In the Urals lies the only museum exhibit in the world made of cast iron, the Kasli cast iron pavilion, located in the Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts. This architectural structure amazes with its lace patterns and fine casting, showcasing the skill of those who managed to turn a rough alloy into a manifestation of fantasy.

The history of the pavilion is rich with events: it first conquered the World Paris Exhibition, then ended up at an abandoned factory in the Urals, and ultimately found its place in the museum. Before becoming a UNESCO rarity, the pavilion had to go through many trials.

In the Chelyabinsk region, in the city of Kasli, there is a foundry known for its artistic casting masters. These talented individuals have long sent their works to competitions, deciding to showcase their products in specially created pavilions. The first exhibition structure was created by architect Alexander Ivanovich Shirshov, who, along with thirty assistants, worked on the project for nine months. In 1896, at the exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod, the pavilion received approval from the highest officials of the Kyshtym district.

Shirshov's pavilion was planned to be sent to the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900, but due to limited space for Russian exhibits, it was decided to create a more compact structure. Thus began the work on the famous Kasli pavilion.

Success at the Nizhny Novgorod exhibition and the advice of scientist Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev encouraged the leaders of the Kasli factory to increase sales and showcase themselves at the Paris exhibition. In 1898, the masters won gold at the exhibition in Stockholm, which allowed them to receive an invitation to the international competition.

The pavilion's project was entrusted to architect Yevgeny Yevgenyevich von Baumgarten, who worked alongside the first professional female sculptor Maria Lvovna Dillon. Baumgarten drew inspiration from Byzantine and ancient Russian ornaments, as well as Venetian and Scandinavian motifs. Figures adorning the pavilion, including dragons and bird-women, were cast based on Dillon's models.

The process of creating the pavilion was complex: first, elements were cut from wood, then molds were made for casting the alloy. A year before the exhibition, the masters created nearly three thousand parts, which were assembled into large modules. The pavilion was coated with a special paint, giving it a rich black color.

In 1899, the pavilion went to the World Exhibition in Paris, where it won two highest awards. After the exhibition, the pavilion returned to the Urals, where its parts lay in the factory yard for a long time.

In the 1920s, the pavilion was under threat of destruction, but thanks to the efforts of factory and museum workers, it was preserved. In 1936, the remaining parts were transported to the Sverdlovsk Art Gallery, where restoration work began.

The restoration of the pavilion started in 1957 under the guidance of masters from the Kasli factory. They used old photographs and preserved elements to recreate the structure. In 1958, the updated pavilion was ceremoniously opened, and in 2010, it was returned to its original appearance.

Today, the Kasli pavilion is the main exhibit in the cast iron casting hall of the Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts, and it is a must-see for all guests of the Urals.