Since 1709, the Naval Museum in St. Petersburg began to collect its collections. It was then that Peter I ordered the founding of a certain Model Camera. This phrase has Dutch roots: model-kammer - model room. Thus, ship models and drawings found their permanent haven in a kind of storeroom for samples. Reserves were regularly replenished with exhibits on the basis of adopted legislative acts.
1722 was marked by the publication of the "Regulation on the management of the shipyard and the Admiralty." It says that the master, who begins to build the ship, needs to make one half-model on the board, and transfer the other along with the drawing to the Admiralty Board. About eighty such models of the XVIII century have survived to this day.
The accelerated development of the shipbuilding business led to the fact that instead of ready-made models, theoretical drawings were provided. The practical significance of the collected collection is reduced to zero, and in 1805 the Model Camera was transformed into the Maritime Museum. In 1908, the current naval museum receives the name of Peter the Great. Petersburg, the same 1908: the museum celebrates its 200th anniversary. Significantly expanding and rebuilding its exhibition facilities. In 1924, the Maritime Museum was renamed Central. This name is still preserved. And nowadays, the Naval Museum in St. Petersburg has the same title. Under him, he is known almost all over the world.
During its existence, the city 2 times - in 1720 and in 1991 (after the collapse of the USSR) was called St. Petersburg. The Naval Museum does not change its name even now, only its registration is changing: in 2011 it was transferred to the building of the former Kryukov (Sea) barracks. It is an object of maritime heritage and one of the oldest attractions in Russia. The Naval Museum (SPB) is also the largest repository of items related to the history of the world fleet.
Exposition of the central hall
The history of the Russian fleet, from its inception to the October Revolution of 1917, is presented in the central hall. It is the largest of all the halls that the Naval Museum in St. Petersburg has at its disposal.
Here is the boat of Peter I, models of sailboats and armadillos of the 18-20 centuries. Among the rarities in the hall, one can name an ancient shuttle and a submarine. She is in the history of the construction of submarines - the first equipped with an electric motor. Also, a significant place is allocated for items and materials that clearly illustrate the participation of the Russian fleet in the events that took place in 1917, as well as in the First World War.
Civil War Fleet Materials
The period represented by this exposition covers 1918-1922. Everything here speaks of the heroic deed of naval sailors during the Civil War and how foreign intervention was reflected. Here are military relics and ship models. Namely: a torpedo tube from the Panther submarine, which was sunk by the British destroyer in 1919, and a 75-mm gun from the Admiral Zavoyko (Red Pennant) ship. Among the models, you can see a detailed miniature copy of the Mackerel submarine, the model of the destroyer Gavriil and others.
Halls of the Navy of the USSR 1922-1941
Examining the materials of the hall of this period, you can find out how the fleet developed in the period after the end of the Civil War. Special attention should be paid to the model of the first cruiser in the Soviet shipbuilding called Kirov. On some stands of this hall you can see the history of the restoration of the fleet, captured in photographs, by the efforts of ship-repairing workers and divers. A significant part of the exposition tells about the events of 1939-1940 that took place during the Finnish war. The exhibition presents personal belongings of participants in the events of those years and genuine documents.
WWII fleet halls
From the exposition, which tells about the initial period of the Great Patriotic War, one can learn interesting facts about the defense of Moscow and Leningrad, as well as about the heroic participation of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet in the battles of 1941-1942. Also, the exhibits of the hall inform visitors about the liberation from the blockade of Leningrad, including the forces of naval artillery. It tells how the Crimea, Northern Norway and the Soviet Arctic were liberated. In the halls of the fleet of the Second World War you can see some of the models of military aircraft and ships, samples of military equipment.
Victory Hall 1945
The Naval Museum in St. Petersburg gathered unique exhibits in the Victory Hall under its arches. Here are numerous domestic flags and banners, trophy weapons and awards. The ships of the Amur Flotilla and the Pacific Fleet participated in the defeat of imperialist Japan. In its windows, the Naval Museum in St. Petersburg placed models of the ships of these military units as evidence of the immediate characters of the events of those years. Particular attention is paid to the feat carried out by the crew of the S-13 submarine, which sank the German ten-deck cruise ship Wilhelm Gustloff. In studies of naval historians, the sinking of a ship of this size is rightly mentioned as one of the largest disasters.
