A. V. Shemansky's contribution to the preservation of the former royal residence in Peterhof

Bondarev Sergei Viktorovich ORCID: 0000-0002-4087-3557 PhD in History Postgraduate student; Department of Modern History of Russia; St. Petersburg Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences Head of the department 'Grand Palace'; GMZ 'Peterhof' 197110, Russia, St. Petersburg, Petrozavodskaya str., 7 bondarev_ml@mail.ru Other publications by this author

On June 1, 1925, Anatoly Vladimirovich Shemansky was appointed to the staff of the Management of the Peterhof Palaces-Museums as a researcher ^{[26, l. 11]}. At that time, a campaign began in Leningrad to eliminate museums created after the revolution on the basis of former royal residences. The People's Commissariat of the Workers' and Peasants' Inspection proposed to close its own dacha in Sergievka, the Lower Palace in Alexandria and the Paley Palace in the Children's Village for the subsequent adaptation of historical buildings for workers' housing ^{[43, l. 223]}. To the team of Peterhof researchers under the leadership of the head of the Department N. I. Arkhipov had to solve the problem of preserving museums in the walls of former imperial palaces.

The scientific activity of A. V. Shemansky has not yet become the subject of a separate study. The name of the Peterhof researcher is often found in studies of the biographies of his closest associates: N. I. To Arkhipov and S. S. Geychenko ^{[1, 23, 24, 37, 38, 40, 41]}. Also, the activity of our hero is noted in the works devoted to the method of thematic exposition ^{[19, 20, 22, 25]}.

Even before joining the Faculty of Social Sciences at Leningrad University, A.V. Shemansky gained experience in museum work. In 1921-1922, the young man was a representative of the Glavmuseum of the People's Commissariat of Education in his native Tambov province. He also served as the commissioner for the protection of the former Chicherin estate in the village of Karaul ^{[28, l. 7]}. The authorities noted the exceptional energy and dedication to the museum business of A.V. Shemansky, thanks to which it was possible to preserve the artistic and historical values that were in the estate ^{[28, l. 22]}. In 1922, our hero went to Leningrad to study at the University, and even before graduation he found himself serving in Peterhof. At that time, another young employee, S. S. Geichenko, was working in the Management of the palaces-museums. The native of Peterhof graduated from the Faculty of Social Sciences a year earlier than A. V. Shemansky. The acquaintance of the young people grew into a creative tandem, which combined the experience of saving art treasures and exceptional knowledge of the Peterhof area.

In July 1925, A.V. Shemansky and S. S. Geichenko published a memorandum "Peterhof Palaces-museums" ^{[17, l. 67-70 ed.]}. The work is a theoretical study on the topic "are museums needed at all?". Peterhof employees believe that collecting and protecting "antiquity for antiquity" are not part of the tasks of the state authorities. They write that for historians, museums are not a document — palaces can be liquidated after the publication of a work about them. Tourists, visiting palaces, make seditious conclusions about the luxurious lifestyle of any government, including the revolutionary one ^{[17, l. 67]}.

The authors of the note believe that it is necessary not to preserve the royal palaces, but to turn them into "authentic museums" serving propaganda purposes ^{[17, l. 68]}. The exposition should make the most impressive impression for understanding a particular historical epoch. According to A. V. Shemansky and S. S. Geichenko, the palaces of Peterhof represent a unique situation that allows us to clearly show the history of the imperial autocracy. Such a museum city is necessary for the state, therefore, maximum resources should be attracted to its creation. The authors of this work also call the traditional metropolitan museums of the collection type "amazing remnants of the past" (the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, etc.) and declare the need to transfer exhibits from them to the palace museums ^{[17, L. 69]}.

Thus, A. V. Shemansky and S. S. Geichenko propose an innovative idea for museum methodology. The project part of the memorandum contains proposals for the creation of a new exposition in the former Peterhof Palace of Nicholas II — at the Lower Dacha ^{[17, l. 71-73 ed.]}. The initial plan of the staff was to start the creation of new museums from the Lower Dacha in the two-century historical concept of Peterhof. The fact is that in 1925 the Leningrad branch of Glavnauki raised the issue of closing some museums in the suburbs. The palace of the last Russian emperor was on this list. The preparation of the new exhibition lasted two years. A. V. Shemansky and S. S. Geichenko presented a series of reports on the project of the museum in the Lower Palace in Peterhof at the meetings of the Society for Sociology and Theory of Art at the Institute of Art History. The new exposition at the Lower Dacha opened on June 3, 1927. The following year, a thematic exposition was created in the Grand Peterhof Palace ^{[8, l. 4]}.

