Fox Mountain Tower Museum

About museum

The tower on Fox Mountain is an architectural monument of regional significance and an integral part of the historical landscape of Nizhny Tagil. A wooden watchtower appeared on the summit of Fox Mountain as early as the 18th century; in the early 19th century it was replaced with a stone one. According to one version it was intended to protect against nomads, but the more plausible explanation is that it served as a fire watchtower. The designer is unknown, but on the cast-iron plate fastening one of the corners of the tower the date of construction — 1818 — has been preserved. In this form the tower served as a fire tower. In case of fire a bronze bell in the tower was rung and red lanterns were displayed. After repairs carried out in 2015, a small museum opened inside the tower. The new museum's exhibition tells the history of the tower and the various ways it was used over nearly two centuries: as a watchtower, as an observatory, as a fire tower, and even as a monument to the love of N.N. Demidov and E.A. Stroganova (Demidova). The landscape with the hill crowned by the turret has always attracted artists' attention. The exhibition includes its depictions from both the 19th and 20th centuries, drawings, optical instruments, as well as books of meteorological observations in Nizhny Tagil published in Paris in the mid-19th century. Materials about the Nizhny Tagil fire service in the “pre-telephone era” are of interest, as are portraits of N.N. Demidov, whose name is associated with much in the city, and his wife E.A. Stroganova (Demidova). A key exhibit is a circular panorama of Nizhny Tagil from the 1880s, made from photographs from the museum-reserve's collection. This gives visitors a unique opportunity to see the 19th-century city and compare it with the modern view of the city. From October 1 to April 14 the exhibition operates on a winter schedule. Tours are conducted on Wednesdays and Saturdays by prior arrangement.