The history of the development of each case is very interesting and informative. Nizhny Novgorod has the only River Fleet Museum in the country, which tells about the evolution of cargo and passenger ships from ancient times to the present day.
History of Creation
The idea of creating an exhibition hall that would reflect the path traveled by the shipping industry belongs to the first director of the museum, Fyodor Nikolaevich Rodin. In the city of Saratov in 1921, a hall was opened, which was called the Museum of the Volgar. But in 1935, it was decided to move the entire exposition to the city of Gorky. Here, too, the institution changed its address several times, and only in the 70s of the last century was allocated the 4th floor in the building of the Academy of Water Transport, where the museum is still located.
Address
The Museum of the River Fleet (Nizhny Novgorod), whose address is Minin Street, 7, will delight visitors with a rich and unique exposition. Authentic documents, drawings of ships, photographs, personal belongings of people whose lives are connected with the development of this direction are exhibited in the halls. The guides will tell a lot of interesting things to those who look into the museum of the riverFleet (Nizhny Novgorod). Working hours: from 9:00 to 16:00 on weekdays. The last Friday of the month is a sanitary day, and the entrance for visitors is closed.
Exposure location
The River Fleet Museum is located in two rooms. The first consists of seven halls, and the second - of two. The area of the premises is 500 and 50 m22 respectively.
The exhibition is displayed in chronological order so that visitors can see how the river fleet began and what heights it has reached at the present time.
A visit to this institution will be of interest to history buffs, future engineers, students and schoolchildren, as well as those whose life is connected with ships.
Tour of the halls
The bell signal announces the start of the tour. The first hall presents the history of the development of shipping. Visitors are invited to watch a short presentation that tells about the Volga River, about the great people who stood at the origins of the fleet.
Here you can see a photo of the boat, which was lifted from the bottom of Lake Ladoga. According to scientists, it is about 5 thousand years old. Pioneers began their journey on such boats. Also on display are models of later ships that plied the waters of the mighty river from the 9th to the 18th century. These are shitiki, geese, belyany, plows, bark. Almost all of these ships were able to withstand not only the pressure of the water element, they could also be pulled overland from one waterway to another.
The picture "Barge haulers on the Volga" is known to everyone from school. The work of people harnessed to the strap and dragging the ships was very difficult and exhausting. One of the expositions in the hall is dedicated to the Volga burlachi. Here are personal belongings of people who literally killed themselves in such hard work, tags used to pay mercenaries, and enslaving contracts. A diorama that repeats the plot of Repin's painting helps to feel the overwhelming burden that these people had to carry more strongly.
Part of the exposition is dedicated to the great Russian inventor Kulibin. Thanks to his brilliant creations, the river fleet reached a qualitatively new level. He proposed improvements that helped get rid of the labor of barge haulers. The Museum of the River Fleet exhibits drawings made by a talented engineer, a register of his inventions, as well as an original searchlight, which the inventor presented to Catherine II in 1797.
Further, the exhibition tells about horse-drawn machines, the development of passenger shipping and the emergence of motor ships.
Heroic past
This hall is dedicated to the feats of arms of rivermen during the Civil and Patriotic Wars. A separate topic is devoted to the Battle of Stalingrad. This exposition was opened on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the significant event. Here you can learn about the heroic deeds of people who defended their homeland and at the cost of their lives did not miss the enemy.
Engine Room
Of course, the story of river navigation would be incomplete withoutstories about how ships developed. In one of the halls, models of diesel plants and steam engines are displayed, which set in motion huge ships capable of transporting tons of cargo and hundreds of people.
From the Victory to the present day
War was a heavy wheel throughout the country, destroying in many areas to the ground everything that had been created. People returned from the front, inspired by victory, and active construction and development began, including the river flat. In the museum you can see models of oil ore carriers, container carriers, a sea railway ferry, ships capable of not only sailing along rivers, but also going to sea.
Second part of the exhibition
After completing the initial inspection of the exhibits, everyone who wishes to go further to continue the informative and exciting tour. The second room is divided into two halls, the first is dedicated to the passenger fleet, and the second to the technical one.
Here you can see models of tourist liners cruising along the Volga, as well as new models of hovercraft, hydrofoils or the so-called ekranoplanes, which can even pass through shallow areas. Technical models of self-propelled and non-self-propelled scows, dredgers, icebreakers and other ships capable of carrying tons of cargo.
The Museum of the River Fleet is worth a visit for anyone interested in the history of Russia.
