Museum of Diplomatic Corps

Vologda, Russia

The Museum of the diplomatic corps (Russian Музей дипломатического корпуса ) is a private historical museum in the Russian city of Vologda. It is located in a former private home of Pawel Pusan ​​Pusirewski (wooden house, an architectural monument of the first third of the 19th century ). This building was home to 1918, the Embassy of the United States. The exhibition brings to life the little-known events from February to July 1918, which are connected with the stay of eleven foreign embassies and missions in the city.

The diplomatic corps in Vologda 1918

From the end of February 1918 Vologda became the " diplomatic capital of Russia ". Under the threat of the German occupation of Saint Petersburg, drew representatives from 11 embassies ( United of the States, Britain, France, Serbia, Belgium, Siam, Italy), consulates ( Brazil ) and missions ( Japanese, Chinese and Swedish- Danish ) under the leadership of the American Ambassador David Rowland Francis to Vologda.

The choice fell on Vologda, because the city was far away from the front, had a favorable road position and a crossroads of major railway lines was causing the diplomatic corps could be evacuated in any direction.

During her five -month stay in Vologda diplomats explored the political situation in Soviet Russia and submitted to the governments of their countries further relevant reports. The Bolshevik government could not disregard this, she began since the middle of 1918 their power in the city to establish and to take repressive measures against " counter-revolutionaries ". Therefore, left the diplomatic corps on 24 July 1918, the city.

Later the residence of diplomats in Vologda was forgotten, even its mention was politically dangerous. In Soviet propaganda is branded the diplomats as " accomplices of imperialism " was mentioned only their subversive activity against the Soviet power.

In other countries, held the residence of the diplomatic corps in Vologda for lost time. Only in the 1990s, they came to the knowledge of the importance of diplomatic activity in Vologda in the academic and journalistic works.

History of the Museum

In 1996 the Vologda historian Alexander Bykov material on the residence of the diplomatic corps in Vologda to collect. He managed a number of household items from the vicinity of diplomats, copies of important documents ( most of them were from the local archives and the private archive of D. R. Francis in Saint Louis) together. On 16 July 1997 Alexander Bykov held at the home of the Pusan ​​Pusirewski ( in earlier private wooden house, built in the first third of the 19th century, when in 1918 the Embassy of the United States was ) an exhibition of the foreign embassies in Vologda 1918. This Day considered as the date of the founding of the museum.

Soon succeeded Bykov, to get access to the documents of the French Diplomatic Archives and the Archives of the Federal Security Service FSB operating, he had to make copies of the documents on the activities of the French Embassy in Vologda. On the basis of this material and with the support and participation of the U.S. Embassy in Russia, the exhibition was prepared - there were two halls of the Diplomatic Corps officially opened, the ceremony took the U.S. Ambassador, James Franklin Collins, in part.

Many relatives of the most visited in the events of 1918 involved the museum. These include:

• Talton Francis Ray - businessman, grandson of the Ambassador of the USA in Russia in the years 1916-1918 David Rowland Francis
• Sir Chips Keswick - grandson of the Britannic Ambassador F. О. Lindley
• Tania Rose - daughter of the correspondents of "The Manchester Guardian" Ph. Price
• Jean Dulce - grandson of the French ambassador Dulce

Among the visitors were also personalities from Russia and from abroad:

• Prince Michael of Kent - a member of the British Royal Family
• Baron Eduard von folding fine - German patron of Russian origin from the Principality of Liechtenstein
• James Hadley Billington - head of the Library of Congress USA
• James Franklin Collins - U.S. Ambassador to Russia from 1997 to 2001
• Sir Rodric Quentin Braithwaite - Ambassador of Great Britain in Russia in the years 1988-1992
• Other representatives of the U.S. embassies of Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Canada, Hungary
• Norman E. Saul - historian, author of a three volume work, dedicated to the Russian-American relations
• Harper Barnes - historians, the official biographer of David Rowland Francis
• Alexander Korzhakov - security chief of Boris Yeltsin in the years 1990-1996
• Nikita Belykh - Chairman of the "Union of Right Forces " (2005-2008), Governor of the Kirov Oblast (since 2009)

• . Opening ceremony of two museum rooms on 25 June 1998 Links: The American Ambassador James Collins; in the middle: museum director Alexander Bykov
• From left to right: Alexei Jakunitschew (Mayor ), Alexander Bykov, James Collins ( U.S. Ambassador ) and Ivan Pozdnjakow ( the deputy governor of the Vologda Oblast ) on 25 June 1998.
• At the festive events, the atmosphere of the era revived

Exhibition

The exhibition of the Museum of the diplomatic corps dedicated to the history of the stay of the diplomats in Vologda 1918. On display are documents, letters, diaries ( from the archives of Russia, the U.S., UK, France ), and also objects that belonged to the people who were involved in the events. The exhibits recall the atmosphere of Russia after the October Revolution of 1917.

Activity of the museum

The Museum of the diplomatic corps receives Russian and foreign visitors, offers a cultural program - music and cultural evenings, stand-up meals in the museum halls - in the museum itself as well as in the city. The exhibition is also used as a pulse in the school lessons in history, literature, foreign languages. In the museum there is also a souvenir department, where a range is to find souvenirs, publishing products, products of folk arts and crafts and Numismatikartikeln.