"In the depths of Siberian ores Keep proud patience", wrote Alexander Pushkin. This message was brought by Alexandra, Nikita Muravyov's wife, in February 1827 all the way from St. Petersburg to Nerchinsk. Here Muravyov's brothers, Nikita and Alexei, Ivan Annenkov, and Konstantin Torson were imprisoned in the forced-labour camp.
The massive tragedy, which happened to the elite of the Russian Empire's capital, ignited a spark from which, paraphrasing Alexander Odoevsky's response to Pushkin, "a flame burst forth" in the cultural life of Transbaikalia. Nowadays, it is present at the Nerchinsk Museum of Local Lore.
The oldest museum in Transbaikalia was founded in 1886 and located in a heritage-listed building - the Palace of Mikhail Butin, merchant, commercial advisor, goldsmith, and arts patron. This year, the museum intends to open an interactive exhibition entitled "Human in Nature. Nature in Human", consisting of several thematic areas.
The first section presenting Transbaikalian subsoil riches was arranged together with the St. Petersburg Mining Museum. The world's third-largest natural-scientific exposition indeed approved the colleagues' request and provided digitized samples of semi-precious stones from the Borshchovochny Ridge.
One of the topazes to be sent to Nerchinsk has wine-yellow colour and is about 13 kilograms in weight. The second one weighs one kilogram less. It is unevenly coloured, looking dull-white in its lower part and smoky-brown in the middle. The third topaz is of rare, deep wine-yellow colour and has a weight similar to that of the previous one. It was, in fact, presented to Emperor Alexander II right after it had been found.
"Topaz crystals mined in Transbaikalia in the 19th century and kept now in the Mining Museum in St. Petersburg are the largest specimens of that time. Showcasing these items will give a chance to learn more about the history of mining development in our region", note employees of the Nerchinsk Museum.
