Taganrog State Literary and Historical and Architectural Museum. Taganrog State Literary and Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve

General information:

Taganrog State Literary and Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve.

Description:

Fund of personal documents, books and things of A.P. Chekhov, A.A. Durov, I.D. Vasilenko, F.G. Ranevskaya. Collections of paintings and graphic works by A.P. Chekhov, S.M. Chekhov, S.S. Chekhov, Western engravings of the 1st half. 19th century etc.

Organization classification: historical
Organization area: exposition and exhibition 2273.5 m2

Dates of opening and founding: opened: 1983

Budget status: The subject of the Russian Federation

Organizational and legal form: non-profit institution

Organization type: mass cultural

Branch or subsidiary:

Taganrog Museum of Local Lore - M852
Museum "Urban Planning and Life of Taganrog" - M853
Museum of A.A. Durov - M871
Museum "Chekhov's Shop" - M1959

Partner organizations:
Starocherkassk Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve - M845

Taganrog State Literary and Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve is one of the largest museum associations Rostov region. It includes 7 museums, the expositions of which tell about the history and culture of the city of Taganrog, about the life and work of A.P. Chekhov. In 2010 based on Taganrog Museum-reserve, the South-Russian Scientific and Cultural Center of A.P. Chekhov was created.

Story

In 1981, in accordance with the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR No. 344 “On measures for the preservation and use of historical and cultural monuments of the city of Taganrog, Rostov Region”, the Taganrog Museum of Local Lore and the Literary Museum of A.P. Chekhov were transformed into the Taganrog State Literary and Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve (TGLIAMZ). For the first time in the practice of museum business in the Russian Federation, centralization of management and planning, a unified system of accounting, storage, scientific acquisition and study of stock collections, a unified financial and economic activity was carried out on a city scale. By the beginning of the 2000s, a large museum association had formed in Taganrog: 7 museums and about 30 museum display objects related to the history of the city, the life and work of A.P. Chekhov. The structure of the museum-reserve corresponds to the profile directions of existing and future expositions. The literary part unites actually Literary Museum A.P. Chekhov, memorial departments - "Chekhov's House" and "Chekhov's Shop", the museum of I.D. Vasilenko, as well as the whole complex of Chekhov memorable places in the city. The historical part is the Museum of Local Lore (Alferaki Palace), the Museum of A.A. Durov, museum "Urban planning and life of Taganrog".

Literary Museum of A.P. Chekhov was opened on May 29, 1935. Since 1975, it has been located in the building of the former male classical gymnasium, which was one of the oldest educational institutions south of Russia. A.P. Chekhov studied at the gymnasium from 1868 to 1879.

Memorial Museum "Chekhov's House" was opened in 1926, located in a small wing of the merchant A.D. Gnutova. The merchant of the 3rd guild P.E. Chekhov and his family lived in this house from the end of 1859 to March 1861. On January 29, 1860, the third son of the Chekhovs, Anton, was born here. The exposition presents photographs of the older generation of the Chekhov family, merchant documents of P.E. Chekhov, relics of the Chekhov family.

Museum "Chekhov's Shop" » is located in a house built in the 40s of the XIX century. The Chekhov family rented this house from 1869 to 1874. The exposition of the museum tells about the life of the Chekhov family, about the childhood years of A.P. Chekhov.

The Museum of History and Local Lore was established by the decision of the City Duma on June 22, 1898. It is located in former home one of the largest homeowners of Taganrog, N.D. Alferaki. The building was built in 1848 according to the project of the famous St. Petersburg architect A.I. Stackenschneider in eclectic style. In 1927 the building was transferred to the museum. During the 20th century, the museum's exposition, and the building itself, underwent changes. In 1989 - 1996 restoration work was carried out, which made it possible to largely restore the original appearance of the palace. In 1995 - 1996 the current exhibition is open.

Museum "Urban Planning and Life of Taganrog" located in an architectural monument, in old mansion official E. Sharonov. The building was built in 1912 by academician of architecture F.O. Shekhtel in the Art Nouveau style. The exposition reproduces the corners of the old Taganrog - a city that has preserved the architectural plasticity of the 19th - 20th centuries.

Museum of I.D. Vasilenko located in a house built in the 70s of the XIX century. The writer lived there from 1923 to 1966. The exposition was opened in 2004. Documents, photographs, books and personal belongings of the writer are presented here.

A.A. Museum Durova located in the mansion of G.F. Kisses - a miniature monument of architecture in the Art Nouveau style. The house was built in 1900. In 1987, an exposition dedicated to one of the remarkable representatives of the famous Russian circus dynasty, the trainer and artist A.A. Durov. Link to the group "Vkontakte".

