(Source: http://tambov911.narod.ru/index/0-30)

The museum complex “Aseev’s Manor” in Tambov is now open to visitors.

The museum complex “Aseev’s Manor” in Tambov is now open to visitors, as the regional Administration of Press Service and Information reported to REGNUM IA. The building housed a branch of the “Peterhof” State Museum after the reconstruction that cost about 400 million roubles, the adjacent park houses a fountain with a statue of the Medici Venus.

The residents of Tambov were congratulated on the opening of the so-called House of Aseev by the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky, the Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Vasily Kichedzhi, the General Director of the “Peterhof” State Museum Elena Kalnitskaya and the Head of the Administration of Tambov Oblast Oleg Betin. Speaking at the ceremony the head of the region recalled the difficult fate of the Aseev’s Manor. Only thanks to the efforts of hundreds of concerned residents of Tambov, famous cultural figures, the Ministry of Culture and personally Vladimir Medinskiy, it was possible to prevent the transfer of the ancient architectural monument for commercial projects. “I was here more than a year ago, and the manor was completely ruined. What we see today speaks for itself. A great job has been done, and now we have a full-fledged branch of “Peterhof” - one of the best museums in Europe” - the Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky noted.

The concept of the development of the manor complex was prepared by historians and art historians of the “Peterhof” State Museum. As it was noted by the museum director Elena Kalnitskaya, today this palace can tell visitors about many things: “there is an opportunity to look at the whole layers of Russian history. This is the development of capitalism, industry, because the fate of Aseevs lets us talk about it. This is the amazing problem of recreating museums in Russia before the revolution, after the revolution, and today. Here you can learn the way the Russian culture developed and still develops today.”

This project will be developed further. 18 fountains will appear in the park, the first of them with the statue of the Medici Venus was seen by the visitors on the day of the museum opening. In the future it is planned to create an exposition about the history of the manor, about the life of the family of the manufacturer Aseev, all rooms will be decorated according to the epoch. The furniture and the objects of decorative-applied art for the reconstruction of the interiors have been already partially purchased by the Administration of Tambov Oblast.

The Central White Hall will be the space for concerts and formal receptions. An exhibition space will also appear. The first exhibition – “From Tambov to Peterhof. The way of an enthusiast” – is already open. It is dedicated to the fate of Anatoly Vladimirovich Shemansky, the native of Tambov, who worked in Peterhof in 1920-1930 and made his way from an intern to a deputy director for scientific work. He wrote books on the history of palaces and parks, the concepts of the first museum exhibitions.