Description of the attraction
On the steep bank, next to the Orenburg embankment, there is an unusual architectural monument, similar to a medieval fortress. The building, built in 1856 of glazed bricks (with many shades), was intended for the archives of the Governor-General, but was used for a long time as a guardhouse. The author of the project of the fortress in the style of romantic pseudo-Gothic is considered to be a self-taught architect, a serf - I. P. Skalochkin.
A relatively small building with a decorative tower and parts of the building of different heights is simply eye-catching. A clock borrowed from Gostiny Dvor at that time and reconstructed in the 1980s with the addition of bell chimes is installed on the tower of the guardhouse. The picturesque combination of Gothic details (battlements on the tower and attic, pointed arches and window openings), classic brackets in the form of sandrids and color contrast (red brick and white framing), together with the location of the building itself, makes the building one of the most beautiful sights of Orenburg.
In 1851, the artist and poet T. G. Shevchenko. According to the unwritten law of that time, after serving the term "set by the commander", each violator of discipline signed on the outer wall of the building, and until recently, the history of all "guests" could be recognized on the facade of the building itself.
Nowadays, one of the oldest buildings in Orenburg houses the Museum of History, opened in 1983. The main expositions are devoted to the founding of the city, the peasant war led by E. Pugachev, Pushkin's stay in the Orenburg district, ethnography, archeology and architecture of the city.
Standing out from the general architecture of the city, the building is an excellent example of the construction of that time, despite the elements and decor details that were lost during operation. In the 1970s, a monument to A. S. Pushkin was erected near the main entrance to the museum and a front garden with decorated retaining walls was erected.
