Description of the attraction
The State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum in the city of Pskov is one of the oldest museums in Russia. The museum was opened in 1875 with the support of local ethnographers. It is worth noting that even during the difficult revolutionary years, as well as the war years, the museum was never closed.
From the very beginning of its work, the museum was considered a public institution, which was located under the Archaeological Commission. After the Pskov Archaeological Society was created in 1880, the museum was transferred into the hands of this society. The collections of the historical, architectural and art museum were formed with the help of local donations, because in Pskov there has always been an interest in various kinds of antiquities. In 1914, the collection of Fyodor Mikhailovich Plyushkin, a collector of ancient things for 42 years and an honorary member of the archaeological society in Pskov, joined the museum.
It is the Pskov Museum that keeps the unique monumental painting of the Transfiguration Cathedral of the 12th century at the Mirozhsky Monastery and the Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God at the Snetogorsky Monastery of the 15th century. The Pskov Museum is in charge of 46 buildings with an area of 15886, 87 sq. m. Of the total number of buildings, about 30 objects are cultural and historical monuments of federal significance.
The Picture Gallery of the United Pskov Museum is housed in a building that was added at the beginning of the 20th century at the expense of the benefactor Fan der Fleet. A unique collection of Western European and Russian painting reflects the centuries-old history of the development of Russia. Here are the best works of artists of the 18-20 centuries: Rokotov, Bryullov, Nikitin, Borovikovsky, Tropinin, Shishkin, Aivazovsky, Repin, Yuon, Makovsky, Vasnetsov, Grigoriev, Fomin, Chagall and many other famous masters.
The collection of Western European painting was transferred to the museum after the death of Archimandrite Alipy, the governor of the Pskov-Caves monastery. Museum funds have been replenished with a unique collection of Dutch, French and Italian artists. Brilliant paintings from the museum have been exhibited at exhibitions in Italy, USA, France, Austria, Holland and Sweden. It is in the Pskov Museum, in accordance with international cooperation with Poland, the USA, Latvia, Germany, Holland and other countries, that joint exhibitions were held.
The largest collection of silver items in all of Russia is presented in the Pskov Museum. There are works of silversmiths of the 16th-20th centuries from various Russian cities. In addition, the work and jewelers of Western Europe are presented, which include various objects of secular silver and church utensils, demonstrating a huge variety of styles. One of the expositions presents metal ladles made in Novgorod in the 15th century, which belonged to the Novgorod archbishop Euthymius, as well as a premium ladle made in Moscow, presented in 1689 to a merchant from Pskov, Sergei Pogankin.
The library and manuscripts of the archaeological society in the city of Pskov constituted a particularly valuable basis for the Museum's ancient storage. The book collection is represented by a part of the library of the church historical and archaeological committee, which was founded in 1908; the library of the theological seminary; the richest collections of publications in Western Europe; the library of the Trinity Cathedral, the Peter and Paul Monastery, etc.
At the moment, there are about 171,710 units of the scientific auxiliary fund in the museum's Antique Depository in the time frame from the 9th to the 21st century. They comprise 1090 stock collections, which contain old printed and handwritten books, Old Believer manuscripts, as well as publications and books of the Western European press of the 16-18 centuries.
The Museum-Reserve in the city of Pskov is considered one of the largest socio-cultural institutions of the entire region, which plays a significant role in the formation of the tourist component of the vast North-West region.
