Arkadiy Yakovlevich Tugarinov and the formation of Krasnoyarsk Museum

The authors of this article continue to explore the history of museum science in Siberia through biographies of museum experts. Based on the biographic materials of the native of Saratov Arkadiy Tugarinov (1880-1948) they trace the formation of his interests to study of local nature and history. They point out that this interest was not accidental. Since the middle of the 19th century, when the disgraced historian Kostomarov was in Saratov, that city has developed as a center of local studies. The article shows that Tugarinov graduated from a real school, but could not study at the university. He lost his father early and had to help his family. He worked in the soil laboratory of the Saratov provincial district council. He joined the Society of naturalists, studied the flora and fauna of the Volga territories. Soon he began to work in Saratov Museum, and participated in the 11th Congress of Russian naturalists and doctors in St. Petersburg. So he became known among researchers and museum workers. In 1905, Tugarinov was invited to take up the post of curator of Krasnoyarsk Museum. Created in 1889 with private funds of the merchant couple Matveyevs the museum eventually acquired the status of urban one. Since 1903, the museum was managed by the Krasnoyarsk sub-department of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society. Then the department guidance invited A. Tugarinov to head the museum. So A.Ya. Tugarinov ran the Krasnoyarsk Museum for more than 20 years, from 1905 to 1926. He was concerned about attracting people devoted to museum work to the Krasnoyarsk museum. He organized many expeditions through Siberia, the participants of which delivered to the museum collections on zoology, botany, history, ethnography, archaeology and others. All objects delivered to Museum were described, systemized and used to create expositions and exhibitions, as well as to write scientific works. The most famous scientific articles based on museum collections were prepared by Arkadiy Tugarinov, Nikola Auerbakch, Maria Krasnozhenova and former Austrian prisoner of the World War I Gero von Mergart. In total, during the years of Tugarinov's work, the funds of the Krasnoyarsk Museum reached 144000 items. In terms of the overall performance of its work, the Krasnoyarsk Museum came out on top in Siberia. Authors of this articles believed that A.Ya. Tugarinov was one of the most successful museum leaders; he proved that museum activity is the most important factor in the development of science and education in Siberia.

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