Not far off is the time when the local history museum of Barnaul will celebrate its 195th, and then its 200th anniversary. It was opened in 1823 thanks to the joint work of two famous people in the city and the Altai Territory. Today it is the oldest of all museums in Siberia, which is rightfully the center of the history of Altai.
Museum founders
Friedrich August Gebler - a native of Saxony, a doctor of medicine, an inquisitive and multilaterally educated man - arrived in Altai in 1810, joining the Russian service. Studying the gifts of the Altai Mountains, he made many discoveries and descriptions of the flora, fauna of the region, rocks, glaciers, the sources of large rivers. The merits of the scientist are marked by three Russian orders, the universal recognition of the scientific community in the country and abroad.
Living in Barnaul, F. Gebler did a lot for the residents of the city: he shared his knowledge, created the first hospitals, participated in the creation of a network of pharmacies, and provided the city with medicines. Having adopted Russian citizenship, he worked hard and, having retired, died in Barnaul at the 68th year of his life. Until the last days, he took care of his brainchild - the Museum of Local Lore of Barnaul.
Petr Kozmich Frolov - inventor, mining engineer - for many years he served in various mines in Russia, became the organizer of mining in Altai. On his initiative, the city opened a hospital for workers, a mining school, an almshouse, an obelisk for the centennial of mining in the Altai Territory. He participated in the construction of factories in Western Siberia, a paper mill and a printing house.
He was a famous collector, a connoisseur of old books and paintings. Gave collected rarities to the church, visiting noble travelers, a library.
This educated man, loving art, defined for Barnaul people a different direction of life - this is what his contemporaries said about him. Having resigned, he went to Petersburg, where he continued his service in the Senate.
Museum Creation
It was very lucky for the city and its inhabitants that two such great people lived there at the same time, contributing to the prosperity of the region. By the time of the opening of the regional museum of the city of Barnaul in honor of the centenary of mining in Altai, they had already prepared many expositions for the creation of which they did not spare their collections.
In addition, by order of P.K. Frolov, more than 40 models of machines and machine tools were specially made for the museum. Also on display was a model of I. I. Polzunov's car. Today, the museum has preserved only part of these exhibits.
Gebler, who donated a large collection of local history to the museum, replenished it and later, buying various items, some of which are still in the Altai State Museum of Local Lore in Barnaul and are exhibited as the oldest exhibits.
After opening
The museum was created initially for students of the "mining" school and scientific work. He was visited by famous scientists and travelers: A. von Humbolt, P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky and others.
From 1913 to the present day it has been located in a building built in the middle of the 19th century by architects Y. N. Popov and I. M. Zlobin; it is itself an architectural monument. After the revolution, the museum was open to widespread visits by citizens.
Modern Altai Museum of Local Lore Barnaul
The museum fund today stores about two hundred thousand pieces of exhibits. The most valuable, of course, relate to the surviving first collections. A rich scientific library helps specialists and scientists to work.
Museum workers, creating expositions on the history of Altai, acquaint visitors with its sections such as:
- nature and man;
- ancient Altai;
- mining industry;
- trade in Altai.
About ten new exhibitions are created annually, designed to reveal to people different aspects of the life of the region.
The military theme is represented by the expositions:
- "Soldiers of Russia";
- "In labor and in battle (World War II)";
- "Afghanistan is our memory and pain."
Not so long ago, a branch of the Regional Museum of Barnaul was opened, dedicated to M.T. Kalashnikov.