October 1, 1928 N. I. Arkhipov appointed A. V. Shemansky deputy director of the Peterhof Museums ^{[28, L. 7]}. At the time of the order, the latter was 24 years old. Since that time, all scientific and exposition work in Peterhof has been carried out under the direct supervision and supervision of our hero.

The Peterhof expositions were subject to annual additions and changes as the research work continued and deepened, as well as due to new state guidelines in the field of museum business. In February 1929, N. I. Arkhipov instructed Peterhof researchers to present their thoughts on desirable changes in the thematic exposition of the Grand Palace ^{[3, l. 9]}. The halls of the Grand Palace were distributed among the workers to create projects of inscriptions of generalizing significance and decided to prepare materials for individual exhibits ^{[3, l. 26]}. In March 1929, an editorial committee was established consisting of N. I. Arkhipov, A. V. Shemansky and S. S. Geichenko to study the submitted abstracts ^{[3, l. 30ob.]}.

By 1930, the concept of the two-hundred-year history of the Romanovs was embodied on the example of the monuments of Peterhof. Under the scientific guidance of A.V. Shemansky, thematic expositions were deployed in all Peterhof museums. The history of the XVIII century was presented in the expositions: Monplaisir, Marly, the Hermitage, the Catherine Building, the Great Peterhof Palace and the Chinese Palace in Oranienbaum. The features of the epoch of the XIX-early XX centuries were revealed by the example of the following monuments: A cottage, the Eastern wing of the Grand Peterhof Palace, the Tsaritsyn Pavilion, a Farmer's Palace, His Own cottage, the Lower Cottage and the Carriages of the Nicholas II train.

A new methodology for building museums, developed in Peterhof in the second half of the 1920s, made it possible to adapt the former royal residences for cultural and educational purposes. But some monuments still lost their expositions and were transferred to public needs. In July 1931, by decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR, a special commission was established to identify the expediency of certain museums ^{[42, L. 8]}. As a result, Alexander II's own summer cottage was placed at the disposal of the Leningrad City Council.

In the spring of 1933, Peterhof lost another museum. In March, the Lensoviet Affairs Department informed N. I. Arkhipov on the transfer of the Farm Palace for the organization of a holiday home ^{[14, l. 7]}. According to officials, the transfer of the Farm will not affect the museum work, since Alexander II's rooms are available in the Children's Village palaces. In conclusion, a special commission on the issue of Farming proposed the merger of Alexander II's rooms in Peterhof and the Children's Village by transferring the collection from Peterhof to the Children's Village ^{[14, l. 3]}. Eventually, part of the collection from the Farm Palace was indeed transferred to the Children's Village.

Under the leadership of A. V. Shemansky, active exhibition work was carried out in Peterhof. In 1933, on the first floor of the Eastern Wing of the Grand Peterhof Palace, together with the Artillery Museum, an exhibition "War and Technology" was prepared ^{[32, pp. 39-40]}. Visitors got acquainted with the evolution of weapons from primitive society to the present day. The final section was devoted to the modern military equipment of capitalist countries, the preparation of new wars by the imperialists and the combat defense training of the workers of the USSR. Specially made electrified models demonstrated the use of weapons in war. Authentic samples of weapons were presented at the exhibition. The greatest interest of the tourists was aroused by the collections of medieval weapons and artillery models of the XVIII and XIX centuries. In the Eastern Gallery of the Grand Peterhof Palace at the exhibition "Building Socialist Leningrad", using models, models, as well as samples of new building materials, the peculiarities of housing, communal and cultural development of the city were revealed ^{[32, p. 40]}. At the exhibition "Leningrad Industry in the second Five-year Plan", also located in the Grand Palace, industry achievements were demonstrated: an automatic telephone exchange, an X-ray room, machines and machine tools ^{[32, p. 41]}.

