the vast anthropology collection in the museum which has information about the culture and people from North America, Latin countries, Africa, Mongolia, East Asia, Far Asia, the Near and the Middle East. There are great information and items about how people from these areas dress, their housings, their everyday-use items, their culture, their history, and their pieces of decorative in these collections.
However, one of the most valuable item in this museum would be the Gottorf Globe which built in the 18th century. The globe surface has a map of the world, and in the inside, it has the same map but with the star constellations and their symbols. This gigantic globe which measures 3.1 meters in diameter severely damaged during the fire, in 1747, including its surface which almost entirely burned. Although Elizabeth of Russia ordered to restore the globe after its demolition, it's not more than a replica.
In overall, visiting this museum would be one of the most exciting and beneficial visits for the tourists during their stay in St. Petersburg, since they can learn about the history of science development in Russia and also about the culture and history of other civilizations in the world.
If you want to have the most suitable plan for your travel to St. Petersburg, it's best to have a little information about all the attractions of the city which you can find in our blog at Star Travel Group webpage.
