Virtual tour of the exhibition to mark the history of the Russian Navy available on the Presidential Library’s portal

The Presidential Library provides a virtual tour of the exhibition Sea Vessels to Be!: Marking the 325th anniversary of the founding of the Navy and the 115th anniversary of the founding of the Russian submarine fleet. The exposition, prepared by the Presidential Library in conjunction with the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), is available in the historic building of the Synod on Senate Square, 3 from October 18, 2021 to January 23, 2022.

Thanks to the new interactive project of the Presidential Library, without leaving home, it is now possible to walk through the exhibition halls and discover new pages in the history of our country, learn about the origin and development of  the Russian fleet and about its present and future.

The exhibition "Sea Vessels to Be!" was dedicated to two significant dates at once which were celebrated in 2021 and were associated with the Russian Navy.

On October 20 (30), 1696, by decree of the Boyar Duma, initiated by Peter I, a regular fleet was officially founded in Russia. The creation of the fleet and the beginning of regular domestic shipbuilding became the first successful state-important project of the tsar-reformer. He founded several shipyards, including the Admiralty and Solombalskaya (now the Red Forge) - the two oldest enterprises that are part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation.

For centuries, Russia has had the status of a great maritime power: new ship designs were developed, the sailing fleet gave way to steam and armored ones. The defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905) was proof of the urgent need for a serious development of shipbuilding and the modernization of the fleet. On March 11 (24), 1906, an order was issued by the Naval Department No. 52 on the inclusion in the classification of ships of the military fleet of the category of submarines that proved their effectiveness in battle. This date is considered the day of foundation of the Russian submarine fleet.

The Presidential Library’s exhibition showcases the continuity of the Russian fleet from the time of Peter the Great to the present day and the modern achievements of USC shipbuilders. For the first time, materials provided by libraries, museums, archives, as well as enterprises that are part of Russia's largest shipbuilding corporation were presented in a single exposition.

Thanks to a virtual tour it is now possible to see rare editions of the 18th-20th centuries that spotlight the first steps of the Russian fleet created by Peter I. Among the book monuments of the 18th century are the first Naval Charter of 1720, books about glorious naval exploits and colorful albums with images of ships of the 19th century.

The exposition dedicated to the history of underwater shipbuilding features unique documents from the collections of the Russian State Archives of the Navy as well as materials and models of submarines from the museums of world-famous shipyards and design bureaus that are part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation.

One has opportunity to make an independent tour of the exhibition halls of the Presidential Library, pay more attention to individual exhibits and study them in detail thanks to the virtual tour of the exhibition Sea Vessels to Be!: Marking the 325th anniversary of the founding of the Navy and the 115th anniversary of the founding of the Russian submarine fleet. It is also available on the institution's portal.

The exhibition "Sea Vessels to Be!" has become one of the winners of the All-Russian contests of projects among libraries organized by the Russian Military Historical Society for holding events dedicated to significant dates in Russian military history.

Virtual projects are an actively developing area of ​​activity of the Presidential Library, thanks to which the collections the electronic depository, along with paper, photo, audio and video materials, are entered with exhibits and items from museum collections.

Today, more than thirty virtual tours and excursions are available for remote visits. One has opportunity to learn about them on the Presidential Library’s portal in the section Exhibitions at the link https://www.prlib.ru/about_exhibition.