Peterhof worked closely with the Leningrad Central Historical Archive. In 1935, the exhibition "The Budget of the royal court in the XVIII century" was opened, organized jointly with the archive ^{[33, p. 42]}.LOTSIA presented various documents at the exhibition: plans for the facade of the old Peterhof Palace, the Hermitage, a drawing of the "new cascade" against Monplaisir, etc. ^{[17, l. 31]}. In the same year, the exhibition "The Riches of the Bowels of the Soviet Union" was opened, prepared by the Central Scientific Research Geological Exploration Museum. Academician F. I. Chernyshev. The exhibition "Gardening Art of the XVI-XVII centuries" was launched on the third floor of the Grand Peterhof Palace, and the open-air exposition "Palace Park — Park of Culture and Recreation", opened in 1934, continued its work at the Eva fountain ^{[33, p. 42]}

Not all exhibitions were destined to be born. For example, in January 1936, an exhibition on the history of Peterhof was discussed at a scientific meeting and it was decided to open it in May ^{[16, l. 22]}. In February, the exact name was approved — "Exhibition of materials on the architectural history of Peterhof" — and seven rooms on the third floor of the Grand Palace were allocated for its placement ^{[16, l. 25ob.]}. At the end of February, due to the complexity of preparing materials for the exhibition, it was decided to postpone its opening to the beginning of June ^{[16, l. 27]}. But the exhibition was never opened due to lack of funds ^{[16, l. 302]}.

It happened that exhibitions were closed due to unforeseen circumstances. On July 2, 1936, the reception of athletes who took part in the "Match of 4 Cities" competition took place in the Grand Palace. During the event, the guests caused significant damage to the interiors of the Grand Palace: they stained the walls, knocked off the plaster, and damaged the gilding. There are also traces of crushed flowers on the parquet floors, stains from wine and sauces ^{[27, L. 8]}. During the cleaning of the parquet floors, the scientific meeting decided to "close the archival exhibition" ^{[16, l. 39]}. In this case, we are talking about the exhibition "Foreign masters in Peterhof of the XVIII century", held jointly with the Leningrad branch of the Central Historical Archive of the USSR in 1936 ^{[34, p. 35]}

In the 1930s, thanks to the tremendous work done by scientific staff under the leadership of A.V. Shemansky, Peterhof became one of the largest museum and educational centers in the country. In April 1936, the scientific and methodological meeting of the Peterhof Palace Museums decided to submit A.V. Shemansky for approval as a senior researcher.

However, the main mission of the museum staff was to save the historical heritage. Apparently, the active exhibition activity in 1933-1936 was largely due to the threat of alienation of museum areas. Therefore, they sought to occupy the premises with exhibitions on current political topics.

On November 15, 1936, the Presidium of the Leningrad City Council decided to transfer the Lower Cottage within three days to organize a rest home for instructors of the OK and GC VKP(b) ^{[5, l. 13]}. The Administration of Palaces and Parks of the Leningrad City Council ordered N. I. Arkhipov should withdraw to the museum fund certain items of independent museum and artistic value, as well as personal family regalia of Nicholas II ^{[5, l. 12]}.

In 1937, a criminal case was opened against the heads of the Management of Palaces and parks of the Leningrad City Council. In this regard, employees of suburban museums were arrested. Our hero was among them. The criminal case, in which all the defendants were united, was heard at a meeting of the special board of the Leningrad Regional Court for five days — from April 31 to March 4, 1938 ^{[27, l. 23]} The arrested were accused of serious crimes, including the creation of a counterrevolutionary group. A.V. Shemansky was sentenced to 15 years with confiscation of property.

After the arrest of A. V. Shemansky, his closest friends and associates also left Peterhof: in October 1937, N. I. was detained. Arkhipov ^[7], in December S. S. Geichenko wrote a letter of resignation ^{[27, l. 100]}. In the spring of 1938, at a general meeting of workers and employees of Peterhof Palaces and Parks, it was recognized that wrecking work was carried out in museums and parks: "enemies of the people emasculated the historical revolutionary content of museums and parks" ^{[44, l. 1ob-2]}.

In November 1939, the Supreme Court of the USSR overturned the verdict against A. V. Shemansky and rehabilitated him. Our hero was released from the Northeastern correctional camp in January 1940, and in mid-September of the same year he was reinstated in Peterhof to his former position with continuous work experience ^{[28, l. 24]}. After his return, A. V. Shemansky joined the museum and scientific work with the same zeal.

