Museum of the Oceans

Museum of the Oceans
Russian Музей Мирового океана

The museum area in the old port
Data
place	Kaliningrad Oblast Coordinates: 54 ° 42 ′ 24.1 ″  N , 20 ° 30 ′ 9 ″  E
Art	Maritime Museum , Maritime Museum , Open Air Museum
opening	April 12, 1990
Number of visitors (annually)	≈650,000 (2018)
operator	Museum of the World Ocean
management	Svetlana Sivkova
Website	world-ocean.ru

The Museum of the Oceans ( Russian Музей Мирового океана ) in Kaliningrad (Koenigsberg) is Russia's leading maritime and marine museum , which also deals scientifically with the history of the exploration of the world's oceans . The headquarters of the museum is in the old Königsberg harbor on the Pregel . There are branch offices in the urban area of ​​Kaliningrad, in Svetlogorsk and in St. Petersburg .

history

The RSFSR government established the museum by resolution of April 12, 1990, and it was opened in 1996 in honor of the 300th anniversary of the Russian fleet . It is significant in the type and variety of objects and exhibits, and a draw for tourists who have the opportunity to see experimental research and military facilities. The total area of ​​the museum is 10,818 m². Some exhibits and exhibition buildings are located outside the museum grounds.

Exhibition area

The exhibitions, which are spread across various buildings, present the history of exploration and development of the world's oceans. Some historical buildings from German and Prussian times were restored and later integrated into the museum ensemble. It is supplemented by new buildings. The museum embankment includes:

	The main building was opened in September 2003 for the VII International Congress on the History of Oceanography . In 2004 the exhibition “Ocean World. A touch ... “with species-rich saltwater aquariums , unique collections of marine mollusks, mussels, corals, geological and paleontological exhibits. The congress hall, which is used for concerts, exhibitions, conferences and presentations, is located on the second floor of the main building. The roof structure, modeled on the lamp house of a lighthouse, with a beacon without function and a viewing platform with a view of the collection of the historic fleet lying on the quay and the Königsberg Cathedral on the Kneiphof island crown the main building.
	The architectural concept of the new museum center Планета океан (English: Ocean Planet ), which was completed in 2018, uses geometric shapes: the exhibition rooms are housed in a nearly 29 m high glass sphere in the shape of an ocean planet resting on a giant sea wave, as well as the warehouse and the pavilions of the marine and educational centers in the shape of a cube, creating an associative connection with the volume of the oceans. The building includes the exhibition itself as well as aquariums, an exploratorium , a cinema with a planetarium , art laboratories, outdoor areas, a conference room and other themed facilities. Due to significant defects in the glass cladding, it had to be carried out again by another company in 2019.
	The exhibition “Marine Königsberg-Kaliningrad” ( Russian “Морской Кёнигсберг-Калининград” Morskoi Kjonigsberg-Kaliningrad ) can be seen in the buildings of the historic, restored Packhof ( Russian: "Пакгауз" Pakgaus ) . The warehouses were built in the middle of the 19th century. In the same period, the quay wall and a paved transhipment area and an area for shipbuilding were probably built. In the middle of the 19th century the railway bridge and soon afterwards a large railway junction were built, which made it possible to reload freight from port warehouses into wagons and send them to their destination. The facilities along the river were destroyed in World War II. Work has been going on since 2000 to conserve the remains of a wooden sailing ship from the 19th century, which was found in the amber mining area east of Jantarny ( Russian Янтарный , German :  Palmnicken ). The quay wall and sidewalk were restored by the museum in 2000–2003. The focus is on the “Depth” exhibition, which deals with deep sea research. Significant exhibits at the exhibition are the manned deep-sea vehicle Mir-1 ( bathyscaph ) and one of the largest sperm whale skeletons in the world. On the exhibition area around the building you can see maritime exhibits with a focus on deep-sea diving and a rich collection of naval war equipment.
	In 2007, the 19th century monument fortress Groß Friedrichsburg on the opposite bank of the Pregel was handed over to the museum. On May 17, 2011, the gate opened as a branch of the Russian World Ocean Museum. It shows an exhibition of objects from all parts of Russia under the title “The Resurrection of Ships”, which is dedicated to Peter the Great . In the future, exhibitions on the history of Russian seafaring and the Russian navy are to be seen. The fortress is used to house various historical ship models. A viewing platform was set up on one of the four fortress towers.
	The former, single-track railway bridge on the Holländerbaum from 1889, now on the site of the museum, was the first steel bridge in Königsberg. A connection between the south and east stations, the former Pillauer station, was created. As a major innovation, the bridge had a toggle mechanism instead of the usual screw lifting mechanism. It led the Königsberg – Pillau railway over the Pregel . The bridge was decommissioned in 1929 with the construction of the new Reichsbahnbrücke, but was retained for disaster control measures. The bridge was rebuilt as a lifting bridge after the Second World War and is now out of service.

