26 November Chernihiv will celebrate a significant date - the 125th anniversary of the opening of the first museum in the city, created by the Chernihiv Academic Archival Commission (WAIT UNTIL), the work of which on preservation of antiquities was personally taken care of by the then head of the province Evgeny Andrievsky. Thanks to him, representatives of all segments of the population sent family relics to the ChAK, historical and ethnographic materials.
The first visitor of the newly formed institution was a state councilor, колекціонер, public and cultural figure Vasyl Tarnovsky Jr.. Maybe, this visit made Vasyl Vasyliovych think about the fate of his own unique collection of Ukrainian antiquities. He addressed a statement to the head of the provincial administration, in which he noted: “The museum of local antiquities that I have compiled throughout my life, I would like, for the faithful preservation of their, transfer to the ownership and management of the Chernigov provincial zemstvo ". Accepting with gratitude the priceless gift of the patron, 1902 The Museum of Ukrainian Antiquities was opened on Smolenskaya Street in, which of 1906 was named after the founder.
Already in the first years of existence, despite the distance from the city center, the museum received visitors, among whom were not only locals, and guests of the city. Among them was the famous Kyiv artist Wilhelm Kotarbinsky, who with great interest inspected the exhibition halls and historical sites of Chernihiv. He stayed here for several days at the invitation of the artist Ivan Rashevsky - the future head of the museum.
1910 year business affairs led to our city, Judge of the Kyiv Military District Court, Major General Oleksandr Hrechko. He found time not only to visit the museum, but later expressed his impressions in the newspaper "Chernigovskoe slovo": “Last November I was on business in Chernigov, Where, taking advantage of the free day, with great pleasure and interest examined the city history museum. I was just amazed, when I found out, that this extremely interesting and very informative museum exists only recently and is organized with little money. It can be seen that a caring and loving hand collected everything that was important for the cause.. Here are collected both historical documents and paintings, icons and church utensils and parts of costumes and household items. Nowadays, when, thanks to European culture, everything is leveled and original, everyday features of external life smoothed out and disappear, like in suits, and in household items, museums, similar to Chernihiv, as keepers of antiquity, are of particular importance and would be highly desirable, I will say even more, necessary, so that other cities follow the instructive example of Chernigov ".
During a study tour to ancient Chernihiv, local museums attracted the attention of teachers and students of the Kyiv Cadet Corps. Of particular interest were handwritten and printed rarities, various jewelry and weapons of the Cossack times.
But it is worth noting, that at one time the decision to create museums caused frequent controversy among community members. Concerns were expressed, that such cultural institutions will not interest the peasantry, which was the bulk of the inhabitants of the province. And ten years have passed, and statistics show the opposite. In the publication dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the Museum of Ukrainian Antiquities named after VV. Tarnowski newspaper "Chernihiv Zemstvo Week" from 16 September 1916 year reported: “Of the total 4.020 more than half of visitors - 2.155 man - falls to the lot of the peasants ". Tribute was paid to its founder: "Vasily Vasilievich Tarnovsky, ardent patriot, faithful son of Ukraine, connoisseur of Ukrainian antiquity, deep admirer of T.G.. Shevchenko, did not stop in his work on collecting monuments of Ukrainian antiquity and everything related to the name of Shevchenko, even in the last years of life, when he was already seriously ill ".
Meeting VV. Tarnovsky, as an integral part of the regional historical museum, attracts numerous visitors and arouses great scientific interest of researchers of the history of Ukraine in the modern period.
Head of the scientific and educational department of the museum Natalia Samokhina
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