The Museum of Crystal in Dyatkovo

The museum of crystal of the Dyatkovo crystal plant is a unique establishment in the best and happiest sense. The museum has accumulated a vast collection of glass, which reflects the basic trends in the development of the plant, ways and methods of processing and working goods made of coloured glass and crystal. It also shows the applied technology, the growth of skills, inherited by each subsequent generation, and a change in the trends of fashion.

The museum has been functioning successfully for more than a century. The Great Patriotic War (World War II) was the most terrible experience for the museum. Before the Bryansk region was occupied by German fascists, the plant's museum, like the basic equipment and machinery, was evacuated to the east of the country.

In the exposition halls of the museum we can learn about the life-story and activities of the Maltsovs, Russian manufacturers who founded our plant and created a large industrial empire. The writer-ethnographer Vasili Ivanovich Nemirovich-Danchenko called this area "America in Russia". The whole history of the biggest and oldest crystal plant in Russia, covering more than two centuries, can be traced in the exposition halls of our museum. There is a peculiar way of showing the exposition. Items of decorum are placed on open podiums. There are no obstacles between an exhibit and a visitor. The exhibits can be viewed circularly, as if they were existing in an open space, organizing it round themselves, filling it with their bright images and light-emanating essence of that wonderful and unique material which we call 'glass'.

Today the museum is a unique collection of the ancient and modern Dyatkovo crystal. We carefully keep samples of serial and mass produce of the plant: unique works of talented distinguished masters and professional artists, a brilliant collection of the best produce of the plant made at different stages of its history.

The classical traditions of the Russian artistic glassmaking are represented here with a wonderful collection of the best produce of the plant at different stages of its history, unique items of decorum for interiors, presents to popular people, pearls of the Maltsovs' industrial empire in documents.

The Museum of Crystal offers:

· excursions about the museum

· excursions about the plant shops

Tourists come to know the process of manual production of items out of hot glass, methods of diamond-cutting and engraving crystal objects.

A constant exposition acquaints you with the unique collection of the Maltsov glass of the XIX century, with works of masters and artists of the XX century. The Exhibition Hall of the museum offers various exhibitions and display-fairs.

In the museum there functions a salon-shop, offering the best objects of small serial production and souvenirs, produced at the plant. There is an artistic salon in the museum which offers personal works of artists and the best samples of the serial produce of the "Dyatkovo Crystal".

Exercises

1. Answer the questions:

1) What does a collection of glass in the museum reflect?

2) What period was the most terrible experience for the museum?

3) For how long has the museum been functioning?

4) Who was the founder of the plant?

5) What id the peculiarity of exposition?

6) What does the museum offer for tourists?

7) What can be found in a salon-shop of the museum?

2. True or false:

1) In the museum there functions a working shop, offering the best objects of small serial production and souvenirs, produced at the plant.

2) The museum of crystal offers only excursions about the museum.

3) Vasili Ivanovich Nemirovich-Danchenko called this area "America in Russia"

4) The museum has been functioning successfully for more than 2 centuries.

5) Today the museum is a unique collection of the ancient and modern Dyatkovo crystal.

3. Speak in brief about:

a) the history of the museum

b) museum nowadays

4. Reproduce the following micro dialogues:

1. – Do you know anything about history of Bryansk?

- Yes, I do. It was first mentioned in the chronicles in 1146.

- Where did the first dwellings appear?

- Around the Bowl Mound.

2. – I want to choose some educational establishment to enter in Bryansk. What can you recommend?

- Do you want to get higher education?

- Yes, of course!

- Then you can try the Bryansk State University, the Bryansk Technological Academy, The Agricultural Academy, or a branch of the Modern Humanitarian University.

3. – How are you going to spend the week end?

- The weather is fine, we’ll go to the Partisan Glade, and what about you?

- I don’t know. May be I’ll take my children to the circus or the puppet theatre.

- If the weather changes, we’ll join you.

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