"I'm a fan of experiments": How a local historian from Sysert opened a museum in an old metallurgical plant
To the Ural regional historian To Sasha Savichev — 30 years old. An architect and geography teacher by training, he developed a passion for local history, which became his life's work.
“A powerful impulse to study my region was the book ‘Geography of the Sysery District’, which I read when I was 12 years old,” recalls in a conversation with NeMoskva Savichev. - From it I learned that in 18 In the 19th century, there were copies of ancient sculptures in our Sysert. I began to look deeper and understand that I don't live in a "hole," as many people think of small towns, but in a city with a truly rich history, with echoes of that very antiquity."
In 2014, Sasha opened the city's first excursion bureau, "Discover Sysert," and then began teaching, writing books about local architecture, and publishing guidebooks.
"I love experiments! Since 2020, my colleagues and I have been creating something with our own hands on the grounds of an old ironworks and ironworks. a museum. It's such an interesting path - sometimes even endless.. Just a few days ago, I was raising money to buy back an artifact belonging to our factory owner—a personal seal found in the forest in Sysert. And, generally speaking, every week brings us new events and ideas."
The factory building was constructed in 1894 and regularly changed its purpose in response to the challenges of the era. The museum's collection currently consists of exhibits found by the project team on the factory grounds or donated by local residents.
“The museum is being built using the principles of tactical urbanism: the foundation is the preservation of all layers of the building, the desire for an interactive exhibition – full contact, immersion in history, — Sasha explains. — This is a real center for plant research using the DIY principle.
NotMoscow continues Meet regional historians who are making studying the history of their region fashionable again. Write to us at @nemoskva_bot about cool local history projects in your region!