South Russian Scientific and Cultural Center A.P. Chekhov was founded in 2010 in the year of the 150th anniversary of the birth of the writer, with the aim of popularizing the Chekhov heritage, historical and cultural monuments of Taganrog and the Rostov region. Today, scientific conferences, seminars, creative meetings are held on the basis of the center. An important place in his work is given to cultural and educational activities. Among the leading forms of work of the Chekhov Center is the organization of exhibitions: stock, copyright, exhibitions from private collections.

Collections

The Museum-Reserve, created as a result of the merger of the Literary Museum of A.P. Chekhov and the Taganrog Museum of Local Lore, united and museum collections these two museums are diverse and in many ways unique.
Many items related to the history of the city and the region, which have witnessed the events of more than one century, belonged to famous people, undoubtedly have historical, scientific and artistic value and make up a significant part of the main fund of the museum, numbering 173229 items.
The museum funds are classified by types of storage: archaeological and natural historical monuments, photos and documents, items made of precious metal, books, items of applied and visual arts, household items and ethnography, a numismatic collection, etc. In total, the funds of the museum-reserve have 25 collections located in depositories with an area of ​​1800 sq.m.

The history of the museum object from the collection "Precious Metals"

The Precious Metals Foundation presents a group of silver items that came to the museum in the 60s and 70s of the 20th century. noble metal combination artistic features, historical and local history information in the texts of engravings determined the antiquarian and historical and everyday interest in these items.
These are sports prizes of the 30-40s of the twentieth century, and directly such is the sports cup of 1946-1950, utilitarian items: a mug, a coffee pot, a glass. Items could also serve as a worthy gift.
They crossed state borders, passed through the hands different people, and only their last role: the role of prizes for winning in sports, united them several decades later into a museum thematic collection. Izhevsk, Saratov, Rostov-on-Don, Taganrog: such is the geography of events, and the time - the "forties fatal", post-war construction.

The history of the museum object from the collection "Numismatics"

Commemorative medal, table "In memory of the 50th anniversary of Soviet power. 1917-1967." Medalist V.M. Akimushkin. Leningrad mint. Silver, 73.67 gr. Diameter 50 mm. Hallmarks on edge: "925" and mint "LMD". In original case. The medal was awarded to the participants of the solemn meeting dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, held in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. The medal is rare. The exact circulation is unknown, presumably no more than 3 thousand pieces.

The medal belonged to the participant of the solemn meeting, Lev Vladimirovich Shulgin, known Soviet composer and cultural worker. L.V. Shulgin (1890-1968), born in Taganrog, entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory. One of the leading organizers musical life countries after the revolution. He worked in the department of the People's Commissariat of Education, for 12 years he was in charge of the propaganda and educational department of the music sector of the State Publishing House, editor of the magazine "Music and Revolution." He wrote a number of plays on folk themes and songs: "Glory to the Motherland" lyrics. M.Isakovsky, "Let's raise the healthy bowls" op. I. Nekhody, "I am a Spanish miner" and others.
Since the beginning of the 90s of the 20th century, for many years, employees of the Taganrog Historical local history museum corresponded with the daughter of L.V. Shulgin, Tatyana Lvovna - a famous Soviet sculptor who lived in Moscow. She donated to the museum-reserve all the surviving materials about her father, including a commemorative medal, as well as a musical notation of the song "Spark" ("The girl escorted the soldier to the position"), the music to which long years was considered popular, but as it turned out, its author is our countryman L.V. Shulgin. The Taganrog Museum-Reserve has a fund of L.V. Shulgin, materials about his life and work are exhibited in the local history museum (Alferaki Palace).

The history of the museum object from the collection "Rare Book"

Life edition of A. Pushkin's book "Ruslan and Lyudmila". SPb. Type. N. Grecha. 1820

The first edition of Pushkin's poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila", published in 1820 during the life of the great poet, is the pride of the Pushkin collection, stored in the "Rare Book" fund of the Taganrog Museum-Reserve.

The book is hardcovered with brown marbled paper, spine and corners in brown leather, printed on white rag paper. The volume is 142 pages. On the inside of the binding there is an ex-libris of the antique store No. 35 MoGiz, indicating the price - 100 rubles. On title page- traces of cleaned inscriptions. It can be assumed that the old owner's signs indicating the previous owners of the book were destroyed in this way.

This is the first book of the great poet, which was published. During the preparation of the publication, Pushkin was sent to serve in the Yekaterinoslav province. From there, he wrote to the poet N.I. Gnedich, who, in the absence of the author, supervised the publication: "The dress sewn to your order for Ruslan and Lyudmila is beautiful, and for four days now, like printed poems ... childishly console me."

