RARITIES OF THE "KUNSTKAMERA"
The first Russian museum, opened by decree of Peter the Great in 1714, still boasts its status as one of St. Petersburg's most intriguing attractions.
The Tsar's Cabinet, later the Kunstkamera, is now known as the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Artifacts from this collection are deservedly among the most extraordinary exhibits in the city. After extensive restoration, the public now has the opportunity to become acquainted with the scientific achievements of Peter the Great's era. The astronomy hall of the Knowledge Tower recreates the atmosphere of St. Petersburg's first observatory, founded in the 1720s.
The armillary sphere is one of the oldest astronomical instruments, invented over two thousand years ago. Ancient Babylon and Ancient Greece compete for the right to be considered its birthplace. It was called a celestial astrolabe and was used as a navigational instrument, determining the position of the sun and stars.
The Benin bronze from the African section of the exhibition is a highly valuable rarity: cast images of people, rulers of Benin, warriors, members of the royal family, and animals. The sculptures are actually made of brass. The country's borders have been redrawn many times since then, but this does not diminish the significance of the artifacts: before us are living witnesses of world history, embodying its iconic images.
The Great Gottorp Globe is the first and once the largest planetarium globe in the world. Its diameter is 3.1 meters, meaning that if you enter through the door and look up, you can see a map of the starry sky on the sphere. This globe, originally made for Frederick III, Duke of Gottorp, in 1651 according to a design by Adam Olearius, was given to Peter the Great as a gift. It became an exhibit in the Kunstkamera in 1717.
Geisha O-Matsu is a life-size doll, a portrait of the geisha Mooroki O-Matsu. The future Emperor Nicholas II met this girl in the 1890s during a trip to Japan and was captivated. Other notable relics include Paleolithic Venuses with exaggerated female forms, a Tibetan flute made of human bone, and Mayan script deciphered by the Russian researcher Yuri Knorozov.
The Tsar's Cabinet, later the Kunstkamera, is now known as the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Artifacts from this collection are deservedly among the most extraordinary exhibits in the city. After extensive restoration, the public now has the opportunity to become acquainted with the scientific achievements of Peter the Great's era. The astronomy hall of the Knowledge Tower recreates the atmosphere of St. Petersburg's first observatory, founded in the 1720s.
The armillary sphere is one of the oldest astronomical instruments, invented over two thousand years ago. Ancient Babylon and Ancient Greece compete for the right to be considered its birthplace. It was called a celestial astrolabe and was used as a navigational instrument, determining the position of the sun and stars.
The Benin bronze from the African section of the exhibition is a highly valuable rarity: cast images of people, rulers of Benin, warriors, members of the royal family, and animals. The sculptures are actually made of brass. The country's borders have been redrawn many times since then, but this does not diminish the significance of the artifacts: before us are living witnesses of world history, embodying its iconic images.
The Great Gottorp Globe is the first and once the largest planetarium globe in the world. Its diameter is 3.1 meters, meaning that if you enter through the door and look up, you can see a map of the starry sky on the sphere. This globe, originally made for Frederick III, Duke of Gottorp, in 1651 according to a design by Adam Olearius, was given to Peter the Great as a gift. It became an exhibit in the Kunstkamera in 1717.
Geisha O-Matsu is a life-size doll, a portrait of the geisha Mooroki O-Matsu. The future Emperor Nicholas II met this girl in the 1890s during a trip to Japan and was captivated. Other notable relics include Paleolithic Venuses with exaggerated female forms, a Tibetan flute made of human bone, and Mayan script deciphered by the Russian researcher Yuri Knorozov.
