The town of Semyonov has been a major center of wooden folk crafts for three centuries. The rich nature of the Nizhny Novgorod region contributed to the development of decorative woodworking - dense forests, an extensive river system, and markets made the Volga region one of the country's centers of wooden production.
The town of Semyonov in the 19th century. Photo: F. Fomin. Source: fotoxcom.ru
In the 1920s the Semyonov spoon-making artisan union was formed, creating spoon, tableware, and toy departments. By 1930 the toy artels had been separated into specialized production. In 1932 craftsmen from nearby villages united in the artel named after M.I. Kalinin and began producing samovars, salt shakers, rattles, buckets, sand sets, woodworking toys, and matryoshkas. During the Great Patriotic War the artel's craftsmen made handles for sapper shovels. In the postwar years the craftsmen actively expanded their product range and devised new models and types of toys. In 1951, 15 toys from the Kalinin artel were sent to the London exhibition.
Photo: official VKontakte group of the museum
In 1953 the Semyonov matryoshka entered foreign markets, and by 1957 the artel received an important order to produce 53,000 items for the Brussels exhibition. From the 1960s through the 1990s production expanded, the enterprise was renamed the "Souvenirs" factory and produced souvenir goods for domestic and foreign markets. In the 1990s the factory, like many enterprises in the country, went through hard times - the best personnel left, economic and social realities changed, and demand for traditional Russian toys fell. But at the beginning of the 21st century the company gradually regained its positions in the markets. The product range was expanded and forgotten painting styles were revived - Merinovskaya and Fedoseevskaya.
In 2017 a Matryoshka Museum opened at the factory in Semyonov. The museum's collection includes more than 1,000 matryoshkas of various types, colors, and sizes. Visitors can admire series of themed matryoshkas and see unusual and unexpected exhibits. For example, the "Rossiyanochka" matryoshka hides as many as 30 dolls! Semyonov matryoshkas have standards for decorative painting, but no two are identical - each piece is unique and has its own distinguishing features.
Photo: official VKontakte group of the museum
The museum introduces visitors to the history of Semyonov crafts and the century-long history of the factory. Guests learn about the life of the factory, about outstanding masters of the toy craft, and see models that were taken out of production many years ago. Tours are conducted in an interactive, fairy-tale format that captivates even the youngest visitors. Painting workshops for wooden items are held.
