Bogdanovich Local History Museum

About museum

The museum was founded in 1977. The Bogdanovich local history museum was created on a voluntary basis on the foundation of the Cultural Department of the Bogdanovich City Executive Committee. The founders of the local history museum are: Sitnikov Mikhail Ivanovich, Gorodilova Lyubov Dmitrievna, Shugalei Raisa Romanovna. The museum exhibits items and documents that tell the story of the town's and district's formation and development, on the basis of which respect for the historical past of the town is fostered. The local history museum is the only place in the town that has a card index with archival data on all residents of the town and district who did not return from the front. A unique exhibit of the museum is a room of the Russian intelligentsia of the early 20th century, created thanks to a gift to the town. In the center of the room is a round table covered with a beautiful tablecloth; in the wall space between the windows stands a linen chest of drawers on which there were seven little elephant figurines and two thin, graceful vases for flowers. Next to the chest is a sofa and a beautiful buffet that stored tableware used only for festive meals. The main item in the room is a piano. The old piano has seen much in its lifetime; different people have played it. Its dimensions are impressive, but in the museum space this giant does not feel cramped. When the lid is raised, a historical inscription is visible: 'Supplier to the Imperial Theatres of the educational institutions of His Imperial Highness Prince of Oldenburg F. V. Schiller.' This person created the instrument back in the previous century. The craftsman's shop, owner of several medals, was reportedly located on Bolshaya Morskaya Street in Saint Petersburg. The museum presents a collection of rare stones and minerals assembled by Vladimir Mikhailovich Malykh. His interest in minerals began after he read A. E. Fersman's book 'Famous Mineralogy' in 1945. Today this collection numbers more than 100 specimens. Behind each of them is an unforgettable story of searching, hard field days and adventures. The part of the collection displayed in the museum is an astonishing wealth of stones and natural minerals such as azurites, amethysts, stibnites, a variety of calcite forms, cinnabar, aragonites, francolites, agates and much more. The geologist's travels include the Caucasus, Crimea, the Moscow region, the Dnieper region and, of course, the Urals. Collection of BFZ porcelain products: The Bogdanovich Porcelain Factory was built and commissioned during the Ninth Five-Year Plan. Construction began in 1969 and continued until March 1973. On December 18, 1973 the first products were received — deep porcelain plates. Most of the products — high-strength plates — were produced for canteens, hospitals, military units and kindergartens. The factory produced many different items under various names. The enterprise's trademark — the Mistress of the Copper Mountain depicted as a lizard — symbolizes the natural wealth of the region and indicates that the factory is located in the Urals. The products were purchased not only by Russian consumers but also by those in near and far abroad. Archaeological finds: in 1884 engineer F. Yu. Gebauer discovered the Kashin settlement — the first human settlement on the territory of the Bogdanovich district. Archaeologists uncovered many fragments of decorated pottery, bones of domestic and wild animals and other household items that are exhibited in the museum. In addition to thematic tours, the museum conducts various events: meetings with interesting people, exhibitions, memorial evenings, cultural-educational and game programs. The museum works with school audiences under the educational program 'Traditions and Customs of the Russian People.' The museum staff conduct walking tours of the town of Bogdanovich and excursions on the tourist route 'Gosudareva Road, or In Search of the Birch with Black Bark' about the history of the old Siberian tract.