Exhibition 'The Kekins: Family, Fate, Heritage'

About exhibition

In the mansion that belonged until 1918 to generations of the Kekin merchant family of Rostov, rooms of the main house of a merchant estate have been reconstructed using museum objects: an entrance hall with plans and views of 19th-century Rostov and portraits of Rostov merchants; a parlor where visitors learn about the history of the estate, the course of its restoration and its conversion into a museum, and the Kekin family genealogy; a boudoir presenting the world of a woman from a merchant family, her daily activities and circle of interests; a dining room with a table laid for a family tea; a study containing materials about the outstanding family member Alexey Leontyevich Kekin (1838–1897). Among A. L. Kekin's deeds reflected in the exhibition are the installation of Rostov's water supply system, the founding of 'Rolma' — a Rostov manufactory, and the construction of a gymnasium financed with funds he bequeathed to the city for that purpose.