Central State Museum of Kazakhstan: Revisiting the Orenburg Period, 1831–1929

Abstract

Introduction. The creation of the Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan located in Almaty (the former national capital) had been prepared by the entire course of museum construction in Orenburg. Chronologically, the process covers almost a century (1831–1929) hereafter referred to as the ‘Orenburg period’. The latter did play a prominent role in the history of the Central Museum. As is known, the city of Orenburg was the capital of the Kirghiz (Kazakh) Autonomous Republic as part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in 1920–1925. Goals. The article aims to study original features and trends to have influenced the shaping and development of Orenburg’s museum network as a complex of conditions and factors that had impacts on the formation of the Central State Museum of Kazakhstan. Materials and methods. The article primarily analyzes archival sources, official acts by the People’s Commissariat for Education of the Kirghiz (Kazakh) ASSR — the authority that was to supervise museum affairs in the Republic. The employed methods — contextual, discursive, value orientations ones and others — constitute an interdependent and complementary unity that makes it possible to realistically represent the whole formation process experienced by the main museum of the Republic. Results. It was the Orenburg period that witnessed the laying of organizational foundations for the future Central Museum, accumulated essential scientific/methodological experiences and human resources that proved of utmost importance, especially at the initial stage of its functioning. The Orenburg period began in 1831 when by order of the Orenburg Governor P. P. Suchtelen a ‘museum’ was opened at the Neplyuev Military School. Conclusions. In the prerevolutionary era and the first decade of Soviet power, there was virtually no roadmap (principles, forms, tasks of museums, etc.) for museum construction in Kazakhstan. That resulted in the unsystematic and somewhat spontaneous nature of the then efforts aimed at organizing the museum network. Nevertheless, it was during the Orenburg period that certain experiences of organizing museum works were obtained, the latter to become most useful when it came to create the Central Museum proper.

Keywords

• orenburg period
• museum
• museum of orenburg region
• central regional museum
• central museum
• museum collections
• museum network
• artifacts
• museum construction