The exhibition titled “Merchants’ Kirillov” was opened in the Museum of town and district history. The concept “merchants of Kirillov” was introduced in the second half of the 18th century. Annual fairs held near the walls of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery helped some peasants living in the monastery settlement to earn money and to gain abilities for trading. The merchants were closely connected with the monastery; they supplied it with all necessary goods and donated large sums of money. Though the history of the merchants was short, it left imprints in the Kirillov district: names of streets, houses made of stone or partially of stone in the central part of the town. The merchants made a serious contribution to the development of material and spiritual culture of the Kirillov district.
The historical reference and family pictures of the merchants: the Sizmins, the Gublers, the Simonovs, the Sveshnikovs, the Andreevs, the Valkovs, and old photos of town streets where they lived are presented on the stands of the museum hall. Visitors can see things and furniture from the merchants’ houses in the rooms. Unique exhibits telling about the merchants’ life in the early 20th century from the pottery, fabric and metal collections of the Kirillo-Belozersky museum-reserve are also displayed there.
The exhibition will be open till November 28, 2013.
