Literary and Local Lore Museum

On Lenin Avenue, house 2 of the city of Shuya is the famous Literary and Local Lore Museum named after K.D. Balmont. This museum was the first in Russia, which was able to reflect not only the fate and work of the great poet of the Silver Age, but also his legacy, revealing the historical development of his homeland.

The museum fund is based on the richest collection of the local history museum, the opening of which took place on January 1, 1968 according to the idea of the residents of the city. A large number of citizens transferred family rarities and private collections to the museum, which marked the beginning of the formation of one of the largest museum collections of the entire Ivanovo region.

The location of the museum can be attributed to the central part of the city, namely to the area of the previously existing posad near the Kremlin. To date, an earthen rampart has been preserved, while the water ditch zone is represented by fragments of defensive structures of the ancient city, the very first mention of which can be found in the Nikon Chronicle of 1539 due to the ruin of Shui Khan Safa-Girei.

The building of the museum has an unusual architecture, because in its form you can recognize two periods of construction. The main part is represented by a typical stone city building dating from the early 19th century. At the end of 1898, the question was raised about the reconstruction of the existing premises, which were not particularly suitable for such a beautiful city. In the construction department of the provincial administration of Vladimir, a plan was developed to reconstruct the left and right wings and the front porch. The work lasted between 1904 and 1906. The building of the museum retained a luxurious decorative design in the form of casings, as well as a two-tone tent.

The interior layout of the building is also distinctive, which opens the gaze of the grand staircase, which invites numerous visitors to enter for the purpose of familiarizing themselves with the exposition of the museum.

The most popular was the local history collection, a traditional part of which is the natural science collection, which is reflected in the natural department, which is incredibly popular not only among adults, but also among children. The exposition presents birds, insects, animals that are found in the territory of the Shui district; there are also quite rare representatives of the local animal world.

An important place is occupied by a unique collection of moose horns, which at one time was transferred as a gift to the museum from an experienced hunter B.A. Zdorov. There is also a large zoological collection, numbering 541 units of bird eggs, 883 units of butterflies, 57 units of cones - this was a gift from an inquisitive explorer of nature - Tseplyaev Ivan Petrovich.

The museum also has a historical collection, which cannot be imagined without authentic materials about the development of the city, as well as its inhabitants. The exposition is called “Shuya in the historical development of the Russian state” and is an attempt to consecrate the main stages of the development of the provincial population on the example of important events in Russian society.

The collection “Shuya in the 17th century” is quite small, because the things presented here are very rare. An important place is occupied by a portrait belonging to the nun Marfa, who was the mother of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. You can see the customs monthly seal, the cross called “Nikita-besogon”, the book for worship “Triod of color” and many other remarkable things.

The most remarkable collection is an art collection, at the origins of which is a collector, actress and philanthropist Mazurov Ekaterina Yakovlevna. Most Soviet residents know this actress from famous films such as When the Trees Were Big, Gentlemen of Fortune, and others. This woman throughout her life was almost inseparable from the work, which is dedicated to this collection. In the collection there are paintings: “Women’s portrait”, “Old lady”, “Male portrait” and others.

The Literary Collection features unique items belonging to Balmont, including the library, documents and all of his publications.