Exhibits

At the Pregelkai of the old Königsberg harbor between " Holländischer Baum " and Hundegatt there are various museum ships, mostly accessible and with themed exhibitions:

	The flying boat Beriev Be-12 Chaika ( seagull , Russian Бериев Бе-12 Чайка ) exhibited on the quay could take off and land on the water and on firm ground. It was developed as a military maritime reconnaissance aircraft for sea and coastal surveillance, for searching for mineral resources, for submarine hunting and for sea ​​rescue . This type is still in operation.
	A marine research museum was set up on the former research ship Vitjas ( Russian Витязь , German :  knight ). It also contains copies of the Vitjas' ship drawings , which as Mars , was built by Deschimag in the Wesermünde plant in Seebeck for the steamship company "Neptun" in Bremen . You can also see photographs of the interior of the Vitjas , which were taken in 1948 after the ship was converted at the Mathias Thesen shipyard into a research ship in Wismar . In 2001 a large exhibition was set up on board - an "amber hut". The collection is replenished annually with special exhibitions of the largest and most unusual stones, which are mainly mined in and around the Baltic Sea. Until 2008 the exhibition consisted of 3,414 units. The largest amber weighs 1,208 grams. During the voyage as part of the International Geophysical Year 1957 , Witjastief 1, named after the ship, was discovered in the Mariana Trench , which at 11,034 m was the deepest known point in the world's oceans.
	The only submarine museum in Russia is on the B-413 ( Russian Б-413 ). On the orders of the Commander in Chief of the Navy, B-413 was decommissioned on September 3, 1999. According to the instructions of the commander of the Baltic fleet, it was moved from Kronstadt to Kaliningrad, where at the end of 1999 it was docked at the Jantar shipyard in the Baltic Sea ( Russian АО Прибалтийский судостроительный завод, "Янтарь" ) as a museum. On June 14, 2000, the submarine moored at the museum pier and on July 1, 2000 the Baltic Fleet handed it over to the museum. The exhibition "From the history of the Russian submarine fleet" can be seen on the submarine.
	Former fishing trawler SRT-129 ( Russian СРТ-129 ) is the only museum fishing vessel in Russia. The ship was added to the collection in 2007 and is a typical fishing vessel as it is still used by Baltic Sea fishermen. The ship has a wheelhouse open to the public, scale models of fishing vessels and shows films about fishing in Russia and the former USSR .
	The only space communications ship Kosmonavt Viktor Patsaev ( Russian Космонавт Виктор Пацаев ). The research ship from Roskosmos, named after the accident victim Viktor Pazajew , has been anchored at the museum's pier since 2001. Until 1994, the main task of the ship was to receive telemetry data, analyze it and provide radio communication between the spaceship and the mission control center. On April 14, 2001, the ship was moored at the museum pier, and on April 23, the Cosmic Odyssey exhibition opened on it.
	The lightship Irbenski ( Russian Ирбенский ) is the last manned, floating lighthouse in the world. The ship, which was almost ready for scrap a few years after it was closed, was later declared to be the Maritime Heritage of Russia , which secured the financing of a restoration. On October 29, 2017, two tugs moved the Irbenski to the Kronstadt shipyard. The restored Irbenski is now part of the exhibitions and is berthed right in front of the “ocean planet”.

