How did the idea to create the 'MURARIUM' museum come about?
The very first exhibit of the collection was given to the museum's owner, Irina Klochkova, in 1985 when she was 16. A young man wanted to attract attention and elicit affection. He did attract attention, but not to himself — to cats. Thus began the formation of an art collection of images of cats. Irina's friends and family picked up this charming story, so the unique collection has been growing with exhibits from around the world for 35 years. The collection moved with its owner: it was initially kept in her Khrushchyovka apartment, then moved to a large house where part of it was displayed in showcases. Later, when Irina became the owner of a former water tower in Zelenogradsk, she had the idea that the cats should be 'settled' there. The museum's collection contains more than 4,500 exhibits, but it's impossible to display everything in the Tower, so some items are kept in storage. Cats are known to have lived alongside humans since caveman times. The exhibition tells the story of the relationship between humans and cats in the context of history, culture and architecture. Our displays feature a wide variety of items. For example, there is a Chinese teapot made of a silver alloy that is 200 years old. We also collect 'fast fashion' items popular in mass culture — T-shirts, kitchenware, postcards — which in 10 years will already represent significant historical value.
The historic water tower is located in the very heart of Zelenogradsk
Share interesting facts about the historic Water Tower where your museum is located.
The Tower is an architectural monument of municipal significance, built in 1905. Reconstruction work was carried out from 2006 to 2012. The exterior stucco, wrought ironwork, side rustication and old German brick have been preserved. Today the floors are connected by a comfortable elevator, which makes the museum accessible to people with disabilities. On the roof there are two-level apartments with floor-to-ceiling glazing and a panoramic observation deck offering a splendid view of Zelenogradsk, the Curonian Spit and the Baltic Sea. The Tower is located in the former heart of the town and is surrounded on all sides by picturesque low-rise houses with red roofs. There are no more buildings like it in the Kaliningrad region, but there are two 'siblings' of our Tower in Poland, which have also become privately owned.
There is also an interesting fact about Zelenogradsk itself. Cats have long become the town's calling card, but the development of this tourist brand began with the 'MURARIUM' museum. There is even a cat on our Tower's coat of arms! In 2014 our museum gifted the town a monument to the Zelenogradsk Cat, and in 2016 the festival 'Zelenogradsk Cat's Birthday' appeared in Zelenogradsk. In addition, our town has a unique official position in the world within the Administration — a 'kotoshef' (cat chief). The kotoshef's duties include caring for, feeding and scheduling spay/neuter procedures for the town's stray cats.
The cat coat of arms on the Tower
Under what circumstances did the cat Semyon Semyonovich appear at the museum?
This huge ginger cat came to us at about one year old in 2012, when the museum was preparing to open. Apparently he lived in neighboring houses but came to live with us because there were many dogs there. Semyon has been with us for 11 years; we call him the 'director' and produce souvenir merchandise featuring his image. For the merch we invited a Kaliningrad artist who paints canvases, decorates tote bags and other products. The cat is so popular that we made a plush doll in Semyon's likeness, a series of his portraits and portraits of several other Zelenogradsk cats. In 2021 the portraits traveled to the annual 'Portrait of a Cat' exhibition in St. Petersburg. Semyon now lives and thrives in the Tower, and he even has a deputy. In general, cats often come to us; tourists feed them and note that they are friendly and well cared for.
Semyon Semyonovich — the Tower's director
What is the museum's concept?
The museum tells the story of the long and beautiful relationship between humans and cats. There is the concept of 'felinotherapy' — healing with cats. It is believed that when a person strokes a cat and hears its purr, it has a beneficial effect on the nervous system. Opinions vary. Some consider felinotherapy pseudoscience, but subconsciously people have a positive attitude toward cats because they are perceived as safe animals. Unlike dogs, cats cannot inflict a serious bite. Unlike rodents, they are not carriers of diseases dangerous to humans. After the COVID-19 pandemic we were invited to Skolkovo to the conference 'The Phenomenon of Cats'. When the whole world was immersed in online life, bloggers who ran pages for their cats lived off money from advertising integrations. At that conference we became convinced that cats are a self-promoting subject, and projects devoted to cats practically do not need investments. Everyone loves cats, so opening a themed museum is always a good idea. But in reality creating the concept for such a museum is very difficult. The exhibition content must be carefully thought out and cataloged. We tell interesting, kind and amusing facts about cats because the modern person is overloaded with information and wants to be distracted. Therefore our exhibition does not contain many explanatory texts, and those that exist are concise and playful.
