The exhibition of the Bank of Russia’s Museum and Exposition Fund has taken part in the All-Russia Long Night of Museums for the third year in a row.
Before the excursion, guests of the Bank of Russia could enjoy harp music. After that the visitors were told about the development of Russia’s monetary system from ancient times till the present and shown unique exhibits: coins and jewellery made of coins, securities, ancient computing machines, safes, money boxes and other objects.
In particular, visitors learnt that Mikhail Lomonosov, the scientist, earned 2,000 rubles for his laudatory ode to Empress Elizabeth of Russia. However, the scientist had to transport his money in a four-horse cart, as the coins’ weight totalled two tons. Should the scientist have been awarded such a bonus in the age of Catherine the Great, he would not have faced such challenges, as Catherine II introduced first paper money in Russia. The museum’s guests could see real banknotes of the 1770s. Paper money was introduced to cover numerous military expenses amid the shortage of gold and silver coins.
As usual, visitors took interest in the 19th century safe from the Moscow office of the State Bank. The door of the safe was filled with sand; this allowed closing it as tightly as possible and protected money not only from theft, but also from fire.
A separate glass case exhibited ancient coins of Tavrida and Taman in the Northern Black Sea region. These are unique artefacts never exhibited before.
Museums of the Bank of Russia’s branches in 38 regions from Kaliningrad to the Far East opened their doors to visitors along with the Moscow museum. Their visitors were able to discover the highlights of the region's banking history. For example, guests of the Bank of Russia’s Tyumen branch learnt that several centuries ago Northern peoples had a ‘taiga bank’ that issued interest-free loans to locals repayable in a bumper year. The Vladivostok museum’s visitors discovered the specially-made Japanese yens with inscriptions in Russian; by the early 1920s they became the main means of payment in the city. The people of Vladivostok received their wages in 'Russified' yens and used them to pay for goods, housing and services until Soviet rubles came into circulation.
A total of 4,000 people visited excursions organised by Bank of Russia employees.
If you missed the Bank of Russia’s exhibition during the Long Night of Museums, you may visit the exposition some other day. You are welcome to book an excursion during the working hours of the Bank of Russia’s Museum and Exposition Fund.
21 May 2018