The Kunstkamera, also known as the cabinet of curiosities, is today called the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Sciences (MAE RAN). It is the first museum in Russia, founded by Peter the Great and located in Saint Petersburg.

The museum is famous for its unique collection of ancient artifacts that reveal the history and daily life of various peoples. However, many know it for its collection of anatomical curiosities and anomalies. Since the early 18th century, the Kunstkamera building has become a symbol of the Russian Academy of Sciences, with its tower adorned by an Armillary Sphere.

History of the Kunstkamera Building

The Kunstkamera building in Saint Petersburg was specifically constructed for the museum collection. According to legend, it was laid on the embankment in a place that pleased the tsar, where a pine tree with unusual branches grew. This natural oddity later became part of the museum's collection.

Construction began in 1718 under the guidance of German architect G. I. Mattarnovi and was completed in 1734, after the death of Peter I. The complex included a library, museum halls, an anatomical theater, and an astronomical observatory.

The facades of the building were grand on both sides. The Kunstkamera was built to the highest standards, like palace objects, and even the bricks for construction were ordered from abroad.

In 1777 and 1779, the interiors were adorned with sculptural groups and busts of scholars, and by 1825, paintings by F. F. Richter appeared. The museum's collection constantly expanded, and in the 1830s, the exhibition was divided into several thematic collections, including the Zoological and Mineralogical museums.

Today, the building in the style of Peter's Baroque on Universitetskaya Embankment is a cultural heritage site of Russia and a symbol of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Section "History of the Kunstkamera and Russian Science in the 18th Century"

This section of the museum includes three permanent exhibitions:

Museum of M. V. Lomonosov

• Here, the biography of Lomonosov is presented along with the exhibition "Conference Hall of the Petersburg Academy of Sciences," which tells about the daily life and activities of the first scientific institution in Russia.

• The astronomical observatory, where the precise time service and the conditional Petersburg meridian were located.

• The Great Gottorp Globe-Planetarium.

Ethnographic Sections

The ethnographic sections of the museum include collections formed in the post-Peter years. Navigation through the halls is convenient and clear:

• North America, Japan, Africa, Latin America on the first floor.

• The Near and Middle East, China, Mongolia, Korea, Indochina, India, and Indonesia on the second floor.

Here you can see how daily life was organized, tools, dishes, jewelry, and theatrical costumes of those times.

Exhibits of the Kunstkamera

It is often said that the Kunstkamera is primarily a collection of "freaks" and anomalies. However, this opinion has formed only in the last century. Previously, the museum was a place where one could see rare or usually hidden things. It was a museum of knowledge about the world and humanity, where the mysteries of nature were revealed.

Anatomical Section

Officially, the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography was founded in 1714. At that time, the royal collection, inspired by European "cabinets of curiosities," was housed in the Human Chambers of the Summer Palace and was called the "Kunstkamera."

The collection included preserved "freaks" acquired by Peter I from Dutch anatomist Frederik Ruysch in 1717, totaling about 2000 specimens.

Peter I had a great interest in human anatomy, as understanding the structure of the body opened new possibilities for medicine. To study a healthy body, it was important to understand anomalies. Therefore, people with physical deviations were brought to the Kunstkamera for research. They were studied by the first anatomists of the Academy of Sciences.

Today, this collection is part of the Anatomical Section of the Kunstkamera, where you can see a two-headed lamb, conjoined twins, and other unusual objects.