Pushkin received a copy of the book on March 24, 1821, and it was published in the summer of 1820. Printed cover of the first edition famous poem did not have. The book was sold in a colored wrapper and cost 10 rubles (quite a solid amount for those times. The average salary of an official of the Taganrog city government in this period was 25 rubles). The owners made hardcover at their own discretion and possibilities.

According to Pushkin, the poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila" was written by him at the Lyceum. However, all surviving drafts were written no earlier than 1818. The poem was completed in St. Petersburg on March 26, 1820. The epilogue was written in the Caucasus in July 1820, and the famous introduction ("At the Lukomorye there is a green oak") in Mikhailovsky in 1824 - 1825.

Fragments of the poem were published in the magazines Nevsky Spectator and Son of the Fatherland in 1820. When a separate edition came out, the poet had already been exiled to the south. The poem caused controversy and numerous reviews in magazines. Her success, despite the ambiguous attitude in society, was undeniable. This confirms the fact that in 1822 the circulation was reprinted for sale.

At the auction of antique publications, held in St. Petersburg in early 2013, the starting price of the lot, which featured the first book of the great poet, was 100,000 euros. And although this is a significant amount, even in foreign currency, this book is priceless for our museum.

The unique edition of Pushkin's poem ended up in the museum's collection, probably thanks to a graduate of the Taganrog gymnasium, a well-known literary critic, corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Sergei Dmitrievich Baluhatom. In 1937, on his initiative, the Pushkin exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the death of the poet was held in Taganrog. After its completion, a significant part of the exhibited items was transferred to the newly created A.P. Chekhov Literary Museum.

The history of the museum object from the collection "Fabrics"

Embroidery of the North-Eastern Sea of ​​Azov from the collection of towels

Embroidery has been one of the most beloved and widespread types in Rus' since ancient times. folk art. Every woman should have mastered this skill. Girls began to learn the art of embroidery from early childhood. They embroidered clothes and household items (bedding, tablecloths, curtains).

Towels stand apart in this row. They had not so much a utilitarian meaning as they were an indispensable attribute of many ceremonies: wedding, maternity, funeral, serving as a kind of amulets, that is, they accompanied a person from birth to death. Embroidery on towels had many symbols and hidden meaning dating back to ancient Slavic traditions associated with the cult of fertility and the cult of ancestors.

It is the towels that form the basis of our collection “Embroidery of the North-Eastern Sea of ​​Azov”.

The collection of towels in the Tkani fund is one of the most numerous - over 150 items. The beginning of its acquisition was laid in the 20s of the last century. Most of the items were collected during historical expeditions to the surrounding villages. Chronological framework collections - the first half of the 19th century - the 70s of the 20th century.

Embroidery techniques, plots and embroidery motifs are very diverse. This is due to the history of our region.

In the early 1870s, after the conclusion of the Kuchuk-Kainarji peace treaty between Russia and Turkey, Russia turned into a Black Sea power and launched an energetic settlement and active development of the vast expanses of the fertile Azov steppes. As a result of the migration policy of Catherine II, a certain ethnic image of the city and its environs began to take shape: these are the Don Cossacks, Ukrainian families, whose resettlement was formalized by a decree of May 24, 1779, Albanians, Greeks, Armenians, people from central Russia. Compact residence of peoples with different cultural traditions contributed to the interpenetration of rituals and customs and influenced the development of folk decorative and applied arts including embroidery. Craftswomen - embroiderers learned from each other, borrowed techniques, styles.

Photo: Taganrog Literary and Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve

Photo and description

The Literary and Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve in Taganrog is one of the city attractions. The Museum-Reserve was formed in 1981 from the Taganrog Museum of Local Lore and the Literary Museum of A.P. Chekhov. In 1992 it became the state regional cultural institution.

By the beginning of the 2000s. a large museum association has developed in the city: seven museums and thirty objects of museum display, which are connected with the history of Taganrog, as well as with the life and work of the great Russian writer A.P. Chekhov. The museum-reserve consists of a literary and historical part. The literary part includes: A.P. Chekhov, museum "Chekhov's Shop", memorial department "Chekhov's House", house-museum of I.D. Vasilenko and the complex of Chekhov memorial sites. The historical part unites: the Taganrog Museum of Local History, the Museum "Urban Planning and Life of the City of Taganrog", as well as the memorial museum of A.A. Durov. In 2010, on the eve of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Chekhov, the opening of the South Russian Scientific and Cultural Center of A.P. Chekhov.

