Description of the attraction
The Kemsky Regional Museum of Local Lore "Pomorie" was established in 1980 on the initiative of the head of the department of culture O. I. Smolkova and an employee of the magazine "Soviet Belomorye" V. S. Barkina. "The history of the region from ancient times to the present day" - this was the name of the first exposition of the opened museum, which was dedicated to the jubilee holiday - the 60th anniversary of the Karelian Labor Commune. Initially, the museum base consisted of 80 items telling about the way of life of the Pomors, as well as from documentary information and historical chronicles of the Karelian Pomorie. All this was transferred to the museum by the local historian I. F. Semenov. Over time, the exposition of the museum was supplemented by other historical exhibits, such as household tools, items made from traditional birch bark and decorative and applied art, and fishing tackle.
To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the city in 1985, the Kemsky Museum moved to the old building of the Treasury of the Solovetsky Monastery, built in 1763. Its new name - "Pomorie", the museum received in 1991. The Kemsky Museum of Local Lore became a municipal institution in 2006.
Today, the Pomorie Museum presents collections in the following areas: ethnography (antiquities made from various materials); painting (presented in the form of paintings and icons); documents and photography; book fund; numismatics and bonistics.
All the collections of the museum are collected in thematic expositions. The central exposition is called "Spiritual and Material Culture of the Pomors of the Kemsky District". It occupies almost the entire area of the museum (more than 200 square meters) and demonstrates the features of the economic and cultural life of the Pomors, whose life has been associated with the sea for centuries. The main focus of this exposition is made on the habitat of the Pomors and is visually divided into three parts: navigation, shipbuilding and marine industries.
You can also visit other exhibitions in the museum. This is how the Orthodox Shrines exhibition has been operating since 1999. The exhibition itself presents not only the relics of the official Orthodox Church (icons, prayer books, correspondence of religious figures), but also collections related to Old Belief (bronze pectoral crosses and other exhibits). For a long time, the Kemsky Territory was the place of residence of the Old Believers. Currently, this religion does not have its followers in the Kemsky region and is presented in the form of the history of the region in the museum. At the exhibition "Merchant Shop" you can see all kinds of steelyards, spring and pharmacy scales and weights, as well as other amazing and necessary items for trade and merchant activities. Since the end of 2000, the museum has hosted an exhibition "The Room of a Kemsky Citizen of the Beginning of the 20th Century". Here you can see household utensils, a collection of furniture, clothes and personal items. A selection of various dishes (wooden, clay, copper) since 2001 can be seen at the exhibition "Pomor cuisine". All collections of the Pomorie Museum have their own history and are arranged so that each visitor feels a special atmosphere that leaves no one indifferent.
According to the latest data, there are more than 10,000 historical items in the museum. More than 7500 exhibits from the main fund and 2700 units of the scientific auxiliary fund. Among them are originals dedicated to the Pomor culture, Old Believer shrines, copper objects and various household items: chests, samovars, dishes, irons and unique photographs that preserve the history of the northern region of Russia.
