The basis and opening of Tomsk regional museum of local lore

An idea of establishingfree and opened to every person museum in Tomsk was first proclaimed by one of the Tomsk Duma authorities B.P. Shostakovich. Toelaborate a program for this museum a special commission was organized with the city mayor - merchant P.V. Mihailov - in charge. Theexperience of the commission found out to be useful in 1911 when Tomsk Duma, in order to celebrate 50-th anniversary of serfage abolitionin Russia, intended to establish Siberian regional scientific and artistic museum and name it after Alexander II. Those intentions weren'trealized until the World War I, and the following revolution in Russia in 1917 postponed the fulfillment of those plans for a long period. In1920, when in Tomsk and in the entire Siberia, the Soviet reign was installed and new local authorities were still forming, the idea of establishingan independent museum in Tomsk was renewed and raised again. Up to that period a system of museum management in SovietRussia was already formed and centralized mainly in "Narcompros" (Soviet Ministry of Culture and Education) in a museum department.Besides, within the Narcompros system were functioning local museum supervising departments as a part of local Soviets of social education.According to Narcompros decision from 23 may 1921, on the basis of museum affairs subdepartment , historical and ancient memorialsand monuments security of Tomsk regional social education department, a regional Tomsk committee on museum affairs and historical andancient memorials and monuments security was established in July 1921- the province museum department. As the main goals of this provincemuseum department were declared the following: security and research of the historical and ancient memorials and monuments and themuseum building. This became the main premise and condition upon which a museum in Tomsk was established. Concurrently, a place forthe future museum in Tomsk was searched. With this purpose on 14 February 1920 a group of artists, including M. Beringov, M. Polyakov,D. Iluin, B. Zasipkin - all members of the section of historical and ancient memorials and monuments security, explored a former house of agoldmines owner and industrial producer I. Astashev. This date precisely - 14 February 1920 - is considered as a date of the Tomsk museumfoundation. Actually, especially after this date the work and collection of for the museum rapidly increased and intensified. In various lodgments(former Astashev house was occupied by the province museum department) several exhibitions of collected paintings, sketches andexhibits were held. According to M.B. Shatilov, up to February 1922 the former Astashev house (it was temporarily used as an archbishopshouse) was totally available for museum after all the organizations cleared out of it and gave it to the museum. The first exposition opening,which announced a beginning of the museum functioning, was held on the 18 of March 1922 - The Paris Commune Day.

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