To date, the total area of ​​the museum-reserve is more than 5000 square meters. m. In its funds there are more than 280 thousand exhibits. The stock collections of the Taganrog Literary and Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve are in many ways unique and quite diverse. Museum visitors can get acquainted with archaeological and historical monuments, photos and documents, handwritten books, antique publications, household items and applied arts, as well as a numismatic collection, precious metal products and many other interesting museum exhibits.

All items related to the history of this region have historical, artistic and scientific value. Emperor Alexander I lived in this city, was born and lived famous writer A.P. Chekhov, the outstanding actress F.G. Ranevskaya, lived the writer I.D. Vasilenko and famous artist circus A.A. Durov. A significant part of the collection of the Taganrog Literary and Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve is represented by personal belongings of famous Taganrog residents, documents, photographs, furniture and works that have been formed over many decades.

Museums.

Taganrog State Literary and Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve
Foundation date 1981
opening date Daily from 10.00 to 18.00, cash desk - until 17.00; day off - Monday
Location
  • Russia
Address Russia , Taganrog
Director Lipovenko Elizaveta Vasilievna
Website donland.ru/Default.aspx?…
Media files at Wikimedia Commons

History of the Museum

Created in 1981 . The total area of ​​education is more than 5000 square meters. m. Funds have more than 280 thousand units of storage. Each of the museums included in the association was created in different time and has its own history.

Museum structure

The literary part of the association

  • The Literary Museum of A.P. Chekhov is located in the building of the former male classical gymnasium. The writer A.P. Chekhov studied here. The museum was opened on May 29, 1935. The exposition of the museum presents materials about the life and work of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. The exposition includes about 1600 exhibits.
  • Memorial Museum "Chekhov's House" - the house where A.P. Chekhov was born. In 1926, the first museum exposition dedicated to the writer's life.
  • Museum "Chekhov's Shop". The museum is located in a house that the Chekhov family rented from 1869 to 1874. The Chekhov family shop was on the first floor, and the family lived on the second. A.P. Chekhov lived here from 9 to 14 years old. The museum in the house was opened on November 3, 1977.
  • Museum I. D. Vasilenko located in the house in which from 1923 to 1966 the writer, Stalin Prize laureate Ivan Dmitrievich Vasilenko lived. Transferred to the Taganrog State Literary and Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve in 1988.

Historical part

  • Exhibits of the Historical Museum of Local Lore

The Taganrog Literary, Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve (TGLIAMZ) is one of the largest museum complexes in the Rostov Region. It consists of 7 different museums that are dedicated to the history and culture of the city of Taganrog, the life and work of the great Russian writer A.P. Chekhov.

The history of the museum-reserve began in 1981, when a government decree was issued on the merger of the Taganrog Museum of Local Lore and the Taganrog Literary Museum of A.P. Chekhov. The current museum complex was formed in the early 2000s, and includes 7 museums and 30 historical objects related to the city of Taganrog and the life of A.P. Chekhov.

At present, the museum-reserves contain unique stock collections - historical monuments, photographic materials and documents, handwritten books and antique editions, household items and much more. Scientific conferences, various seminars, Russian and international symposiums are held on the territory of the reserve.

The Taganrog Museum of Local Lore is one of the oldest museums in the south of Russia. Today it is part of the museum association "Taganrog State Literary and Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve", formed in 1983 and including seven museums.

Before turning to the history of the creation of the local history museum in the city, it is necessary to say about Taganrog itself. Founded by Peter I in 1698, the first Russian sea harbor with the original name of the Trinity Fortress on Tagan-Rog (from the Turkic “Noticeable Cape”) by 1709 already had 10 thousand inhabitants. However, unsuccessful battles with the Turks forced the Russian Tsar to return the Trinity Fortress on Tagan-Rog to Turkey. Peter I ordered "to destroy the city as widely as possible, but without spoiling its foundation, for God will turn otherwise." In February 1712, the last Russian soldier left the fortress. Restoration of the returned citadel began in the middle of the 18th century. Under Catherine II, Taganrog, having lost the status of a military fortress, gained fame as one of the largest trading ports in southern Russia.

The history of museum construction in the city is connected with the name of Emperor Alexander I. The mysterious and unexpected death Tsar-Liberator of Europe in Taganrog on November 19, 1825 still attracts the keen interest of historians.

The house in which the emperor died was bought from the city by Elizaveta Alekseevna, the widow of Alexander I, and since 1826 became the first memorial museum in Russia. Preserved and maintained the atmosphere of the memorial provided for " staffing» Ministry of the Imperial Court caretaker of the Palace in Taganrog.