Art objects

There are some objects of cultural importance on the museum grounds:

	The monument to the fishermen and the monument to Nicholas the miracle worker form an ensemble . The memorial to the pioneers and victims of deep sea fishing was erected in 1978. It is a modern concrete structure in the form of two sails from a fishing schooner. On the west side of the stylobate there is a bronze inscription: “To the pioneers of deep sea fishing”, on the east wall the dedication “In memory of the fishermen who died at sea”. The epitaph is complemented by a soaring bronze gull - the seafarer's eternal companion. In 2008 the monument was restored. On December 23, 2009 the traditional looking monument to Nicholas the Wonderworker was erected directly in front of it , so that both monuments now form an ensemble.
	The Immanuel-Kant-Bank , named after the German philosopher Immanuel Kant , who spent most of his life in Königsberg, stands next to the old packing house. On the red granite bench are an open scroll with his stylized silhouette and his signature, a tricorn , the walking stick and a few scattered maple leaves in bronze. The choice of this place was no accident. It is said of Kant, who was born in a house nearby, that he liked to come to the port and see the ships. This route at the harbor quay was later given the name Kantweg . In his last years the scientist liked to come to this port area, sit on a bench and watch the busy life of the old Königsberg port. "You don't have to leave Königsberg to see the whole world - you just have to come to the port and watch it," said Kant.
	The bronze miniature sculpture Homlin in a Homlin's ship in a “paper” boat that is mounted on the railing in front of the former research ship. The motto: “Only the brave conquer the seas.” The local artist Natalja Shevchenko explained the meaning of her creation: “The paper boat is a sign of hope. Against the background of the legendary Vitjas , this additional, very beautiful symbolism can be seen. From a fragile boat to a ship, it's about how a dream becomes a reality through work. ”The name of the character was given by the citizens. This is the third figure of its kind in Kaliningrad. In June 2018, Grandfather Homlin appeared on the Honey Bridge, in September a miniature sculpture of Grandmother was installed at the entrance to the Amber Museum.
	The putti fountain ( Russian Фонтан "Путти" ) was created in 1908 by Stanislaus Cauer , professor at the Königsberg Art Academy . The memorial is a composition of four curly angels holding hands. The figures are made of shell limestone . At the International Fountain Fair in Poznan in 1912 , this work took first place. The citizens of Poznan wanted to buy the fountain, but Cauer decided to donate the fountain to the city of Königsberg. The fountain was originally located next to the guard house of Königsberg Castle , where it survived the British air raids in 1944 among the rubble. After the Second World War , the fountain was moved to the inner courtyard of the university hospital (today the port hospital). In the Soviet era there was hardly any interest in German cultural assets and the well fell into disrepair. In 2007 the fountain was given the status of a cultural asset of regional importance. In 2011, the monument was extensively restored in St. Petersburg based on archive photos and placed in the museum's "Old Harbor" landscape park.

Branch offices

The museum has several branches:

	The arctic icebreaker Krasin  ( Russian Красин , year of construction: 1916/17) of the Soviet and Russian fleets is an external exhibit . to the museum. The Krasin served as an icebreaker until 1972 . After that, it was used as a floating power station and workers' home in Svalbard until 1989 . In the late 1980s, the icebreaker was acquired by the Soviet Knowledge Society and relocated to Leningrad (today: St. Petersburg) to serve as a museum ship. It is now located in the Great Neva on the bank of Vasilyevsky Island near the Mining University .
	The museum also includes the restored King's Gate from the 19th century, in which the “Great Embassy” cultural center is located under the management of the Maritime Museum. The gate is located away from the museum in the former Neue Sorge district at the end of Königsstrasse (now Russian ул. Литовский Вал Litowski Wall ). First and foremost, the Königstor is a museum with permanent and temporarily changing exhibitions about the origin and development of the fortress city of Königsberg , visits to outstanding personalities and the great message of Peter the Great - the origin of Russian diplomacy, embassies and consulates - and old relationships between Russia and Prussia. Now it is a cultural platform, a center for Russian and international affairs, a place for international partnership projects, solemn ceremonies, concerts and receptions. It is considered a symbolic gateway between Russia and Europe, due to its geographical location between the west and the east.
	The Maritime Exhibition Center in Svetlogorsk ( Russian Светлогорск , Seebad Rauschen ), Kaliningrad region , is the only object of the museum directly on the Baltic coast . It is a good 30 km northwest. The center was opened at Christmas 2015 in the building complex of the variety theater "Bernsteinhalle" ( Russian Янтарь-холл Jantar-choll ) and comprises almost 3,000 m² of exhibition space. There is an ethnographic exhibition “Peoples of the Seas”, which presents the life and culture of the peoples of Southeast Asia, and the Marine Art Gallery - a space for changing creative projects. In March 2016, it was placed under the management of the Museum of the Worlds.
	The double-decker Reichsbahnbrücke is a highly regarded technical attraction and is located 200 m west of the exhibition grounds. The original swing bridge , built between 1913 and 1926, was already considered a technical masterpiece back then. The bridge was badly damaged in World War II and then rebuilt as a lifting bridge . There are two train tracks on the upper floor, two lanes for vehicles up to 3.5 m high and pedestrian walkways on the lower floor.

