The history of gold mining in the Urals and Russia at the Gold Museum in Beryozovsky

Gold is one of the first metals encountered by humans. In river valleys or the beds of dried-up streams people found bright, shiny nuggets unlike the surrounding mineral environment. Gold and other elements heavier than iron have a cosmic origin — most of the gold that is now present in the Earth's crust and mantle was delivered to Earth by asteroids during the 'Late Heavy Bombardment' about 4 billion years ago. It is believed that craters on the Moon and other planets of the Solar System, including Earth, were formed during that period.

Gold placer. Photo: zolotomash.rf

The town of Beryozovsky is the town of Russian gold, the birthplace of industrial gold mining in the Urals and Russia. It was here in 1745 that the peasant dissenter Yerofey Sidorovich Markov found the country's first lode gold. In 1748 the Beryozovsky mine was founded, and between 1753 and 1757 the first gold-washing plant in Russia was built. Construction of the town of Beryozovsky began at the same time as the plant.

Monument to Yerofey Markov. Photo: guidego.ru

The first workers at the mines were penal servitude prisoners and shackled convicts — criminals who were sent from the prisons to the workings. Later, free hired workers joined them; they were recruited for the needs of the mining industry. Workers were paid 'moving-in' money, with which they could buy or build a house, but they worked under the same harsh conditions as the convicts. Child labor was also used in the mines: children and adolescents had sharper eyesight and found gold grains faster. In the first decades of the mines' existence the harsh working conditions led to high mortality among adults and children. The average life expectancy of a worker was only 28 years.

In 1814 Lev Ivanovich Brusnitsyn, the son of a hereditary master of gold workings, discovered gold placers on the Berezovka River. These placers were formed as a result of the erosion of gold-bearing rocks and the transport of gold particles by rivers and streams. Before 1814 Russia produced only 3% of the world's gold output, but after the discovery of the placers, by the mid-19th century it began to produce 47%, becoming the world's leading gold producer and maintaining that position for thirty years, until the discovery of gold deposits in California and Alaska.

Monument to Lev Ivanovich Brusnitsyn. Photo: fotoload.ru

The mines in Beryozovsky operated steadily until 1911, but after the start of the Civil War they were flooded. Along with the flooding, modern equipment and documentation were lost. After the Bolsheviks came to power and the claims were nationalized, the process of restoring the mine began. The mine was reopened in 1928 and is still in operation today. Three shafts are currently active: Northern, Southern, and Central. They produce 660 kilograms of gold and more than 1,000 kilograms of silver annually. According to scientists' estimates, the region's gold reserves will last another 60–70 years of continuous extraction.

The Gold Museum was established on the basis of the local history museum in 1970. The museum has five halls that sequentially tell the history of gold mining and the town's gold deposit. The museum's collection includes various exhibits, gold samples, and tools that were used in the mines. Visitors can learn in detail about the gold-mining process in the past and present. The museum also regularly hosts exhibitions and events dedicated to the region's history and gold mining.

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