Alferaki A. I.,
Mayor of Taganrog
in 1880-1888 1882


Chekhov A.P.,
early 1900s

Rapidly growing and developing in the 19th century, the city has its own theater since 1827, becoming the second city in Russia in which an Italian opera troupe constantly existed. By the end of the century, a whole network of educational institutions with free and universal education was formed in Taganrog. primary education. There was an idea to create a pedagogical museum. Mayor A.N. Alferaki and his successor P.F. Yordanov, taking into account the positive attitude of the townspeople to this idea and the approaching 200th anniversary of the city, managed (with the support of A.P. Chekhov) on June 22, 1898 to achieve the desired decision in the City Duma . This day is considered to be the founding date of the Taganrog Museum of Local Lore. The profile, direction and structure of the emerging museum was determined by A.P. Chekhov. He also proposed to place it in a majestic building belonging to the city and call it Petrovsky.

After the revolution, all the museums of the city repeatedly tried to unite. The memorial museum of Alexander I was destroyed, some of the exhibits of which were saved in the funds of the museum of local lore. In the early 1920s, museums received art objects from estates and mansions, later from the State Museum Fund, the Russian Museum and State Museum ceramics. In 1930, the City Museum was renamed the Taganrog Museum of Local Lore. By the end of the 30s, his collections, in which eminent figures literature, arts and sciences (A. P. Chekhov, K. A. Savitsky, the Miller brothers, I. Ya. Pavlovsky and many others), totaled nineteen and a half thousand items, including the book fund.


Central street of Taganrog
during the days of the German occupation,
summer 1942


Bench in the city garden
with the inscription "Only for the Germans",
1942-1943


Fragment of the exposition of local history
museum during the years of occupation,
1942-1943


Order of the burgomaster of Taganrog
on the provision of paintings from the museum
at the disposal of the general
November 26, 1941


Hood. N. P. Bogdanov-Belsky.
Dying peasant. 1893

The war, which began on June 22, 1941, from the first days affected the life of the seaside city, whose economy since the end of the 30s was mainly focused on defense orders. The city smelted steel, built airplanes, produced heavy motorcycles, and sewed uniforms. And from the first days of the war, civilian enterprises also switched to the production of military products. When the front began to rapidly approach the city, the local leadership, naturally, was concerned about the speedy evacuation of industrial enterprises. By October 15, 1941, up to 75% of equipment, products, factories and valuables were taken out of Taganrog, most of the workers were evacuated. To send museums to the east, the city authorities have no options left.

A desperate attempt to save objects from precious metals was made by the director of the museum, K. I. Chistoserdov. A week before the arrival of the invaders, he took with him a collection of valuable items for evacuation and officially handed them over to the Kabardino-Balkarian Museum of Local Lore in Nalchik. A year later, Nalchik was occupied by the Germans, the museum was severely plundered. (In response to a request from the Taganrog Museum about the fate of their exhibits from Nalchik in June 1944, they reported that they had been stolen during the German occupation.)

October 17, 1941 German tanks broke into Taganrog. Its occupation lasted 683 days.

The "new order" of the German authorities in the occupied "Eastern" territories is widely known. The Burgomistrat organizes the management of the city economy, the Ortskomendatura controls all events, special structures levy taxes (on dogs, bicycles, skis, handcarts and spectacles). Employees of the Burgomistrat carefully check textbooks for schools, books of libraries and shops. The library of the museum is also subjected to censorship, from which “Bolshevik” literature was confiscated. The monument to Peter the Great by M. Antokolsky, removed in 1924 and saved from being melted down by the museum workers, was returned to the city. According to available documents, in the first days of the occupation, museums were robbed locals And German soldiers. Along with paintings, icons, porcelain, an archaeological collection and numismatics, items from the consumer goods exhibition were stolen.

The acting director of the museum V. M. Bazilevich reported to the new authorities: “... during the days of the flight of the Bolsheviks and the occupation of the city by the German army, the museum remained without official protection for several days. Taking advantage of this, persons outside the museum repeatedly, by breaking the locks, entered the museum, scattered and damaged its exhibits and stole a number of items. During this period, the collection of paintings suffered especially: “up to 30 paintings were torn off the stretchers, 25 of them were stolen.” Among the stolen works, paintings by I. N. Kramskoy, E. F. Krendovsky, I. A. Pelevin, A. P. Bogolyubov, Ya. Ya. Weber and others were found.