In his service at Peterhof, A. V. Shemansky proved himself not only as the creator of expositions and the head, but also published an impressive number of works on the history of the museum.The first works of A. V. Shemansky were written in collaboration with S. S. Geychenko. The brochure "Peterhof Palaces-museums" was published in 1926 ^[36] In the introduction, the authors point out the main feature of palaces-museums — a more convincing story, unlike a book or lecture ^{[36, p. 3]}. The brochure presents two sightseeing routes. The first one — in the XVIII century. — includes Montplaisir and the Grand Palace. The second route is dedicated to the 19th century and covers the palaces of Alexandria: Cottage, Farm palace and Lower cottage. The rest of the Peterhof monuments are separated into a separate group for a more detailed study of the main topics. Within the framework of the main sightseeing routes, a brief description of the museums is given, listing the interiors and indicating the necessary information. The brochure contains a schematic plan of Peterhof, as well as interesting information of an advertising nature: "The management of Peterhof Palaces-museums rents beautifully furnished cottages and separate rooms for the summer season at reasonable prices" ^{[36, l. 31]}. In conclusion, the authors admit that "this book is not a guide; here is a short essay" ^{[36, p. 28]}. A.V. Shemansky and S. S. Geichenko promise that a full—fledged work, which will be the result of a lot of work, is still ahead.

In 1929, the first guide to the exposition of the Lower Dacha was published, written by two researchers ^[56]. The brochure contains a detailed description of the introductory part of the exposition "Protection of Nicholas II", as well as the palace interiors open for inspection. Along with the description of the rooms, the main theme of the exposition is the inevitable catastrophe of the tsarist government. Over the next three years, the guidebook was constantly updated and released in a new edition every year. Already in 1930, the publication was significantly expanded, calling it "some report on the work on turning a historical and everyday document (the palace) into a historical and revolutionary museum" ^[57]. The third edition, printed in 1931, takes into account new changes in the exposition ^[58]. In addition, the text of the guidebook is divided into two parts, the side lines highlight the minimum required for reading when visiting the museum. The publication contains a large number of quotations, extracts and information from memoir literature, archival documents. Most of them are listed in the appendix. In the fourth edition, a guide to the exhibition "The Imperialist War and the Fall of Tsarism", opened in the carriages of the tsar's train, has been added ^[59].

A guide to the Cottage was also published in 1929. The authors describe in detail the interiors of the palace of Nicholas I. Unlike the guide to the Lower Dacha, the authors only rarely touch on ideological subjects, preferring a story about individual exhibits of the palace, about the purpose and design of rooms. The conclusion in the conclusion about the collapse of the "Nikolaev system, which for thirty years has been stubbornly striving to fit Russia into the narrow framework of reactionary politics" ^{[54, p. 17]} looks somewhat unexpected in the general context of this guidebook. The Cottage guide has also gone through several editions, radically changing the style and nature of the narrative. The preface to the fourth edition states that "unlike previous catalogs designed for aesthetes-fans of the "beautiful life", the guide to the Soviet museum should organize the perception of the visitor in a political and educational direction" ^[55]. The core theme of the guidebook, stated as the "crisis of the noble monarchy", is revealed from the first pages. The introduction is devoted to the reign of Nicholas I — "frankly consistent in clamping down and deceiving the working masses" ^{[55, p. 5]}. In this regard, the Cottage, according to A. V. Shemansky and S. S. Geychenko, is an expressive illustration of the history of Mykolaiv Russia ^{[55, p. 8]}. When describing each interior, the authors present the personality of Nicholas I and his policies in a negative way: the aggressive nature of the autocracy, the unsightly reality of serf Russia, hatred of enlightenment, gendarmerie politics, etc. When writing the guidebook, travel notes by A. de Custine, notes by S. M. Solovyov, Chamber-Jungfer journals and journals of the State Council, as well as quotations from Nicholas I, V. A. Zhukovsky, A. H. Benkendorf were used. The appendix contains two interesting documents from the archive of the Peterhof palace board.

Another joint work by A. V. Shemansky and S. S. Geichenko — a guide to the Grand Peterhof Palace — was published in 1930. ^[51] The text of the publication is coordinated with the route through the museum, including chapters "The Emergence of Peterhof", "Palace Construction", "Working people", "The purpose of the Palace", corresponding to the introductory exposition of the Grand Palace. The guidebook contains testimonies from contemporaries and data from the archives of the Peterhof palace board, the quartermaster general's office and the "Cabinet of Peter the Great". The second edition, printed in 1931, was supplemented by a guide to the exposition in the Church Building ^[52]. The third edition includes an overview of the exhibition "Tsar's Debts and the USSR" ^[53].

