“Step into the past” a visitor once whispered as they crossed the threshold. You are now standing before the Memorial Cabinet-Museum of Academician Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky. It is a unique place in Moscow.
This museum is a structural scientific research division. It belongs to the Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry. It is named after V.I. Vernadsky of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The Memorial Cabinet-Museum of Academician Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky first opened in May 1953. This coincided with the 90th anniversary of the birth of Academician V.I. Vernadsky. The museum occupies a room of about 50 square meters. It is located in the GEOKHI building. The address is Kosygina Street 19, Moscow, 119991.
The exhibition recreates Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky’s home office. It features his personal belongings. These include furniture, books, paintings and photographs. This collection was moved from the scientist’s last apartment. It was located on Durnovsky Lane 1B in Moscow.
The main focus of the museum’s scientific research is popularizing Vernadsky’s ideas. This involves studying his works and diaries. It also sheds light on his biography.
The museum organizes exhibitions. These exhibitions are dedicated to V.I. Vernadsky. They take place in various cities in Russia and abroad.
The museum welcomes students and schoolchildren daily. They come from higher educational institutions and senior classes.
The museum attracts over 300 visitors annually. Among them are students from Russia. There are also visitors from the USA. People come from China and India too. Guests arrive from Japan, Germany and France. They also come from other countries.
Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky died in January 1945 in Moscow. After his death, there was a desire to preserve his office. It was to remember the scientist. Academician Alexandra Pavlovna Vinogradova helped organize it. She was a close associate of Vernadsky.
In May 1953, after construction was completed, the cabinet museum was opened. The Vernadsky Museum is a structural scientific division. It is part of the Institute of Geochemistry. It is named after V.I. Vernadsky of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The modest setting of the office is preserved. It remains as it was during the scientist’s life. Entering the Cabinet-Museum of Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky feels like visiting him. You are enveloped in a sense of peace. You notice the importance and harmony of everything around you.
The room is large and bright. It has three windows. In the center is a small writing desk. There is a simple hard chair in front of it. To the left of the desk is a couch. Vladimir Ivanovich often read there. A wide low table stands beside it.
On the table are three miniature photographs. They show his wife Natalia Egorovna. There is also a photo of his father and fellow student N.Y. Grot.
When preparing the Cabinet-Museum for opening, books were placed on the desk. Vladimir Ivanovich used these books in his last days. There are also current issues of journals. Among them is the English journal “Nature”. Vladimir Ivanovich read it systematically. He did this since 1881. That year, he entered St. Petersburg University. He studied in the natural sciences department.
Beside the couch is a small folding table. It is covered with books. The scientist used it for reading. There are also manuscripts of unpublished works. Now, they contain works by V.I. Vernadsky. They were published after his death.
Shelves with cardboard boxes stand against the walls. They contained Vernadsky’s correspondence. Also found were his notebooks and archive documents. Currently, all these documents are in the Moscow branch. They are part of the Archives of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.
The walls of the Cabinet-Museum are decorated with portraits and photographs. Above the low couch hang two portraits painted in oil. One is of his father, Ivan Vasilievich. He was a professor of political economy and statistics. The other is of his first wife, Maria Nikolaevna.
The most valuable item in the cabinet-museum is the library. It contains over 6,800 books and journals. There are also 46 geographic maps and atlases.
The library of Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky shows him as a man. He had a curiously broad range of interests.
Careful study of Vernadsky’s library and archives reveals valuable material. This helps to form an idea. It shows how this remarkable Russian scientist thought and worked.
As you leave the Memorial Cabinet-Museum of Academician Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky, consider the legacy of a brilliant mind. His ideas continue to inspire scientists and thinkers around the world.