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| Russian Geographical Society showed a Russian map from the time of Peter I the size of an apartment wall |
| 2024-04-23 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [Regnum] At the headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society (RGS) in St. Petersburg, journalists were shown one of the largest Russian maps in history, made during the reign of Peter I. Its size is approximately the same as the wall of an apartment in a typical panel house. The Russian Geographical Society said that this is a map of Siberia, which was created by engineer, geographer and icon painter Semyon Remezov between 1696 and 1698. The exhibit demonstrates how the state developed, Siberia was developed, and what the worldview of the explorers was, the society noted. “The map was created for the Siberian Prikaz, then it came into the possession of Peter the Great - it hung in his residence, nailed to the wall with furniture nails. Using it, he conducted exams for those who were not very knowledgeable in geography,” said the chairman of the restoration commission, Ilya Gurov. He added that the map was exhibited in the Hermitage, but remained poorly researched, unlike other maps and atlases of Remezov. “It resembles an icon, the images of Saints Zosima and Savvaty from the Solovetsky Monastery. When we carried out instrumental research, it turned out that the map was created using icon-painting technologies,” explained Gurov. He clarified that those places that seem dark are actually covered with two layers of precious metals - silver and gold leaf. And those areas that look green were actually blue before. “The colors are applied with natural mineral paints, and over more than 300 years they have changed their structure,” the expert noted. The map of Siberia has other “features”. In particular, the north and south have changed places. In addition, the exhibit does not have the usual scale and coordinate grid. Distances on it are calculated by day's marches, and the landmarks are the places where “Alexander the Great buried his gun.” The Russian Geographical Society reported that at the moment the map needs to be restored. On instructions from the president of the society, Sergei Shoigu, a team of specialists began work that will last throughout the current and next year. Earlier, the Russian Geographical Society launched a new project - the All-Russian competition “Cool Geography”. It is dedicated to the school subject of the same name. The organizer offers students educational lessons in an unusual format. The final of the Cool Geography competition will take place in November 2024 at the headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society in Moscow. The finalists will receive valuable gifts from the Russian Geographical Society, and the winning schools will receive cash prizes for equipping a geography class. The Russian Geographical Society also took part in the presentation of the publication “Physical Geography” by Immanuel Kant in Russian as part of the Baltic Cultural Forum, which began on April 18 in Svetlogorsk. |
| Posted by:badanov |