The most exquisite items made of gold and malachite, fragments of meteorites, unusual minerals … All of this is the largest Mineralogical Museum in our country. Fersman. It is located in Moscow, on Leninsky Prospekt. Is it worth visiting? Of course it's worth it! After all, there you will see many interesting exhibits. In this article, we talk about some of them.
Constellation
This name is one of the most interesting exhibits of the museum. This is actually an egg. But not ordinary, but made by Faberge himself. True, this product was never finished. The revolution got in the way. It was made for the wife of the emperor, as an Easter gift. And after the revolution, as you know, the fate of the imperial family was very sad. What kind of gifts are there …
Various materials were used in the process of making the egg. These are rhinestone (frosted), blue quartz glass and diamonds. The product has undergone restoration.
Interesting fact: the collector Alexander Ivanov claims that the egg kept in the museum is a fake. And the real product is in his, Ivanov's, collection. But the museum staff are convinced of the opposite.
Strange mushroom
This unusual exhibit appeared in the museum relatively recently - in the 90s of the XX century. It is a rather tall and massive brown mushroom made of quartzite. Its surface is rough. A small glass is mounted in the hat. It is made of silver.
For a long time scientists puzzled over the purpose of this strange object. The answer was unexpected. It turned out that the mushroom is meant for matches! Or rather, to fuel them. Strike a match on a rough hat - the fire lights up. And when the match is burnt, you can throw it into a glass mounted in a hat.
Meteorites
There are several dozen of them here. Moreover, both stone and metal are presented. Near each is a sign. It shows the date and place of "landing". There are also 3 fragments of the famous Chelyabinsk meteorite.
It is breathtaking at the thought of which way these exhibits have traveled in the Universe …
Silver Horn
In fact, it is not a horn, but a nugget. But it does have the shape of a horn. This exhibit is several hundred years old. It was presented to the founder of the museum, Peter I, during his visit to Denmark. And a nugget was mined in Norway, in silver mines.
Special mineral
A separate tour of the museum is dedicated to quartz. This mineral is not uncommon, but you can talk about it for a very long time. It is used almost everywhere! Let's list some areas:
- optical instruments;
- telephone equipment;
- glass industry;
- jewelry business.
Obelisk
This exhibit is one of the oldest. And, perhaps, it is the most mysterious. It is lined with jasper. The pedestal is made of granite. Made at the beginning of the 18th century. How did he get to the museum? When exactly was it handed over for exhibiting? No records of this have survived. Questions remain unanswered.
By the light of the sun
The best time to visit the museum is on sunny days. At this time, its windows seem to come to life. Stones shine, rainbows play in them … However, they also look great under electric light.
There is one amazing showcase in the museum. It may seem like it contains ordinary cobblestones. But as soon as a museum employee turns on the light, the stones are transformed. They literally glow. This always makes a great impression on the visitors.
There are many more interesting, unusual exhibits in the museum. For example, a miniature pine tree made of gold and emeralds. Or a cabinet made of amboina (precious wood). In a word, it is really worth visiting the museum!
