Mikhail Kalashnikov's Leningrad addresses. Presidential Library marks 105th anniversary of famous gunsmith

On November 10, 1919, in the village of Kurya, Altai Territory, Mikhail Kalashnikov was born into a large peasant family. He was an outstanding Soviet and Russian small arms designer, Hero of Russia and twice Hero of Socialist Labor.

During Soviet times, few people knew about him as his identity remained a state secret for many years. However, his name became known to people around the world thanks to the automatic rifle he designed in 1947, which is now known as the AK-47.

The film The Leningrad Addresses of Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov tells the story of the lesser-known Leningrad period in the life of the famous gun designer, his work in Leningrad during World War II. The documentary features footage of places associated with the life and work of Kalashnikov, including the Leningrad State Plant No. 174, named after K. Voroshilov; the Rzhevsky Artillery Range; and the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineer, and Signal Corps. The film also includes interviews with Kalashnikov's daughter Elena Mikhailovna and rare family photographs, as well as Mikhail Timofeevich's awards, such as the Order of Saint Andrew the First-Called.

In the book Mikhail Kalashnikov, author Anatoly Muravlev writes that Mikhail Timofeevich's design ideas first appeared when he was eighteen years old, when he worked as an accountant at a depot for the Turkestan-Siberian Railway. However, "the young man lacked both knowledge and experience to assemble any working devices."

In August 1938, Mikhail Kalashnikov received a call to join the military. He was assigned to a tank unit in the Kiev Special Military District, where creativity and innovation were encouraged. One of these initiatives was the creation of workshops and clubs where soldiers could engage in technical projects. Kalashnikov joined one of these groups, where he was encouraged to pursue his own research and development ideas.
At the company where he served, there were special showcases displaying recommended research topics. One of the most promising ideas was a device developed by Kalashnikov to record the operation of a tank engine while under load and idle. The device was named the "hour meter" and was designed to help soldiers monitor their equipment's performance.

In the spring of 1941, Kalashnikov was transferred to the Leningrad Plant No. 174, named after K. E. Voroshilov, to work on the production and testing of this new device. His work at the plant helped him refine his skills and contributed to the development of the hour meter, which became an essential tool for tank crews.

In Leningrad, Mikhail Timofeevich worked on another tank device - a mass switch for tanks. He carefully studied existing options and developed his own design at the design bureau. He created his own prototype and presented it to the factory management for consideration. The device proved to be reliable and, compared to existing models, it was simpler in design.

The testing of the mass switch for the tank ended on June 24, 1941, but it was not launched. This was the third day of the Great Patriotic War, and Mikhail Kalashnikov returned to his military unit urgently.

During this short trip to Leningrad, the young inventor was able to immerse himself in the atmosphere of large design bureaus and workshops, where his devices were being tested and put into production. The inventor's daughter, Elena Kalashnikova, said that Leningrad became his "creative homeland" after the end of the war.

Since 1960, weapons designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov have been tested at the Rzhevsky Artillery Range in the Vsevolozhsky District of the Leningrad Region. Here, he also tested his famous AK-74 automatic rifle, which was adopted by the USSR in 1974 and is still in use by the Russian army and some other countries around the world.

Today, Kalashnikov's name is synonymous with quality and reliability. His daughter said, "Kalashnikov is more than a brand. It's a way of life, a work of art. There's so much will behind it."

Another landmark associated with Kalashnikov's legacy is the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers, and Signal Corps. Mikhail Timofeyevich saw it as an academy where designers learn from the past. The museum houses the largest collection of Kalashnikov weapons in the world, including the original prototypes that helped shape his design.

The memory of the famous gunsmith Mikhail Kalashnikov is carefully preserved in St. Petersburg, where the Presidential Library has opened a virtual exhibition Constructor and Automaton: The Path of the Great Master in conjunction with the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineer and Signal Corps and the Kalashnikov Foundation. The exhibition, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of Kalashnikov's birth, reflects the main stages of his life and career, showcasing his professional achievements and the history of his famous AK-47 assault rifle. Visitors can explore samples of weapons and unique documents, including journals of field trials, a patent for his invention, and personal belongings and awards.

In 2009, a decree was issued by the President of the Russian Federation awarding Mikhail T. Kalashnikov the title of Hero of the Russian Federation. This document is available on the portal of the Presidential Library.

In a video lecture titled Mikhail Kalashnikov: Personality and Time, the famous gunsmith spoke to young people about the importance of loving and honoring the history of their homeland, Russia. He urged them to remember the heroes of the past, both leaders and ordinary soldiers, and emphasized the importance of memory as a distinguishing feature of human beings.

Kalashnikov expressed his happiness, but also had a dream for the future of his country. He desired a moral revival, an increase in the level of culture, and the improvement of people. He emphasized that he had invented weapons to protect his country, not to kill.