Founded By:
Peter the Great,
the museum was originally a private collection.
It grew.
Today:
it has expanded into specific branches, including the museums of Anthropology, Anatomy, Ethanology, Minerology, and Zoology.
The Kunstkamera is a unique Russian landmark. It is Russia’s first museum. Its history is entertaining and its purpose was to be different. Through a bizarre twist of fate, the Kunstkamera has a misleading reputation in the world. The gruesome details about the museum are readily available. Meanwhile the flattering characteristics of the Kunstkamera are multitudinous, but poorly publicized.
The humble reputation of the Kunstkamera is not deserved. Due to a portion of its collection, the museum is considered wild and barbaric. Its sensational contents draw the curious, but not the prestige that the museum deserves. The Kunstkamera has a rich history, and deserves more respect, more attention, and more fame.
Where Peter put his curiosities
Link to the Russian Kunstkamera Museum Site.
St. Lawrence University website
last update: 5/12/03