On November 20, 1941, the German authorities issued a safe-conduct to the museum in order to prevent theft. The Germans knew that Professor Bazilevich was fruitfully engaged in scientific activities, published 45 books, including the well-known works "Griboyedov in Ukraine" and "Honoré de Balzac in Ukraine", which in 1927 was subjected to repression. In 1939, after a second five-year stay in the Far Eastern camps, he settled at the direction of the authorities in Taganrog.

With great difficulty, he, a world-famous scientist, managed to get a job as an employee of the local history museum. In just one year of service in the museum, he prepared twenty works. Among them: "Pushkin and Taganrog", "Decembrists and Taganrog".

The director of the museum, Chistoserdov, who was leaving for the evacuation, recommended Bazilevich for the role of the person responsible for the preservation of funds. In November 1941, the German authorities appointed him director of the museum. Mayor of Taganrog Kulik issued stern recommendations to the new leader: “You are obliged to strictly follow all orders of the city government or its departments and not allow any activities that would run counter to the interests of the urban population and the German armed forces.”

Bazilevich served as director for eight months, until June 1942. In his report addressed to the burgomaster, he reported that the museum premises had been put in order and the main losses of the exhibits had been identified. The art gallery, the memorial room of Emperor Alexander I and the department "Old Taganrog" underwent a radical reorganization. A detailed check of the availability and condition of the exhibits was carried out, and a scientific inventory was started. The museum has been replenished with a number of art exhibits, including works by local artists. The report notes that the museum remains closed to the general public in accordance with the instructions of the burgomaster and commandant's office. It was visited daily by members of the German and Romanian armies.

IN winter time The museum premises were not heated, so some of the exhibits had to be moved to the storage facility. But on June 22, 1942, on the anniversary of the start of the war with Russia, the invaders held a reception for officers in the museum. Theater actors and a German brass band gave concerts in the Museum's Double-height Hall, famous for its excellent acoustics. A cafe "only for Germans" was opened on the courtyard terrace. Other residents were admitted later. Increasingly, the German command began to use the halls of the museum for ceremonial entertainment. In the city there were headquarters of quartered German units and intelligence services, hospitals, rest homes for soldiers and officers. The German command obliged the city authorities to organize appropriate leisure for the valiant soldiers of the Wehrmacht.

The museum was ordered to organize a number of exhibitions, including those of local artists. The Novoye Slovo newspaper wrote about one of these exhibitions: “Eleven Taganrog artists responded to the call of the propaganda department of the German army and city government to participate in the exhibition that opened in the halls of the city museum ... The exhibition met with a warm welcome from the public. On the first day it was visited by up to 700 people. A number of paintings were purchased by the German command and administration of the city for placement in the halls of the museum. Persons of the German command visited the exhibition and gave very flattering reviews about it and ordered a number of portraits from the artists Skorciletti and Ryasnyansky. The venerable artist Ms. Blonskaya-Leontovskaya, who visited the exhibition on the day of its opening, presented the city with two of her best canvases: "Girls" („ Palm Sunday") and a portrait of the notary Blonsky - the father of the artist, the work of her husband Leontovsky - famous portrait painter aristocratic circles of St. Petersburg in the period 1900-1914. If this exhibition presented works of different genres, then in the exposition, which opened on August 1, 1943, portraits of Hitler occupied an exceptional place. The museum gradually turned into a free “antiquities shop” for high-ranking occupiers. Increasingly, the museum management begins to receive cynical orders and instructions from the burgomaster: - to provide several paintings to decorate the general's apartment (seven paintings were provided); - to transfer four paintings for the headquarters of the Gestapo; - two pictures for the security police and the SD; - two paintings for Special Team No. 10 ... Among the paintings that have left, therefore, from the museum of paintings are the works of Bogolyubov, Vasilkovsky, Krylov, Makovsky, copies of unknown artists of the 19th century from the paintings of Correggio, Rafael Santi. In mid-June 1942, when General Recknagel was honored, the hero of the day was presented with an old pistol from the museum's collection as a souvenir. The passion for "collecting" ancient weapons from the museum's funds was shown by the chief of police, Kirsanov. During 1942, the personal collection of the “new order” guard was replenished with: “pistol No. 137 (flintlock, dilapidated); blade number 118, (hilt with bone); blade No. 114 (forged, silver)."

Items were also withdrawn from the museum's funds for the practice of Orthodox rituals permitted for propaganda purposes. In particular, in January 1942, seven icons, gonfalons, and other church accessories were confiscated for the St. Nicholas Church. Later, icons, chandeliers, icon cases, banners and other church utensils were sent to the same church. For the arrangement of an Orthodox house on the street. Chekhov, 101 priest Suslenkov received from the museum: “1. Two pair of copper candlesticks for two candles each (Inv. No. 277, 278). 2. The censer is copper, only the lid and part of the chain, damaged, have survived (Inv. No. 339). 3. Metal glasses, fragé, 2 pcs. (Inventory No. 134,135). 4. Frame with glass from the icon. 5. A piece of red satin fabric with a gilded fringe (No. 569)." The fact of receipt is certified by the corresponding receipt of the priest Suslenkov.

