Exhibition "Centuries-old Yugra" in Presidential Library tells about the ancient history of the northern territory

On September 16, 2024, the Presidential Library hosted the grand opening of an exhibition dedicated to the history and culture of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra, based on the eight-volume publication of the Academic History of Yugra.

This event is timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of one of the most significant events in world and Russian history - the Great Academic Expeditions (1764-1774), which began in St. Petersburg on the initiative of Mikhail Lomonosov and Empress Catherine II. Two and a half centuries ago, the first comprehensive research of Yugra was conducted, and it has been continued by generations of Russian and international scholars. The Academic Chronicle of Yugra is a unique example in Russia, forming the basis for the eight-volume Academic History of Yugra, which includes materials from recent expeditions and archival research.

The exposition at the Presidential Library has been arranged in chronological order, following the structure of the publication. It was created over five years, with the involvement of the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of History and Archaeology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), the Ob-Ugric Institute of Applied Research and Development, and the Ural and Surgut Federal Universities.

The presentation of the Academic History of Yugra will take place on May 7, 2024, at the International Exhibition and Forum "Russia" in Moscow.

The opening of the exhibition at the Presidential Library was attended by Elena Shumakova, Deputy Governor of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra, Evgeny Pankevich, First Deputy Chairman of the St. Petersburg Tourism Development Committee, Yuri Petrov, Doctor of Historical Sciences and Director of the Institute of Russian History at the Russian Academy of Sciences and co-chairman of the editorial board of the Academic History of Yugra, as well as Ivan Yashkov, Director of the Museum of Nature and Man in Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug-Yugra, and other distinguished guests.

Igor Solonko, director of the Department of Scientific and Educational Work at the Presidential Library, delivered a welcoming speech on behalf of Yuri Nosov, the Director General of the Presidential Library. He emphasized that cooperation with the region had been actively developing for more than a decade. Last year, during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, an action plan was signed to prepare this exhibition.

Yugra is a leader in oil and gas production and an energy hub, while also successfully developing in education, science, culture, tourism, and sports. It is a region with a high standard of living for its population.

The Centuries-old Yugra exhibition takes visitors on a journey from St. Petersburg to one of the largest regions of Russia, where they can learn about its rich history, experience the unique natural beauty of the north, and meet local residents and learn about their lives.

In the exhibition halls of the Presidential Library, evidence of the region's dynamic development are shown: the arrival and settlement of people, the progressive integration into the Russian state, economic growth, military glory, and labor achievements. Reades and visiotrs can also learn about the discovery of oil and gas reserves, historical and contemporary scientific, sports, and cultural achievements.

The exhibits include authentic objects and documents from various collections, such as the Museum of Nature and Man, the State Library of Yugra, the Geology Museum, the Oil and Gas Museum, the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum "Torum Ma", the State Archives of Yugra, the Sports Glory Museum of the Yugra Olympic Reserve College, and the Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The exhibition presents some of the most valuable and fascinating museum treasures:

- A mammoth vertebra, pierced by the spear of a man who lived in the area 13.5 thousand years ago, is a witness to the northernmost border of Paleolithic human settlement in Eurasia.

- The Gospel of Teaching from the Kondinsky Trinity Monastery, the first bastion of Christianization on the territory of Yugra, in 1686.

- Seal of Peter the Great's associate, Alexander Danilovich Menshikov.

- Collection of archaeological artifacts from the Berezovsky settlement of the 17th-18th centuries, one of the first settlements in Yugra.

-Traditional women's clothing of the Khanty and Mansi indigenous peoples, crafted by renowned modern artisans.

- Herbarium samples collected by Peter Pallas, a prominent researcher of the 18th century, and samples of the district's first oil discovered in 1960.

- Olympic medals awarded to Yugra athletes, and much more.

Special interactive spaces have been organized at the exhibition to allow visitors to experience Yugra and interact with it. Guests can try traditional games from the Ob Yugrian culture, play in a plague, one of the dwellings of indigenous peoples of the north, touch oil, and watch news reels and modern films about life in the region.

The Centuries-Old Yugra exhibition is open until December 12th, 2024. To attend, please make an appointment by calling +7 (812) 334-25-14 or emailing excursion@prlib.ru.