sources

• The Museum of the World Ocean. In: world-ocean.ru. Retrieved October 3, 2020 . 
• Museum of the World Ocean: photos, working method. In: de.play-azlab.com. September 3, 1999, accessed October 3, 2020 . 
• World Sea Museum. In: Kaliningrad Tourist Information Center. 2011, accessed October 3, 2020 . 
• The Museum of the World Ocean. In: russianmuseums.info. April 12, 1990, accessed October 12, 2020 . 
• Экскурсионный видеопроект "Открытый музей" on YouTube , video in Russian from May 13th, 2020 (≈17 minutes)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Новый корпус Музея Мирово ... In: world-ocean.ru. Retrieved October 11, 2020 (Russian). 
2. ^ Council of Ministers of the RSFSR, Resolution No. 116 «О создании Музея Мирового океана Министерства культуры РСФСР в г. Калининграде »(Eng .: about the establishment of the Museum of the World Ocean of the Ministry of Culture of the RSFSR in Kaliningrad)
3. ^ Faux Lantern atop of Maritime museum. In: World of Lighthouses. May 1, 2028, accessed October 9, 2020 . 
4. ↑ Планета океан on YouTube , Планета океан from February 27, 2018
5. ↑ Анна Крылова Михаил Эльбаум: Новый подрядчик приступил к остеклению здания «Планета Океан». In: vesti-kaliningrad.ru. September 26, 2019, accessed October 11, 2020 (Russian). 
6. ^ Hartmut Ehlers: Museum Ships in Kaliningrad . In: Marine News , Vol. 56, No. 3, March 2002, pp. 146-147
7. ^ DG Neptune Line. In: theshipslist.com. Retrieved October 4, 2020 . 
8. ^ Museum of the World Ocean: Photo, work plan - Culture 2020. In: de.public-welfare.com. Retrieved October 3, 2020 . 
9. ↑ B-413 Project 64. In: deepstorm.ru. July 20, 1969, accessed October 4, 2020 (Russian). 
10. ↑ ^{a b} Maik Hermenau: Satellite World - The track tracking ships of the cosmic fleet. Cosmonaut Viktor Pazayev. In: satellitenwelt.de. June 7, 1971, accessed October 4, 2020 . 
11. ↑ Калининград. Гостиница «Москва». Научно-исследовательское судно «Космонавт Виктор Пацаев». In: АвтоМотоГараж. Retrieved October 4, 2020 (Russian). 
12. ↑ "Память пионерам океанического лова": фоторепортаж. In: newkaliningrad.ru. 2010, accessed October 13, 2020 (Russian). 
13. ↑ скамья Канта - Images of the Immanuel Kant Bank. In: Tripadvisor. Retrieved October 13, 2020 (Russian). 
14. ↑ Скамейка Иммануила Канта в Калининграде. In: ruspekh.ru. June 16, 2017, accessed October 13, 2020 (Russian). 
15. ↑ Юрате Пилюте: В Калининграде на территории Музея Мирового океана установили хомлина-моряфчка (. In: klops.ru. July 26, 2019, accessed October 13, 2020 (Russian). 
16. ↑ Яндекс.Карты - подробная ... In: yandex.ru. Retrieved October 13, 2020 (Russian). 
17. ↑ Калининk: На набережной Музея Мирового океана в Калининграде установили хомлина в кораблике. In: kgd.ru. February 8, 2013, accessed October 13, 2020 (Russian). 
18. ↑ 3D panorama. In: globus.guide. Retrieved October 9, 2020 (Russian).