Museum of the history of the city of Monchegorsk

Murmansk Oblast
184511, Murmansk region, Monchegorsk, st. Tsarevsky, 2
Phones: +7 (81536) 76073
Web site: mig.org.ru

The permanent exhibition Sacred Lapland presents the flora and fauna of Monchetundra (a local mountain range), details the work of the Lapland nature reserve to which it belongs, as well as recounts the history and culture of the Kola Peninsula aborigines, the Sámi. A fragment of a mammoth tusk found in the Lovozero tundra can be seen among the exhibits. Visitors can comfortably sit and relax in the kuwax, the portable Sámi dwelling. The Town on the Beautiful Tundra hall demonstrates the geological studies of Monchetundra and reveals the beginning of the construction of the Severonikel plant and the town of Monchegorsk itself. Visitors will learn how in just four years (1935-1939) a new industry branch of the Land of the Soviets - nonferrous metallurgy - emerged and the beautiful town grew. In this room you can get acquainted with the household items of the first inhabitants, see the collection of irons and even learn how to iron with a rubel, a wooden household item used for rolling linen. The exposition of the Military Times of Trouble hall tells about the participation of the town and its inhabitants in the Great Patriotic War. It is known that about three thousand citizens died defending the Fatherland. The names of 2148 of them have been entered into the Book of Memory. The Town at the Turn of the Century exposition is dedicated to the development of Monchegorsk from 1946 onwards. The city infrastructure is presented, and the Kola Mining and Metallurgical Company and the Severonikel Combine are described with a demonstration of their products. Visitors can take a trip to the mill with the aid of virtual glasses. In the same hall there are city regalia of power: the mayor's badge, a symbolic key to the city, and a model of the Holy Ascension Cathedral. In 2018, a block dedicated to political trends of the second half of the 20th century appeared in the museum.

The Museum of the History of the Town of Monchegorsk is a cultural and educational center about the Kola Territory, its history and original culture, located in a wooden cottage on the shores of the picturesque Lumbolka Lake. The building was built in 1937 according to the original project of the Leningrad architect K. Guriev as a private house for the first manager of the trust V. Kondrikov. In the same year, the owner of the house was repressed, and Kondrikov's House became one of the first cultural institutions in Monchegorsk. Until 1941, many amateur circles and studios worked here, as well as a theater, choir and orchestra. Subsequently, at different moments in time, senior students from local schools studied in the building, and it was home to a dormitory for teachers,a canteen, a music school and an orphanage. In 1980, the Monchegorsk branch of the regional museum of local lore was opened in Kondrikov's House, which has been municipal since 2000. The building was rebuilt several times: an extension was added, stoves were removed, and the internal layout changed significantly. Only the wooden staircase with figured balusters and the ornamented beginning of the balustrade remained unchanged. Since 2014, Kondrikov's House has been included in the unified state register of historical and cultural monuments of the peoples of the Russian Federation as an object of cultural heritage of regional significance.

The museum has a Mobile Guide system, which visitors can use to independently receive additional, more extensive information about facilities and exhibitions with the aid of their smartphones. In addition to getting acquainted with the collections, visitors can book tours around the museum and the town. Lectures and interactive classes are held at the venue. The museum houses an exhibition and demonstration complex with modern multimedia equipment. An accessible environment is provided for visitors with disabilities. For visitors with limited mobility, staff will help you get from the bus stop to the museum building (by a prior arrangement). It is possible to arrange for museum staff to assist you inside the building while you look at the displays.