Development of the concept for a museum of the Dutch Manufaktura in Yaroslavl

The Yaroslavl Bolshaya Manufactory (Textile Mill) was built between 1722-1731 by order of Peter the Great. The manufactory was run by Johan (Ivan) Tames, an engineer of Dutch origin, considered to be the founder of textile industry in Russia, who teamed up with the local industrialist Ivan Zatrapeznov. A unique Dutch ornamental garden was laid out in 1723 on the factory grounds. At the time, the garden was state-of-the art in its design.

In the 19th century the Yaroslavl Manufactory moved on to new premises a little further North, where the Dutch traditions of an ornamental garden within a manufacturing environment were continued in the form of recreational parks for workers and engineers. The larger area embracing the old and new factory locations was called Petropavlovskaya Sloboda ("the Peter-and-Paul Settlement"), named after the Baroque Peter-and-Paul church (1736-1741), dominating the place.

The manufacturing of cloth came to an end in 1917. After 1917 some buildings were broken down, others received a new purpose. Overall, the area deteriorated and is now considered to be a problem district.

The purpose of the future museum is to preserve the industrial, cultural and natural heritage of Petropavlovskaya Sloboda, and bring it back to modern culture through activating the Sloboda's social role and interpreting it by the means of modern art. Creating a museum of Petropavlovskaya Sloboda might be instrumental to achieve this goal. A "museum route", with some determinant sites underway, is to be laid through the territory. Some individual displays are to be interconnected by a transcontextual idea that could be interpreted by different means and media: from a historical document to a performance. The display sites or “belts" are expected to gradually expand into new areas of the Sloboda's territory.

OBJECTIVES
- Explore the history of Petropavlovskaya Sloboda, collect information on the toponyms and architectural monuments of the Sloboda.
- Develop a new understanding of the arts and culture display: identify the notional, spacial and time foci.
- Make a description of the Sloboda's symbolic resources and explore the urban space through marking the monuments; create a dynamic "indoor" display.
- Identify target groups and work out a plan for attracting visitors; develop a plan for PR campaigns.
- Utilize as much as possible the presentation function of the museum as a new cultural institution.

RESULTS
- Knowledge transfer in the field of museology by means of a study visit to the Netherlands.
- A new understanding of the way to visualize the history of the Manufactory.
- A developed concept of the future museum.