A. V. Shemansky also compiled an overview guide to Peterhof for foreigners. The work was published in 1932 in English and German ^{[62, 63]}.

In 1933, A.V. Shemansky's Peterhof and Oranienbaum edition was published in the series "A Guide to the Surroundings of Leningrad" ^[32]. The guidebook offers a plan for several excursions around Peterhof, designed for several visits. It also indicates which objects should be visited if there is one free day and in what order it is desirable to inspect the suburbs of Leningrad. The author tells about fountains, parks and palaces. A. V. Shemansky provides brief but informative information about the interiors of Monplaisir, Catherine Building, Grand Palace, Cottage, Lower Cottage, Carriages of the Royal train and the Chinese Palace. Of particular interest are the descriptions of temporary exhibitions held in the Grand Palace in 1933.

A. V. Shemansky is the compiler of the tourist guide "Peterhof and Oranienbaum" ^[33]. The publication is divided into several parts and contains a brief historical excursion into the past of Peterhof, information on how to get from Leningrad by transport and how long each route will take. Comprehensive information is provided on the receipt of orders, applications for excursions, etc. for the organizers of excursions. The directory shows the opening hours of parks, museums and the cost of entrance fees. A separate section is devoted to cultural recreation in the park: exhibitions, sports and physical education, military defense work, concerts and entertainment, quiet rest, work with children, reference, food, household services. The handbook with some adjustments, mainly concerning the work of museums, was republished in 1936 and 1937. ^{[48, 49]}

In 1935, a series of pamphlets dedicated to the Peterhof museums was published. A.V. Shemansky was the author of several editions of this series ^{[47, 48, 49, 50]}. The publication "Peterhof. Palaces and Parks", also published in 1935, is an author's essay on the history of the former royal residence. Unlike previous works, there is no listing of the palace interiors, there is no information of a reference nature. The author tells about the Peterhof palaces and their crowned owners. The ideological cliches characteristic of the time are almost not found in the text. In general, the essay by A. V. Shemansky is an easy in style, but at the same time a thorough work.

Finally, in 1936, the work of A. V. Shemansky was published, dedicated to the park "Alexandria" and its monuments ^[45]. The author calls his book a monograph ^{[45, p. 3]}, which combines the experience of exposition works in the palaces of Alexandria.

In the same year, an article by A. V. Shemansky "Surroundings of Leningrad" was published in the Leningrad travel guide. The author gives a brief outline of the history of the suburbs, tells in chronological order about the palace and park construction and the owners of the residences. A. V. Shemansky talks separately about museums and recreation areas in Peterhof, Detsky Selo, Gatchina, Pavlovsk, Oranienbaum and Strelna. The article provides recommendations on the order in which to inspect and how to organize a trip to the suburbs.

After recovering in Peterhof in 1940, A. V. Shemansky published the publication "Alexandria in Peterhof" ^[2]. The brochure is a short version of the 1936 edition, with the only difference that the text has significantly added references to the works of K. Marx, F. Engels, V.I. Lenin, as well as a short course on the history of the CPSU(b).

After returning from the camp, A. V. Shemansky worked in Peterhof for a short time. In the early days of the war, he began organizing the evacuation of museum items. But after a while he went to the front. On January 15, 1942, during fierce fighting near the Pogostye station near Leningrad, the company commander of the 11th Infantry Division, A.V. Shemansky, was killed.

It is no exaggeration to say that Anatoly Vladimirovich Shemansky devoted his life to serving Peterhof. Largely due to his merits, Peterhof has become one of the largest historical and cultural museums in the country. With the direct participation of A.V. Shemansky, the foundations of exposition and scientific activity were formed in Peterhof. At the same time, A. V. Shemansky was a true guardian of cultural heritage, opposing the closure of museums and the transformation of historical sites into parks of culture and recreation. In the name of the true mission of the museum business, A. V. Shemansky sacrificed himself and survived a terrible ordeal, going through the investigation and the camp. After that, he found the strength to return, because he knew that Peterhof needed him. And Peterhof, which had become his life and pain, was needed by him. Due to the dramatic events of 1941, A.V. Shemansky did not have time to educate his students and pass on his invaluable experience and tremendous knowledge. But the results of his exposition activities are still "alive" in Peterhof museums, and his works are used in methodological developments and excursions. Nevertheless, a deeper and more meaningful study of the legacy of Anatoly Vladimirovich Shemansky, whose name is forever inscribed in the chronicle of Peterhof, is necessary.