Historical Museum of the settlement of Kalya

About museum

On January 9, 1972, a museum named after N.I. Kuznetsov was opened at School No. 14. This was preceded by extensive work collecting materials by the students under the guidance of Maria Petrovna Kondratyeva and Maria Konstantinovna Shishigina. Correspondence with comrades and relatives of the legendary scout, trips to 'Kuznetsov' sites, interviews with local residents about the history of the area, and the collection of exhibits all took place. Later the premises of the children's yard club 'Tourist' were provided, where the museum was housed until 1995. At the same time, on November 5, 1988, mine No. 13 of SUBR opened a Museum of Military and Labor Glory, which ceased to exist in 1995 because the mine required the museum premises. Both museums operated on a voluntary basis, and only in 1991 was the museum's founder, Maria Konstantinovna Shishigina, given a paid position as a junior research associate. Maria Konstantinovna passed away in 2010. A memorial plaque dedicated to her memory is now installed on the building that houses the museum department. In 1995 the two museums were merged into one and were given premises in the former building of kindergarten No. 11, where it remains to this day. Renovations were carried out, the exposition was arranged, and on August 29, 1997, the Museum of the History of the settlement of Kalya was solemnly opened and began its active work with the public. The total area of the museum is 109 sq. m.; area for exhibition activities — 86.4 sq. m. (historical and exhibition halls); storage of collections — 22.6 sq. m. Thanks to the assistance of Mine No. 13 and its head Viktor Petrovich Neustroev, and the philanthropy of the city-forming enterprise SUBR, cosmetic repairs and a re-planning of the exhibition hall were carried out in two stages — in 2007 and 2008. As a result, new exhibitions appeared. 'Life of a Miner in the 1950s–1960s' presents furniture and household items used by people who lived and still live in the settlement of Kalya. During tours visitors are introduced to the history of each item. The exhibition 'Dedicated to the Great Patriotic War...' tells about the legendary scout Nikolai Ivanovich Kuznetsov and the history of the partisan movement during the war. Here you can see frontline photographs of our fellow countrymen — defenders of the country against the German invaders. One section of the exhibition is devoted to prisoners of concentration camps, including residents of our settlement who endured the horrors of fascism. Thanks to extensive correspondence with former camp inmates, materials were collected and are reflected in the section 'To the Victims of Fascism'. The department's historical hall tells the history of the region, the village of Petropavlovskoye and the settlement of Kalya. You can learn about the heroic labor feats of the local population during the Great Patriotic War. Panels present the history of the development of the Kalya mine and the mines of the city-forming Severouralsky Bauxite Mining Enterprise. The fates of the people who built our settlements, the town and SUBR are told. Labor dynasties of the settlement, notable people, famous fellow countrymen, participants and those killed in local conflicts in Afghanistan and Chechnya are presented. The historical hall includes a section dedicated to Hero of Russia Dmitry Shektaev.