On August 1, 1942, the museum building was occupied by the headquarters of the German command. The entire exhibition was urgently curtailed within eight hours. After the staff officers left, the museum staff discovered that “some items from the collection have disappeared. The archaeological department, Durov's corner, etc., suffered.

Museum staff, risking their lives, tried to preserve the most valuable items in the collection, providing works of little art at the request of the authorities. Unfortunately, this didn't always work out. The burgomaster was adamant in his zeal to please the German authorities, he returned things of little value and demanded that they be replaced with more “worthy” ones. The passion for embellishment at the expense of the museum's funds from the "fathers" of the city and their owners no longer knew boundaries. Commandant Captain Alberti tried by his order to stop the rampant lovers of "beautiful" art. The consequences of this step do not lend themselves to archival verification. According to a denunciation, items belonging to the museum were found in the house of V. M. Bazilevich, which served as a basis to accuse the former director of theft and sentence him to death. It was most likely a demonstrative and intimidating act of the invaders. According to the act signed by the director of the museum, supply manager, accountant and curator, two silver icons, 26 different coins, rubles of the reign of Paul I, Nicholas I and Alexander I, a purse for silver coins, 25 library books, 10 seals, an act on the delivery of valuables during evacuation, an inventory of numismatics, seals and other items.

In February 1943, the front after the victory Soviet troops near Stalingrad began to rapidly approach Taganrog. The Propaganda Department of the VI Panzer Regiment, ahead of the special services of the Operational Headquarters of the Reichsleiter Rosenberg, proceeded to "rescue" and confiscate cultural property Taganrog Museum.

Senior Lieutenant of the 691st Tank Propaganda Company Ernst Moritz Arndt took out of Taganrog "over forty icons and church utensils, about eighty pieces of porcelain, glass and bronze, samples of collectible weapons, five paintings." In the Central State Archive of the Supreme Authorities and Administration of Ukraine (TsGAVOU), where an extensive archive of the "activities" of the so-called. Headquarters of Rosenberg, official correspondence was found in connection with the search for the exhibits of the Taganrog Museum of Local Lore exported by Arndt. The curator of the Sonderkommando "Rostov" of the Headquarters of Rosenberg Rekk, who accidentally received information about the removal of museum property by the Wehrmacht, showed extreme concern about this. According to Rekka, subordination was allegedly violated. The right to export should be dealt with by the services of the Headquarters, and not by the Wehrmacht. Moreover, the Headquarters does not know anything about the location of the cargo taken out of Taganrog by Senior Lieutenant Arndt. Meticulous Rekk checked the chain of advancement of the tank propaganda company with the values ​​of the museum. Checking the initial information that part of the cargo could be at the Berlin assembly point of the Wehrmacht High Command was not successful. In the end, a list of 125 items was obtained. However, the Headquarters treated this information with distrust. The list of the Wehrmacht included items of dubious, according to the staff of the Headquarters, origin. As an employee of the museum S. Malikova testifies, during the years of occupation, the museum acquired some exhibits with funds allocated by the mayor. The same burgomaster withdrew from the funds the most valuable things for his leadership and for gifts to the German command. The museum staff, taking into account the “extortions” of the local authorities, did not seek to promptly register new acquisitions and were in no hurry to play the role of a cover for the authorities to identify and seize antiques from the population. Assertive employees of the main working group "Ukraine" from the Rosenberg Headquarters did find Senior Lieutenant Arndt in Breslau (now Polish Wroclaw). Arndt, with the knowledge of his leadership, informed Rosenberg's Headquarters that art objects from the Taganrog Museum were in the Breslau command of the 691st propaganda tank company among other captured property. By prior agreement with the leadership of the Wehrmacht, Arndt receives a clear instruction: to mark the boxes with items from the Taganrog Museum with the code “RMOZ” and send them to the address: “State Station Buxheim near Memmingen / Swabia, recipient Otto Letner, Zalezian Monastery”. This was the way of the first stage of export of the cultural values ​​of our museum outside the country.


Bazilevich V. M.,
director of the local history museum
in the courtyard of the museum
winter 1941

And in Taganrog, at that time, the German headquarters and units were preparing for the second evacuation. On August 27, 1943, the invaders carried out another large-scale raid on museum funds. Among the seized exhibits are paintings by Aivazovsky, Bogdanov-Velsky, Polenov, Leontovsky, Shishkin and others.

