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Furore of the Mining Museum in Paris: 120 Years Back

The Exposition Universelle of 1900 or, as it is better known in English, 1900 Paris Exposition came to its end on 12 November 1900. Exhibits from Russia - including the Mining Museum's collection of minerals, to which was awarded a grand prize - took over 1,500 prizes.

Seventy-five states participated in the international recognised exhibition held in Paris, the landmark event of the early 20th century. Each country came to showcase its most advanced industrial, artistic, and scientific achievements.

The Mining Museum presented its collection of seventy-four mineral samples that had been discovered throughout the Russian Empire between the mid-18th century and the late 19th century.

горный музей_выставка Париж
© Форпост Северо-Запад / Минералы из коллекции Горного музея, участвовавшие во Всемирной парижской выставке

As the French said, the Russian exposition was "the most powerful lure to the Parisian festival of crafts". The Russian part of the exhibition and its showpieces caused a real sensation, resulting in winning of 212 grand prizes, 370 gold, 436 silver, and 347 bronze medals.

горный музей_выставка Париж
© Форпост Северо-Запад / Диплом победителя Всемирной парижской выставки

Of all the unique items brought to Paris, some deserve particular mention. These include the map of France from stone mosaics, a work of Ural masters, the Kaslinsky openwork cast-iron pavilion, and the kilometre-long panoramic canvas showcasing the major transport project of Russia - the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Those minerals, once presented at the exposition in France, can be seen now in the Mining Museum of St. Petersburg. Among them are specimens of Ural corundum with crystals of unusual shape, dark-green vesuvianite from Sakha, and clinochlore druse found at the Shishimskiye Mountains.