An exhibition on Vyatka fairs has opened in Kirov

Items that were sold at fairs in olden times are on display

To mark the 650th anniversary of the city of Kirov, the "Prikaznaya Izba" museum presented to Kirov residents and visitors of the regional center the exhibition "Painted Fair" (0+). It is dedicated to the history of fairs on the Vyatka, and to the largest fairs of past years – the Alexeyevskaya in Kotelnich, the Semyonovskaya and Velikoretskaya in Vyatka, and the Beloretskaya in Urzhum.

One section of the exhibition features unique Dymkovo compositions by the well-known craftswomen Lidiya Falaleeva and Valentina Plemennikova, devoted to the fairs.

"We did not open this exhibition in the Prikaznaya Izba by chance," said Yuri Balyberdin, director of the Kirov Local History Museum. "This building used to stand at the city entrance, and merchants and artisans traveling to and from the fair invariably stopped here."

The museum director also said that the Vyatka region has, for centuries, been known as a major center of trades and crafts. Thus, in the 19th century, in terms of the number of artisans and the variety of crafts, Vyatka Governorate was among the leading regions of the Russian Empire. The works of Vyatka masters were known and loved throughout Russia and abroad.

The exhibition dedicated to the anniversary of the city of Kirov presents items that were sold at fairs and were in high demand: garmons (Russian accordions), samovars, chests and spinning wheels with Vyatka traditional painting, and peasant and urban festive costumes.

The exhibition will run until the end of January.