Kunstkamera

Kunstkamera

The Kunstkamera is Russia's first museum, established by Peter the Great in St. Petersburg. The edifice was designed in the Petrine baroque style that dominated the constructions of Peter's reign, based on Dutch architectural styles of the era. Constructed on the banks of the river Neva, the museum is very symmetrical and displays classical influence, with two rectangular three-story wings extending on either side from a central tower, which houses an armillary sphere. Originally, a colonnade had been constructed around the tower, but this burned down in 1747 (along with other wooden parts of the building) and was not replaced. The building also housed an anatomical theater during its early years, but this too was destroyed in the 1747 fire ("History of..."). The interior is comprised of vaulted gallery spaces and smaller collection rooms, ideally suited for the purposes of a museum (it is often noted that the Kunstkamera was one of the earliest buildings actually designed to be a museum). There is some evidence of the typical ornamentation of the larger baroque style, but it has been downplayed throughout the last century and is thus not as striking as most other examples of baroque architecture. Peter the Great's influence on the Kunstkamera was notable, as he supposedly chose the location of the museum and had a heavy hand in overseeing its design and construction before his death.

This museum was constructed as a part of Peter's westernizing and modernizing impulse, which was also the source of his desire to build St. Petersburg itself. After traveling around much of Europe and learning about the political and social atmospheres of other European states, Peter had felt that Russia was lacking, and he set out to bring his empire up to par. The Kunstkamera's establishment was thus a push in this direction; Peter sought to elevate the Russian scientific and natural knowledge, and he did so by collecting a "cabinet of curiosities" to display ("History of..."). Today, this collection of rarities may appear haphazard and unintelligible, but in reality they were systematically organized and curated. Peter encouraged the research of deformities in "naturalia", and sought to chronicle accidents of nature; he also included in the museum mineralogical collections and herbariums. All of this contributed to Peter's ideal of creating a scientific museum, which would grow and change as scientific knowledge did, constantly developing ("History of..."). In this push for modernization, Peter the Great proved himself an absolutist ruler who subscribed to the Enlightenment impulses of the period, and sought to bring them into his empire. Thus the Kunstkamera, a state museum devoted to the pursuit and display of scientific knowledge, came to fruition as a result of (and subsequently as an example of) Peter's enlightened form of rule.

Architect: Andreas Schluter and Georg Johann Mattarnovy
Photo: Lev Panov

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%9A%D1%83%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B0,_%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BA%D1%82-%D0%9F%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B1%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B3,_2012.jpg

"History of the Kunstkamera." Kunstkamera. Accessed November 15, 2018. http://www.kunstkamera.ru/en/museum/kunst_hist/

Built 1719-1727
Photo: 2012

Maddie Gartland

Creative Commons 3.0, free re-use