S. Malikova in her “Spravka” dated 1943 writes: “The Germans took away from the museum and took mainly old Russian things for personal use.”

On August 30, 1943, Taganrog was liberated by the troops of the Southern Front under the command of General Tolbukhin. The city began to count the losses during the years of occupation. The Izvestia newspaper wrote on September 4, 1943: “In the twelve departments of the Taganrog Museum, the rarest exhibits relating to the history of our Motherland and the Russian people were collected. The museum kept original canvases painted by Russian artists Makovsky, Shishkin, Pryanishnikov and others, as well as samples of ancient weapons, porcelain dishes, etc. Now the museum is empty - all the most ancient things have been plundered and taken to Germany.”

By October 1, 1944, an inventory was carried out in the museum according to the inventories of 13 funds and the library collection. As a result, it was possible to establish that 4624 items were stolen from the Taganrog Museum during the occupation. The collection that remained in the funds amounted to 9369 items and 5550 books. That is, during the war the museum lost more than a third of its subject fund.

Archival evidence does not yet allow to restore complete picture search and return to the territory of the country of cultural values ​​of the Taganrog Museum.

On September 8, 1945, the Rostov regional department of cultural enlightenment demanded to provide an inventory museum exhibits who died or were taken away by the Nazi invaders. At the same time, it was proposed to list the groups of property to be returned from Germany. The information available in the museum about those who carried out the export and when carried out the search and return of the stolen property could help. In December 1947, 73 exhibits stolen by the occupiers were returned to the museum, which arrived in box No. 21. Unfortunately, neither notification of receipt, nor an inventory of the items found in the materials of the city archive, the party archive and the archive of the local KGB could be found.

The situation with the items returned in box No. 21 was clarified already in Lately. Employees federal agency for Culture and Cinematography are actively involved in the search for documents relating to the "military" fate of the cultural values ​​of the Taganrog Museum. It was from them that the materials of the State Archives were obtained. Russian Federation, the archive of the Rosenberg Headquarters, stored in the Central State Archive of the Supreme Authorities and Administration of Ukraine (Kyiv) and other central archives. Employees of the Federal Agency, in addition to assisting in the preparation for the publication of this volume, carried out a search for "traces" of the mentioned box. Its contents ended up at the end of the war on the territory of that part of Germany that was occupied by US troops. Found in German vaults (there were about 1.5 thousand of them), the cultural values ​​robbed by the Nazis were processed by the Americans at collection points organized by them and then transferred to their countries of origin. Taganrog items were among those transferred to the Berlin warehouse "Derutra" and in November 1947 were sent with the returned exhibits of Peterhof, Gatchina, Catherine's, Pavlovsk palace-museums, the archeology of Kerch, the icons of Pskov and Novgorod. A train of 4 railway cars and one platform arrived at the Central Storage of Museum Funds in Pushkin, near Leningrad, organized specifically for processing the brought valuables. Received museum items were taken into account very approximately: not by availability, but by accompanying passports. The absence of specialists and the small number of employees of the storage facility only made it possible to open the boxes that had arrived from Berlin, to reveal the general nature of the packed valuables and their belonging. Then they were sent to the recipients. But for a number of reasons, valuables did not always reach their rightful owners.

The “Passport for box No. R-21” found in the State Archive of the Russian Federation indicates that the museum valuables contained in it (icons, paintings - including Makovsky’s “Portrait of a Boy”, plaster masks, antique vessels, etc.) belong to the Taganrog City Museum.

Already in the process of preparing materials for the publication of this volume, employees of the Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography established that the painting “The Dying Peasant” by N. P. Bogdanov-Belsky, lost by our museum during the occupation, was sold in 2001 auction house"Christie". I would like to hope that the picture will take its rightful place in our museum. Employees consider this discovery a good sign of the possible search for and return of other cultural property stolen by the occupiers more than 60 years ago.

The museum community of Taganrog has always been aware of the need to establish the losses incurred by the museum during the war. But the authorities did not consider this task urgent for a long time. Therefore, the initiative of the Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography to prepare for publication this volume of the Consolidated Catalog of Lost Values ​​was perceived by the museum staff as a long overdue and fundamentally important matter. The Museum expresses its gratitude to the specialists of the Agency, especially N.I. Nikandrov, for their significant methodological assistance, as well as for a number of kindly provided archival documents, without which the compilation of the catalog would have been a very difficult undertaking.

Galina Krupnitskaya,
Head local history museum

*

Top