The Kunstkammer is situated on the bank of the Neva River, in the historical center of Saint Petersburg. Many associate the Kunstkammer with the anatomic collection of abnormalities, that is not quite true, while the biggest part of the museum collection (that is over a million exhibits) is devoted to culture and life of different peoples of the Old and New World. This fact is stated in the official name of the museum - Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography.
The oldest state museum in Russia was established at Peter the Great's decree in 1704. Already during his first traveling around Europe, Peter I started collecting different rarities, following the example of foreign Kunstkammers (translating from German - "chambers of curiosities"). At those times in European countries exhibitions demonstrating all kinds of curiosities (gallipots with freaks of nature preserved in alcohol, ancient coins, staffed animals and birds, etc) were quite popular. Soon after coming back to Russia, Peter I issued a decree, according to which freaks of nature and unusual objects should be brought to the royal palace.
Soon the collection became so big, that it was given a special building and provided with a staff to look after. The new building was named in occidental manner - the Kunstkammer. It should be mentioned that Peter the Great collected all the unusual exhibits not for fun, but to promote science. Anatomical, zoological, mineralogical and other rarities were to encourage scientific research. But soon after even in the royal residence there wasn't enough space for ever-growing collections and in 1718 they were moved into the confiscated mansion of the fallen into disgrace grandee Kikin. Since then the royal collection became accessible to the public. In contrast to European museum where the entrance fee was quite high, the visiting of the Kunstkammer was free.
The best guide of the museum was the tsar himself, who liked showing his treasures to ambassadors and noblemen.
The Kunstkammer of those days differed in many ways from the present one. For example, along with common exhibits the public was shown ugly monsters who lived in the Kunstkammer.
Peter the Great didn't give away the idea of constructing a special building for the needs of the Kunstkammer that by that time had became the first Russian scientific center uniting a museum, a library and a laboratory. There is a legend that once walking along the woody bank of the Neva River, the tsar noticed an unusual pine with a strange branch ingrown into the trunk. Peter I ordered to cut down the tree-monster and on its place ground a new building. The construction works were slow and Peter hadn't seen the building of the new Kunstkammer - the grand opening took place only in 1728, several years after the tsar's death.
In 1747 the museum suffered greatly from fire - the rich collections were almost completely destroyed. It took several decades to restore the museum and it was reopened only in 1766.
For three centuries since the museum's foundation the collection of the Kunstkammer has been constantly growing. Many famous travelers made outstanding contribution to the enlarging of the museum collection. D.Cook, I.Kruzenshtern, Y.Lisnyansky, F.Bellinsgausen, N.Mikluho-Maklay and others brought from their traveling overseas real treasures.
Nowadays there are several permanent exhibitions devoted to the ethnography of the peoples of Africa, America, China, Japan, Indonesia, Australia, Oceania and other countries, and the exhibition Anatomical Rarities of the Kunstkammer. At the ethnographic exhibitions the visitors can see model of religious and dwelling houses from the different ethnographic regions of the Earth, traditional clothes, instruments of labour, domestic utensils, ceramics, decorated glass objects, artistic metal works, including objects of precious metals, musical instruments, religious objects, ritual accessories, sets of traditional weapons, etc.
One of the most famous exhibits of the Kunstkammer is the unique Globe-Planetarium of Gottorp. It was created in Germany in the 17th century and during the Northern War was presented to Peter the Great who brought it to Saint Petersburg. The diameter of the globe is 3,1 meters. Outside on the Globe all known by that time continents, seas and rivers were pictured and inside there was a first planetarium in the world. In the sphere there was a big table with benches for 10 -12 people. With the help of a special mechanism those sitting at the table could rotate the firmament with golden stars and beautiful pictures of constellations. Unfortunately, after the fire of 1747 only some metal framing and a little door with the Holstein coat of arms remained from the unique globe. In 1748-52 it was re-created in the Academy of Sciences under the supervision of B. Scott. Taking into account with the geographical discoveries of the 18th century the maps of the night sky and the Earth were painted anew on the inner and outer surfaces. The Globe has been carted from place to place many times, but in 1948 it was at last placed on the forth floor of the Kunstkammer tower.
Temporary thematic exhibitions, enlightening interesting cultural phenomena, are regularly held in the Kunstkammer. For example, Shamans: Secret Life of the People of Siberia, In the Shade of a Spring Forest (Love traditions of the peoples of Siberia), Women and Magic: the World of Russian Village of the 19th -20th Centuries, etc.