Tell us about the museum's exhibition?
One can talk about cats forever. We have maneki-neko* brought from Japan. There are exhibits carved from anhydrite — a solid stone from which the artist sculpted the image of a cat. The coloring of this stone wonderfully conveys the natural color of cat fur. There is a funny story about how we befriended the Japanese Museum of Arts from the city of Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture. Two cats — Ken and Gou — regularly tried to sneak into their exhibitions. Security guards wouldn't let them in, while residents, visitors and museum staff filmed it all. The content quickly spread on Twitter**, and we decided not to stay on the sidelines. We wrote an official letter inviting the cats to our museum, had it certified by the Zelenogradsk administration, translated it and sent it to Japan. The letter arrived, and we received a note of thanks in return. Of course, no one sent adult cats to the other side of the world, but we befriended the museum and began exchanging exhibits. We sent them collars inlaid with amber and cat houses, which later became very popular in Russia. In Zelenogradsk there is even 'Kotofeynya' — a small cozy square with real little mansions built for street cats, styled after recognizable historic buildings of the town. We continue to be friends with the Onomichi museum and exchange gifts; the collection of gifts from Japan is displayed in the MURARIUM. Probably the most interesting exhibit in this display is a Japanese manga*** that tells the story of the cats Ken and Gou, who received greetings from Semyon Semyonovich from Russia. This gift was brought to us by Aki Saiki — a distributor for the branded plush toy company 'Budi Basa'. On one of the pages there is even a screenshot of our letter with the 'MURARIUM' seal. This manga exists in a single copy.
* A common Japanese figurine believed to bring its owner good fortune. The sculpture depicts a cat with a vertically raised paw and is usually displayed in shop windows, restaurants, pachinko parlors, warehouses and other places. A cat raising its right paw is said to attract money and luck, while one raising its left paw attracts customers. There are maneki-neko with both paws raised.
** Twitter is blocked in the territory of Russia on the basis of Article 15.3 of the federal law 'On Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection'.
*** Comics or graphic novels originating in Japan. Much of manga conforms to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term 'manga' is used in Japan to refer both to comic books and to cartoons.
The exhibition of the 'MURARIUM' museum
What tour programs do you offer and what events are held at the museum?
The most popular types of visits are individual tourism or self-guided viewing of the exhibition. There is a classic guided tour of the exhibition, but because the Tower is very narrow we work with small groups of up to 10 people. The Tower's observation deck is a romantic spot, so you can have dates there and even hold wedding ceremonies. Many people ask about the rooftop apartments, but they are not for rent. However, next to the museum there is a lovely boutique hotel 'PARADOX' with gorgeous, comfortable and stylish rooms where you can stay with a view of the Tower. There are interesting programs that are not directly related to the museum. We hold 'Evenings at the Tower' gatherings devoted to various topics. For example, we host workshops in neurography****, lectures with veterinarians about the health of cats and other pets. This year, timed to the museum's 11th birthday, there is a lecture-dialogue with a veterinarian about domestic cats and a photoshoot with a Maine Coon.
**** A creative method proposed by psychologist and coach Pavel Piskarev in 2014. It helps to become aware of a problem and find its solution through drawing according to a special algorithm.
What are the museum's plans for the future?
We have a blue-sky dream — to one day acquire another tower, a castle, or some larger space, because we no longer fit in the Tower. Beyond that, of course we'd like prosperity for the town and its surroundings, for people to become a little kinder and more respectful toward one another. We want people to step away from the aggressive external environment and learn to look at the world from a positive perspective. One way to do that is to visit our museum, rest and take a break.
