The house-Museum of Tsiolkovsky in Kaluga
Description
The house-Museum of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, the great Russian scientist, the founder of theoretical cosmonautics, situated at the entrance to the town of Kaluga not far from the Oka river. The scientist lived here for 29 years. Here he has written his main works on Aeronautics, aviation, jet propulsion, Astronautics.
K. E. Tsiolkovsky bought this house in the spring of 1904. The house was one storey and had a living room. In the spring of 1908 as a result of severe flooding, the house was seriously damaged. It required the repair. At the same time the second floor was added where the office of a scientist located, and a porch, where his workshop was set up.
The last two years of his life Tsiolkovsky lived in the house № 1 along the street Tsiolkovsky, which was donated by the scientists of Kaluga city Council in connection with its 75th anniversary.
19 Sep 1935 Tsiolkovsky died. A year later, on 19 September 1936 the house was opened as a museum. The first exhibition was a scientific and memorial character. It talked about the most important directions of creativity of the scientist.
The work of the Museum was interrupted in the autumn of 1941, when Kaluga was occupied by the Nazis. The house was occupied by German soldiers. Despite the fact that the most valuable exhibits of the Museum staff and family of the scientist were rescued, a huge loss was the destruction of many memorial items, books, photos. Immediately after the liberation of Kaluga, the Museum commenced the repair work and soon the visitors again crossed his threshold.
An important stage in the work of the House-Museum of K. E. Tsiolkovsky was 1957. The country celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of the scientist. By this time, the scientific-technical section of the Museum has received from the USSR Academy of Sciences new exhibit, prepared at the initiative of S. P. Korolev. A unique exhibits, telling about the implementation of ideas of Tsiolkovsky.
In 1967 in Kaluga was opened the State Museum of history of cosmonautics named after K. E. Tsiolkovsky. The house Museum became his memorial division. The interiors of the house, outbuildings, yard and garden were recreated as they were during the life of the family Tsiolkovsky in this house. The project is of the architect G. P. Morozov.
In the spring of 1968, the Museum was closed for restoration works, and in October of the same year opened with a new exhibition as biographically memorial Museum. The authors of the subject-exposition plan of A. V. Kostin and V. V. Kazakevich, artist and architect, G. N. Bilibin, author of restoration project — T. D. Dmitrikova. All of the Museum restored to its former appearance. Most memorial exhibits genuine, belonging to the scientist or his family members.
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin, who visited the region shortly after returning from space flight, recorded in the Book of honorable guests of the Museum House the following:
With a large satisfaction and excitement I visited the house where Konstantin Eduardovich lived and worked,... I'm happy that I was the first to fulfill the dream of Tsiolkovsky, to complete the work of many thousands of people who had prepared the first flight of man into space.
