Dmitry Gennadievich Burylin

Dmitry Gennadievich Burylin was a Russian entrepreneur, collector, philanthropist, and public figure. He was born into the merchant dynasty of the Burylins in the Voznesenskaya sloboda, near Ivanovo. From the age of 14 he managed the chintz-printing factory he had inherited from his grandfather. In 1895 he founded the largest cotton-cleaning enterprise in the country. In 1899 he received the rank of Merchant of the First Guild. In 1909 he founded the "D. G. Burylin Manufactories Partnership" and the "Shuya-Yegoryevsk Manufactory Partnership".

 

He collected rare artifacts and antiques. While searching for valuable items he traveled to countries across Europe as well as to Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Italy, France, Finland, and Belgium. In 1903 he exhibited his collection in the building of the Women's Vocational School. From 1912 to 1915 he built a museum building for his collection, which later became city property. He organized free meals for children from poor families, provided funds to the needy, and bought New Year gifts for children in orphanages. In 1904 he saved a 17th-century wooden church from demolition, moving it to the Assumption Cemetery at his own expense.

 

In 1919 his factories and museum were nationalized. His museum was renamed the Ivanovo-Voznesensk City Museum, and Burylin himself was kept on as its chief custodian. Burylin died on September 13, 1924. He was originally buried in the Annunciation Cemetery at the Annunciation Church, but in 1969 he was reinterred at the "Balino" cemetery.