Museums of the Imperial Novorossiya University: The first years of history

The article presents an attempt to illuminate the history of the formation and functioning of the museum network of the Imperial Novorossiya University (1865–1920) on the basis of scientific literature, published documents and historical sources that are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. The legislative and organizational foundations of the formation of the museum business at the university is revealed and the activities of the leaders and employees of the university museums in the acquisition, processing, storage, exhibiting and use of museum collections in the scientific and educational process is described. The activity, profile and departmental affiliation of museums, their funding and sources of funds formation are characterized. The funds of the museums were divided into expositional, educational and scientific, and in the distribution of emphasis between these complexes, more attention was paid to the scientific and educational significance of the acquired artifacts. All the heads of the museum were representatives of the teaching staff from university faculties. They played a leading role in the educational, methodological, scientific and organizational activities of museums. Their scientific heritage is part of the genesis of many branches of science. In the activities of museums, there were ups and downs caused, first of all, by the instability of funding from the leadership of the university. Dependence on random circumstances and the frequent change of regular staff led to the unevenness of their development. First of all, the situation was saved by donations received both from representatives of the teaching staff, patrons and benefactors, and from ordinary citizens, which testifies to the public’s concern for the fate of the museums of the leading university in the south of the Russian Empire. The closure of the university in 1920 and the subsequent reorganization of museums caused irreparable damage to the process of cultural development.